I am wondering what "sweet spot" means to different people. I am trying to determine what I should be looking for.

Is it that you can't eat much anymore and feel full right away? Is it having to eat 6 small meals a day because you can't consume more than a few ounces at a time? Are you "restricted" enough to eat a little and not feel STARVING between meals?

Before my first fill, I could eat any type of food and about 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups at a meal. However, I was STARVING between meals and my stomach growled loud enough to be embarrassing. Last week I had my first fill and now I have to be careful of the types of food I eat (pb'd a couple of times) and am back to blending some things before eating. I am never hungry.

I have been banded approximately 7 weeks - so I am a newbie. When I return to the doctor in 3 weeks I may ask to have some of the saline removed (he put in 2 cc's) if my current situation persists. Yes, I am experiencing rapid weight loss, (down 25 lbs yesterday) but I think this may be too much restriction. Advice? K

To me it means that I can eat a wide variety of foods (including bread) in such a quantity (even if that's 6 cups a meal) that I lose weight when I choose mostly healthy foods. So If I'm eating 6 cups of lean Protein, veges and a bit of starch for lunch and dinner and 6 cups of Cereal for Breakfast but am losing weight and not PBing or having any band trouble, then that's a sweet spot.

To me, it most definitely DOESNT mean half a cup of food, no bread, much reduced quanity, infinate care needed to eat to avoid PBing, fear of eating out, and the like. That to me is the definition of torture, not a sweet spot.

that being said, the likelihood of being able to eat 6 cups per meal and still lose weight is pretty much zip, so it falls somewhere in the middle, maybe a cup a time, most foods tolerable with reasonable care in chewing and eating slowly, and weight loss occurs WHEN you take care to eat right. THe fact that I can eat pizza does not mean I'm not at a sweet spot there, it means I should choose NOT to eat pizza.

And all that comes with a healthy dose of exercise!

Hunger between meals means one thing to me, eat something! Have a snack. I just dont think its normal to go seven hours between lunch and dinner without getting hungry and trying to find a level of restriction that would achieve that for me would mean I couldnt swallow a thing. I get hungrier between meals than I did pre band because I dont eat as much but burn more energy. So I eat a snack and it keeps me going.

You are definitely going to get a range of answers to this question. As for me...

My sweet spot is where I am at. I have no food restrictions (IE, nothing gets stuck if I chew it as much as I'm supposed to), but I eat around a cup of food and stay full for at least 4 hours (if I had some good, solid protein). I'm eating like a normal person and I'm losing weight.

To me, it most definitely DOESNT mean half a cup of food, no bread, much reduced quanity, infinate care needed to eat to avoid PBing, fear of eating out, and the like. That to me is the definition of torture, not a sweet spot.

I fully and completely agree with this. I could get a fill and be at ^that^ point, but WHY? I want to learn to eat NORMAL.

My restriction is similar to how Steph described it. I can eat every type of food, which I assumed I wouldn't be able to do because I read posts where many people said they couldn't eat bread, chicken, etc. If I chew well, I'm ok. I do have to be more careful with certain foods, but I never get stuck anymore. Instead of getting stuck, when I eat too much I get this feeling like the food is starting to fill up into my esophagus (a pressure, but definitely not the same feeling as being stuck). Sometimes I can eat a couple bites of food, other times I can eat a good 1 1/2 cups (rarely more). I stay full for 3-4 hours depending on what I eat; however, if I have something that is liquid I don't find it lasts nearly as long.

Restriction is new to me, so I'm still having trouble knowing when I'm truly satisfied and need to stop. It seems often times the esophagus pressure (or the slight hint of it) is my main sign but I'm starting to learn the signs given before that such as hiccupping (for me). It's a big learning curve for sure.

My sweet spot is where I am at. I have no food restrictions (IE, nothing gets stuck if I chew it as much as I'm supposed to), but I eat around a cup of food and stay full for at least 4 hours (if I had some good, solid protein). I'm eating like a normal person and I'm losing weight.

That's what my sweet spot is too. I can eat whatever I want, just not very much of it. I stay full for hours. I have never judged my cups, but I know I can't eat more than the size of my hand. My palm would be how much meat I can eat, and the fingers, a few veggies. I ordered a steak the other day, and it said on the menu it was a 6 oz steak. I ate half. So I guess that means I ate 3 oz of steak, and a couple broccoli tops.

It's where I'd like my fill to stay before it "settles." I can comfortably hold 1/2 to 3/4 C and it makes me feel that way for at least 3 hours. I've been fortunate, so far there is nothing I can't eat as long as it's chewed well enough.

I would not want to be any tighter than that. But I'm still at the tweaking stage, so when I've had my previous two fills they were perfect for a little over a week, then as the swelling went down I gradually could eat more and wanted to eat more often. Only will power kept me from over doing it. My last fill was Wednesday. We'll see how long this one lasts. I like having my appointments 4 weeks apart, because by the end of that time I'm really sure that it's time to go back for more. Restriction seems to be different at different times (of the day/month/depending on what I'm eating). I don't want to be too tight.

Yeah, it definitely can take a few fills before it will actually STAY that way for any length of time. Only my last two (fifth and sixth) actually lasted more than a month. Not that it appears to have mattered.

To me "sweet spot" means I am losing 1-2 pounds a week, can eat solid, normal food without PB'ing (not shakes or pureed food) and stay full on a small amount of food (amount varies depending on the food - I personally can eat quite a bit of salad) between meals.