So I ate a bite of something, didn't chew well, took a big swig of water - big mistake. Did I forget I was banded or something? Started PB'ing on my way to pick up my son and m-i-l. I had to take along a "to-go" cup so I could spit into it on the way. Yick!

It is once again a learning curve. I believe I'm at or almost at proper restriction - I mean who knows what a sweet spot is until you get it, right - and I'm having to relearn to take small bites and chew. There were months there where I could eat "normally" so I lost my newly banded ways of eating.

First pb?? Gee Linda, you should feel proud you lasted this long! I had my first pb sometime in december lol. It's definitely a learning curve the closer you get to restriction. It's weird, but I find that I pb and get stuck less now that I've reached restriction. Not sure why that is or if it's that way for everyone. I just get discomfort if I overeat or don't chew well. I suppose I pb on occasion, but I very rarely get stuck.

Linda,

I'm so sorry you had to go through but I guess we all will at some point. I have not PB'd yet. I hope I never do but that is not realistic.

First pb?? Gee Linda, you should feel proud you lasted this long! I had my first pb sometime in december lol. It's definitely a learning curve the closer you get to restriction. It's weird, but I find that I pb and get stuck less now that I've reached restriction. Not sure why that is or if it's that way for everyone. I just get discomfort if I overeat or don't chew well. I suppose I pb on occasion, but I very rarely get stuck.

Okay lizzie, my girl, you and me have got to talk. I need your opinion. I feel like I'm not at restriction because I can still eat a lot in one sitting but yet I slime really really easily if I don't chew until liquid mush. Did this happen to you? How did you know when you were at proper restriction? Or am I at it now? I thought I would know but I don't!

And when you say you get discomfort if you don't chew well, what does it feel like? When I don't chew to liquid mush it hurts going down and i feel like I'm ruining something down there.

Can you help me out? :purplebananna:

LOL...it strikes me as humorous that I could have read your sentence, "So I ate a bite of something, didn't chew well, took a big swig of water" before surgery and thought, "Yeah? So?" And now it's like watching a train wreck.

I have not PB'd. I have gotten stuck numerous times and I can feel a "backing up," so to speak, but in order to actually have it get OUT, I'd have to kind of push. Gross, I know. LOL I feel I have good restriction, so maybe that's why it's similar to Liz? I would say good restriction is being able to eat a cup or less and being full for 4 hours. That's what I told the receptionist I was like when I canceled my last fill appointment and she agreed I was good to go for the time being. My last fill was...uh...in February? Or January? I can't remember. But the fact that it has held on this long is encouraging. I may consider going in for another fill in a month if I lose any restriction at all...because I hear it can loosen as you lose weight.

I would say good restriction is being able to eat a cup or less and being full for 4 hours. quote]

So when you eat a cup or less and are full, do you feel just satisfied or do you feel stuffed and you can't eat another bite? I wonder if restriction just means you're satisfied and I'm probably looking for that stuffed feeling.

I'm only very rarely ever stuffed anymore. I just don't let it get there. Because stuffed with the band HURTS, IMO. I kind of hiccup when my body is getting full (but not stuffed). I sit for a couple minutes to decide if I truly am full. If I am, the food is done for. If I can still eat more, then I take it really slowly...take a bite and then wait another couple minutes.

Linda - I feel like at this point I have been on every spectrum of the restriction scale. From being able to eat however much I want to not being able to swallow my spit. And in the time period in between being way too tight and now, I have been a variety of levels of restriction. So it's going be be slightly confusing to try to think back to how I could eat at various levels....I know restriction is different for everyone and I am definitely not a pro at this yet, but I'll try to explain from my perspective...(I have a final exam in 6 hours that I should be studying for but here I am...lol)

After I had 2 defills and the swelling went down (it took a week), I found that I was at a similar restriction level as you described. I could eat a fair amount (more than I would have liked to be able to eat) but if I was not really careful (which I wasn't), I could get stuck or pb very easily.

I had a fill a few weeks later, and at that point I had the restriction I described in my first post. It sounded to me like the restriction everyone else had been talking about. I could eat maybe 1/2-1 cup of food, depending on what it was and the time of day. Instead of being punished by getting stuck or pbing, if I didn't pay attention to the way I was feeling while eating I could feel the food backing up into my esophagus. Someone above described the same thing I think. I found at this level of restriction, the backing up came before I ever knew I was full. Oh and the fullness lasted 3-5 hours usually.

At this point, my restriction is slightly less, but I actually like the level I am at. I can eat anywhere from 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups of food depending on the time of day and what it is, and it takes a lot for me to get stuck or pb. I no longer get that backing up feeling, and hiccups, etc. or a feeling of fullness are my signals to stop. The fullness lasts 3-5 hours still (sometimes 6 if I have a bit of a larger portion). I feel like I can eat a substantial meal at this level of restriction. Eating 1/2 a cup of food every 3-5 hours did not make me feel that I was giving my body all he nutrients it needed. So for now, I'm going to stay where I am. If I need a little boost, I'll go back to the tighter restriction I had before.

Hope all this made a slight bit of sense. I'm sure restriction feels different for everyone.

Edited April 9, 200818 yr by lizzie_07

Thanks steph and Lizzie. Your explanations did help!