Hello everybody.

I need your help. I am flying to Mexico on Wednesday for my 4th fill experience. As of right now, I do not have much restriction. I am going to try to remember... (my brain hurts)... I think I have 2.6cc in a 4cc band. I have been stuck at my current weight since February. I have relied on 'diet' alone most of the time. (Besides that one salami sandwich incident that left me swollen on on liquids for a week! LOL) So, I know I need a fill.

What does PERFECT RESTRICTION feel like? I know that I am too loose when I can eat a whole bag of popcorn, or 2-3 tacos. Yikes! But, I know I'm too tight when I can barely take a sip of Water without it coming back up a few times before it's able to flow through the stoma. Tell me what you can eat and how much when you are filled perfectly. I know everybody is different, but I'm trying to make this my last fill for a while, if I can... I just can't afford to fly to Mexico often.

Thank you for your help! ~ Dana Sacramento, CA

RE: re: "I know that I am too loose when I can eat a whole bag of popcorn, or 2-3 tacos." Where is your actual sensation of 'hunger' and 'not hunger' during this episode?

My "actual" sensation of 'hunger', you ask? Just as it always is/was. If I'm hungry, I want to eat. My question was, "Can you describe your sweet spot for me?"

I don't know about sweet spot. Right now and for the past 3 months, I have a little difficulty finishing a lean cuisine meal. I can eat most of it, but the last few bites I usually toss out. I can eat almost all of a 100 calorie bag of popcorn (the small ones) but again, usually not the last few bites. If I do try to finish off the last part of the meal or the last part of the popcorn, I end up with my head in the toilet.

Hunger really has nothing to do with my food consumption; I don't get hunger pangs and haven't since I stopped eating sugar and a lot of carbs. I eat because I like to eat and I enjoy food. I would do it all the time if I could, and I used to. Now I make sure I don't keep junk food in the house (luckily for me on that issue, the kids are gone and my husband is banded too) because I would eat it. All of it. Right now.

My sweet spot can be described easily: I am full w/my 3 high Protein meals (maybe one snack) for longer periods of time (meals consisting on avg 3oz of lean meat w/some whole grain/veggie or fruit). By that I mean, I typically go every 4-6hrs between my meals w/out issue. I no longer think about food the same way, rather I need food nurish myself vs constantly thinking can I eat now - what am I going to cook; how much will I eat.

This has been a catch 22 for me, I couldn't "wait" to get to my sweet spot, and when I did....I didn't like it. I hit that place back in March, and over the last month my fill seems to have gotten tighter. I have recently struggled with certain meats & bread; so much so last week I went for a slight unfill. I want to be able to eat ALL foods, including bread on occassion, and I just was not happy taking over 45mins to eat a meal.

So far it's not helped - I could just be a bit stressed w/other issues that's causing the tightness, either way - I push through to eat slowly the good hard protein food rather than relying solely on Protein shakes. I hate that I have to use them on occassion (that will be tonights dinner) - because I really love food & good food at that.

Almost have to be cautious of what you wish for my Dr said last wk.., I would never have thought the words "I need to eat" would come out of my mouth.

The sweet spot feels like getting full on a small portion of food and staying full until the next meal time. It does not take cravings away. If you let yourself eat chips and sweets, you will still crave them.

Unfortunately, the junk food goes down the easiest.

For me, it's when after 5 bites I slime...but if I would have stopped at 4 it would have been fine.

Today was one of a handful of times that I felt my stop signal...didn't slime a bit. Was at pizza Hut. My daughter got the buffet, I got one to take home...just in case. I had soda, 2 bites of pizza and 3 bites of salad. I stopped and didn't have to go to the bathroom once. It was a victory for me!

:thumbup:I am at my sweet spot on fill 3 I can eat 1/2c or 2-3 oz of food and feel like I just ate a whole turkey, the full feeling last for 4-6 hours sometimes if I eat a late lunch I am still too full toeat dinner so I eat a light snack

GOOD LUCK

Grace, you can drink soda? I haven't tried.

Thank you for all of the responses. I can't wait for my fill...

Can any of you eat salad?

I can drink soda eat salad I have problems with bread, pasta and rice but some days I don't Doc said try it if it hurt don't eat or drink it and so far so good every once in a while I try to give it another try but pay for it within seconds:eek:

I really don't have a problem with any food in particular. I can eat anything I want, just not very much of it. I can eat salad easily.

Pretty much with any food, I chew it up until it's liquid in my mouth taking tiny bites.

Well, I'm looking forward to my fill tomorrow... IN MEXICO! (Not looking forward to a whole day of round-trip travel!) I had my 2nd fill in January and it was too tight, I had to return to Mexico 3 days later and have an unfill. I think I've been too loose since then. I've only lost about 12 pounds since Jan. I can't eat ANYTHING, but I can eat more that I should.

I WANT to be able to eat 3-4 oz of chicken breast for dinner and feel full. Or a 2 oz turkey sausage and an egg for breakfast... that sounds perfect for me. I swell easily after fills, so I am getting a little scared. Especially since I was laid off from work a month ago, can't find a job, single mom and broke as a joke... can't really afford to go back to Mexico for an unfill, ya know!

I'll write again tomorrow night when I get back. Thanks for all the replies. I haven't yet felt that sweet spot for more than maybe a week during my whole lap band adventure.

1 MORE THING: How do you change your ticker? I am at 170 and I've been trying to update it, and it just wont let me! I don't understand.

Thanks! Dana

HI! I'M BACK!

Everything went well!!!

She put in 1.0ccs. I had a hard time drinking water in the waiting room and had some tightness in my chest area, so I had her take out .2ccs. I hope I made the right decision. So, I got a fill of .8.

I asked if she could take out all the saline to see how much I have in there. She said no. She said it risks introducing air into the line and that's bad for it. I'm trying to figure out how much I have in my 4cc band...

1st fill: 1.5

2nd fill: 1.5

Unfill: -.6

3rd fill: .8

duh................ like...... 3.2cc's ????

Seems like a lot for a 4 cc band... hhhmmmmmmmmmmm........

There really is no perfect way to know that. At my last appt. I told my dr. not to tell me how much he gave me. I got all hung up on the number

of cc's when really all that matters is how you feel.

I have perfect restriction right now. I can eat and I don't slime or throw up unless I am careless and chew my food.

I prefer to know my fill volume at all times. My sanity check that "what was in" is still there - no leaks. I just want to have a fill that will work properly. I've gone from 8.5cc to 7.2cc in a wk's time, and I believe that's going to be what works for me.

I prefer to be less restsricted, lessons on the band journey..lots of trial & error along the way.

I know I have just under 3 ccs in a 4 cc band. I was at 3cc's and I was too tight. I told him to take a tiny bit out and leave me just under 3ccs.

It's been perfect since Dec.

Hi y'all! I'm back! It's been over a month now (?) since my last fill. I feel good. I stayed on liquids for a few days and then after that went to solids. My restriction has been up and down. I think for a coupld of reasons: first off, swelling of the stoma from being filled. then when the swelling went down, I was able to eat more. Then I didn't chew well enough and irritated my stoma again (I think), so right now my restriction is 'great', or really tight. I had an issue with drinking liquids today and that makes me a bit uneasy. I think I'll stay on liquids for a few days till I heel. I've been losing more weight, that's for sure. Probably about 10-12 pounds in the last month. for the past couple of weeks, I almost feel like I am at my sweet spot. I like it. I can't eat as much as I want. I really like the feeling. I do not crave food anymore at all. I stay full for long periods of time... about five hours or so.

Sometimes I think I don't eat enough and have been thinking about keeping a food journal tomake sure I get enough calories. I think I am under 600 calories per day. That's not a lot.

Thanks! Dana