I've been reading that some people already feel a somewhat of a restriction after the surgery. So after the post op diet and all that, would any of you say that there was definitely a difference in how much you could eat even without that first fill?

Everyone's different

4 days post op, I felt like I could eat the house.

Some are very lucky and feel restriction for a long time after surgery. I wasn't as fortunate.

Tons of restriction right from the start, well not as much as now, but definitely couldn't eat like before banding. Nope. Most of my weight was lost in that first initial phase, lost 23 lbs the first month and the rest has been SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOw to come off.

Once I was on solids, I definitely noticed a difference in my capacity from pre-banding. I may have "felt like I could eat a house" from time to time, but it really only took about half my usual amount to fill me up. The trick was eating slowly enough to really feel that signal. I don't think I ever had a really "hard" stop, but the soft stop signals were absolutely there.

And then once I had a fill, wow, the brakes really went on. So take it slowly, you don't know what your reaction to solid food will be.

The difference between this band to my old band is like night and day!

With my old band (AMI-Swedish) at 3 weeks post op I was starving. With this new band (Inamed 9.75), at 5 weeks I can barely eat 3 bites of tuna without feeling it. I feel restriction more than ever, I think it will some time before I even think of getting a fill.

Not only are people different but the different size bands react different on the same person. I feel like I’m doing my own case study.

I didn't have much appetite for the first week or so, and had some restriction (from gas and post-op swelling) for the first month. Like Alex, I often felt that I was pigging out, but I was still eating less than pre-band. Same thing now, eight months after banding: I had one square of my mother's lasagna and four cookies last weekend and felt I was going to burst. But then I'm on my second fill.

I feel like Im starving but once I eat (1/2 can of cream soup) Im stuffed but honestly I was never a huge eater before just a bad eater-man I loved eating brownies and milkduds for breakfast-lol.I drank sodas 24/7

I most definitely had restrictions right out of the box withmy band. It was odd and my fill person is telling me that its impossible but...restricted I was!!!

Everyone is so different in this category. I was able to get my first fill at 6 weeks post op, but I had enough restriction from surgery to not need one until 10 weeks post op. I had restriction once I was on solids.I have had 3 fills in a 13 months down 91 lbs

I deffinatly was eating less after surgery and I feel like I'm eating right on track with my first fill. I'm eating and able to wait several hours before I eat again.

I had great restriction for the first 5 weeks after getting my band. I'm now in my 6th week and I have been really hungry.

I don't eat as much as I used to, but I don't have any restriction at all now. I'll get my first fill in a couple of weeks when I got home for the summer

I had great restriction for the first 2 weeks after surgery. Then the hunger hit on the third week when all the swelling went down. I can eat a lot but still not as much as I once did, just feels like it. And I don't eat little enough to lose weight but I am maintaining with a regular dieting within 2 lbs up and down for the last 4 weeks. (I have my first fill on Saturday, thank GOODNESS!)