Hi everyone,

I was wondering if everyone could try and explain what there "perfect" level of restriction feels like? How much were you able to eat?

Also I'm curious to hear from the many people that say their fills kick in after a week or two?? I just had a fill on Sat. and seem to be doing fine today, my first day back on solids. I had a Protein bar for Breakfast, 1/2 of a grilled chicken salad w/ lowfat dressing for lunch, but then about 4 hours later I was starting to get hungry so I had a cup of shredded wheat and bananas (with alittle bit of 1% milk). Should I expect more restriction later on?????

Thanks for any feedback

Monica

It isn't really a "feeling". You should be able to eat a bandster portion (2-3 ounces of Protein (ie: chicken), 1/4-1/2 cup of veggies and MAYBE something starchy) and feel full (full means not hungry) for 3-4 hours after eating. If you do that and can lose 1-2 lbs/week, then you're perfectly restricted.

You need another fill if you are eating well, getting in your protein, getting in your Water, exercising and not losing the 1-2 lbs/week.

I was doing all these things, but feeling hungry after an hour, that's when I decided to get a fill. It just wasn't worth it to feel hungry all the time.

Good luck!

Restriction does come with a feeling to me.

Its an uncomfortable feeling in your chest... you cannot eat one more bite or drink one more drink (well you can, but YOU wont want to!!)

I have heard people describe what happens to them when they PB.

I assume this is the feeling they get when they go beyond the ouncomfortable feeling in the chest, and try to keep eating.. maybe becasue they were not in control and just wanted more.

Some people have also said this PB can come on all of a sudden without the uncomfortable feeling/warning but I wouldnt know.

The only time that happened to me was when I was out of surgery, they had me try Water and later grape juice... It felt like horses trampling on my chest, absolute impossibility to swallow another drink and then you gag and heave and burp air and then the water or juice comes out like spitting (not like puking)

That feeling above shouldnt be so severe daily on the band..

BUT it IS uncomfortable... and THATS The point.

If It were to just make you fell full, it wouldnt work.. once your full THATS the time the uncomfortable feeling will be present..

You must NOT go past that feeling... like choose food over the pain.. (some do and mess up the band and the weight loss)

anyway, thats what I have learned so far..

Restriction does come with a feeling to me.

Its an uncomfortable feeling in your chest... you cannot eat one more bite or drink one more drink (well you can, but YOU wont want to!!)

I have heard people describe what happens to them when they PB.

I assume this is the feeling they get when they go beyond the ouncomfortable feeling in the chest, and try to keep eating.. maybe becasue they were not in control and just wanted more.

Some people have also said this PB can come on all of a sudden without the uncomfortable feeling/warning but I wouldnt know.

BUT it IS uncomfortable... and THATS The point.

If It were to just make you fell full, it wouldnt work.. once your full THATS the time the uncomfortable feeling will be present..

You must NOT go past that feeling... like choose food over the pain.. (some do and mess up the band and the weight loss)

No. You shouldn't EVER have pain or uncomfortableness when eating. Bandsters have 2 stops - a soft stop and a hard stop. The hard stop causes that pain, that uncomfortable feeling. When you have that feeling, you've already eaten too much. The soft stop is a little signal that you're full - a sigh, a hiccup, a burp sometimes. It can be hard to detect, especially when you're first banded.

Yes, a PB can occur suddenly - if you don't chew well enough for even just 1 bite, you can PB. A PB isn't just uncomfortable -- the food comes up.

I don't think I've experienced "perfect" restriction. I'm either too tight or a smidgen too loose. Nothing worse than being too tight and having to pb everything you eat, although I pretty much call my pb....the slime. Unfortunately, I don't usually know I'm full until it starts to come back, errrr!

I don't think I've experienced "perfect" restriction. Unfortunately, I don't usually know I'm full until it starts to come back, errrr!

It's tough. Perfect restriction is different for everyone, but it's the point where you are able to eat a normal sized meal, stay full for 4 hours or so, and lose 1-2 pounds a week. I've seen some people want to be so tight that they can only eat 2-3 bites of anything. That's ridiculous! That ain't healthy! Sure you'll lose weight if you do that for a while, but your body will go into starvation mode eventually and ruin your metabolism.

I've had the slime before -- I call it sliming. If we eat just a little too much (ignoring my soft stop), or not chew well enough, our stomaches will try to get the food to go down by producing the slime. If we've gone totally over our food limit, then we'll get a full PB where it has to come up.

It's okay to have PBs happen occasionally. But they can become a big issue if they're happening all the time. There's a couple of ladies I know whose doc's think that their bands have slipped because they PBed so often.

It's very very tough to recognize your soft stop signal. For so many years, we've ignored it and now we have to try and find it again. That's why it is important to eat slow so you give yourself time to recognize it. That's also why we do fills gradually -- so we can learn to eat better and slower!

jayme

I have a question that I have been thinking about since I got my first fill. If there is a smaller stomach on top of the band and our original stomach part below the band, and if the food we eat so slowly and chew so well is supposed to stay in our smaller stomach pouch for a few hours and slowly filter down, then what makes a PB. That big chunk of food is trying to go thru the smaller pouch, thru the band and into the lower stomach?? Does the stop, stuck and go feeling work the same way??? I haven't had many PB's. Actually only 1 and that was from a piece of shrimp, but I always feel the food going down. Does that mean that it isn't even staying in my pouch, that it is going directly past the band?? What do ya think??

then what makes a PB

A PB will happen quickly. It's not like you ate 2 hours ago and then you start to PB. If you are eating and don't take the time to chew or don't chew well enough or eat too much, then you'll PB within minutes.

Does the stop, stuck and go feeling work the same way???

That feeling is when you've also eaten too much or not chewed well enough, but not to the point where it has to come back up. The food will work its way down through the band, but it will take some time getting them.

Does that mean that it isn't even staying in my pouch

The food isn't meant to stay in the pouch forever, not even for hours. It will go into the pouch when you start eating, then make it's way through the band (not really through the band - but through where the band makes the stomach smaller). What makes us feel full (or not hungry) is something called the Vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is in your stomach and it's what tells your brain that we're not hungry any more. Since we can't eat nearly as much, the vagus nerve gets triggered alot sooner and that's what tells our brain that we're full. As soon as we eat something, the stomach starts working on digesting the food and it moves from the pouch to the rest of the stomach.

hope this helps!

jayme

No. You shouldn't EVER have pain or uncomfortableness when eating.

>>>>>>>>well uncomfortableness is different for everyone.... I can feel the difference.. that difference is uncomfortable to me.

Bandsters have 2 stops - a soft stop and a hard stop. The hard stop causes that pain, that uncomfortable feeling. When you have that feeling, you've already eaten too much.

>>>>>>>>>>>>I think its different for everyone.. and your trying to tell me what I feel. The hard stop I would think would be the PB or the slime thing that happens..

To me I dont get hard stops yet.

The soft stop is a little signal that you're full - a sigh, a hiccup, a burp sometimes. It can be hard to detect, especially when you're first banded.

>>>>>>>>>>Thats exactly what I am complaining of being uncomfortable.. its very easy for me to detect.

I have only "slimed" one time and it was very very uncomfortable.. two spits of slime and I wont let it happen again! (if I can at all prevent it)

Yes, a PB can occur suddenly - if you don't chew well enough for even just 1 bite, you can PB. A PB isn't just uncomfortable -- the food comes up.

>>>>>>>>>>Well thats never happened to me.. no food has ever came up.

(since one time when I was first banded)

It's tough. Perfect restriction is different for everyone, but it's the point where you are able to eat a normal sized meal, stay full for 4 hours or so, and lose 1-2 pounds a week.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I think perfect restriction is when you are not able to consume very much food without having a PB or weird burping that hurts in the chest. Since when has being full or not being hungry stopped many of us from eating??

Thats NOT what I learned about the band.. I think your putting your veiws about the band and what its doing for you and thinking thats how its for all..

Its not that way for me. Being FULL will not stop me (and most obese people) from eating.. There are many ways to diet without being hungry.. eating 1200 calories is NOT leaving people hungry if they know what they are doing.

Its not an issue of fullness... the fullness on the band is most uncomfortable with way less food.

I've seen some people want to be so tight that they can only eat 2-3 bites of anything. That's ridiculous! That ain't healthy! Sure you'll lose weight if you do that for a while, but your body will go into starvation mode eventually and ruin your metabolism.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I dont want that. I am one of the bigger patients, with restriction I will lose alot of weight once I am restricted or filled better.

BUT... it aint healthy to stay 400 pounds either and a few bites of food is better than staying obese and dying from it.

I've had the slime before -- I call it sliming. If we eat just a little too much (ignoring my soft stop), or not chew well enough, our stomaches will try to get the food to go down by producing the slime.

>>>>>>>>>>>>I dont do this.. if its uncomfortable I stop and it gets uncomfortable way before the slime.. I slimes once when I got the feeling and then tried to drink it away, NEVER again! It SUCKS!

If we've gone totally over our food limit, then we'll get a full PB where it has to come up.

>>>>>>>>>>Well seeing how this never happens I think its clear I need a fill.

It's very very tough to recognize your soft stop signal.

>>>>>>>>>>NOT for me.

For so many years, we've ignored it and now we have to try and find it again. That's why it is important to eat slow so you give yourself time to recognize it. That's also why we do fills gradually -- so we can learn to eat better and slower!

>>>>>>>>>>>Its been three months for me, I really need a fill NOW!

I am trying not to argue with you (who posted this)

I am still upset at my fill doctors for not filling me when I so obviously need a fill.

well uncomfortableness is different for everyone.... I can feel the difference.. that difference is uncomfortable to me.

A sigh is uncomfortable to you? Geesh, that's too bad.

I think its different for everyone.. and your trying to tell me what I feel.

Nope. I believe you feel that. But I believe you shouldn't feel that.

Obviously, we disagree on this point. I read your other post about how you should only be able to eat 2-3 bites when you have good restriction and I definitely disagree about that. 2-3 bites is nothing! You can't get in 1200-1500 calories a day on 2-3 bites, even if you ate 5 times a day.

But, who cares that we disagree. We each have our own opinion on this.

I never said a sigh was uncomfortable to me... ???

And I am not advocating good restriction at 2 to 3 bites either.

I dont have restriction no matter what I eat, and need a fill.. THATS ALL.

Hi I am having trouble with pbing. Mostly it is when i am trying to eat meat. Any type of meat, so i quit trying to eat meat. Then i go to the doctor and he said i was taking the easy way out. So i am back to trying to eat meat again. I am doing better. I am still having pb at least once a day because i am eating to fast. I really have to focus on chewing when I eat. Does anyone have any advice to make things better?

gigglegirl, try cutting your meat into VERY small pieces - like the size of an M&M - and see if this helps. After you swallow, count to 30 before another bite. This will help you get into the habit of eating slower and smaller bites. Try eating about 5 (?) pieces like this. Just see if this works, and let us know!

Monica,

it has taken me a while to "figure" out what restriction actually is, so bare with me as Im going to try and give details of my restricion journey...

after banding, I *NEVER* felt ANY type of restricion. THEN the morning before I recieved my first fill (4 weeks post op) I ate a piece of left over pizza and WHAM!!! got the tightness in chest and slime mouth. Until that point I had never experienced this feeling... remember now, this was 4 weeks post op!

I dont remember much about this first fill, just that I seemed to never feel full - which is what we are all seeking in banded life .

Then I got my 2nd fill. Doc gave me .2cc's more. Afterwards, I went into the waiting room to drink my Water and I could feel it gurggling in my esophgus (sp?) as the water was trickling through my band.

This was new! hmmmm, maybe I have restriction!

Although I still had no idea how to analyze what my body/band was telling me, I still ate even though I wasnt hungry. About 5 weeks later, I could only eat 1/2 of what I was eating at the time of my fill. would get the tightness in chest feeling - thats when I realized that my "fill" must have kicked in.

Now, whats REALLY interesting is that 2 weeks ago I had a stomach bug. Didnt vomit, but was very nauseated and had diarrhea. Since this began, I have had GREAT restriction. NEVER hungry!!! Tummy doesnt even growl. And very small portions are filling me... Yesterday I ate a 1/2 sandwich, McD's icecream cone & for supper, a bowl of cerel . Thats it!

SuPeR restriction! And last fill was in Nov!

Paula... you describe it like I would.. the tightness in the chest, thats alll I am looking for, I hope my next fill acheives that!

Wow! Thanks for this thread! It really helps me because I have no idea what restriction is. Even though I had one fill, i still don't know when I am full. I love this site because everybody is so great at helping each other!