Hi everyone. I haven't posted in a long while but am working with my tool one day at a time. My question is....how do I know the difference between needing a fill and needing to control my eating? I am at @9cc's in a 10 cc band and can still eat a 10" veggie sub without any problem if I let myself. I keep feeling like I shouldn't have to still fight this hard to control my eating with the band. Any thoughts? Thanks for your feedback.

From my understanding if you can eat more than a cup to a cup and a half and are hungry before 3 or 4 hours...time for a fill. Also make sure to eat Protein first ...i do 3 to 4 onces, then veggies then fruit or starches. Hope this helps.

Kathy

Focus more on your hunger than on the quantity of food.

If you are eating solid "normal" food and not drinking during/immediately after how long do you feel full?

If you're feeling hungry too soon, then you need a fill. The purpose and intent of the band is to sustain the FULL feeling as long as possible on as little as possible.

A couple of months back I went in and asked for a fill. I'm well-restricted in the morning, but I was starting to graze in the evenings after dinner. To the point I was starting to go to bed earlier to avoid temptation!

I finally said, "Enough!" and went in. My doctor agreed -- it ABSOLUTELY should be controling your APPETITE as much or MORE than your quantity alone.

btw -- I saw them today and he is very pleased with my results and thinks it's excellent for a lap-bander. Kept telling the nurse, "She gets it!" I said, "Hey! I worked TOO hard at diets to no avail and went thru TOO much red tape to get this thing -- why would I sabotage the very thing that is helping me to succeed!

I really think "I can still eat a 10" vegie sub" is not quite the right way to look at it. I really dont believe that any food is totally bad or off limits, or that being able to eat something specific that you fidn to be a problem food necessarily indicates you need a fill.

But if you can wolf down a 10" sub really fast that's probably lack of restriction. If you can eat it with some effort then, I think we get bands to control our eating, and to eat less overall. If you eat a 10" vegie sub and nothing else till dinner and then at a moderate dinner, you exercise regularly and are losing weight slowly and steadily then SO WHAT if you can eat a sub? We didnt get bands with the express purpose of not being able to eat a specific food, it just doesnt work quite that way.

I can still eat pizza, but only a very little, I can eat a burger but not a whole one. I do it occasionally. Generally they take so much freaking effort its not worth it and I dont really enjoy it, but I can do it. But once in a while, what does that matter.

Chances are, if you cant sort out choosing healthy foods MOST of the time, and having those yummy things just as treats, when you go tighter, you will simply find other easier unhealthy foods to eat that will go down if the sub wont, the band doesnt MAKE you choose salad, vegies, fruit etc. So yes, to a degree you do need to control it yourself.

It takes both - good restriction and some reasonable control. But of course, good restriction makes self control easier.

Its just not necessarily a problem to eat pizza occasionally, unless it sends you spiralling out of control.

Edited July 8, 200818 yr by Jachut