Hello All,

I was banded on 9.23.08 and have had 3 fills since then. I believe that I am currently at 4.8cc in a 10cc band. I have no restriction. I can eat anything and in any amount. I burp constantly which is very new to me. I've never burped like that before! I'm in bandster hell. I know everyone is different. I know that I will eventually find my sweet spot. I don't have a lot of patience. I have not lost a pound since the surgery and my DR says that's OK. But I'm slipping back into my old habits. What have you done during the time when you were still waiting to find your sweet spot? Any hints?

Many thanks!

I was banded 8/29. I have 2 fills; 3 cc's in a 14 cc band. And no my doc isn't "milking" it for ins; my fills are prepaid. What I am doing is trying to eat less, not snack, chew well, and be patient. Each fill I've found that while I can (and do) still eat "anything" (tonite was pizza) I have subtly, gently, almost unnoticed, eaten less. I''d gained back some once I went post op from liquids to mushies; now I am slowly starting to lose.

My surgeon has a plan; he said he's setting me up for lifelong success. His goal is for me to be able to eat anything, never PB, never slime....just eat less, and be full longer, and not snack. His vision is my vision, so I'm doing what he says. He said personally he's found when he is more aggressive, his patients are more likely to have problems down the road. I trusted him to place the band, so while I'd LIKE to be dropping weight rapidly, I trust him now. I knew it would be slow; I didn't want bypass. I didn't know it would be THIS slow, but it'll happen. I'm just hanging in there.

To me, the "sweet spot" is a moving target. I've been in and out of it throughout this journey. And part of it is that as you lose you shrink (inside too) and that means your restriction changes. The key is to try to keep up with it. And even when i'm in that "sweet spot" it doesn't mean i don't have to pay attention and work it. To me, the "sweet spot" is that glorious point where i don't feel much hunger and where small Protein based means keep me satisfied (both physically and mentally). Not full mind you, but satisfied. I can lose with or without my sweet spot, but the low hunger thing really helps.

If you don't even really feel restriction yet, hang in there. It makes a big difference!!

i was in a unique position being banded the same day as my husband. at 3 fills he was done; that's all he needed.....yet i struggled because i wanted eat more than my 6'3 290lb hubby...and that sorta checked me.

i was banded last october & didn't get restriction till march (8 fills). for me i had to get a little ADD about the whole process. i got very serious about exercise & journaled my food. i am not an organized person (thats dh) - nor do i do things twice; so for me to focus on what i was eating, journal it - have some accountability not just to my dr ... but to my trainer & self was a HUGE deal. it' also took my mind off of the head hunger.

i think the "sweet spot" is a myth.. seems like as soon as i have it; i get too tight - needing an unfill....only to require a new fill shortly thereafter. it's a crap shot.

What do I do?!?!?!

Suffer, mentally and emotionally becasue will power IS NOT in my mind frame!!!

I have lost slowly too. Do I come on here and tell everyone when I have failed NO because people are so harsh on others basically forgetting where they came from in my honest opinion..

I too found it a moving target - I was extremely lucky in that EVERY single fill took me to a sweet spot. It was more a matter of how long that sweet spot lasted.

I lost weight steadily all the way through. Of course at first, I was able to eat 2000 calories a day and lose weight so THAT was a sweet spot despite the fact that I hadnt given up any food and I still ate 2 cups at a time. After that waned, i had another fill and was probably eating 1800 calories a day. Weight loss continued on so THAT was a sweet spot. Then that waned and I had another and my calorie level dropped and perhaps bread and some things became harder to eat and the weight loss continued so THAT was a sweet spot.

I certainly never needed to have goals like must only eat 1/2 cup and should not be able to eat bread. Based on that I'm not at a sweet spot YET and I've lost 120% of my excess weight. I wasnt a fast loser though, not by any stretch of the imagination, yet I felt I've done it by a change in lifestyle and not a diet.

I guess its all how you look at it, but some people need greater calorie restriction than others and I was just very lucky that I never did. A small decrease in intake was enough for me to lose weight.

I think my running helped all along of course and I did tr to make good food choices etc.

Hi there I just keep reminding myself that I need to practice self control. I don't know about you, but I have been struggling with my weight for years and years. Getting this surgery was the beginning of me using this tool to finally take the weight off for good. I keep that in mind and I also constantly evaluate if I am hungry or not.

I was banded 5.23.08 and I think that I've just FINALLY found my first real "sweet spot."

I've lost very slowly over the past 6 months, but all of a sudden it is just so, so easy to eat the right amount and I don't really get craving/hungry/anxious like I used to.

My doctor has gone slowly with the fills (I've had 5) and I've just kept the faith that I did the right thing in getting this surgery.

The biggest change for me is that all of a sudden, I'm full after a small amount of food. I'm having to get used to throwing food away and walking away from the table.

Just keep the faith, that's all the advice I can give. Oh, and get to the gym and work on building muscle!