i am about to go in for my 6th fill today! YAY!! I am 6 months post op and have lost 32 pounds.

i am asking this questions because i want to reach that magical mark..."the sweet spot". The last fill (my 5th) was the best one yet! i "think" i felt good restriction for like 10 days, but after that nothing!! I have only lost 4 lbs in the last 6 weeks. I am getting VERY discouraged...and just want this to really start working!!

How will i know when i have the right restriction? Will i feel full all the time?? Im so sick of feeling hungary.

Ive never thrown up from eating, i have had to "spit" a lot from either eating to fast , or taking to big of bites......is this all part of having the right restriction??

can you all share with my your "sweet spot" stories, or the number fill where you really started losing??

dont get me wrong, im VERY grateful for losing the 32 lbs! im just really ready to lose, lose, and lose some more!!

hope to hear back from you all soon!:thumbup:

Kristyn...... Congrats on your weightloss thus far...

The sweet spot is so different for EVERYONE.. it is hard to judge when you will hit yours based on everyone else, but to give you some insite.. i am almost 3 months in and have last 62 lbs and have had 3 fills. each fill thus far has lasted me about 2 weeks.. my band right after my surgery was the most restriction i have had so far and that was just from being swollen, but my mottos is I only eat 1 cup of food 3 times a day NO matter what and I only have 1 snack per day.. by doing this over the last 3 months my body is adjusting to only eating this much so It does not expect more food until about an hour before i would normally eat my next meal..Sometimes it is hard for me to tell when I need a fill because I have become so good at ignoring the hunger ha ha.. But usually when I "think" i start feeling it sooner I will start writing down exactly how much I ate what time it was and then I will write down the time when I start feeling hungry. I do this for at least a few days and then I make my decision.. My first and second fills did not last long, but this thrid one has been pretty good. I have learned I was not taking as small of bites as I thought I was and now I take the smallest bites EVER ha ha I will admit sometimes I get over zealous, but I have only had the feeling of "stuck" once and I did not throw up I just sat and let it work its way down.

Anyways, I would just make sure to track your food and eating times.. 1 cup of food should last you about 4 hours. My doctor said it is normal to feel hungry about an hour before.. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find your sweet spot soon.. I am hoping to have reached mine as well..

take care

Happy Holidays

Meschultz - I have only had one fill and am a long way from reaching my sweet spot but can you tell me something and please be honest. Do you still enjoy food - the taste and just eating? By eating such small bites and chewing to a liquid stage does food still taste good? Also, do you eat out and if so how do you eat that slow or do you take such a small amount that you are on pace with fellow diners? When eating at home, how do you keep food warm? Do you keep reheating it in the microwave? These are just some practical things I have thought of and had to deal with. Thank you.

l know for myself, food tastes totally different when you have to chew it as much as we do..lt almost makes me sick to chew chew chew...l never have trouble walking away..l went for my 3rd fill last week wednesday and then vomited for the nect 5 days until l realized it wasn't going to get any better..l went today the Dr took out 1.5 cc and l now feel great...maybe a bit to open but he wanted me to calm my stomach down for 4 weeks and then get a little bit more...l have a 14 cc band with 5.5 cc of fluid in it..l have had restriction from the first day to some degree...my band can be very tempermental...almost like a 2 year old....

Meschultz - I have only had one fill and am a long way from reaching my sweet spot but can you tell me something and please be honest. Do you still enjoy food - the taste and just eating? By eating such small bites and chewing to a liquid stage does food still taste good? Also, do you eat out and if so how do you eat that slow or do you take such a small amount that you are on pace with fellow diners? When eating at home, how do you keep food warm? Do you keep reheating it in the microwave? These are just some practical things I have thought of and had to deal with. Thank you.

Cleo's Mom... Being honest.. Yes I still enjoy food.. You have to have a totally different out look on life and why you are doing what you are doing and it really makes it easier. I am lucky to be going through this with my husband. I no longer eat just to eat.. I eat for the nutrition and energy..I do not deprive myself of what i actually WANT.. if I want McDonalds (which is rare) but if I did then I eat McDonalds.. I just make sure I am only having 1 cup of food. Yes I eat out my family and friends just understand that I will eat A LOT slower then them and we just converse. It is nice not to feel rushed.. I don't really ever worry about left overs because my hubby and I always share our meals and if there is more then two cups it is usually not much and we just leave it behind.. As far as keeping my food warm. Most of the time it will stay warm, but there are somethings that tend to cool quicker and if I am having one of those things I will reheat if needed or just eat it cold...These are all things you get used to it.. One thing we have to remember is that our bodies were never meant to eat just to eat.. Eating was always for nutrition..Even before you find your sweet spot if you follow all your doctors recommendations you will get to a point where you say "wow" I cant believe I used to eat all that.. Or How the heck did that person clean their plate.. It is pretty amazing the food we consume that is not needed.. My biggest problem is still learning how to grocery shop..I always buy like I used to eat so I tend to waste a lot of food, but I have started just having gatherings so I know people will eat the food ha ha Nothing about the band should be extremely hard, but it is not easy either.. My doctor once told me this should not be hard and I just thought he was crazy, but the further and further I get into it I realize how easy it really is.. I think about how I probably would have given up and fallen off the wagon if I was on a regular diet by now.. It is funny how just knowing this band is in me that I am more inclined to get up and go for my walk, or exercise, or even not take that last bite.. I give my best wishes to everyone.. Let me know if there is anything else I can answer for you..

Thank you for your honest answers, Meschultz. I appreciate your input. I have a problem identifying with the past eating patterns of many of the posters. I was a thin person until my 30's and I put on weight not by eating fast food or junk food but by eating a few more calories a day than I burned. Sure I sometimes ate out of boredom or stress or ate the wrong foods. But over 35 years (I'm 57) just a little bit too much each day adds up. My biggest problem has always been my appetite. When I was young I could eat a lot of food and not gain weight. So after many years of dieting - the hunger and appetite always won. When I saw the ad of TV with the woman saying (with a lion roaring in the background) "that was my appetite - always roaring at me..eat, eat..eat" - I was walking out of the room and I stopped and said to myself "that's me - what is this ad for?" And I saw if was for lapband and I knew that I needed something to control my appetite. So here I am several years later with the band (9/22) and one fill and food just does not taste good to me. I started this journey a year ago with the 6 month diet and truthfully - I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten something that tasted good or eaten a meal that satisfied me. This is especially true since the band. My biggest fear is that I will have the worst of both worlds - restriction that won't allow me to eat but still being hungry. I only cook for myself - my husband died 3 years ago and my kids are married. So I don't eat out much or have to worry about preparing food for others. I just wish I would get to the point where I am not hungry and what I eat satisfies me. Thanks again.

Do you eat plenty of protein? If I eat the protein each meal, I usually stay full for quite awhile.

Cleo's mom... I am sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. I think maybe you need to change your mindset about the food. If it never tasted good on the 6 month diet then it sounds to me like you have physcd your self out about it. I think you need to make yourself your most favorite food and just keep tell yourself how good it will taste and go at each meal like that and hopefully you will be able to start enjoying food again, but not to much.. Only enjoy 1 cup worth :thumbup: As far as restriction goes if you use your band right you will get there.. I know it is harder for some people then others because my sister has a different doctor then me and her doctor is very stingy on giving fills for whatever reason. I personally think it was because she was self pay and they are free for a year and he does not want to give away a lot of free ones, but who knows.. My sister has had 3 and she really does not have a lot of restriction where I have had 3 and mine is pretty good, but again everyone is different. I also think if you consistently eat more then a cup you will start expecting more food then that and so you will never be full. that is why i measure ALWAYS so make sure my mind knows this is what you are getting to eat so enjoy it.. and I do.. and if there is a meal that i just dont enjoy I make sure the next one is something I really really like..

I usually start out my day with eggs and bacon, my lunches are all over the place most common is chicken salad or cheese and crackers, and my dinners consist of chicken and maybe a small side.. and then when i go out to eat it gives me more variety.. I always make sure I have room for protein first.. You will do good.. I promise.. Just keep track of your food and write down how it made you feel and what time you ate at so you can go back and look at what made you the fullest... when can you get your next fill?? My doc says to call when I feel hungry..

well when i went to dr oct 21st he didnt give me a fill but i only eat half of what is put on my plate and when i went for a fill yesterday i lost 9 pounds i was so excited so he gave me 2 cc im up to 3.5cc i dont think im at my sweet spot i have a 8 cc band but im 30 pounds down since surgery which was june 30th

Meschultz: Thank you for your sympathy. This time of year is an especially hard time for me. I do eat protein first at each meal and also drink 42g of protein a day. I have never found that eating protein keeps my hunger at bay. For instance if in the past if I ate bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast I would get hungry soon but if I added some type of potatoes or pancakes, that filled me up often until dinner. I don't get my next fill until Jan. 6th. So many people on these boards look forward to getting fills. I had a very bad experience on Thanksgiving after 2 bites of food - I think they were either too big or I didn't chew well enough - and I was in major pain for 1/2 hour. And that is with not too much restriction. So I fear fills. How do you measure your food? Do you do 1/3 cup of protein, veggie and fruit for a cup? I read that so many eat only a cup of food so if you could tell me how you do that it would be helpful. Thanks again for all of your help.

Cleo's Mom... Not a problem with the info.I am glad I can share. As far as this time of the year I don't think I can begin to imagine how hard it must be..We lost my grandmother in Jan this year and my grandfather has been in ICU for about 2 weeks. So what once was my favorite time of year is kind of hard to Celebrate this year, but I am continuing to wish for a Christmas Miracle the my grandfather will get better and even though it is our first Christmas without Grandma I know she is with us.. Keep your head up and I hope you have a blessed Holiday Season..

I know measuring food kind of sucks, but it really is the best way to work it.. First I started out using a small plate.. Second I pick out what I want to eat.. for about a month before being banded and about a month after I would measure all my food and sometimes still do :thumbup: I would just take out my 1 cup measuring cup and fill it up with all I want to eat and then put it on the plate. If I am having chicken I just cut up the amount of chicken really small for how ever much I want and then I usually only have one side typically consist of a vegetable.. and fill the rest of the cup with that.. Once you have measured your food for a while you will start to get a fill for what 1 cup of food looks like. surprisingly enough it is more then it sounds.. I try to make things that are easy some nights we will have chicken and others Pasta .. It really just depends, but just make your measuring cup your best friend for awhile..

Did your doctor never tell you to only eat 1 cup of food a day???

As far as the fills go they should not be scary.. the day of my fill I have to do liquids only and then the next day I am on mushies again for 24 hours so that your stomach has time to adjust to the change. then I usually start the next day off with just eggs and work up from there. Each fill brings a new experience with eating.. You learn to take smaller bites and eat slower and chew well because you know in your mind you don't ever want to feel the pain of being stuck again... Well happy holidays.. i am going to try to get my little man in bed so Santa can stop by.. :sad:

Hi All - May I ask a question? I am new to LB - I was banded on 12/01 and do not have my first fill until 1/16. My question is: Is it strange to not have much restriction after surgery? I know there is some but not a significant amount b/c I know there wasn't much fill in the band when it was placed. And also, is it ok not to necessarily measure my food but instead to let my body tell me when I am full? I know when I have hit my full trigger, I can fill it. Do you think I am just fooling myself? I still get hungry about 30 mins after eating or so I think I do or could it just be mental hunger? I don't know....I have so many questions about this. Any one with suggestions or anyone that could tell me their thoughts on this I would greatly appreciate it!

Michelle

Hi, I had my L/B surgery Dec. 1st. also. My first fill won't be until Jan. 8th. I felt a quick fullness for the first 21 days and then I really felt hungry. Still loosing a little weight but probably because I don't drink soft drinks or eat sweets. I eat mainly what I am suppose to be eating but too much. I also would like to know what it is like to get your first fill. Thanks, Dee