I was banded on July 24

Fill 1, 2cc on Sept.3

Fill 2, 2cc on Nov 4

Fill 3 is scheduled for tomorrow.

I basically feel like I can eat anything I want. Nothing gets stuck, nothing comes back up. . . . If you have found your sweet spot--what do you eat for lunch? How long do you stay full?

I'm eating 6in subway sandwiches without a blink. Is that seriously normal??

Thanks for your words!!!

I wonder the same thing. I started out at 256 in early april by the april 30 i was down to 241. I lost 10 pounds withing the first couple of weeks. By the end of june 08 i was down to 217 well well well....i am now at 219 i have bounced between 213 and 220 for almost 5 months. I have a 14cc band and have 7.25 in the band. In three months it will be a year for me and from surgery date weighing 241 to today weighing 219....i just want to give up. I have really started exercising really hard the past couple of months and not a pound lost. I know when i'm full and it really don't take that much but withing a hour or 2 i'm wanting something else. Not really sure if i'm really hungry or not. So ashamed to say it but true. Any help or suggestions i will take. Because right now i regret even having the surgery. You know if i ate properly, ate less and exercised before lapband what would i have needed it for?

I have dieted and lost and dieted and gained my entire life. I can TOTALLY understand your frustration with your plateau, but you need to understand your body (not an easy task!). If you are doing everything you're suppose to, the weight WILL come off! Quit worrying about the scale not moving, in fact, put it in another room for a month! Focus on eating right, feeling good and being active. You will likely be very surprised when you get back on the scale! The same way your body is not losing weight for a long period of time, is EXACTLY how one day you will get on the scale and 10lbs or more are GONE!!!

DO NOT GIVE UP!! You have come a long way and are doing a great job-do NOT let the scale beat you, put your faith in your mind and heart and you will succeed! :cursing:

GREAT post from someone who obviously has had success with the band. I am 5 months post op and have lost 46 lbs. My last fill after Thanksgiving was when I reached in my opinion, "my sweet spot". I do NOT eat just 1/2 cup of food either but what I eat is much less than what i did prior to being banded. I eat well proportioned meals. For instance for dinner last night I ate baked chicken legs, apsaragus and a sm yam. I was very satisfied after that meal and couldn't think of eating another thing after that. It certainly wasn't 1/2 cup of food, but I continue to see results. Must have something to do with exercising also. Thanks for your posts...I always seem to enjoy and learn from yours.

As long as you're losing weight then the more food and the more variety of food you can eat, the better - it means you're better nourished, less likely to be losing muscle tissue as opposed to fat, will find the whole process much less difficult.

I cannot for the life of me understand why people WANT to be only able to eat 1/2 cup, have to eat very very carefully and give up certain foods unless they have reached a point where unless they are that tight, they dont lose weight.

The definition of a sweet spot to me would be I can eat what I want to, I can eat reasonable quanity so that people dont think I'm anorexic, I have reasonable appetite control but do get hungry for my means AND I'm losing at least 1-2 lb per week.

In the early days, you can do that. You can eat quite a lot and still lose well - so ENJOY it. Dont fret about levels of restriction you dont even NEED yet.

Being hungry between meals is not a problem, just eat something. Until you stop losing weight, there's no problem with that. When between meal snacks stops you losing weight, then its time to go tighter and nip that hunger in the bud.

When you go in for your fill they should be able to tell on the screen how quickly your liquid is going through and how tight the band is. I just got a fill yesterday and stayed in the office for an hour after my fill to get it right. I always tell the nurse before my fill I would like it tight enough, so I can be on a liquid diet for atleast a week. (protein shakes, cream of chicken soups, V8 juice) That seems to work for me. Everyone is different.....I couldn't get a peice of bread down to save my life. Good luck and I hope you get it resolved soon.

meganmatters,

hi. I'm the mother of a 19 year old who was banded in april 2008. 20 pounds dropped within the first two months without any effort and since then its been up one, down one, up four, down 2, and then this week we went and she wouldn't even tell me what she weighed. I can tell she gained becuase I can see it in her face/neck. She is currently at 8 cc in I believe a 9 cc realize band. Have you or do you know anyone who has taken this long to find their sweet spot? In the meantime she is hungry and feels that she has no restriction. with this last fill she says she can "tell a difference" but isn't feeling that "whoa" feeling. Last night for supper, she ate a three cheese stick and a slice of lunchmeat then stopped. She left one cheese stick still on her plate. It just seems like everyone on here is losing a lot even though they havent reached their sweet spot but my daughter lost the 20 but has probably regained 10.

Well, I was given another fill since my last post and I must say it is a new experience for.

On January 28, I knew something was wrong with my January 10 fill, so I saw the doctor on 1/28/09 to determine what was occuring.

The issue was, I could eat way to much for someone who just had a fill on January 10. So I lay on the table, while the doctor takes out the old fill to see what was left. And I am missing 1cc. 1cc happens to be the amount of fill I received on January 10. The nurse, doctor and I look at each other in confusion.

Anyway, the doctor puts back the 1.cc and gives me another .5cc for good measure. So on January 28, I received 1.5cc in my band for a total of 5.5cc in a 10cc band.

I must say that this fill is really like no other. I am very tight! Oh sure I keep fluids down and I do not get stuck. I don't slime or bps.

But with this latest fill, I eat very very small portions and I eat every three hours. Where before, I would eat a larger portion, but ate every 5-6 hours.

I am not sure what this is about. It is all new to me. But I am dropping weight like crazy and it has only been 1-week, since that fill.

Anyway, I am monitoring the situation. I see the doctor again on March 4th and we are keeping track of cc loss. Thus far, cc loss has not been significant, but something to continue to watch.

hi everyone!

all i can say is PATIENCE IS THE KEY!

I was banded 7months ago...i have had 7fills...and the last one was the magic one! I now have 7.8 cc's in a 10 cc band. I NEVER thought i would get here.... my progress has been so slow. i lost 20 lbs right after surgery...then 10 lbs over 4 months after that. I would get so down and depressed about it:mad2: My dr kept telling me to be patient and that my time would come. I almost thought that maybe i was gonna be the ONE person that the surgery WAS NOT gonna work for.

Let me tell ya though! Since my last fill...things have been awesome!! i have lost another 14 lbs!! I have to force myself to eat at meal time....and there is no need for snacking between meals!

Today for example...i had a 1/2 Cup of oatmeal for Breakfast, and an apple with peanutbutter for lunch. And just from those i am SO FULL...i dont even want to think about dinner!

I have been praying for this moment for the past 7 months!

PLEASE be patient....if my time came...i KNOW yours will too! Remember that its not unusual for you to have between 5 - 8 fills before you feel good restriction! I know its hard....but its worth it!

Good luck to all of you!:cursing:

I was banded 10-16-08 or so? and at 6 weeks I had lost 50lbs without a fill, however my surgery was very difficult due to a heart condition that was discovered after surgery, since I have gotten back on my feet I have started eating whatI call regular and gained back 25lbs in the 4 weeks after the first six. I have since then lost the 25lbs again. My surgeon tells me that since I was so sick after my surgery (9 days in hospital) that I lost muscle and water weight and little fat and he gave me a fill 6 weeks ago and I havent lost a lb since, I am looking forward to my second fill on 2-12-09 that will put me at 6cc in a 10 cc band.

I was banded in dec and have had two fills-

I am always hungry

what is going on

is a sweet spot where you are never hungry on very little food

The dietician always wants to preach at my daughter about carbs and protein and exercise. All those things are important but isn't this all really about portion control. If it was that easy to diet no one would get surgery. My daughter didn't know anything about a sweet spot. Shes got 8 cc in her 9 cc band, has had 5 fills and is not there yet. She can only get a fill every 4 weeks though so she has to wait three more. Doc is three hours away and that means I have to take a day off work to take her to the apppointments. It's getting discouraging and the weight is coming back on.

The dietician always wants to preach at my daughter about carbs and Protein and exercise. All those things are important but isn't this all really about portion control.

Just my personal opinion, but I believe it is more about an overall modification of our lives, which helps makes the band a success.

Although portion control is part of the equation, the other factors influencing success are healthy eating habits, exercise, aftercare, and support groups. Maybe some people can be successful with implementing just one of these factors, but that is so not me.

Every day I struggle with appropriate food choices and exercise. The band is not an easy tool, but I knew that before I had it inserted. So every day I work it.

I wish your daughter the best. :cursing:

I was banded Aug. 4 and IMMEDIATELY had my sweet spot. :cursing: (I have not had a fill yet) I can eat 1/4 cup if it's "hard" (meat protein) and about 1/2 cup if it mushies. Certain times of the month I can eat a little more. Of course, there are slider foods that I can eat much more of but I really try to stay away from them. My weight loss has been slow but I believe I suffer from metabolic syndrom so ANY weight loss seems amazing to me! I love my band.

I'm the same as Pegsinthewoods, except I was banded January 2, 2009. I walked out with my sweet spot. I can eat 2 oz of "hard" and about 4 oz of soft, and sometimes that can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour to consume. I'm losing 1-3 lbs a week, so doc says I may never need a fill. Long as I continue to lose, I don't care.

I was banded 10/29/08 and I have had 3 fills. I am now at 5.5 cc in a 10 cc band. I am only now feeling restriction. I can only eat 4 oz of food at any meal and I only eat 3 times/day. Most of my meal is lean protein. When I eat too much I feel very bad heart burn and need to learn to stop prior to this feeling. I am finally starting to lose some weight, 4 lbs the first week after this fill. Yeah !!!!

I was banded in dec and have had two fills-

I am always hungry

what is going on

is a sweet spot where you are never hungry on very little food

Your 'sweet spot' (and it's different for everyone) is where you get optimum weight loss and still have maximum health. You dont want to be so restricted that you eat nothing and your health fails, but you also want enough restriction that you eat small amounts and it will hold you for 4 - 5 hours before you get hungry again.

I just had my 3rd fill yesterday, banded 11/26/08. I'm up to 5.6 cc's now in my band, and i do feel a difference even though i'm not on solids yet. My Dr. wants us to have liquids for 2 days after a fill, so tomorrow i will have food and be able to tell how much i can eat, and how long it holds me. Wish me luck that i've finally reached my sweet spot!!!!!

I have 6.7 cc in a 10 cc band and have had fab restriction for a few months now. At least since october, if I remember right. I eat 4-6 ounces at a time right now and feel fine. I plan to start getting unfills in about 10-20 more pounds so I can maintain. There is no way I can eat enough right now to maintain my current level of fitness.

I'm a slow learner when it comes to listening to my body.... I don't know if I've had that full feeling...I'm just doing what my doctor told me to do...1/2 cup or less - 3 times a day....with emphases on Protein. I'm extremely lucky because I have a wonderful retired husband that cooks/measures what I eat. He is along for the ride right beside me. I can tell you that I am NOT hungry between meals. I'm on the trial and error stage of eating anything...I keep wondering if I will know when I can't tolerate a certain food. There are things my doctor has told me not to try for 6 mos. beef, pork, bread, celery so I haven't tried them yet. Fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, & cheeses are treating me great. We eat out at least once a week...I've learned to ask the waitress/waiter to serve me only 1/2 cup of what ever I order and put the rest in a to go box...which so far they have been very pleasant to work with...In fact, I had one waiter that was hilarious...he couldn't believe that was all I wanted especially when he then asked my husband what he wanted and he ordered the steak with a loaded mashed potato... the waiter teasingly told him he was "mean". When my food came they did their best "in a small artichoke dip bowl I found a little bit of the Pasta, two strips of the grilled chicken, and 3 pieces of broccoli very prettily arranged" At the end of our meal the waiter came back and stated that he did not want to be "mean" but it was part of his job to ask "Do you want any dessert?" My husband was not "mean" ... he was full and declined the dessert. The waiter gave me some encouraging remarks as we left. By the way, my husband has lost weight since my surgery and I have to fuss at him to eat. I also had left overs that made me 4 other meals.

Anyway back to the question originally asked...I am living in my sweet spot ... my activity level is up, my energy level is way up, I'm never really hungry, food does not control me, my friends are amazed at me, my students (kindergarten reading) laugh more because I am more playful and active with them (last week I even joined them in P.E. class when they were doing Free Dance FREEZE! (I'm showing my age, they couldn't believe there was a real dance called the "Swim"), my husband and I have did more together since the surgery because I can and am willing to try and I'm beginning to believe I do have a future, my knees and back are not hurting and I am not in constant lookout for someplace to sit. Sweet Spot - I've found it and I'm living there! And yes I do know the definition of the sweet spot you are referring to but I like my definition better!

________

Highest lifetime weight 386

Began this journey 8-25-08 weight 376 (lost 10 lbs before I went to meet my doctor, was told I had to lose 26 pounds before he would do surgery.

Day of surgery 12-11-08 weight 343

Today's weight 321

I know I have a way to go but haven't to date set a final weight goal ... but have set a life goal --- "eat to live changed from living to eat" and be healthier

________

My wish for everyone, including myself - find, stay in, and work to stay in their definition of "Sweet Spot" because it probably is a little different for each of us.