Hey guys I am hoping some of you might be able to offer some advice.

I was banded about 5 months ago and have had 3 fills so far. I now have 5 cc's in an 11 cc band. After the 2nd and third fills I definitely felt restriction but to me restriction means that after a few bites of food I feel very stuck and uncomfortable but in no way do I feel full. Once whatever I have eaten passes I am ready to eat again.

I know there is the issue of mental hunger but I also know that 2 or 3 small bites of a chicken breast as a meal are just not enough for me and it is frustrating. It often takes me more than an hour to eat just a small portion of food.

The weight is definitely coming off much slower than I imagined and have only lost about 15 pounds since the 2nd and 3rd fill (I lost an additional 15 pounds during the liquid phase post surgery). So ultimately I lost 15 in the month after surgery and have lost another 15 combined in the past 4 months.

So I just keep asking myself is this it? Is this what the result of the surgery was supposed to be? Eating a little bit, feeling stuck, waiting 15 minutes to eat more?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Okay, I am confused and think I may have done this all for no good reason.

My whole understanding of the band was that 1.) I would feel less hungry, and 2.) that NO MATTER WHAT I ATE, I would feel satisfied much faster than before, like I wouldn't even be able to eat as much as before.

I have had three fills, and am up to 7cc's in a 10cc band. And I can still practically eat a whole order of mexican take out, or regular size sandwich w/ chips and than eat ice cream afterwards!!!!! With NO PROBLEM!!??????

I don't get it???!!! Why did I go through all of this?

When I asked my doctor about it, he said, "well why are you eating take out?" DUH???? I have NO self-control!!! That's why I did this!!!! And if I went through all of this to just be on a diet, what was the purpose???

Can anyone relate to this situation??

Thanks.

Okay, I am confused and think I may have done this all for no good reason.

My whole understanding of the band was that 1.) I would feel less hungry, and 2.) that NO MATTER WHAT I ATE, I would feel satisfied much faster than before, like I wouldn't even be able to eat as much as before.

I have had three fills, and am up to 7cc's in a 10cc band. And I can still practically eat a whole order of mexican take out, or regular size sandwich w/ chips and than eat ice cream afterwards!!!!! With NO PROBLEM!!??????

I don't get it???!!! Why did I go through all of this?

When I asked my doctor about it, he said, "well why are you eating take out?" DUH???? I have NO self-control!!! That's why I did this!!!! And if I went through all of this to just be on a diet, what was the purpose???

Can anyone relate to this situation??

Thanks.

i think we have all been there..i have 7.00 cc in my 10 cc band. i have to remind myself daily that it take time to for everything to work. i had my 3rd fill last monday and had to get .5 cc took out since i was too tight..it take time dont get up. just think in the long run you are going to lose the weight...maybe you should start over with the whole lapband diet.. that what i did and i am finally eating less..i am still hungry but i can deal it for a few more weeks.DONT GAVE UP...just remind yourself that it takes time. :thumbdown:

I love this website because I always find support and info about what I'm going through. I had my first fill on July 15. This is 4 months post surgery. I had finally hit a wall with my weight loss and needed the fill. Until now, I haven't had any restriction. After the fill, it was hard to swallow my own saliva! I couldn't eat anything, couldn't drink anything and thought it was too tight. I also for the first time PB'd. I was in the bathroom the day after my fill throwing up off and on for almost 3 hours. It was a horrible day. Today after reading these posts, I realize that this is how the band is SUPPOSED to work! So today, I'm sipping warm tea and having no problem as long as I don't take big swallows. Also, when I've had enough and feel that sensation like something is choking me, I know it's time to stop. I love this community! Thank you all for the support and info.

Since posting here last week, I had a really bad "stuck" episode. It almost landed me in the er to get fill removed. I am so glad it did not. I was stuck for about four hours. Finally after talking with the Dr office and being told if it did not pass to go to the er, I remembered reading on LBT about pinapple juice helping. I really did not think that it was going to work. I thought for sure I would just throw it back up, but it did work. Everything went right down. I stayed on liquid for about two days and then started eating again. I am going to get some of the papya emzimes also. I think that is what they say work.

Also I am a slow looser. We just need to hang in there and keep faith. Good luck to everyone.

Like Jachut said earlier, I often have difficulty eating initially if I haven't eaten for a few hours. I have found that I do better if I slowly drink a few glasses of Water a bit before my meal AND if I start with a bite of something small, but eat it very slowly. I have a harder time eating if it's been a few hours since I've last eaten.

With that said, I've learned something tremendously important through this process---while you may not feel "full" as you did pre-banding, remember that the entire purpose of eating is to satisfy hunger, not to feel overstuffed. We spent so many years stuffing ourselves to the point of feeling sick to our stomachs. We need to re-think the purpose of eating. We need to fuel our bodies, not our heads. Eat until you're no longer hungry. DON'T expect to ever get that same full feeling you used to get on Thanksgiving. If you do, you've entirely negated the purpose of the band!!

I just had my first PB, Sliming and threw up yesterday. I can tell you that is not something I want to do again. It was totally my fault. I didn't pay attention to how fast I was eating....working and eating..isn't a good combination.

Had to take a whole day off and went to Water for a long while, then cycled SLOWLY through the soft mush foods. Not back to solids totally yet.

It seems you are having the same problem as my friend is having. She can still eat everything as before banded, but as for me, I am having the tightness feeling. I suggest that you consult with your doctor and make sure that your band is still working like you paid for.

If you can eat more than 1/4 to 3/4 cup of food then you need a fill. If you can't get down water then you are too tight. The band is a tool, it won't do it all by itself. You need to eat heathier foods not fast foods as fast food is loaded with fat, grease, salt, calories. That's not to say that every now and then you can't have a bite or two of something you really crave. If you chose to drink milkshakes all day long because they taste good and go down easily, you would be taking in a tremendous amount of calories, not get the proteins & vitiamins your body needs. Guess what, you didn't work with your band and would gain weight. If you have a support group then go to it. It will give you the info you need and the motivation if working with the band to lose weight is the goal you are after.

This is really really common. But what I've found amongst people I actually know in real life is that this phenomenon, know as first bite syndrome, seems to pass so that it becomes not as bothersome. I suffered from, it and it had passed by a year out, my DH has suffered it and it has passed for him now at almost a year out. I've talked about it with people on line and with bandster meetups locally.

What you have to do is be excruciatingly careful with your first few bites, take a teeeny tiny one, chew well, swallow, wait a few minutes and so on. Your stomach seems to eventually wake up to the fact that food is coming and start to function. A hot drink before you eat helps a LOT.

Nonetheless this is a pain in the behind and really gives you problems when you want to eat out and/or are eating under a time limit. But it does appear to pass for most people. I never get this anymore.

And remember too that every fill level is transient early on, if you are filled a bit too tight, as you lose weight, you loosen up and you'll suddenly realise you're eating more, eating isnt uncomfortable etc. So if this is contributing, it will probably resolve over a smaller time period.

Thank you so much! I found your post extremely helpful.

Donna

It is frustrating to read the posts from people that say how they only ate a cup of food and were full for hours - even forgetting to eat their next meal and here we are - not getting that full - satisfied feeling.

It is frustrating to read the posts from people that say how they only ate a cup of food and were full for hours - even forgetting to eat their next meal and here we are - not getting that full - satisfied feeling.

Remember, you'll never feel the same "Full" again----you're looking to no longer be hungry! The reason we've been fat is because we eat too much, until we're full. Eating is to keep us from being hungry, not to be full.....

if you are not losing weight then you are eating enough food to sustain your body - think like a thin person not a fat person

if you want to lose weight get a fill