How did you know you hit your sweet spot?

[A New Woman 1]

Can some folks explain to me when they absolutely knew they were at their sweet spot? I really don't think I'm there for several reasons. I have some restriction but I can still eat way more than I should be able to. What is the real difference between some restriction and the sweet spot? Will you instinctively know when you are there? Are you truly satisified with a small amount of food or is it still willpower? I know it sounds silly but do people push past their sweet spot with additional fills, thinking they are not there only to find out they are way too tight? Or it is that in the process of the doc tightening you that you realize just that little bit puts you over the edge. I don't ever want to end up too tight but I want to make sure I'll be able to read my band enough to know that enough is enough. I hope this makes sense.

[Jodi_620 37]

It is not something I knew immediately. I felt tighter right away in that I had to drink and eat slower and I felt the food/liquid going down slower. Then a day or so later I realized I was eating less. Then the weight was coming off consistently. I would say that it would take a least a week or two to know for sure. I was able to eat 3/4 cup to 1 cup of food and not getting hungry for at least four hours often longer. Weight loss averaged 2 pounds per week.

As far as being satisfied, you should not be physically hungry. You may have head hunger and if so, will need to have the willpower deal with that by not eating between meals or and not eating slider foods or high calorie junk food.

As far as pushing for more fills. This has mostly to do with personal preference. Some people want to be a little tighter and lose faster this requires eating less and being very careful how you eat to avoid getting sick or stuck. Others prefer to take it slower.

If you are too tight you will know it. You will either start to get acid reflux, feel sick or have a hard time getting solid food down. I was too tight once immediately after a fill and I coulnd't swallow my own saliva. Of course you don't want to have any of these problems.

Your sweet spot probably won't be permanent either. I would hit my sweet spot, slowly lose it then have to get another fill. There was a lot of fill maintenence in the beginning. Like I said, it is all trial and error and as you get adjustments and lose restriction and get re-adjusted you will start to get the hang of what your comfort level is.

Edited July 22, 2009 by Jodi_620

[carbgrl 0]

Good question. I'm interested in hearing what others have to say!

[Stum-belina 0]

Thanks for your reply. I was banded on june 1st, and i feel forever away from my sweet spot. Starting to wander if i really have one. I can't wait for others to reply to this.

[Jodi_620 37]

Thanks for your reply. I was banded on june 1st, and i feel forever away from my sweet spot. Starting to wander if i really have one. I can't wait for others to reply to this.

You are welcome. How many fills have you had?

[bambam 0]

I agree with with Jodi said. I have had 3 fills (empty band at surgery) with 3 cc the first fill, 0.5 cc the second (son's wedding was right after my fill and I didn't want to be overfilled and have issues), and 2 cc at my third fill.

I definitely feel I have good restriction now. I'm eating much less, am satisfied from meal to meal, and am losing consistently. I guess for now this is my sweet spot, but like Jodi said as we lose more weight and fat around our stomach, our bands will need adjusted again.

At this point I have no urge to get another fill for a while. I am having to really work on chewing well and taking small bites (something I didn't work very hard at earlier simply because with little restriction I didn't have to) and there are days where I feel the golfball in my chest, so I don't want to be any tighter. However, when my hunger returns and my weight loss slows I'll be back in for another fill to keep the weight loss going.

[emjay 8]

Seems the sweet spot and can an elusive little creature for some of us. I felt like I was at my sweet spot a few weeks ago when 3 weeks after a fill - bam - good restriction and losing weight consistently. However, it only lasted a few more weeks and then I was able to eat more and was hungry after about 3 hours.

I would like to think the sweet spot is where you don't feel like you are on a "diet" - we've been there, done that. But are making good food choices overall and our restriction allows us to only eat smaller portions. I don't want to be so tight that I have trouble with certain foods, Pb, or slime, and so having to keep a closer watch on what I eat may have to be the compromise.

[Jodi_620 37]

Seems the sweet spot and can an elusive little creature for some of us. I felt like I was at my sweet spot a few weeks ago when 3 weeks after a fill - bam - good restriction and losing weight consistently. However, it only lasted a few more weeks and then I was able to eat more and was hungry after about 3 hours.

I would like to think the sweet spot is where you don't feel like you are on a "diet" - we've been there, done that. But are making good food choices overall and our restriction allows us to only eat smaller portions. I don't want to be so tight that I have trouble with certain foods, Pb, or slime, and so having to keep a closer watch on what I eat may have to be the compromise.

Yeah, in the beginning the the sweet spot doesn't last long for some. I only had 1 to 2 weeks in between fills 1 thru 3. Each time I would think, "Now THIS is what I was looking for" then about a week later I would lose a few pounds and the restriction was gone.

[A New Woman 1]

Thanks for the replies. Your answers have helped and I think I have found the answer within myself as well. I had my 4th adjustment on 7/21 and after the liquid stage I am finally noticing consistent restriction. It is gradual and pretty elusive because in past fills I thought I was there but wasn't really sure. When you hit the sweet spot you know it for sure, you don't have to wonder. I can say that I am there -- for now, because as many say it can slide away as you lose more weight. But at least now I can say my body is telling me when to stop eating with a small amount of food and I am not looking for food for several hours later. This is what I've been looking for. I guess it just takes patience to get there.

[beccab1980 0]

I knew I hit mine when the scale dropped about 2-3 pounds a week and a meal took 30 minutes to an hour to eat. I had my last adjustment in the end of April and they added 4 ccs to bring me up to 8 cc! Since then I have gone from 255lbs to 214.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

It took me a LOOOONG time (conservative fill doc)

BUT I know I'm there...I can eat about 1 cup of food (I can eat anything...white bread, chicken, you name it) and am full on that food for about 6 hours. I don't snack. I feel great. I drop big old chunks of weight and then maintain for a while; I've lost just over 40 pounds since 5/7 when I hit that happy spot, so I know it's working well. It is wonderful to be full and not hungry all the time. I LOVE it. It is very different from how I felt before that last fill.

To me I think it's kind of like being in love. You know when you're little and you wonder what it's like and people say "You'll know" Well...you'll know when you hit that sweet spot. You won't be hungry and you'll be satisfied with way way less.

I know to some a cup is too much, but I'm still pretty large (and have 7 more cc's capacity in my band) so, since right now I can eat anything and am losing, I'm happy with that 1 cup limit. I can reign it in as I get smaller and require less calories. Groovy!