I have been banded since Aug 30th. My weight loss is 21 pds, and I am happy with that. Since my surgery, I have eaten only until I am satisfied, never until I was full. I know before a fill, there is really none or little restriction. Yesterday, I had my first fill 3cc in a 14cc band, now on liquids for one week. Question is how will I know I am restricted, it I only eat until I am satisfied.

Thanks

Cheri

You will know! Trust me. I have the larger VG band and it took me 3 fills to get where I needed to be with restriction. Just keep on doing what you are doing and eating until you feel satisified, that is the safest bet. If you push it to feeling "full" you will have a heavy golf-ball feeling in your chest, that tells me I ate too much, which is very uncomfortable. Don't want to go there, trust me. Good luck with it.

Restriction feels more like the food is stuck and sitting there in your pouch rather than a full feeling. You simply can't eat anymore or you start to feel it coming back up your esophogas (sp). I rarely get that feeling of actual fullness in the pit of my stomach since I can't eat enough to ever get that. But I will take the restricted feeling anyday over never feeling full. That is just my experience, hope it helps.

Question is how will I know I am restricted, it I only eat until I am satisfied.

Perfect, PERFECT! You are doing it perfectly! If you are relying on restriction then you are using the band as a crutch and not a tool. The goal is to eat until you are satisified and still loose weight!

The point of the band is not to "be restricted" the point of the band is to BE SATISFIED.

I think that if we are constantly and consistantly going to the Golf Ball pain stage then we are doing something wrong. Pain is a bad thing. Okay, it's a good thing too, becuase the purpose of pain is to let us know we've GONE TOO FAR.

Congrats for figuring out what I have not yet learned!

Do you have a 4cc band or a 14cc band. I have never heard of one that holds that much....just wondering. If if only holds 4 ccs, you should feel good restriction once you start eating more solid foods.