How many fills did you have to feel the sweet spot?

I am wondering how many fills you had to get that sweet spot or should I say to feel satisfied after  eating your food! I am on my 3rd fill and I am not there yet! I am getting frustrated not losing much weight and being hungry a lot!

Took me 3 fills to get some restriction. I was very successful with weight loss but it was a lot of "willpower" on my part. I was either hungry or too tight (even after a small fill) much of the time. Over the course of my journey of loosing 107 pounds I did have some months where I was in a good spot I now choose to keep my band pretty loose so I can eat breakfast, eat whole grain breads and pasta et.. I had a large unfill after maintaining my weight for a few months.

While you might get some answers, its really hard to compare because of the different sizes of bands and the differing amounts doctors like to add each visit.. Also, whats good for me isnt good for the next person. Generally, (and ONLY speaking generally), it takes a minimum of three fills to get to the sweet spot - MY doc prefers to call it the green ZONE. I thought I was in the green zone after four fills but after a month, I started sliming too often and I finally got a small unfill.

Heres the breakdown for me in my 10cc band

during surgery I was auto- prefilled to 2cc
1st fill: added 1cc (total 3cc)
2nd fill 1cc (total 4cc)
3rd fill .75cc (total 4.75cc)
4th fill 1cc (total 5.75cc)
1st unfill -.50 (total 5.25cc)

Up til now I thought I only had three fills and one unfill but it didnt add up right. I tend to forget little details if I don't write them down. The gift of ADD that just keeps on giving. sigh. When I go to my doctor again, I'm going to get the dates and amounts from my record....but I DO know I have a total of 5.25cc in this band and just 1/2 a cc was too much for me right now.

My surgeon put 3cc's in my band at the time of surgery.  That held me until just about a week or two before my first fill (which they usually schedule for 6 weeks out, but mine was pushed out to 7 weeks due to scheduling conflicts).

First fill I got 1cc and that got me to the green zone for about 6 weeks.  Then another .5cc took me about 2 months.

Everytime I lose a little more, I need a little more in my band.  It really varies from person to person.

Even now with somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5 in my band, I still fight head hunger and drink lots of water and chew gum to get around that.  Often after I finish my "alloted portion" I'm still wanting to eat and it takes focusing on my goal of weight loss to get up from the table and move away from the food.  IF I do that and give myself time (10 to 20 minutes), I'm usually not hungry.   If I am still hungry after the 20 minutes or so.. my nurses say have more veggies.  If that doesn't work, then try a little (key word is little) more protein.

Best of luck to you.

And remember it can take a little while for a fill to kick in.  I've had some take as long as 10 days to make their presence known. 

I had my surgery Oct. 28, and my doctor did not do a fill at that time. He put in 4 cc. at my first fill. I have had six fills since then, and it is just this last one a couple of weeks ago where I could truthfully say that I felt any "restriction."

In the meantime, I learned that at least one definition of "restriction" is "feeling satisfied when I eat the right-sized portion" (as opposed to my stomach saying, "OK, don't send any more down here or you'll be sorry.")

Wish I'd known that sooner, since because I COULD eat, I DID eat, and my weight loss has been really, really slow.

My next visit, later this month, I am seriously considering saying, "No thanks. I think I'm good." Even then, depending on what my doctor thinks, I may get a tiny fill. (Two months ago we thought I was "almost there," and he gave me just 0.25 cc. It wasn't enough, so last month he gave me 0.75 cc -- he said he didn't have the "guts" to give me more because he thought I was so close.)

By the way, I think I am at 7 cc now.

Again, as others have said, I think this is a very individual thing. As you've seen in the other responses, some people get to the "sweet spot" very quickly, some take longer (like me), and I suspect some never get there.

Thank you all for your reply.I do have a 14 cc band and had 3 fills with all together now 7cc saline in it and  I need more fills still hungry is this normal?

Everyone's "normal" is different, so it's really hard to say.  For instance, I have 3.1 ccs in my 10cc band and have been at my sweet spot for 20 months (took me 4 months post-op - 4 fills and 1 *slight* unfill to get there).  Others have 13ccs in a 14cc band and that is their comfortable green zone.

Think of it this way...at least you still have 7 ccs left in your band to play with in order to attain your desired restriction. :)  You're going to do fine!  The band definitely warrants patience but if you follow the rules, it should all work out!

Good luck and keep us posted Laurena.

I'm not really sure what you're looking for.  You can lose with the band without being at the mythical sweet spot.  I started feeling restriction which helped me lose weight after about 5 or 6 fills.  Probably about 8 months after getting the band.  I think I'm at my sweet spot now and I say I think because I'm never really sure where I'm at with this thing, but I haven't felt the need for a fill for about six months.  That means it took me almost two years to reach my "sweet spot".  I don't really believe in the sweet spot and I don't think you need to be at it to be successful with the band.  I actually haven't lost much weight in the last six months, so it hasn't really meant much for me.  That's my fault - not the bands, and I recently started therapy to confront the issues which have caused me to stall - it's all mental. 

Like others have said, you simply can't compare yourself to others.  We each respond to fills in very different ways so it will only drive you crazy.  You just have to be patient, sometimes easier said then done, I know.  Good luck.

cat

It all makes sense to me,all the replies I get are good.I just need another fill ,the last fill was some restriction I felt, but just not enough yet.
I am not giving up,I understand we all need more or less of fills and I am one of them that needs more,I will get there there one day soon.  
Thank you all for the replies.
Laurena