Restriction and the "Sweet Spot"

Good morning!

It might be just me, but my doctor, PA and other medical professionals associated with me getting my band have never mentioned these terms.  In fact, I was told that my band would help me out by keeping me from feeling hunger between meals if I ate properly and I was filled appropriately.

I see the term, restriction, in many posts and I did come across it in the lap-band information available on this website, but I think both terms are a misconception and when we put it out there as a goal to feel restriction or reach a "sweet spot" we are misleading ourselves and could be misleading the newer folks on the board...

I don't believe a sweet spot exists and if it does, it may be fleeting.  I do think there is a range of optimal fill and that when this occurs, we will not feel hunger for 3-5 hours after eating a meal composed of 2-3 oz of dense protein and low glycemic fruits or veggies.  We must stay hydrated, avoid drinking with our meals and eat a balanced diet and we will lose the 1-2 lb per week average, if we exercise 30 min per day.

This has been my experience and I have been very conservative with fills (only 2 in 10 months for a total of 3.5 cc in my Realize Band).  In the last month, I lost 4 lbs I regained on vacation + 4 more for 8 lbs in one month following a .5 cc fill.  I don't really exercise and I do "cheat" on my food, but between meals, I am not thinking about food at all.  Sometimes I actually get shakey before I feel hunger (my doc says I don't know what real hunger feels like, lol) and have to have a piece of an Atkins bar to get the BG back up a bit.

So for any "newbies" or for you experinced bandsters out there, I would stop looking for the elusive "sweet spot".  If you are eating properly, staying hydrated and are not hungry between meals, you are at optimal fill...

What do you all think?  Is the sweet spot for real?

Thanks for reading!

Steph 

You pretty much said what Kate P. also did. I agree with both of you. My band is on the loose side. I don't feel it at all, unless I eat to fast. I do follow the don't drink and eat rule and I eat a lot slower than I used to. If I don't loose another pound I'm good. I have stopped all meds except Synthroid which has nothing to do with my weight. I take all my pills without worrying. I don't take them after I eat because I drink water with them. The only "ill" side affect I have from the band is constipation.and I take Benefiber for that. Again, if I don't loose another pound I'm good with it..I'm healthy and that's why I did it.

Petra

A rose by any other name is still a rose.  Optimal fill by any other name (sweet spot, restriction) is still optimal fill.

I feel that the most important thing is to understand what we are searching for and TO KNOW WHEN WE FIND IT and to understand optimal fill for one is not the same for other.  I like to call it sweet spot because it is so sweet to me that I get full with way less than I ever have.

To me, it does not matter what you call it, as long as you know it for what it is and not a unrealitic concept that you have conquered in your head.

The reason my doctor gives for not using the term restriction, is that it can be misunderstood to give the idea that the band will stop us from eating...

In golf, baseball, etc, the sweet spot is the exact place on the tool where you will hit the long drive, home run, etc...with a constantly changing environment like the human body, that can be a frustrating thing to try to accomplish.  Within a day or even hours, our band can feel tighter or looser, depending on stress, hydration, illness etc.  To try to find an exact constant seems to me to be an exercise in frustration.

These are just my thoughts...

I fully understand what you are saying.  My point is everyone need to find what works for them, regardless of what they choose to call it and be realistic in their thinking.

If you going to call it restriction...dont expect the band to restrict your from eating bad.

If you going to call it your sweet spot..dont think that this mean it will keep you from eating sweet.

If you going to call it your optimal fill.....know that it is not steady...it can change like the wind.

I think it is just words that folks use to help them.  I am 5 feet even but you will never hear me say I am short although many have called me that...I am fun size, see how much delightful that sound??, lol

My granddaughter, who is 19 and a freshman in college has a shirt that says..."I'm not short, I'm fun size!"  She's 5 ft tall and 95 lbs...I think that is a great way to look at it!

I never encourage people to use the phrase "sweet spot", because as fast as it arrives, it disappears again.  "Restriction" I use only for lack of a better word but it is fleeting and changes for many reasons not just because you had a fill or unfill. 

All of what you say rings true to me and I have had the same experiences as you.  I'm rarely truly hungry when I eat appropriately.  And, one can never over stress the importance of hydration when you have the band!  I was very fanatical about getting in my zero calorie beverages for the first year.  When I got out of the habit of programming my fluids just like I did my meals, my WL slowed.

Call it what you want, but an optimal fill level can change daily too!  That's why we have to rely on making good food choices based on your WL goals.  The band will help with hunger and portion control but some days it's more helpful than others!

Good post Stephanie!

Lisa O.

Thanks Lisa!

The soft tissue of your stomach is continuously changing depending on level of irritation. The fact that fills take, sometimes, weeks to "kick in" should alert people to that fact.

This is also the problem I have with the band longterm. So much stomach irritation over the course of years causes problems, whether people want to believe it or not. How could it NOT? If you had a bad fitting crown on your tooth, it would rub against your cheek and cause irritation, too. 

If you're going to have the band, you should never have it tight and be prepared to continue dieting because the band isn't going to magically make you not want to eat. I think doctors should simply do away with telling people that there will be "restriction." It sets up a false sense of hope. They should simply tell people that the band works like aversion therapy in some ways. If you eat more than the top portion of your banded stomach can hold, you'll be PB'ing, so don't do it. If you eat more than you should, it will come back up, causing your esophagus to dilate over time and causing a possible band slip. Look at it like a game of Roulette... it could happen anytime if you screw up. That would keep most people from overeating, I'd think... and it would be more truthful than promising some sort of magical "sweet spot" that doesn't exist.

Exactly my point...too many people are looking for the band to "do something" for them (like stop them from eating)...and too many medical professionals don't do enough to ensure that their patients understand how the band works and how it doesn't work.