Band not tight enough???

Thanks for the reply Mum!   and yes, I definately feel like I'm in banster he%#!!!  :)     One day I can eat the fridge and then days like today I can't eat very much at all!  I guess I just need to ride out this wave and see where it takes me! 

I have 8.75 in mine & its not until now that I believe it to be properly working. Its now doing everything they said it would! But not everyone needs that much & it has to be done gradually. I lost 42lb before I got to this stage, but its taken a lot of will power to keep the calories low. I have approx 1400 a day & I have lost slowly & steadily every week. I think that is better for your body to adjust to than a quick loss, but thats just my opinion.
Good luck anyway!

Hi Jill - I am at 7 cc's in a 10 cc band and don't really feel like there is any "restriction" and I was wondering how others felt - so I noticed in your post that it took you a while to feel like you had restriction - good to know.  You eat 1400 calories a day - do you exercise, too?  How much?  I also have lost with my band even though I don't feel "restriction" but as you said, it is not easy and you have to really keep yourself under control!  How do you feel "different" now that you feel like you have good restriction?  Thanks for sharing.

I didn't lose or have any restriction until I got to 5.5 cc's.  That took about 5 months after surgery!! Talk about frustrating!!  But once I got to that point I started losing at a pretty good rate.  I had to go back about every 6 weeks for another fill until I got to about 8 cc's.  Then it was/is like every 6 months, although I know it has been over 6 months now since my last fill.  I still have great restriction now...

It's common for people to need a couple of fills before they get to the point of feeling restriction. Don't compare the amount that is in your band with others, because everybody is totally different. I see that somebody is up to 8 ml before they had restriction and my band slipped when I got to 5.2 ml in a 9 ml band. Everybody is different. Go by the amount that you are eating and how long you stay satisfied raher than the amount in your band. Good luck.

Thank you Daniel (I have a nephew named Daniel Smith and he's a pretty special lil guy!  Great name)  :)        

My situation is kind of odd...... One day I can eat and eat and eat and then days like today I was only able to eat 3 small meals and one small snack.  I'm afraid to get another fill because days like today would kill me!!  but days like yesterday I could sure benefit from more cc's in my band!  My band only holds 4 cc's and it has 2 cc's in it now.....I'm definately not complaining about my band, I'm very grateful for it... I've lost 20lbs since March 17th (15 of it before my first fill).  I just worry that on some days I'm able to eat way too much! 

The number of cc's is irrelevent because we are all different.  I have great restriction at 5.5cc's and am 2+ years post op. But some people I know that had surgery at the same time are at 10cc's in the same size band as me.  Alot of it depends on anatomy, (the shape of your stomach), where the band sits on your stomach and how much viceral fat around the outside of your stomach.  That's why restriction changes as you lose weight.

It usually takes a couple or more fills to feel restriction and you will continually need to go in for adjustments over time.  Every surgeon is different, but early on, my surgeon would only do fills every 6 weeks.

Here are the questions they will generally ask you to determine whether or not you need a fill:
1.)  Are you hungry between meals?
2.) Can you eat more than 1/2-1 c of food at a sitting?
3.) Has your weight loss stalled?

If you can answer yes to 2 or more of these questions you are likely ready for a fill. 

Just keep in mind, it's not all about restriction.  Just having the band around your stomach, pressing on the nerve that signals the Hypothalamus, (the part of your brain that signals fullness), will reduce hunger.  Don't count on restriction or wait for it to start changing you eating habits.  It's a combination of self-regulation, tracking calories and protein, etc. and measuring portions that will help you acheive your WL goals.

Best~
Lisa O.

Thank you for your reply Lisa!   You have given me a lot of helpful information!   My situation is kind of weird.... Yesterday I could eat anything but today I was only able to eat 3 very small meals and one snack between lunch and dinner.   

In response to your last paragraph, I totally agree!  I have definately changed my eating habits!  I only eat foods on the menu that my Dr gave me, I haven't drank anything excep****er in over 3 months (huge victory for me because I was severly addicted to diet coke and lemonade), and any snacks I have are either a protein bar, fiber bar, or a few slices of low fat cheese.   I really honestly am trying to do everything right!  Yesterday was a terrible day for me.... In the evening I ate a hard boiled egg before dinner, then for dinner a small pork chop and 3/4 cup of green beans for dinner, shortly after dinner I still felt fairly hungry so I ate a fiber bar, then a little later I felt very hungry again so I ate a protein bar, then I ate a cup of raisin bran cereal with skim milk!  I was so embarrassed that I ate so much but I literally felt miserable and felt like I needed to eat.   

I wish I knew why some days I can eat everything and other days I can't hardly eat anything.... :(

I know, it can be frustrating.  The band seems to have a mind of its own.  But remember, it's placed around a living organ made of tissue, etc.  Hydration, water retention, stress and other strong emotions can affect tightness. 

The night time eating is probably not related to real hunger.  I've done a lot of work, (therapy) to control my evening munchies and what I've learned is that it's usually emotional hunger, rarely real hunger.  The key is to identify what's really bothering you and making you want to eat.  I could be as simple as boredom or tiredness.  It could also be a residual reaction to something that wasn't resolved from earlier in the day like anger with your boss, or a hurt feeling, etc.  I try to stop for 10 minutes and think about what's really bugging me  Once I identify what that is, I can usually work to resolve that emotion and not turn to food.  The key is stopping and realizing that you have a band.  There's no way you are physically hungry after eating even just the egg and pork chop.  But, we all have days like what you describe.  We're changing years of learned behavior and it takes time.

Hang in there!  You're doing great!

Lisa O.

I am six months out, and am just beginning to feel a tiny bit of "restriction." I have an appointment today, and am not sure what my doctor will do. But I am beginning to see that perhaps I had the wrong idea -- or at least partly wrong idea -- about what "restriction" is. I was expecting the band to let me eat a certain amount and then STOP me from eating any more. That hasn't happened, and I was VERY frustrated.

But as so many have pointed out, the band is not a magic bullet. I talked to the nutritionist at my doctor's office, and he does think there is a point where I will feel some "restriction" that encourages me to stop eating. But mostly, I need to eat the proper-size meals and the band will help me not to be hungry for several hours. I think the best place is a combination of the band encouraging the eater to stop eating and the band making the eater feel satisfied after a small meal.

Once I got that understanding, it has been easier. I was eating because I COULD, waiting for something "magic" to happen. Now I am eating smaller meals and am feeling satisfied.

I would like to "feel" some restriction, but I don't want it to hurt or be real uncomfortable (and I've been there a couple of times from eating too fast or too big a bites).

It's taken me a long time to get to this point, and I think I am at or very close to the "sweet spot." Maybe it will come the way I expect it, and I'll start shedding more pounds faster. Maybe not. I just know I feel better about it all now.

Hope this helps

Diane