Got it?

So for those of you a year or more out..........do you have restriction? And if so, how long did it take and how many fills did it take???

 I've been there since my surgery.  Now I have too much.

You know it seems I'm hearing a lot more lately about bandsters with little or NO fluid in their bands that are too tight. Some of the complications of the band were explained to us prior to banding, but I don't recall being told that that could be a problem, and I KNOW that I was not told in advance that it was possible to NEVER reach restriction also. And as far as the "too tight in the morning" thing..........well I was fully aware of that, but I just asssumed that it meant that the band could be too tight in the morning...........but would have adequate restriction as described the rest of the day. Silly me! lol. It kind of makes one wonder what other little "details" they might have "forgotten" to tell us about our bands! :-(

What the damn are you talking about

The word restriction confuses me.

From the day of my surgery, I expected to eat small portions and be satisfied and I have had that for 3 years 1 month.

I assumed the band by itself was better than nothing and I could diet with nothing, so I cut out processed carbs and ate small portions of protein and produce with some low fat dairy interspersed and was satisfied.

I vowed to weigh and,easier my food, eat my prescribed amount and stop. I always knew I could go back for more if I was still hungry 20 minutes later, but that didn't happen.
I was satisfied (not stuffed) and distracted myself with something non food related.

I think it helped tremendously that i surrendered to the foods I used to binge on. Once I stepped away from cake, cookies, candy, icecream, baked goods ......the rest was "just food" and my interest In it was just not that high.

Right now my band is a bit looser and I can eat sandwiches and pasta. Still 1/2 the size of what's would have eaten 3 years ago.

As I was losing weight, I got fills about every time I lost 15-20 pounds. So, overtime it spas about 7 or 8 fills and2 small u fills during allergy season.

 This post is very helpful -- it's what I hope to feel over time.

I was feeling ravenous 5 weeks post-op and thought something had gone wrong.  I had my first fill last Monday and it's been wonderful.  I don't notice any difference with food going down, but at the end of the day I look over my food log and notice that I haven't snacked and stuck to the plan.

As for baked sweets (my heroin), since surgery I've had one bite of brownie and one bite of donut and boy did I regret that!  I'll spare you the details...let's just say my stomach was NOT happy!  I'm still working on "stepping away" from them as you have.  I know I shouldn't and my stomach doesn't want them, but my brain still does!

Sabrina,

When I decided to have my band, I was 50 years old and I considered it my 'last shot' to get things right.

I know myself well enough to know that I needed to focus 100% of my energy to this life change.

I knew that (for me) this was going to,have to be a physical change, a spiritual change, an emotional change.
So, I had surgery to work on the physical.
I re-joined OA for the spiritual part (www.oa.org and www.therecoverygroup.org are both great groups).
I joined Weigh****chers and my local WLS support group for emotional support, education and weight loss focused peer groups.

Yes, there have been some temporary periods of physical hunger, but they were short lived and solved with small fills.

Mostly though, this has been an 'inside job' for me ....happening mostly between the ears. I have had to change my mind much more than my stomach.

I had to learn what it feels like to be 'not hungry' Instead of eating to be full or stuffed.
I have had to learn to surrender to some hard truths about myself ... I cannot have even a little bit of some foods without them controlling my thoughts and my body, so it is easier to have none.

I have been free of my trigger foods since April 1, 2009, one day at a time.

I made 3 lists that I have lived by for the last 3 years.

List 1 -- 50 reasons I want to have WLS

List 2 - 25 ways that I can measure success without the scale

List 3 - 25 things to do besides eat if it is not meal time
These lists both distract me from food and hunger and they focus me back to a bigger goal.

All of this is easier with a well adjusted band, but not impossible without one.

I don't deny that there are people for whom the band has been a nightmare.
I just know that my experience has been a positive one for me.

I did not wait for something called 'restriction' to start changing my life. I just put my head down and worked my plan and did not let up until I had reached and exceeded my goal.

I hope you have a piece of the same 'obnoxious persistence' inside of you and that you have the same success!!!

Kath, you made a post that gives alot of substance and iformation. I think I will do those lists.

Excellent ideas

~The word restriction confuses me.~

By restriction I'm refering to the "green zone" the way Allergan and the Drs. office described it: Full sooner, full longer.