Question:
lap band on 6/24, first fill 2 weeks ago, now eating normal food

and i know i should be full after a cup of food but i have been eating about 3oz of chicken with a cup of lettuce for lunch and whatever we cook for dinner. Not huge amounts but more than a cup and i feel fine. i called my doctor to tell them that i think i may need more saline so i am going for another fill on 8/8...does this sound right?? If i was filled to the right amount would i be full after a cup???    — jordanty (posted on July 23, 2008)

July 23, 2008
It can take up to five fills before you get restriction and just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should.....try to stay to the no more than one cup epr meal....then if you feel hungry between meals eat a piece of string cheese.....check out ...Yahoo Groups......go to Bandbuddies....it's another great site. pam / Ft Worth.....Bandster Bites [email protected]
   — pphillips4720aol.com

July 23, 2008
What you are experiencing is perfectly normal. It takes a few fills and some time to hit that 'sweet spot" where you have plenty of restriction. Your surgeon has to instill the saline into your port/band in small increments at separate visits to prevent your stoma from swelling. If he put it in all at once, your stoma would be so irritated and swollen, you would not be able to swallow your own saliva. I know, I've been there after getting something stuck and having to meet my surgeon on a Saturday night for an unfill and to start the process again. Be patient, it will happen. I had all of the fluid in my band out for 3 weeks for an UGI and felt like I had never had surgery, had no restriction and could eat anything in any amount I wanted. Since I couldn't count on my tool, I had to count on my mind/head to make the right decisions until I got my tool deployed again. It is a challenge...a commitment for life. It's really wonderful when you have just the right amount of restriction and your mind is in a good place, making good decisions and exercising. That's what it is all about. As my surgeon says, if you are hungry, go ahead and eat some protein until you are satisfied. Another point. Don't eat until you are full.... eat until you are satisfied. That will be more apparent when you have more restriction. If you can only eat a few bites, eat the healthiest, yummiest bites you can find/prepare. Good luck, Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
   — DawnVic

July 23, 2008
I don't know much about lapband...but I do know that not all food is equivalent to the same 1 Cup of food....You mentioned that you have a salad...Salad once chewed is nothing but a tiny bit of fiber and all water! If you cooked 1 cup of lettuce and one cup of chicken...You'd have a little less than a cup of chickenand maybe a tablespoon of lettuce! Salad could almost be considered a liquid! LOL I never counted salad as a part of my 1 Cup...Denser foods will make you feel much fuller...
   — .Anita R.