How do you "wear" your band?

[LapNYC 3]

I've only had two fills but feel that I have a good degree of restriction. I can eat absolutely everything, but only with care. I've never PB'd or slimed (knock on wood) and can easily fake my way thought dinner out, including drinking wine with my meal.

On the flip side, I do feel hungry between meals and NEVER forget to eat. French fries across the table still call my name and I do struggle sometimes. So...I guess I'd call my band "loose", but tight enough for decent restriction. How do you prefer yours? What works for you?

[LeighaMason 19]

I can eat everything except bread, Pasta, and bananas. I eat all types of meat including chicken, steak and pork. I eat eggs and all types of veggies. I eat rice slowly. I only get stuck from eating too fast so I am somewhat loose. But I am not hungry between meals, well I eat every 3 or 4 hours so I don't really have time to be hungry.

[Humming Bird 275]

I wear mine so tight I have to lay on the bed to get it zipped!

Yes, I do like mine kinda tight. Right now it's not because I had a situation and had to get a small unfill, but I go back this Friday for another fill to get my restriction back.

[elcee 3,341]

Mine is probably relatively loose.I can eat most foods most of the time. However lots of foods give me trouble sometimes! E.g I almost always eat a poached egg on a slice of wholemeal toast for Breakfast. On Saturday it just would not go down.I had not done anything any differently to normal, was not eating any quicker or taking bigger bites. I had to PB.

I am not as fortunate as you as I have PB'd or slimed on plenty of occassions but most of the time when it happens it is no big deal. I am loose enough that I have been on holiday with friends that do not know I am banded and they didn't notice anything strange about my eating habits.

I also have to have a healthy snack between meals. For me I cannot imagine that being tighter would help as then I wouldn't be able to get enough decent food in and would probably get hungry sooner.

I also generally tend to feel tighter in the evenings which is the opposite of what most people find. i don't normally have a problem eating Breakfast but quite often struggle with dinner!

[illuminationlady 7]

I would say I am totally at my sweet spot. Not too tight. Not too loose. I eat less than a cup of food at any one sitting. Have learned to chew, chew, chew. Do have problems with eating too fast still...but working on that. Stay full for 3-5 hours, depending on how much Protein I take in. The protein really helps with hunger. I used to get "stuck" all of the time but rarely do any more. I learned the hard way, over and over...but did learn...so..for me I'm just right! And sooooo happy about it! Best wishes! Dottie

[Jachut 487]

Mine is exactly like yours. I have decent restriction that keeps my portions sensible, but not teeny tiny. I can eat any food and cope very well with eating out with others. I can eat whatever is served up to me for things like staff lunches. Stress free, trouble free, worry free living at a healthy weight.

The flip side is I get cravings, I get hungry in between meals, and I do have to use a lot of willpower to resist things.

I'm not getting filled more because I'm already a healthy weight (although I'd like to be a little lighter) and I already struggle with choosing healthy foods over sliders - I've found over time, although I can eat anything, my appetite for things like healthy sandwhiches and fruit and good things like oatmeal has diminished and I'm much more prone to getting through the day on coffee and Cookies. If I go tighter, I know this will escalate. At least now I can make the concious decision to choose well even if its not what I really fancy and eat it without problems.

Just like Elcee, nobody would know I was banded in any given social situation although people at work tease me about not needing to watch what I eat (they notice the small portions) as I'm naturally thin (if only they knew!). And just like Elcee, I can eat breakfast no worries but struggle a bit with dinner.

[emjay 8]

I feel my band is at a good place for me also. I haven't found a single food product that I can't eat, just some that are easier than others to eat. Some firm Proteins take longer to eat and I can be a bit uncomfortable but stay down. I don't get hungry for 4-5 hours normally, but I tend to have a snack in the afternoon so I can have dinner at a later hour to keep the night munchies at bay.

With me, being too tight led to acid reflux at night and problems on some days being able to eat anything firm. About twice a month I can tell I'll get a bit tight, but not that I can't eat. So, it's a great level for me. But I do struggle with always making the right food choices. It helps to just not buy the stuff!