Restriction- What Do You Mean?

[Katy517 1]

This is my experience in a nut shell. I definitely cannot intake as much food in one sitting with MOST foods as I could before being banded. As to being full longer with the band - definitely not. My stomach is rumbling within four hours of a meal and I know I need to eat.

It works both ways for me. The band does restrict the amount of food I can eat. The band also makes it so I can not eat some types of foods. The band has also made food not as appealing as it used to be, so in that sense it takes away head hunger too.

[Humming Bird 275]

I don't remember my Dr. ever using the word restriction. There are very few days where I can live on 3 "meals" and nothing else. I get hungry between (real hunger) and have to eat a bit of something. This is another area where we are all different. I think many docs would give people a fill if they heard the person couldn't stick to the 3 meals, but in my case, even with a tiny fill more, my food choices would be even more limited than they already are. I would suffer from malnutrition and shrink down to an unhealthy weight. One time when I was talking to my surgeon I had lost a large amount of weight and he was very pleased with my progress. I was very honest about not exercising. He said most people don't lose that kind of weight unless they exercise like crazy.

He commented about being very conservative with my fills because I am very sensitive to them. I can feel a very big difference with even a .1 or .2 fill.

He didn't want to change my eating pattern and said "why mess with a good thing when it is working so well." I never count, measure, track, or journal anything. I pretty much just get set in my own eating pattern and wing it.

[Noturningback15 45]

I would have to say that good restriction for me is where I am at now. I didn't get hungry not one time yesterday. I had Breakfast at 9AM. I packet of oatmeal and 2 slices of bacon. lunch at 1PM-1 chicken tender and a small potato (wasn't hungry but it was time to eat), dinner at 530-still not hungry so I had some Cereal. It feels good to eat because I know I have to not because I am always hungry. I love the fact that I am not always hungry! That is what restriction mean to me...not being hungry all the freaking time!

[mabinty 3]

it seems like everyone is searching for the magic land of "restriction", but I'm beginning to realize that we may have very different ideas of what that means. I'm curious about what restriction or sweet spot, as terms, mean to you and how you use your band.

For me, my band is working when it makes me feel full after small amounts of food and then stay full for several hours. When I say full, I mean "not hungry for another bite, even if my mental hunger tells me I still want to eat because it tastes good".

For me, my band does not in any way restrict WHAT I can eat, just how much. I don't get stuck, I've never PB'ed or slimed, and I absolutely never want to. If I want a piece of pizza, I eat a piece of pizza (A Piece, at less than 200 calories for the meal) and the beauty is that I feel completely full after that one single piece. I don't usually eat bread or Pasta, but that is a choice, not a band-forced restriction. For me, I like it that way. I don't want pain and discomfort for the rest of my life to keep me thin-- I just want to eat like a normal person in normal amounts.

What about you? I don't think everyone's bands work for them in the same way and I think new bandsters who are searching for the spot might be helped by understanding the different ways the band could work for an individual.

I have to agree with you!! My band work the same way I can eat whatever but I choose not to eat certain thing just because I never really ate in the first place. I have never had a fill and I am doing great just want to be normal not looking for a sweet spot I have learn to eat to live not live to eat an I am enjoying it

[mabinty 3]

it seems like everyone is searching for the magic land of "restriction", but I'm beginning to realize that we may have very different ideas of what that means. I'm curious about what restriction or sweet spot, as terms, mean to you and how you use your band.

For me, my band is working when it makes me feel full after small amounts of food and then stay full for several hours. When I say full, I mean "not hungry for another bite, even if my mental hunger tells me I still want to eat because it tastes good".

For me, my band does not in any way restrict WHAT I can eat, just how much. I don't get stuck, I've never PB'ed or slimed, and I absolutely never want to. If I want a piece of pizza, I eat a piece of pizza (A Piece, at less than 200 calories for the meal) and the beauty is that I feel completely full after that one single piece. I don't usually eat bread or Pasta, but that is a choice, not a band-forced restriction. For me, I like it that way. I don't want pain and discomfort for the rest of my life to keep me thin-- I just want to eat like a normal person in normal amounts.

What about you? I don't think everyone's bands work for them in the same way and I think new bandsters who are searching for the spot might be helped by understanding the different ways the band could work for an individual.

I have to agree with you!! My band work the same way I can eat whatever but I choose not to eat certain thing just because I never really ate in the first place. I have never had a fill and I am doing great just want to be normal not looking for a sweet spot I have learn to eat to live not live to eat an I am enjoying it

[stateofzen 46]

Well for me what you posted is fabulous news. That is what I thought the band was supposed to do, what you are describing. Maybe I'm not understanding other posts, but it seems that others state they have to force themselves to put the fork down and it's a choice to stop eating. That was discouraging for me because I thought the band genuinely made you feel full, not just satisfied, and not gorged either, but full so you don't want more. Thanks for posting!

Hi Mattie! Just to be clear, what I'm describing does involve a choice to put the fork down when I feel full but maybe would like to keep eating because dang, it tastes good!. But, the band makes that a pretty darn easy choice the majority of the time so it is a lot different experience for me than the old "diet" feeling of deprivation. I can honestly say that I don't feel deprived at all, even when I'm eating "band perfect".

[mattie7632 24]

That makes perfect sense. How many times have I eaten beyond full because it was so good? Enough to get me 100 pounds overweight, that's how many. I think you said the magic words though -"not deprived". After 5 weeks on this board, I'd come to the conclusion that I'd feel deprived if I wanted to lose weight. I'm now learning to not eat past full and watch calories, and I am perfectly satisfied. But I will admit, I eat more frequently than before and more smaller meals.

Hi Mattie! Just to be clear, what I'm describing does involve a choice to put the fork down when I feel full but maybe would like to keep eating because dang, it tastes good!. But, the band makes that a pretty darn easy choice the majority of the time so it is a lot different experience for me than the old "diet" feeling of deprivation. I can honestly say that I don't feel deprived at all, even when I'm eating "band perfect".