What does restriction feel like to you?

[Red bird 20]

Okay bandsters - everyone talks about feeling restriction and I would like to know what it feels like to you? Is it possible that every person feels different? Just had my 2nd fill and have no clue what it is supposed to feel like?

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@Red bird What a great question.

"Restriction" that everyone talks about is really a misnomer. Since it is not restriction we are looking for at all. We are looking for a feeling of satiation. The word restriction was being used by medical professionals to describe the amount of time it would take for food particles to pass through the stoma where the band is placed and into the lower chamber of the stomach when the band was first being used. Many Dr.'s will still refer to this with their patients but the best word to use is satiation.

You want to feel satisfied when you eat. Not restricted.

To expand on this feeling of "restriction" or satiation the feeling you are looking for is that proverbial "green zone" or "sweet spot" you will also see around the boards for lapband. It is the place or point of fill that you reach in your band where you are satisfied with a small amount of food and no longer hungry and your hunger is kept at bay for 3-4 hours before returning. When you hit this point you have reached that "green zone" "sweet spot" and/or "restriction" level that you are looking for.

How does it feel...well the reason I say that is different for everyone is that some like to have that band pretty tight, and they chose to eat only very tiny amounts of very soft food. They would never think of eating a steak, or a well cooked piece of pork. They would stick closer to what for me would be slider foods, like eggs, and flaky fishes.

Then there are those who chose to keep the band loose and Portion Control their meals, they eat their portion and this satisfies them and they are done. They don't feel any push back from their band, and they don't need to. It works for them because they are not hungry.

Then there are those who have a mid-line amount of fill, where the band is there they eat some solid foods like chicken, hamburger, fish or just about anything solid and the band is stimulated by the chewing and swallowing and after a small portion it signals to the brain that enough has been eaten and you are no longer hungry.

So yes that level of restriction can vary for everyone, and you may bounce around the fill levels a bit until you find that spot that is just right for you.

Edited May 28, 2014 by lisacaron

[BlueMoon~T 276]

@@lisacaron Best descriptive answer I've ever read about restriction! This is why I love this site!

[gowalking 10,790]

Excellent post my friend. Alex should pin it.

[Red bird 20]

Thank you - great reply.

So, you should not feel something at the back of your throat before it goes down?

When I drink Water, I feel it go thru pretty easily.

Today, I had eggs and I felt full but now 3 hours later, I am hungry.

Is this normal?

I was banded in Aug 2013 and have not lost any weight since the band. All weight loss was on the pre - op diet.

[B-52 7,113]

For me, restriction is the inability to continue eating....it is physically impossible for me to over eat....

I have tried, and put the band to the test and the band always comes out on top. Vacations, weddings, back yard picnics...you name it...the band is the band no matter what or where I'm at.

This evening I had 2 crab cakes and some veggies...It was slow go and I could barely get through one crab cake, then simply could not continue...making it impossible for me to continue and overeat.

Certain foods will not go down easy at all....so I have put them on my "Do Not Eat List"...things such as rice, flour products such as breads, Pasta, etc...I have also not eaten Red meat in almost 4 years....does not agree with the amount of restriction I have.

I also feel the restriction when drinking liquids...the thicker the drink, such as a shake, the slower I need to go...even straight Water I cannot gulp, and have to be careful at times....

i am one of those who seems to be tighter in the morning...I have not eaten a solid Breakfast in over 3 years....but rather make a home made high Protein smoothie.....

Things do get a little better as the day goes on.

Been this way for over 3 years now....once I had .5cc taken out, against my Dr.'s advice, and it totally disrupted that perfect balance...went back and had the .5 put back in 2 weeks later....with laughing Dr. saying "I told you so"

Restriction is different with everyone, the band is adjustable......some people have no problem eating what I cannot, yet there are things I can do that others cannot....Some people have to crush their meds, I do not....some people cannot drink carbonated beverages...I can, carefully. Some people can drink while eating...I cannot...

I can on and on and on.....but bottom line is that the band is adjustable, and where you find your sweet spot and choose to work it for complete success can be very subjective, and I have heard many different approaches from many different people.

As long as it worked for them, that's all that matters.

I should add...some people find satisfaction between meals....I find the loss of hunger - appetite 24 hours a day, food being the last thing on my mind so much I have forgotten to eat at all some days, if I'm busy traveling, or just plain busy.

Edited May 29, 2014 by B-52

[lisacaron 5,075]

Thank you - great reply.

So, you should not feel something at the back of your throat before it goes down?

When I drink Water, I feel it go thru pretty easily.

Today, I had eggs and I felt full but now 3 hours later, I am hungry.

Is this normal?

I was banded in Aug 2013 and have not lost any weight since the band. All weight loss was on the pre - op diet.

No you should not feel anything in the back of your throat before your food goes down. Are you having that feeling?

Water should slide right down and never ever be an issue. For me eggs are a slider food, they go down too easily and they do not stimulate my band enough to tell me I am full and keep that hunger at bay. So after three hours I can see how you would be hungry again. If you add something like chicken or vegetables to your eggs, something solid that you need to chew and swallow to stimulate your band that might help your satiety levels a bit more. If you are still feeling hungry after 3 hours I would visit the doctor and have check your fill level. You may want to add a tiny bit more. However if you are feeling pressure in the back of your throat or like food is stuck there or slime then you could be too tight and the best thing to do would be to have the Dr. check the flow of Fluid through your band under an x-ray or via fluoroscope as you may have read here on the boards as well.

This is a barium swallow where you would drink a solution under an x-ray machine and the Dr. would be able to view the amount of time it takes for the Fluid to travel through your esophagus through the stoma and into the lower chamber of the stomach. If it's going to fast, he can make the band tighter if it's going to slow then the band should be made looser, in this way he will also be able to see where the band is placed to be sure it's sitting in the proper position as well.

Some doctors do this routinely and some do it only if necessary. So speak to your Dr. and get his take on it and go from there.

When it comes to band maintenance, and making sure our bands are in working order for us to lose the weight we want our doctors are really our best resource. That said the person that really has to do the work is YOU/ME. We have to reach out to our doctors and staff and make sure we have our bands set to the optimal levels for us, and then we have to make those hard choices, we have to decide what we eat and drink and if we move or not. Calories in vs calories out is always going to make or break our numbers on the scale and in our shorts.

We have a great tool but just like a hammer if we don't swing it and hit the nail on the head we can't even start to hang the picture or build the fence or the house or what ever it is. If we don't line it up first we are more apt to hit our thumb then the nail and ouch that can be a painful lesson but I'm sure we have all done it once

So give your Doc a call, get your band set to your optimal level and start building your master piece!

[Countryheart2000 18]

Thank you - great reply. So, you should not feel something at the back of your throat before it goes down? When I drink Water, I feel it go thru pretty easily. Today, I had eggs and I felt full but now 3 hours later, I am hungry. Is this normal? I was banded in Aug 2013 and have not lost any weight since the band. All weight loss was on the pre - op diet.

I also had the surgery last August,and have not lost nothing with my band, all on the pre-op diet.

[2muchfun 8,927]

I also had the surgery last August,and have not lost nothing with my band, all on the pre-op diet.

I didn't feel any restriction till my 3rd fill and didn't find the green zone till my 6th fill so don't give up, keep going in for fills.

[gowalking 10,790]

Thank you - great reply. So, you should not feel something at the back of your throat before it goes down? When I drink Water, I feel it go thru pretty easily. Today, I had eggs and I felt full but now 3 hours later, I am hungry. Is this normal? I was banded in Aug 2013 and have not lost any weight since the band. All weight loss was on the pre - op diet.

I also had the surgery last August,and have not lost nothing with my band, all on the pre-op diet.

Are you working closely with the doctor and/or NUT to figure out why you aren't losing? I'm just having trouble with your statement. You've been banded for nearly a year and it concerns me that it's not working for you. What does the doctor say?

[2muchfun 8,927]

Are you working closely with the doctor and/or NUT to figure out why you aren't losing? I'm just having trouble with your statement. You've been banded for nearly a year and it concerns me that it's not working for you. What does the doctor say?

I looked back on her history and she has one of those docs who gives .5 CC fills once a month. And, she had some problems with her port site and wasn't able to get fills till the end of January. She's had 5 fills of .5 CC each fill. Lame huh?

This is one of those instances where we choose our doc and have no idea how conservative they are? One must conclude that some of these docs get paid by the fill from insurance? .5 CCs is just way too conservative.

Edited June 3, 2014 by 2muchfun

[gowalking 10,790]

Oh for God's sake! Why bother putting the band in if you're going to set your patient up for failure. Sweetie...demand larger fills. I mean it. You are the consumer and he works for you. Tell him. Otherwise, you are struggling needlessly.

[lisacaron 5,075]

Oh for God's sake! Why bother putting the band in if you're going to set your patient up for failure. Sweetie...demand larger fills. I mean it. You are the consumer and he works for you. Tell him. Otherwise, you are struggling needlessly.

Well...yes and no...look at someone like yourself who has not had a single fill and lost over 100 pounds. It's not all about the fill. Much of the band work is the mind set. There is a reason why Dr.'s are conservative. I don't agree or disagree, I think it's all in what you do with the time it takes you to get to that optimal fill level.

I think it's time you need to take to get your mind set right, to learn the basics about living with your band for your whole life. To destroy those old habits and establish new ones, to start a new way of eating and living and moving put an exercise plan in place.

I am over a year out and I have not lost all my weight, I have been losing conservatively with my band. Why you might ask? Why not go in and amp up that fill and stop eating so much and lose all the weight and get to goal? Isn't that why I got banded? Nope that's not why.

I didn't get banded to lose weight or to be thin. I got banded to be healthy. I don't want to have an eating disorder, I don't want to be stressing about food or nutrition or exercise or living my life. I got banded to live. I want to live my life with my band healthy and happy. I enjoy eating foods, and I enjoy not overeating them too I enjoy that life of moderation that I didn't know how to enjoy before.

I have not gained a single pound since being banded. Some months I lose more, and some I don't lose as much. Sometimes I am disappointed in myself and I think I could have focused a bit better on the weight loss aspect of it, but then I remember all the things I did that day, that week that month, and I say oh yeah right...that's why I'm burning the candle from all ends and something's gotta give

So there is something to be said for conservative. That said..if it's not for you..then sure get your self in there and amp it up. Either way though my friends, you are going to have to work at this. There is not magic to it. It's work, it takes time, it takes commitment and it takes effort.

We are all in it together, banded together here we go! It's summa time!!! We can do this!!

[catfish87 3,471]

I looked back on her history and she has one of those docs who gives .5 CC fills once a month. And, she had some problems with her port site and wasn't able to get fills till the end of January. She's had 5 fills of .5 CC each fill. Lame huh?

This is one of those instances where we choose our doc and have no idea how conservative they are? One must conclude that some of these docs get paid by the fill from insurance? .5 CCs is just way too conservative.

Just my opinion.

IF all surgeons were required to give "free" lifetime adjustments, using fluoroscopy, we wouldn't see such long drawn out bandster hell's, or as many problems. I believe getting/keeping people at correct adjustment sooner is better. To prevent people from "testing the waters" if you will. I'm not suggesting filling bands too tight, but I think some restriction right at the time you start reintroducing mushies would have been better for me. And I KNOW fluoro would have been.

[Countryheart2000 18]

I looked back on her history and she has one of those docs who gives .5 CC fills once a month. And, she had some problems with her port site and wasn't able to get fills till the end of January. She's had 5 fills of .5 CC each fill. Lame huh? This is one of those instances where we choose our doc and have no idea how conservative they are? One must conclude that some of these docs get paid by the fill from insurance? .5 CCs is just way too conservative.

hello, yes you are correct on my history. I go in for another fill tomorrow,and I hope I feel something! My dr said that I need to keep track of what I eat for the nurse. I am just so disappointed in myself. I began a strict diet last week and I am hoping to gave lost a couple pounds. I can eat anything, and I feel no difference. My husband is telling me to take the band out, but I will not! It just has to kick in sometime. Thank you for your comments. I hope to have some good news soon. Maybe the .5 cc fill tomorrow will do the trick!