March Bandsters How Many Fills ?

[bexter 0]

Had 2nd fill about 3 weeks ago, 4 cc's total. Felt really good for about 3 days after the last fill, but apparently the swelling went down and now I'm hungry. Here's hoping 3rd time's the charm!

[lhunter 0]

I had my band on 03/03/08, I have 2cc in a 10cc band, I dont think I feel any restriction, but am not sure what it feels like. I have my third fill end of August, I hope feel some then.

[sharona 2]

I got my band on 3/12 and have had 5 fills already in my 10cc band and am now at good restriction. If your office allows it you need to keep going back until you feel good restriction. I was returning every two weeks until I got good restriction. I can eat 1/2 cup of food at a time and do not feel hungry at all in between meals. I take in one liquid Protein drink which totals 42 grams so I am sure to get my total of 60 grams of Protein a day ( I usually get much more than that). So I would see if your surgeon allows you to control your fills rather than they controlling your fills until you get good restriction. Remember it is all about you now...good luck

this is the site for the Liquid Protein which is a great way to assure that you get enough.

GNC - IDS Sports New-whey 42 Liquid Protein - Blue Raspberry

[nurse niki 0]

I find this thread really interresting! I wonder why there is such a difference between doctors and how they handle fills.

I was banded on 3/12, and have had 2 fills so far. My first fill was under floro (sp?) and was 4.5cc, my second was in the office and was 2 cc for a total of 6.5 cc in a 14cc band.

I find that the only restriction I have is in the am. My next fill is Thursday, so I am praying I have more luck then!

[sharona 2]

I find this thread really interresting! I wonder why there is such a difference between doctors and how they handle fills.

I was banded on 3/12, and have had 2 fills so far. My first fill was under floro (sp?) and was 4.5cc, my second was in the office and was 2 cc for a total of 6.5 cc in a 14cc band.

I find that the only restriction I have is in the am. My next fill is Thursday, so I am praying I have more luck then!

Hi Niki

I think it depends on the physician's experience that he has had. You know if he had difficulty getting into one port he'll then continue to do the floura for all the others. I also think (although I hate to think this) that if you are paying independently for your fills the physician may purposely delaying the fills to increase the amount of times you come in and pay for the fills. I still find it hard to believe that they charge what they do for the fills. Just another way to screw the consumer for a two minute procedure. I think if you don't have good restriction within the first two weeks of getting a fill you should go back. I did and I have reached my good spot in a short period of time. Although there is still some control needed with this procedure I had the surgery to assist with my hunger and the choice of whether I feel restriction or not should be mine not theirs. My physician's office has staff (aprn' and other physicians) get trained and certified in accessing your port before they touch you. I have had no difficulty in getting my port accessed by them each time I've gone in.

good luck...and as I've said before IT IS NOW ALL ABOUT ME...

[Lauren_Dew 53]

I thought i'd check back in. I had my 4th fill last week bringing me up to a total of 7.6 cc. I had thought i only had 6.5 cc in there since last time but when he pulled all the liquid out, he came up with 7 cc. So what i'm trying to say is that he put in 0.6 cc this time and it seems to have done the trick. I also realized that i was eating around the band with all the grazing i was doing and have now started eating 3 square meals a day. So far i have been satisfied with very small portions and have not been hungry between meals. As a bonus i kicked my plateau in the butt and have lost 5 lbs already!

What really helped me was meeting with the psych at my band doctor's office. She was really knowledgeable about how much i was really supposed to be eating and how to make the band work for me. It really motivated me and now i'm halfway to goal!

[sharona 2]

I thought i'd check back in. I had my 4th fill last week bringing me up to a total of 7.6 cc. I had thought i only had 6.5 cc in there since last time but when he pulled all the liquid out, he came up with 7 cc. So what i'm trying to say is that he put in 0.6 cc this time and it seems to have done the trick. I also realized that i was eating around the band with all the grazing i was doing and have now started eating 3 square meals a day. So far i have been satisfied with very small portions and have not been hungry between meals. As a bonus i kicked my plateau in the butt and have lost 5 lbs already!

What really helped me was meeting with the psych at my band doctor's office. She was really knowledgeable about how much i was really supposed to be eating and how to make the band work for me. It really motivated me and now i'm halfway to goal!

congratulations....its a nice feeling when we start knowing how to manage our band..:crying:

[Charity 0]

I just got my 3rd fill last week for a total of 4cc in a 10cc band. My doctor would only give me a half cc fill. I feel a little restriction, but definitely need another fill. My doctor makes you wait a whole month before he will give you another fill. Maybe this last fill will help me get through over my plateau.:crying:

[westcoastmom 3]

I have 2.2 cc's in my band - and I keep saying I will make an appointment for a fill. If I keep saying it, maybe one of these times I will actually do it. I am a little concerned that my port might be turning, so maybe I will go get it checked and actually have them put something in there...

[chica 2]

I have now started eating 3 square meals a day. So far i have been satisfied with very small portions and have not been hungry between meals.

Dewl, Could you post what you're eating in a typical day? And are you also doing Protein shakes?

[Lauren_Dew 53]

Chica,

Ok, so what am i eating in a typical day. First, i want to of course say that this is just what is working for me at this moment. It might not be right for everyone and who knows, it might not even be right for me as time goes by, but here goes!

To give you a fuller picture, up until last week i had been pretty much trusting my band to limit my portions. I had pretty good restriction and I was eating Protein first and eating light during my work day and then i got home and had a "much smaller than pre-band" Protein first dinner but then i would start with the grazing. In a night i would typically have at least 2 WW Ice Cream Dixie Cups and then sometimes pudding, or some pretzels or some Cereal, just constantly getting up to go get something that went down easy with the band. Bad behavior, but i was still losing... until about a month ago. I spent a whole month stuck at the same weight. It was not a hard month and i did maintain while still pretty much eating whatever i wanted as long as i chewed well. But i was also PBing a couple times and found myself definitely eating around the band using slider foods like low cal ICE CREAM! Bad behavior. :eek: And you know what, lost 32 lbs during that time, but 20 of them were during the 2 weeks pre-op and 6 weeks post op. And after that most of my loss came during the return to liquids then mushies that followed each fill. (I would lose 3-4 lbs in that week and then stay the same or drop maybe 1 more pound for the rest of the month so i felt like i wasn't making much progress). But frankly, it was pretty easy, and i didn't count calories and i was losing ok.

But anyway, on to your real question. What am i eating now that busted my plateau. Here are the changes i made based on my conversation with my psych last week.

1. Got a Fill - I hadn't had a fill in 6 weeks. I got 0.6 cc added bringing me to a total of 7.6 cc in my 10 cc APS band.
   
2. Portion size - psych told me for my size (which she said is small in the world of bands - 5'2" and BMI around 30) that my portions size per meal should be 1/4 cup (or up to 1/2 cup) of food. I have started measuring my portions and am currently eating 1/4 cup.
   
3. Meals vs. Grazing - the psych told me to eat 3 meals a day (with 2 Snacks if necessary). My Snacks tend to be Protein shakes. I drink either Profect Protein Shots (Protica Research - 25 g protein w/ 0 carbs in like 2.5 oz) or AdvantEdge Protein drinks. But i wouldn't hesitate to have a cheese stick as a snack or something similar.
   
4. Hunger Level - my hunger has really diminished with this fill. I don't get hungry in the morning until lunch time and i stay "unhungry" (not full, but not hungry) for about 4-6 hours. At the first sign of hunger i drink first. If the doesn't do the trick, then i'll eat something.
   
5. Restriction Level - My restriction level is very good. I can eat solid protein but i feel full with my 1/4 cup of food and i have not PBed at all.
   
6. Cooking & Planning Meals - I decided to start cooking & planning over the weekend so that i have meals available for the week and don't eat my fill portion just during the time i stand in front of the fridge deciding what i want to have for dinner. I have made a bunch of recipes out of the cookbook " Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery" by Patt Levine. It is very protein based.
   
7. Behavior change - No more eating in the TV room. I was good all day then came home, plopped in front of the TV and grazed all night long. She told me to make a new rule that i do not eat in the TV room. This means if i want to eat i have to go sit in the dinning room. This makes me more conscious the act of eating. Before i was mindlessly grazing.
   
8. Exercise - sadly i have still not started exercising. I know i should be doing it. I have no excuse.
   

So that really looks like a lot of changes, but in truth, the most important thing i've started doing is eating 1/4 cup meals 3 times a day. I eat until i am no longer hungry (which is definitely not the same as full). Sometimes that seems really extreme to me, but then i remind myself that my stomach is the size of an egg now. Having proper restriction is really important for making this doable for me because i don't get hungry until 4-6 hours after my meals. I do a lot of drinking in the morning before i eat lunch. I have also been sucking on sugar free hard candies (like 3 - 4 a day) just to get a little sweetness and to give myself something to have in my mouth (sugar free gum also works).

So that is the SERIOUSLY long version but honestly it really helped me that my psych point blank told me that for someone my size i should be eating 3 meals a day of 1/4 cup in size with 2 snacks if needed. I'm going to keep seeing the psych every now and then just to keep up the motivation i think. She really helped me focus on the task at hand. Oh yeah, and one last thing that helped me. I have been reading "The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients" by Colleen Cook and i have really learned a lot about portion size and eating for satiety. And of course i am a professional lurker on LBT and it such an amazing resource!

Again, i'm still learning and tweeking and messing up and growing along this journey, so take the above as what it is... just another glimpse into a fellow bandster's journey.

[chica 2]

Thanks for the reply, Dewl, and I think it's fabulous that you took the time to write all that down. But one question I still have is... how many grams of Protein do you consume each day?

I've been at a plateau for about a month, and the consensus (from the doc's office) is that I'm not getting enough Protein. So, we agreed that I would spend some time upping my protein intake, but at the same time, I'm thinking I also need a fill because I can eat way too much (IMO). I hate doing both at once because then I can't see which thing is helping. Ultimately, of course, I think the fill is in the near future, but first I want to see if I can bust the plateau with 100+ grams of protein per day. Thanks for your help!

[Emmersglue 0]

I am going for my third fill Monday (7/28). Its not like I am eating a lot in one sitting but I find that I am getting hungry quicker. Sometime to satify that hunger I eat a few almonds and get that "OMG I am stuffed feeling". I also have trouble eating in the AM, I just get too bust in the morning on my work days and days I'm off, I end up sleeping through Breakfast time. I need to work on that.

[bexter 0]

Thought I'd update also. I've had 3 fills with 5 cc's total out of 10. Still sitting on the plateau, but for the past week I've been going to the gym for weight-lifting. Going back up for another fill next week. I'm still hungry and want to get to that place where I'm full after a few bites and not ravenous first thing in the morning. Come on band, work!!

[SpecialK 22]

As my signature shows I had surgery March 17 and I just had my 3rd fill yesterday July 22 to take me up to 8.5 cc's total in an AP-L 14 cc band. I'm on my second day of liquids so I can't tell much on restriction but fluids, Jello and SF pudding all go down easy enough. We'll see how it goes with some cottage cheese tonight and then start full foods tomorrow.