At long last, restriction!

[Northwest_Nance 0]

I've done my share of whining about my lack of restriction so I thought I'd share that I think I finally have it. My surgery was May 15th and it has taken five fills, and 8 cc's in a 9 cc Realize band, but I think I'm finally there. So far I haven't had any problems eating anything (which includes a grilled chicken salad, flank steak, mixed vegetables, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and deli roast beef in a low-carb wrap) BUT, I have to take small bites, chew thoroughly, and a few times things have gone down very slowly (no PB'ing or throwing up -- never have experienced that, thankfully). I'm eating good healthy sized portions and then I'm done. I'm not stuffed or "full" in the way I used to think of full, but I know I'm done and I don't worry about eating again until the next meal time. I'm averaging about 850-950 calories a day, and I know I should try to get that up to 1200. I use the BodyBugg and that's what it says I should be at, but it's hard to make myself eat more when I am satisfied with what I've had.

Anyway..... I hope this lasts. And I hope it gives hope to those of you who are still waiting to get there. :thumbup:

[Jennifer77 0]

I cant believe that you have already had 5 fills since your surgery date in May. I had my surgery the end of April, and I have only had 2 fills. My Doctor wont even think about giving me another fill until at least 4 weeks after the previous. But every doctor is different. I am happy for you and your final restriction. It's a good feeling. Even with only my two fills, I feel a pretty good amount of restriction. I have 5cc's in a 10cc allergan band. Anyway, congrats again.

[HeatherO 7]

I am at 8.3 in a Realize band and that really did it for me as well. I am really happy I had agressive fills, because I certainly would not have lost as much otherwise.

[lessme 0]

I just got my first fill and the nurse said she put 3.4 cc in a 10cc band. I really don't feel any restriction yet but I am only eating liquids. My doctor only does fills once a month. HeatherO is this how often you get your fills. It seems like some people lose weight so much faster than others do. I honestly haven't lost any weight yet so I am hoping I will lose a little bit before my next fill. What have been all of your experiences? Northwest nance how often did you get fills and did you lose weight all through that process?

[HeatherO 7]

I just got my first fill and the nurse said she put 3.4 cc in a 10cc band. I really don't feel any restriction yet but I am only eating liquids. My doctor only does fills once a month. HeatherO is this how often you get your fills. It seems like some people lose weight so much faster than others do. I honestly haven't lost any weight yet so I am hoping I will lose a little bit before my next fill. What have been all of your experiences?

Actually I have had only two fills over the six months that I have had the band. I got lucky in that I asked for agressive fills and my doctor gave them to me. My band is pretty full at 8.3 in a 9 Realize band for only having had two fills.

I asked for the doctor to be agressive because I was afraid to take six months to get a big enough fill to ever start losing because everything was too open. I needed to start fast into my journey before my motivation started to fade. My third fill appointment is next Tuesday, and to be honest, I am not sure if I even need another fill and I am not sure what they will say.

My weight loss has been really great, but I can say it was extremely hard before my second fill. I was too hungry and had to do traditional dieting to make it work. I took a low carb option and ate as many veggies as I wanted which worked for me. Actual restriction after the second fill was a godsend.

Before restriction I was like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the mountain. I could keep with it and get it up there with a lot of effort and deprivation in dieting . . . but I knew that the day would come when the rock would come tumbling back down again and knock me into a pit of despair, drowning in Little Debbies. I was on the verge of falling off the wagon when my second fill gave me just what I needed to push the rock to the other side.

My second fill was absolutely my saving grace. It is sooo much easier now. Once you reach your sweet spot, you will feel the same. I love my band :thumbup::wub::w00t:

[Northwest_Nance 0]

Northwest nance how often did you get fills and did you lose weight all through that process?

I did lose weight through the whole process, but it felt very slow. Still, the nutritionist told me this week I have lost on average 3 pounds a week (losing 10 pounds during the pre-op diet kind of skews that average) and I've lost a total of 30 pounds (not counting the 10 pounds I lost on my own in the month before I ever saw the surgeon).

The nutritionist said if this last fill didn't do the trick, we'd do the next fill under fleuroscopy (sp.?) to check everything out. She also told me not to be concerned about the fact that I've already got 8 cc's in a 9 cc band -- she said once you hit your sweet spot, the next time you need a fill sometimes just .1 cc will do the trick, and also she said they can fill beyond 9 cc's but they will do it under fleuroscopy to be very careful about it.

My fills went as follows, starting 4 weeks after surgery:

Week 4: 3 cc's

Week 6: 2 cc's

Week 7: 1 cc

Week 8: .6 cc

Week 10: 1.4 cc

Jennifer - yes, it's become apparent that my doctor is not as conservative as a lot of doctors. He has a very good record and success rate though.... he only does lap bands and has done them for years -- same as his 2 partners. They have a very big clinic and almost everyone who works there is banded, many of them for quite a long time. Even the psychologist they refer us to has been banded very successfully for 7 years. So I have a lot of faith and trust in him!

[lynnlynn 0]

This is great. i just had my surgery july the 21 so i am still trying to get over the surgey. Reading these post really get me excited about the furture. Thanks for sharing . Lynnlynn

[jonsmom 0]

Thank you Nance! I was getting worried. I just had my first fill and cannot really feel a difference. I believe I have 4.4 cc's in a 10 cc band. I am not feeling any restriction and am on the verge of falling off the wagon myself! I have had a bad habit of binging on crackers/chips at dinner time when I am the most hungry. At least I know there is hope. My doctor is really conservative and I am feel like it will be like pulling teeth to get another fill.

[Arose252 0]

I've done my share of whining about my lack of restriction so I thought I'd share that I think I finally have it. My surgery was May 15th and it has taken five fills, and 8 cc's in a 9 cc Realize band, but I think I'm finally there. So far I haven't had any problems eating anything (which includes a grilled chicken salad, flank steak, mixed vegetables, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and deli roast beef in a low-carb wrap) BUT, I have to take small bites, chew thoroughly, and a few times things have gone down very slowly (no PB'ing or throwing up -- never have experienced that, thankfully). I'm eating good healthy sized portions and then I'm done. I'm not stuffed or "full" in the way I used to think of full, but I know I'm done and I don't worry about eating again until the next meal time. I'm averaging about 850-950 calories a day, and I know I should try to get that up to 1200. I use the BodyBugg and that's what it says I should be at, but it's hard to make myself eat more when I am satisfied with what I've had.

Anyway..... I hope this lasts. And I hope it gives hope to those of you who are still waiting to get there. :thumbup:

Help! I am falling off the wagon. I've had 1 fill of 1.5 and I have no restriction at all. I'm am an ice cream freak and I know I'm gaining weight after a loss after surgery of 23 lbs. Any Advice would be good. Thank you all.

Kimberly

[Nell 0]

I wanted to let you know that I too have FINALLY achieved restriction - six months after my band was fitted. My doc. is very conservative and has only done three fills for me - one every 2 months. At 4ml. in an 8mm band I was still feeling hungry and was just about ready to give it up. This week he added another ml. Even now that the swelling feeling which I get immediately after a fill (and usually works for me for about 24 - 36 hours) is over, I still or should I say, I FINALLY have restriction! :biggrin2:

This is such a relief for me and I just wanted to reassure others that you WILL get there. Now I'm wishing I'd been a bit more assertive with my doc. and insisted on monthly visits. But you do what the doc. tells you when you don't know any better!

Best of luck to all of you and I hope my weight loss picks up speed now! I've been VERY slow the last 2 months!

[sarahbella 0]

I am waiting for that sweetspot. I am at 6cc out of 10. I go in for another fill in two days. I hate to say this, but last night, I has thin crust pizza and I was able to eat 2 pieces and I was barley full. I just don't seem to get as full as I would like to be. I know that lap band is still there and working because I can't drink anything after eating without getting sick. I was worried about stretching my pouch, but my dr's nurse said that as long as I was't eating to the point of getting sick, I prob haven't messed anything up. Have I forgotton what it feels like to be full?? Or am I just not full?? Any advice/comments would help me so much! Thanks in advance.:tt2:

[nazzy 1]

man those body bugg things cost alot money,i still hoping when i get my lap band that i do nt need that to,i know if u s aren t eating 1200 cals like dr says u put ypur body in starvation mode im told,so eating 800 cals would be bad

[mstrina27 0]

that is the question i asked my Dr. as when should i get to that 'sweet spot' and he said at prob. 8 to 8.5 cc's and i now have 6cc's i just got a fill on thursday and i can tell that i have a restriction, but it is not like i want it to be... so i go back in 4-weeks to get another fill so hopefully i can get 1.5cc's then but depending on how much

[nazzy 1]

how much do these fills cost ya on average?

[mstrina27 0]

u know my fills are free for life....... they were included in the cost of everything...