okay I had my first fill this week.

I am on mushies today.

Had scrambled eggs for Breakfast. I took small bites and ate slow. Took about 20 minutes.

Um how do I know when to stop?? Isnt that awfull? I have been over eating for so long I have no idea at what point to stop!!!

I scrambled two eggs and ate just over half of them.

I cant tell if I am full. I am paranoid of eating too much!!! I know I will figure this out soon enough but was wondering if anyone had some words of advice?

Don't eat until you are hungry and stop when you are not! :-)

I understand what you're saying. It's hard to transition to "knowing" when I'm full compared to "I'm not hungry". This is the time to really listen to your body and pay attention to what's going on. Obviously your probably more aware then you ever have been, but I'm still learning and I'm 4+ months out of surgery.

They told me scrambled eggs during the 2nd/3rd phase of mushy foods, but just an FYI, later on down the road, scrambled eggs (my absolute favorite) are not the easiest to get down. Weird because you think they would, but sticky foods, eggs, bread, and sometimes rice (if it's the sticky kind) are not your friend! I know others might have a different opinion on that, but that's my take on it!

It's not a stupid question at all---I think everyone has it, and the answer is hard to pin down.

I did not experience anything resembling "full" until after my second fill. And then, it was a sensation very different from preop full. For me, "full" is signalled by a chest sensation that isn't pain, but perhaps warning of pain if I continue to eat. It often is followed by a single hiccup. The hiccup is a bit more of a warning--a real DO NOT PASS message.

Since surgery, I've weighed and measured my food. At first, that was the only way I knew I'd had "enough." Because I was still hungry all.the.time.

Even now, just after Fill 3, I measure and weigh my food. When I get to about the halfway mark, I start really pausing after each bite to "listen" for this sensation. When I get even a hint of it, I'm done.

If my food is not measured (like in a restaurant), and the message is sent very faintly, then I can (and have) ended up past the point of full--and that is no fun.

It takes practice. You'll learn your body's cues.

I've wondered about this myself. I haven't had my first fill yet, I'm 12 days post banding. For the first week I never felt a hunger pang. On about day 8, I started feeling hungry late at night, but it eventually goes away without eating anything.

I'm so used to overeating, it's going to be weird to not be able to overeat without dire consequences. I hope I can figure out when I'm full.

Yeah it's tough. I just put the recommended meal amounts on my little plate and when it's gone..I'm done. I do the 1/2 hr slow eating thing. I graduated to real food today and so far so good! Breakfast was AWSOME:thumbup:!! I agree with the others, take it slow and your body will tell ya what to do!

p.s. Journey...me too! The most hunger I experience is at night too. About 9pm after I get done working it hits me hard!

I have full restriction now, but before, I had some trouble with this issue too. It changes over time. For awhile, I stopped when it wasn't tasting good any more, and for awhile, I could eat too much, and for awhile, I had a pain in my chest. Now with restriction, I get a feeling like something is not quite going all the way down, kind of like before banding when something wasn't well chewed. I also simultaneously get a slight tightness in my chest. I can eat different amounts at different times and no two days are the same. My hungry times surprisingly enough are usually about a half hour after dinner at night. I started walking another 2 to 3 1/2 miles after dinner about a week ago and now when I get back, the munchie thing has left for the rest of the evening. Water helps with this also. Hugs to all!!!!

How much can you eat in a normal meal? Half a cup?

I notice that many docs seem to give different measurement amounts to patients--

My doc says to eat 4 oz of Protein and 5-6 oz of veggies or Beans at each meal. So, I eat about 1 to 1 1/2 cups. If you are eating slowly, some of the food has time to pass through the band before you get through the entire amount of food. I've never been one to eat only half a cup.

Of course, the amount of food you eat also depends on the denseness of it. For example, I can eat more of something soft like scrambled eggs, as opposed to chicken and zucchini.

I usually eat 2 eggs when I choose eggs. I eat them with a small amount of refried beans and salso.

I've never been stuck from eggs, however, my doc told me early on to be sure not to cook them too "rubbery." Everyone likes eggs differently, but I tend to like them not too firm anyway. So, I suppose that would help determine how far into your lapband journey you can tolerate them. Just don't cook the eggs too long and you'll likely be ok.

As for hunger- occasionally I get hungry in the middle of the night (I hate that feeling!), but I try to just get up and have a small glass of Water. That usually does the trick!

I also try to drink a bit of water if I feel that I'm hungry at a time I shouldn't be (ie. in between meals). Sometimes this works, sometimes I just really need a small snack. If I really, really am still hungry, I go for half a peeled apple, which does the trick!

Good luck- I know you'll all do great w/the band!

Lisa

My doc's guidelines were 1 cup of food in 20-30 minutes. If it takes you longer than that, then you're 'grazing'.

I can't ever remember being hungry, so I'd just measure out my food and when it was gone, I was done. After I had restriction, I noticed that many times I'd still have a couple bites left but something just told me that I was done. Hard to explain. The few times I ignored that little voice, that last bite kind of just sat there for 10 minutes until some moved out of my pouch.

If all you had was 2 eggs, I wouldn't worry about it. If you had other things with that egg, then it'd be too much.

.

For me, it is a matter of being done, not full.

Full is pain. Done is satisfied. I listen for a whisper of satiety. As soon as I hear the whipser, I need to stop. If I don't, I can be in for big trouble and pain.

You'll find it, listen well while you are eating and learning new habits!

I've learned to listen to my body. When I think I'm done (and I do get that, "Hmmm, am I done?" thought), I set my fork down and say, "I think I'm done."

You'll know it, and if you don't know it, you'll learn! Heh.

Thanks everyone!!!

I feel like a baby again, learning to eat!!!

I was trying to figure out lunch today. I have egg salad. Normally I would have brought in two sandwhiches.

Today I decided on one and a pear. I hope it is enough!!!

I am happy I can still eat bread But am not sure I have enough restriction. So if I get another fill may not be able to after that.

I am going to give this two weeks before I decide if I need another fill.

I can still eat bread (if I go easy on it--very small bites, or toasted), I just often don't have the room for it. It becomes a question of which do I need more, the bread or the sandwich filling.

So, I start with a sandwich and use the bread as a handle and tear it apart as I go. Leaving strip and pieces of bread behind.

But after you get stuck on it a few times, you'll find you just don't miss it that much. :thumbup:

When my daughter was banded two years before I was, one of the things I noticed was that when we ate, at home or at resturants, she would put a huge portion on her plate, and order large meals at resturants. She could never eat it so I always wondered about it. Now that I am also banded, I do the same thing. I always have worried that there won't be enough food. I try to order a salad or an appetizer when I eat out, but it is still always too much.. I usually get three meals out of a resturant entree. Amazing!! It really takes quite a while to learn to eat again!!! Hugs!!!