I had my 3rd fill a couple of days ago. Im having really really severe stomach pain and have been very worried I have made my lapband slip or something. Ive taken a laxative (effective) and gas-x.

My question is about measuring....Ive asked my dietitian and she blows me off so Im hoping I can find an answer here.

When you measure do you measure out 4 oz. by weight or by a measuring cup?

Example: a granola bar says it is 1 oz on the bottom of the package....(remember this is just an example not what I actually eat!) so could I eat 4 of those to equal 4 oz?

Or do I break it apart and measure it in a measuring cup?

4 oz. in a measuring cup of large marshmellows is a lot less than 4 oz. of say...cheese dip.

So how do YOU measure? am I eating too much by going by weight?

I weigh out (using a digital scale) 2 oz. of turkey and 1 oz cheese and then 1 oz crackers....am I eating too much since Im not using the measuring cup?

Im probably repeating myself a million times. Im just freaking out...

The way that I measure my food is by using 1/2 cup to 1 cup ziploc plastic containers. If I have something like cottage cheese I will use the 1/2 cup size, Soup I will use the 1 cup. Everything I eat gets measured in one of these containers, I have found that it is the best way to measure what I know I can eat, they are really cheap too. More seriously....If you are having really severe stomach pains....GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!!! Nobody knows how you feel better than you do, so if something doesn't feel right, you need to do something about it. I had similar problems 2 months ago and had to have surgery to re-adjust my band. It's not fun or convenient, but if something is wrong you need to get it taken care of. Good Luck....

It depends on what the food is, for meat I weigh it on the scales, veggies I measure by the cup, crackers I count so that I can control and count the calories. Then I eyeball it and say to myself "If I cut this up into little bitty pieces would it all fit into a 1 cup measuring cup" I try not to eat more than 1 cup of food at a time.

Edited March 28, 201016 yr by LeighaMason
spelling

I use a scale for most measurement. I think it's more accurate than a measuring cup, which I can manipulate too much. (It's awfully easy, sometimes, to cram more in...or to mis-read that line...)

I don't eat granola bars, but if I did, I would go by the serving size on the package. I wouldn't bother weighing/measuring. And no, I would NOT eat four for 4 ounces. But if it were a different food, I might. (Did that make sense? I mean, 4 oz. of granola bar would not fit in with my way of eating. But if I had a package that had pre-measured 1-ounce servings of ...say, chicken breast...then yes, I might have 3 or 4, depending on what else I was eating.)

As for the stomach issues--I can relate; I just have Fill #3, and my stomach is requiring real babying.

How long ago was your fill? Are you tolerating liquids well? My doctor's fine with me riding it out for several days (or a week) as long as I am able to get adequate fluid---so I am choosing foods that go down easily for now.

If you're at all concerned, though, give your doctor a call.

I don't use a scale- I like to go by packaging/food lables. For example for chicked breast I get perdue perfect portion. I know exactly what I'm getting. Plus they are marinated so it goes down easier. For dry foods such as whole grain cereal I use a measuring cup ditto for cooked veggies. Hope this helps!

If your doctor said 1 cup, then he/she was talking volume. In my nutrition meeting, they said we should be eating one cup...and then the nut pulled out a plate with plastic food and it was more like 3 cups.

Personally, I eat 2-3 oz of meat, fish or poultry and 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of carbs. Sometimes I don't make it through everything.

Generally, 2 oz is 1/4 cup, 4 oz is 1/2 cup, and 8 oz is one cup. If you wanted 4 granola bars, I guess you could do it, but does it feel right? Try eating one, and then see, you may feel like something else by then. One granola bar, some chicken, and some vegs would make a good meal. I never eat them at all, because I have to stay away from carbs, but if I could, I would try one and see if I actually want more. Hugs!!!!

thanks so much for everyone's input! I definitely wouldnt eat 4 granola bars, that was just the only thing I could think of at the time that had 1 oz. at the bottom of the package:tongue:

Did most of yalls doctors tell you to eat 1 cup? mine just told me 4-6 oz.

I think my stomach pain was just gas.....plus a little paranoia thrown in

Glad to hear you are feeling better!!! I haven't really been told how much to eat, just to learn that for myself!!

I think the confusion comes from the fact that ounces are a measure of both weight and volume. 1 cup is 8 oz. Fill it with 1 cup of Water and it's going to weight a lot more than 1 cup of marshmallows. By volume, they are both 8 oz. But by weight, they are way different.

I would assume for our purposes, they mean volume, not weight. But I could be wrong, so I'd check with your doc.