I have read so many things about small bites and pencil eraser sized bites but is that really what everyone does..? I really, really try to make small bites and when i'm cutting say meat, i really try to be reasonable but sometimes get larger and chew, chew chew.... how important is it? With veggies, i don't monitor the size so much. Is this a mistake?

I also had a hard boiled egg this morning and it was TERRIBLE... i won't ever eat them again. It was just the white and i wanted to throw up sooo badly, it hurt. But it was just a bite... any tips.? Thanks!

I dont pay attention to the size of my bites. Granted I dont stuff food in my mouth in huge huge bites like I use to but no i def dont cut my stuff as small as an eraser.. that sounds nuts!!!

You might just not be able to handle eggs that way, every band is different!

My bites are definitely bigger than an eraser but not nearly as big as I used to consider bite size. If I take too big a bite, I pay for it.

eggs got me, too. I think I was eating them too early in the morning. I'm not a morning person and I don't have a morning stomach. When I ate eggs for dinner one night, I did fine.

I tried the eraser thing but couldn't. I cut food smaller than I used to and chew until it is almost liquid.

I take a normal size bite, but chew it really well (at least 20 times). Eggs (especially the white) are a problem for a lot of bandsters. I think cause the egg white is kind of rubbery which means it can get compacted down and then expand while going through your stoma. I've found that as long as I chew eggs up really well, I don't have a problem. The only problem is eggs are one of those things that you never would have chewed up well pre-band because they are so slippery. So, it feels weird to chew chew chew them. But, really that's what you need to do if you still want to eat eggs. On the plus side, they are really filling for the same reason. I can eat two hard boiled eggs and it fills me up.

I have read so many things about small bites and pencil eraser sized bites but is that really what everyone does..? I really, really try to make small bites and when i'm cutting say meat, i really try to be reasonable but sometimes get larger and chew, chew chew.... how important is it? With veggies, i don't monitor the size so much. Is this a mistake?

I also had a hard boiled egg this morning and it was TERRIBLE... i won't ever eat them again. It was just the white and i wanted to throw up sooo badly, it hurt. But it was just a bite... any tips.? Thanks! :confused:

While on the subject of bites and chewing yadda yadda yadda.... Did anyone have their Dr tell them to wait 10 minutes between bites of regular food.... I just think thats a little insane... a minute or two... MAX five but ten.... TEN????? Seriously???

While on the subject of bites and chewing yadda yadda yadda.... Did anyone have their Dr tell them to wait 10 minutes between bites of regular food.... I just think thats a little insane... a minute or two... MAX five but ten.... TEN????? Seriously???

That is idiotic if you ask me and you did. That would be grazing and you could eat for 24 hours straight doing that no matter how tight you were.

I was told to put down the fork until after I swallow and to eat only until I am no longer hungry or 30 minutes has passed.

I have to cut up my food pretty fine because I'm not a good chewer. I forget, and even though I get pain when too big a piece goes down, I've done it enough to know I've got to start with smaller bites.

In my old life I must have INHALED food. I can remember eating an entire meal in about 5 minutes, so I'm sure I didn't chew well!. I know I'm doing better with chewing and its still not that great!

Waiting 10 minutes between bites seems kind of ridiculous. That would be over an hour to eat? I can't imagine! I was told to put my utensil down, let the food get down before I take another bite. Even that is a lot for me. I can say that if I wait a little longer I get a better "full" signal and I'm eating less than I did before the first fill. If I don't wait I get the full signal too late and the signal is MUCH harder to ignore and sometimes generates unpleasant side effects.

Still learning. It took 50 years to make these habits it will take a little while to make new ones :-).

I took pretty small bites (not pencil eraser size though) when first banded and was getting used to chewing the heck out of my food. Now though, 7 months out, I can take larger bites, but I still chew the heck out of it. It's one of those experimental things. Some people can't handle bigger bites, others can.

As far as the amount of time between bites? I think 10 minutes is way too long. Maybe 30 seconds. Once I'm finished chewing and swallowing, I take my next bite. Again, you'll be able to tell what you can and can't handle.

I take pretty much normal bites, chipmunk part of it in my cheek, chew small portions and swallow the small portion before getting another small piece from my cheek and doing the same. My band is pretty loose so I don't have near the problems I had when it was tighter.

Also the 10 minutes between each bite? You must be kidding. Most doc's don't recommend eating past 30 minutes total. So that gives you, what 3 bites? I need more substance than that.

You just need to really get to know your band and what works for you. Don't be afraid to put the fork down and wait a couple of minutes if you feel some pressure in your stomach or are uncomfortable. Better than reliving it!

I thought 10 minutes was a little ridiculous myself just wanted other banders take on it. I currently have 6.8cc's in a 10cc band. I'm feeling pretty good and waiting about 1 minute between bites. Similar to you all I am taking a smaller bite chew chew chew and waiting for it to go down before I take another bite. Thanks agreeing with me and I no longer feel like I'm crazy.:thumbup::tt2::thumbup:

Erin