I was banded Nov 19th 2010. I am scheduled for my 1st fill Dec 15th. I am a little confused on the eating thing. I was trying to eat 4 oz meals and was always hungry. So i went to counting calories. I am going to ask my doctor when i go for my fill which he recommends. I wanted to know what is working for you. I know every doctor says diffrent but just curious whats working and not working for others. I know i am hungry more since my band is empty. I was losing weight until i got on solids. I haven't gained any more back so im happy. But would like to start losing again. 4oz meals just wasn't cutting it. I have changed what i eat and how much. Any info would be greatly appriciated :0)

I was banded 10/12/10 and I eat 8oz for each meal. There is no way on this earth I could eat 4 oz. I would starve. I just started putting my meals into fitday.com so I keep track of calories, but that has just been in the last 2 weeks. You should call your surgeon's office and talk to them if you aren't sure how much to eat. Mine helped me when I had a few questions.

I did until it became habit.

I count calories and watch saturated fat and sodium but not religiously. A lot of estimation. Once in a while I will do the research and see how close I am in my estimation.

As for weighing, I have gotten pretty good at eyeballing things and knowing. I also weigh once in a while to make sure my estimates on weight are close.

My doctor says to weigh food and not count calories. I actually ask the nurse if I was'nt eating enough calories to loose, was at like 800 cal. She disagreed and said that was impossible. I don't really agree with her on that.

I've always done both.

My doctor suggests 3oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies per meal. IF we're still hungry after we finish that we're allowed more veggies.. provided they're not drowning in butter or other high calorie sauce.

I have a scale I bought years ago when I was selling on eBay and I use it to weigh my protein. And I have measuring cups similar to measuring spoons and use those for my veggies. I found a large cooking spoon holds about a 1/2 cup of veggies. I've weighed the food (protein & veggies) after measuring and it usually comes out somewhere between 6 to 8oz.

When I say I count calories.. I don't mean that if I reach a certain # that I don't eat any more that day.. but I do keep an eye on the # and try to make better choices. I use 90/10 hamburger rather than 80/20, I use turkey sausage, 2% cheese, fat free half & half, etc. These might not be others choices, some people say to use full fat to be more satisfied. I have other reasons (health concerns) to avoid full fat foods.

I log my food at www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate and most of the things I eat are already in their database.

My doctor says to weigh food and not count calories. I actually ask the nurse if I was'nt eating enough calories to loose, was at like 800 cal. She disagreed and said that was impossible. I don't really agree with her on that.

That's because you're intelligent.

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When I went to my one and only nutrition class, the nutritionist said we should be aiming to eat one *cup*. Then proceeded to show us a 10" dinner plate that was loaded. Looked to be a 2 oz piece of meat, *at least* a cup of broccoli and well over a cup of mashed potatoes.

In one of my follow-ups, the doctor's surgical nurse (does fills) said I should be aiming for 3-4 oz of Protein, 1/2-3/4 cup vegies and, if still hungry, 1/4 cup carbs.

When I actually got a chance to see the doctor two weeks ago (first time since my two week postop surgical visit over a year ago), he said I should be aiming for 1200 calories, make sure I get 60gm of protein a day and keep my carbs under 40 and the bulk of them should be from vegies (which will ultimately limit any other types of starches as a result).

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thanks for all the feedback. I have been using the iphone app myfitnesspal it counts protien/calories/sodium/any excersise etc.. I have been trying to stick to 1200 calories but i get fustrated soemtimes trying to cram in protien and stay under. Im not a snacker really . The protien shakes are 110 and then a protien bar is 200 calories. I will talk more with the doctor when i go for my fill. Some days i eat a small amount and my stomach hirts ( like im over full) other days i feel like i have been eating all day and still hungry. But im still eating less than i did before the surgery so im completly happy with my choice to have the lapband!

I use My Fitness Pal too and I love it. I have been measuring and counting cals. I can only hit about 1000cals a day. Just cant eat much.

I do a little of both. I go to thedailyplate.com and track what I eat--to make sure I keep the appropriate nutrient balance and try to keep my calories right around 900. But if I am hungry, I eat a high Protein snack.

I am trying to move to portion size and I think when I finally get some restriction, that will be easier. My goal is to utlimately move toward portion size for the long term.

I count calories (I try to stick 800-950 a day) and I also weigh and measure my food. It's important to me to count calories because unfortunately the nutrition facts for 4 oz of salmon vs 4 oz of cheese vs 4 oz of pasta are very different. When I don't log calories Its much easier to eat and just forget about it (which is why I only stop food logging when I'm overeating and don't want to think about it). I'm also really anal about how much protein I'm eating. I don't usually just eat 4 oz but because of the different shapes and thicknesses of various kinds of fish (I don't eat red meat or poultry... Just seafood and vegetarian protein) it's hard to accurately estimate how many ounces are in various pieces. So I weigh all of my fish and then I usually can eat 5 or 5.5 ounces.

For me both, it goes hand-in-hand. I have a computer program I use to calculate exact calories, for me this equals accountability and satisfies my OCD-ish need ot be in complete control and know everything possible about what I'm doing. I use FitDay - it's free on their website or available for purchase (i like this version better- and it's around $20 - so cheap.), i really like it (I swear I'm not affiliated). You can even create "custom" foods from recipes, use the basic pre-loaded foods (good for most foods) or if you have OCD tendencies like I do, I load the nutritional information for everything I eat (except milk and fresh veggies)... which is easy to do- you just copy the nutritional label.

If you want to really track what you eat, try this site. Your data will be most accurate if you weigh or measure your food. (Oh and it tracks weight, inches/measurements and you can enter in your exercise for calories burned too).

best of luck!

You all are so fortunate to be allowed so many calories. I am only allowed 600 calories per day and am required to get in 60 grams of protein. So, it is extremely difficult for me to get in the protein yet stay within my calorie limit. I don't weigh anything. I simply count the calories and the protein.

Neither! I got banded so I wouldn't have to angonize over all that crap. My doc fills my band until I can eat less than one cup per meal, and I stay satisfied for 3 to 4 hours. He emphasizes exercise everyday and other habits that should be lifelong. The only thing I try to keep track of is protein to make sure I get my 60g. I couldn't even guess at how many calories I eat in a day.

I do a combination of both. I got a nice little scale at Bed, Bath & Beyond that has a little book of cheat codes & you put the food on the scale, enter the code & you get calories, fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber, sugars and weight. All in either grams or ounces. Or i just use it to weigh out the serving sizes. I'm keeping my calories anywhere between 800 & 1200 a day depending on the meal and each starts with 2-4 ozs of meat with protein. I've only had one fill & routinely exercising and i'm down 30lbs since being banded on Oct 25th. Other than some raw veggies, i can eat just about anything if it is within my limits. Like others, i follow protein first, veggies & then carbs. If i know we are eating out for dinner, i'll make sure to do minimal calories during the day with protein rich foods. Then if i know where we are going for dinner, i will check out the nutrition menu online and already know what i'm getting when we get there. Otherwise, i just chose wisely. We do wing night every 2 weeks or so. YUMMIE but within reason. I'll have 6 - 10 wings depending on if i'm having a side salad with it. Are they the most healthy choice?? Nope, but i'm not going to deprive myself of something i love, rather just switch to moderation! As time is passing, i do notice that it's easier to tell how much food is a meal size. I use a small salad plate now instead of a dinner plate and know that just because you can still fill it, doesn't mean you should. The food journal....LOVE IT. That's been the best counterpart of the scale, it holds me accountable for what i'm eating, how much exercising.

I do both! If you walk into my surgeon's office and are not losing, the first thing he'll ask you is why you stopped weighing your food.

I use SparkPeople to track all of my food and exercise. I really like their format and their website syncs with the app that I use from them so I can track anytime. And they've got all kinds of reports I can run at the end of the day to see my calorie differential and whatnots. And though I was told to not eat over 800 calories per day, that's very difficult for me... I'm usually between 450 to 650 calories and with that I can get in 60 to 70 g of Protein. If I make it to 800 calories in a day I have eaten something I shouldn't have eaten.

For every meal, I weigh my food. I am not supposed to eat over 4 oz of food and so I weigh not only the ingredients that I put into making my meal but the final meal as well. Doing that allows me to accurately track my food intake.