I get banded November 17,2011 and I'm doing research to make sure I have this whole eating thing down pact and m fully stocked on nutritional goodies. The only confusing part is how many meals do I eat?? I was told by my surgeon to eat 3meals w no snacks (seems a little far fetched) I've seen a few websites say its ok to have

breakfast

Snack

lunch

Snack

Dinner

As long as u stop Eating by 8??

I just want to loose this weight ...HOW SHOULD I EAT...HOW DO U EAT???

On a normal day I eat more than 3 times a day. It's normal for me to eat 4-6 times. In my mind, none of them are "meals". The word "meal" drives me crazy. I have not had a meal in over 2 years! I can only eat such a small amount at a time I can not wrap my mind around the word "meal". If I only ate 3 times a day I would get under the weight I want to be. I already have so much loose skin I think I would just look older if I dropped too much more weight. It's a personal choice for me. I have never counted calories since the band was placed.

You're right, I think the word "meals" is a misnomer. I mean I just said I dont snack if I can help it but I just did because all I ate at lunchtime today was sliced cucumber and red capsicum - no Protein, nothing of any substance so when school finished, I was genuinely hungry. So I had an apple, and two little babybell cheeses with a cup of coffee. That's as much as I would eat at a meal anyhow. Its protein and carbs/fruit, so its quite balanced. Now that I'm not starving, and wont devour the packet, I'll have that cookie I was thinking of to dunk in my coffee. I thought of it as a "meal" because I'm going out tonight and dinner wont be till 8.30 and its only 3.30, now had I thought of it as a snack, I would have gone straight for the Cookies (because that's snack food, right) and eaten ten becuase I was starving.

Always listen to your stomach. You know when you REALLY need food and when its just head hunger.

And when I have a snack craving like the cookies, I make a deal with myself. I eat properly first, if I'm really hungry I do what I did - if I'm not really hungry but know I'm still going to cave in, I make myself eat a raw carrot (or two) first, with some Water. That blocks me up, it sometimes backfires but usually makes me so full and a tad uncomfortable that then I can have a small piece of something or the cookie or whatever without going wild on it.