Hey everyone. Im looking for responses from banded people that have been doing this for a while

I will start by saying....

My parents both had gastric bypass(completely different surgery) and they eat whatever they can and then all of a sudden they feel like they have eaten too much and they couldn't eat another bite... If they let the "fat person" in them take over and keep eating it usually results in throwing food up.

This is how they eat every meal though... their mind gets the que from their stomach that enough is enough and they don't have a problem stopping.

My question is, when and why do you stop eating? I know ideally we are all suppose to weigh out the correct amount of food and only consume that no matter how our body feels... this is obviously difficult.

Do normal bandsters have a full feeling that makes them stop? do you just know the size of your normal portion and stop because of that? Do you eat just until hunger is gone, but you don't have that satisfying full feeling? My question is what is the trigger that makes you start wrapping up the leftovers?

Thanks

PS

(I have been banded 1.5 years and still struggle with this... read more of my situation here

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/145712-first-byte-syndrome-and-heart-burn-suggestions-needed-for-15-years-post-op/

I don't eat until I'm full.. I eat 1/2 cup of food per meal and that's it, weather I'm full or not... Most of the time ( about 95% of time ) it is enough for me.. I notice when I eat 1/2 cup, move away from the table, I really am full.. I use small appetizer plates and forks which makes my food look huge on the plate.. I eat every 4 hours with protein shakes inbetween..

I've only been banded a little over 3 months, but I definitely get that "full" feeling when eating... IF I eat the right way! I've dieted most of my life and know from Weight Watchers, etc. that it takes a while for the full signal to go from your stomach to your brain. I find if I eat the way a banded person is supposed to eat (30 minutes for the meal, chew chew chew, put fork down in between bites, etc.) my brain does get the signal. If I eat too fast, not only do I end up sliming and vomiting (this is new since last fill 2 weeks ago), my actual stomach ends up feeling pretty miserable too, just like if I had gorged myself before surgery. I've been lucky though, I don't have a lot of troublesome hunger since surgery. In the morning, or if I'm running late for dinner, my real stomach does get rumbly, which is good for me to distinguish between physical hunger and head hunger.

Hope that helps!

I am almost a year out. I eating until I am full. That is normally around a cup and a half of food. I also eat 6 to 7 times a day per my doctor since I am doing body pump classes. Everyone is different so what works for me might not work for anyone else. I also still struggle with eating to fast. What is up with that?

Kat

I am 7 months out. I am not a good dieter (hence the need for the lapband lol)..i do not measure my food, i do not track/count calories, and i do not deprive myself of anything..i eat the same exact foods as before surgery, with one big difference...portions!... I eat about 1/4 of what i used to eat. I even eat on smaller plates, and use smaller utensils. I do not drink anything before/during/after eating, so i fill up quickly. I usually get a feeling in my chest like i swallowed a watermelon, and then burp a few times, thats when i know its time to stop! Sometimes i finish whats on my plate, sometimes i dont. My weight loss has been steady..about 1-1 1/2 lbs lost a week, plus i walk 45 mins everyday, and do light weights 4x a week. Everyone will take a different journey, some better than others but we all strive for the same result!

I am the same as hedder14. I use a small plate and fork but I eat 3 meals a day and eat about 3/4 cup. I do feel satisfied and full. I put down my fork after every bite and once the food goes down I wait a minute before taking another bite.

I always have small portions, no more than a cup of food. I stop eating when my portion is gone but sometimes I can't even finish that because I'll get so full, so fast.

So for me, it's a combination of both.

Let me clarify... I eat 3 meals a day four hours apart. I drink 2 protein shakes in between lunch and the dinner meal. ( so I'm actually having something every 2 hours ) I also been having w/w string cheese stick at 8pm due to not getting enough calories in ( never thought I would say that ).

I always have small portions, no more than a cup of food. I stop eating when my portion is gone but sometimes I can't even finish that because I'll get so full, so fast.

So for me, it's a combination of both.

Me too! I am an experienced lapbander, as I 've had it for 2 1/2 years. I usually have a 1/2 cup of veggies and 1 small fish, or whatever Protein I am eating. I have, since nut class, used a sald plate and fork. Usually, my plate is not full, and if it is, it is too much. If I eat 'til full, I usually get a hiccup. if I eat more, woah to me!!!Karen

Me too! I am an experienced lapbander, as I 've had it for 2 1/2 years. I usually have a 1/2 cup of veggies and 1 small fish, or whatever Protein I am eating. I have, since nut class, used a sald plate and fork. Usually, my plate is not full, and if it is, it is too much. If I eat 'til full, I usually get a hiccup. if I eat more, woah to me!!!Karen

I do that hiccup thing, too! I'll get very strong hiccups and that's my cue I've eaten a little too much. If I'm foolish enough to try to eat another bite after the hiccups start, I'll end up feeling stuck and extremely uncomfortable.

I also use the salad plate, too.

That is an awesome question and I hope lots of bandsters read and reply. What most bariatric patients don't know or aren't told is how/why the band works. There are a couple of sites out there that expain the true mechanics of the procedure and it's very interesting. When you eat and your food passes through the top part of your stomach where it leaves the esophagus, it stimulates a hormone to be produced telling your brain that you've eaten. It takes about 20 minutes foryour brain to get the message so... if you're slamming a bunch of food down super fast, you've already eaten way way too much by the time you get the stuffed feeling. That's the point of eating very slowly with the band. A meal should take at least 20 minutes.

I've been banded over a year but I figured out pretty quick that "full" doesn't feel the same as it did before. When I would get full before the band, I was full down in my lower belly and would get a tight bloated feeling. With the band, the feeling is up high. I confused "stuck" with "full" for several months before I finally figured out I'd eaten enough. Sometimes I can eat more at one setting than another which is really strange. My doctor said that your stomach is a moving organ and the band can be tighter from one day to the next or one meal to another. I've had instances where I take 1 or 2 bites of my meal and I start getting the heavy saliva build up, gurgling, etc. It makes me mad because I know 2 bites isn't really a meal and won't keep me satisified for very long. It's usually because I ate too fast or took too big of a bite. I set it aside and then finish it later on when I feel hungry again. My meal size changes based on the time of day. In the am, a shake is all I can handle. I drink a premier nutrition shake from Costco. At lunch I have cottage cheese or tuna or salad w/some protein. I eat soup if I'm in a social setting because I rarely get stuck and don't ahve to worry about making a bathroom trip. I can eat a few crackers but not bread. Dinner is protein, green veggies. I can eat a little pasta but I have to be careful to eat super slow. I still struggle with night eating and since I'm not as tight late in the day, I can graze pretty easily so I have to really be focused and not let myself eat stupid stuff after dinner.

Are you all using a salad fork? I'm at 2 meals a day tried 3 yesterday and that did not work for me. Today I'm not hungry at all, had a protein shake and water this cant be good. My doc said dont eat if not hungry but i dont want my body to go into starvation mode. When eating I'm at 800-1000 cal/day minus calories burned from exercise, still learning this band. When I hiccup I stop eating.

My full signal is usually a hiccup. If I eat too much past this point, or eat too fast, I'll get shoulder pain or pressure in my chest. That's my band telling me "Enough already!" This usually happens several days after a fill when I'm getting used to things.

This thread has helped me TREMENDOUSLY!!! I have only had my band a few months, and just after this last fill 3 weeks ago, did I start feeling restriction. Now, there are times, I eat 2-3 bites and I have that tight feeling in my chest. It happened today, and I took just one more bite and ended up with that nasty slimy 'spit up' I threw the rest of my lunch away and here I am 3 hours later and still totally satisfied. I think I need to learn to listen to my body a little better so this doesnt happen again, but as long as I can listen to my full signal, I can succeed! Thanks

For me it's hiccups and maybe a runny nose. I've spoken to folks who get that "full" feeling but for me it never has come. Like some others, if I don't chew and take large bites I can only eat 3 bites and I'm in pain or discomfort till my stomach kicks in and massages that food through the portal.

I am so glad I got the chance to read this now. I am just getting through day 3 post op. Still not hungry but this information has been so helpful. It gives me something to think about when I get to the solid food stage. Right now I dip a teaspoon in some thin soup, let it drip off and then just eat what is left. Can manage about 4 spoon fulls right now. Right now everything is uncomfortable.