This is going to sound like a stupid question, but something is truly baffling me: How in the world do people over-eat if they have good restriction? When you don't have enough fills, or eating nothing but slider foods, I get it. But I seriously don't understand how people that do have good restriction can over-eat.

Good example (and what made me think of this) my son has been begging me to go to Golden Coral. Not my favorite place but I went for him. I had a very small bit of mashed potatoes, some chicken, and a small salad with fat free dressing. I ate the chicken and the salad, and half way through the mashed potatoes I was suddenly so full it was uncomfortable. There was no way in the world I could've ate another bite.

I don't want to over-eat, mind you. I'm grateful that it's not an option for me. I guess I am trying to understand how others, who claim to have good restriction, can over-eat. Doesn't it make you sick? Feel bloated and horrible? I used to be a major gorge eater, but now there's zero pleasure in over-eating (I can't even fathom gorging) because it's so incredibly uncomfortable.

Just curious and trying to understand others around me.

I don't think people who have good restriction can overeat in one sitting. If they say they can, they don't know what good restriction feels like. The only way I can overeat would be to graze on junkfood throughout the day.

Agreed. I get really uncomfortable and if I try to stuff in one more bite, I will have to throw up. I don't do it very often unless I'm feeling like a rebel. But if I don't have good restriction (about 2-3 days of month I feel like I'm not even banded) I can stuff myself. I don't know why it allows me to eat more on certain days???

Marci

Agreed....function of the band is portion control. Thre is just so much the pouch can hold.

No restriction food will pass quickly.

I have grazed all day...snacking...difference is when I do I don't have any meals that day. It all evens out in the end, as long as I am snacking on good foods, not junk.

People are told to eat slowly once they have a band but i think some people eat TOO slowly. Eating your meal over a period of about 20 minutes is fine but once you start taking longer than that you are more likely to overeat. This is because your band has already started emptying so you can fit more in.The same thing with waiting too long between bites. If as i have seen suggested you wait 3 minutes or more between bites it is going to take so long to eat that your band will be emptying and you will never get that signal that you have had enough.

So I think often people think they have good restriction because they have to eat really slowly but in doing so they are then able to eat too much.

So again it is all about balance and trying to find what is right for you.

I heard a bandster once say, "if I sit there long enough I can eat the whole steak." Is that REALLY the point? Is our goal to sit there for an hour so that we CAN eat the whole thing? Or is the point to eat slowly enough to not get stuck, feel satisfied, stop eating, and stay satisfied for hours til my next meal?

Otherwise, I can graze all day, I can eat sliders, I can drink boodles of calorie laden liquids. That is not following the rules set forth by my surgeon. If you don't have good restriction, then yes, it is easy to overeat...you don't have that satiety going for you. That makes it very difficult to follow band rules.

It can be done...I admit I have sat for an hour eating something (it's not always a huge portion though). This is still challenging for me....often my head thinks I should have more than I know my stomach can take anymore.

You have a good point, I didn't think about grazing or taking too long to eat. That makes sense because even my nutrionist says if you don't finish your meal within 30 minutes, you're done regardless if you still have food on your plate or still want to eat more.

I believe that it is all about both portion control and time management; measure your portions, and allow 20 minutes to eat a meal. Structure your time so that you are having your meals and "snacks" (my surgeon wants us to have either milk or FF yogurt for snacks) at regular intervals.

Eating between meals, or "grazing" habits are what packed pounds on for many of us. It's just another bad habit that is better broken than continued.

Your mileage may vary...