I am hoping for an October surgery. I was reading some post surgery paperwork from my surgeon just now and it says tips for life with a bad to cut food into the size of a pencil eraser and chew 10-20 times! Is this true? I understand small bites and chewing a lot, but that seems VERY small. Like non existent!

That sounds about right. The analogy my surgeon gave was the size of a finger nail, so pretty close to a pencil eraser in size.

I am hoping for an October surgery. I was reading some post surgery paperwork from my surgeon just now and it says tips for life with a bad to cut food into the size of a pencil eraser and chew 10-20 times! Is this true? I understand small bites and chewing a lot, but that seems VERY small. Like non existent!

The other day I was watching TV and eating grapes...I realized I was biting the grape in half, chew and swallow before eating the other half....I was not doing it because I was told to, I was doing it because it was comfortable and easy with the band.

HAAHHAHAHA right

Yes, you need to take small bites and chew thoroughly. No the food does not need to be eraser sized nor do you need to chew it down to the consistency of Water. Let's be sensible here. If I had the time to cut all my meals into pencil erasers, I'd never actually get to eating it.

I would consider my bites to be more the size of a grape. I do not have difficulty chewing that size of food adequately.

One of the key points to be made here is listening to your body & the band. I am very self aware when I eat. I anticipate soft signals with every bite. When I feel my pouch feel slightly filled, putting the slightest pressure on my stoma I stop. Than I wait a few minutes. Either the food will pass and I will still be hungry and I'll eat more or I will feel satisfied and be done.

This is all about experimentation. I would definitely recommend pencil erasers immediately after surgery. As you transition into solids, go slow and don't force 'normal pre-band' habits. However, eventually when you are well established you'll start to experiment with new foods and you can experiment with food bite sizes. You'll find your happy spot.

On the other hand, if you can take full bites (think burger and sandwich bites) and eat with no problem, that's a great indicator that you are too open and ready for a fill

Thanks guys!

I am hoping for an October surgery. I was reading some post surgery paperwork from my surgeon just now and it says tips for life with a bad to cut food into the size of a pencil eraser and chew 10-20 times! Is this true? I understand small bites and chewing a lot, but that seems VERY small. Like non existent!

Well they say that because many people do not know how or chew their food well after they get the band, some people have a more difficult time eating with the band than others.

I've never had to cut up my food to the size of a pencil eraser, however, I do make sure that I take small bites and chew well, and wait until that food goes down before I take the next bite, and that works for me, and I rarely throw up.