:help: I was banded on March 7th and have had 2 fills for a total of 1.5 ccs. I read that I am only supposed to eat about 1/2 a cup of food. I know I eat more than that at one setting.....I eat about 3-4 oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies or fruit.......Am I screwing up or what.....I am loosing weight, be it slow, but am I stretching my pouch...I don't feel too full.....what is up......why am I not full at 1/2 cup of food......I weighed 242 in December, starved myself to 232 at banding and now weigh 193, but even though I am loosing i feel that I am doing it wrong, because I eat more than it says i should.....any advise?:hungry: i am confused.

you're doing well! i seriously doubt that you're stretching your pouch unless you're doing something else that you don't mention here. but it took me a good while to get any decent restriction. so be patient. i know the feeling of 'i just got weight loss surgery, why isn't anything happening?!@$!' but sometimes it just takes time.

Thats all I am doing, I am just shocked that eat more than all of the materials allow.....I know my nutritionalist is going to have a fit when she hears the amount I am eating....but how can she fuss, when I am still losing weight (be it slowing 1 pound a week). I eat until I feel full......I just don't understand why I am not full at 1/2 cup like all the materials state......are you full at 1/2 cup?

I wouldnt worry about it. I eat 3-4oz of protein and a cup of salad or veggies. I will say that you will not need as much protein if it is solid. Today I could not finish my meal of 4oz of lemon pepper chicken and a fully loaded salad...as hard as I tried!

Last night I had 4oz of canned chicken and one of my dh's favorite salads (diced cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, and cucumubers) and it did not give me close to the same fullness the lemon pepper chicker (strips of chicken breast) did.

Hey mommaduck,

I was banded in January and have 1cc in my 4cc band. I can eat a cup of food, and a bit more in the evenings. I expressed my concern to my surgeon about the quantity of food I'm eating and after looking at my average daily calorie and protein intake, along with my average weight loss, he said not to worry about being able to eat more than 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup. Heck, I even ate 6oz of roast beef in one sitting when it was it was my TOM. But I'm happy with his decision not to fill me up tighter because I don't struggle with PBs and I can eat a good variety of healthy meats, veggies and fruits which gives me about 950 calories and 85 grams of protein per day. I eat 3 meals per day and have an evening snack of Pop Secret Kettle Corn wth a glass of iced tea. I can live with that.

What kinds of foods are you eating? Soft foods? Are you eating your proteins first? Do you drink with meals? All of these could be factoring into your ability to eat more. I know I can eat a lot of salad compared to say chicken, because the salad breaks down to almost water when it's chewed.

Thanks for the info, its good to know there are others who are able to eat more than what the information packets say....I feel fine, am loosing weight, but just to be safe I will ask the doctor this month.

I can not eat or drink anything before 11am......but from then til around 6pm I can eat....I'm not good about dieting so to speak, but I eat when I can and only eat til I'm full. If I make a poor decision/food choice I make sure I exercise that night (I'm not the best at the exercise thing either). Last night I had chicken spagetthi and cheesecake (I usually have dessert on Sunday night with my family) and today I had a bean chalupa and a beef taco and small amout of spanish rice......but I ate it all......so when I get home I will either walk on the treadmill, or if its not too late I will swim a few laps. I had my surgery 9/16/05 and am down 56 lbs.......I think that it should be coming off quicker, but if I would eat better and exercise more, it probably would!!!!!!

You're doing great on your weight loss and that should be the deciding factor as to whether or not you're eating too much. My first fill did not produce restriction so I am be very careful about my choices until I go back on July 6 for a second fill. My surgeon says a cup of food is more the average so it sounds like you're working the program just fine.

The materials I got from my doc prior to surgery said to aim for 1 cup per meal. I'm sure different docs have different instructions. I still find myself having to measure that cup out a couple of times a week to remind myself what that amount looks like, otherwise I tend to put too much on my plate and can't finish it.

Emily

I think you're probably OK as long as you're not pouch packing. If the amount of food you're eating makes you feel absolutely stuffed, then you're probably eating too much.

You've discussed it with your doctor and you're still losing weight, so yo're probably not doing any damage.