how many times a day do you eat?

[fullhandsfullheart 1]

Just wondering.... my surgeon/nut's guidelines are for us to only eat 3 times a day...all the rest should be non-calorie containing beverages. And that we should of course eat super slow, tiny bites, ONLY 1/4 cup, taking at least 20 min but no more than 30. Well I've been going way over my 30 min because sometimes it takes me an hour to eat my little 1/4 cup food, depending what it is... is this bad? I don't want to be "grazing" but I am only getting 300-400 calories a day and I feel like if I don't get my whole 1/4 cups in, well I won't be getting anything..then I feel week, tired, and I feel like I'm starving myself..

what do you think?

[Tiffykins 672]

I adhered to the no more than 30 minute meal rule through the losing phase. I only stretched it once I needed to get in more calories to slow down my weight loss and get into maintenance.

It is tough to adhere to all the rules, plus get in fluids, but I managed. I was allowed to 4 meals per day with each meal consisting of 15gr of Protein. I think you have to do what you have to do to get in your food. That is a big reason I stuck to mushy foods for so long. There is no way I could have stuck to the guidelines, and met certain goals by eating solid meats.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

I eat 4-5 times a day.

[trish11c 0]

I adhered to the no more than 30 minute meal rule through the losing phase. I only stretched it once I needed to get in more calories to slow down my weight loss and get into maintenance.

It is tough to adhere to all the rules, plus get in fluids, but I managed. I was allowed to 4 meals per day with each meal consisting of 15gr of Protein. I think you have to do what you have to do to get in your food. That is a big reason I stuck to mushy foods for so long. There is no way I could have stuck to the guidelines, and met certain goals by eating solid meats.

Hi Tiffykins, I'm Trish, I'm just a month out from my sleeve. I always enjoy your posts.

I am having the most difficult time with the eating. It feels like I'm always grazing. Can you give me an example of a day in your eating life at the begining?

Thanks, Trish

[PamelaAM 16]

I am eating 5-6 times per day at about 200 calories per session since they told me I had to get my calories up to 1200 a day now that I am over 3 months out. I eat Breakfast, lunch and dinner but also have small "meals" in between that consist of maybe a yogurt or a couple of thin deli turkey slices with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese rolled up into it. My nutritionist just told me that I also have to make sure to get between 100-130 grams of good carbs in as well each day.

[Tiffykins 672]

Hi Tiffykins, I'm Trish, I'm just a month out from my sleeve. I always enjoy your posts.

I am having the most difficult time with the eating. It feels like I'm always grazing. Can you give me an example of a day in your eating life at the begining?

Thanks, Trish

Hey Trish,

I ate 4 meals a day.

Breakfast consisted a greek yogurt (about 2-5oz) or a poached egg with a wedge of laughing cow cheese

lunch deli meat with cream cheese, or small amount of chicken/tuna salad mixed with greek yogurt

mid afternoon lunch/dinner repeat from the earlier

dinner - meat and veggies 2-3oz of meat a few bites of veggies

I really didn't have room for much else when I was trying to get my fluids in as well as all my protein/calories.

My menu was pretty boring for the 3-5 months post op stage. I wasn't very adventurous, and stuck to what I knew would work. I ate refried Beans with greek yogurt and cheese, beef Jerky steak bites, lots of chunk cheese.

[trish11c 0]

Thanks, Tiffykins. You don't drink Protein shakes? I thought that was a MUST! (ha,ha). I will try your menu and let you know, it sounds good.

[Eureka-C 20]

8 weeks post op. I eat 3-5 times a day. 800-1000 calories. They are specific times, not just grazing a bite here or there. I don't try to limit my time, but it is usually 15 min. I try to pay attention to my body. I don't try and wait so I can eat more. I also don't feel guilty if it's a little more than I expected. I usually eat about what would fit in a 1/2 c to 1 c. I've noticed I eat more than others and maybe I lose slower, but as long as I keep losing, I think I will do it this way.

[Globetrotter 1,340]

I weigh and track all food, I've been averaging around 800 cals a day lately. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes a snack of a tbsp Peanut Butter. It takes me between 5-30 minutes to eat, depending on the food. 30 minutes is when for some reason the food is really filling, I eat half, take a break of 10 min, and eat the other half. The only time that my meals have stretched longer was during social occasions, but that did not lead to eating more, I still ate my portion, just dawdled to match my dining companions. I was never given orders on how long my meals must be, just as regards Water consumption before and after.

[thinoneday 445]

I have the following stuff

breakfast 1-2 eggs ( 3 x per week only) other days nothing except coffee)

1 cup coffee

lunch 1 hormel compleats (less then 290 calories)

dinner 1 lean cusine (less then 300 calories)

Snacks consist of one of the following

fresh fruit

cheese

yogurt (dannon light)

V8

I drink tons of Water too!

[Tiffykins 672]

Thanks, Tiffykins. You don't drink Protein shakes? I thought that was a MUST! (ha,ha). I will try your menu and let you know, it sounds good.

You betcha, Protein drinks made me puke because I developed lactose intolerance shortly after surgery. I even tried soy Protein, but those tasted so disgusting that I couldn't manage to get them down.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

I eat 3 well balanced meals per day - and on my workout days I'll add in one Protein shake (EAS CarbAdvantage RTD) after my morning workout, and one serving of peanuts in the evening. I'm going to add some other hi Protein Snacks for the evening as I'm going grocery shopping tonight. I'm going to buy some beef Jerky, greek yogurt, pistachios - things like that. It works for me!

I'm never able to finish my regular meals. I never ever get seconds and I don't really time myself but it takes me about 30 minutes to eat. Once I notice I'm beginning to feel full I'll take a break for about 10 minutes then finish the rest of the protein on my plate.

I'd say my breakdown is about 50% Protein, 25% Fat and 25% Carbs. I also drink about 100 oz of Water per day.

[fullhandsfullheart 1]

Thank you for all the great posts! And does everyone wait 1 hour before drinking after eating? I have been sticking to this rule for sure.

[coops 1,790]

Hey,

I usually eat 3 times a day never more than 4 and the fourth one is a Protein snack, say ham or cheese. I also stop after 20 mins but I usually I am finished by then! I normally weigh my food and can eat between 5-8oz in one sitting depending on what it is and how dense the protein is eg. pork chops fill me quicker than an omlette! I also wait for around 30 mins before I have a drink otherwise I just feel ill and way toooooo full!

Hope this helps!