This Friday I graduated from a complete liquid diet to a pureed or mushy/soft food diet.

I had some baby food, apple sauce and Farina until this evening in small portions. Tonight I decided to try mashed fish and mashed potatoes.

The fish and potatoes went down without any problems. I chewed everything really well and took my time. When I finished I felt like I was stuffed. I think I had too much mashed potatoes and fish.

Are there any guidelines as to HOW MUCH I should be eating per meal ?

Listen to your body. You'll find that how much you can eat varies from day to day. It takes a lot of practice, but eat very slowly and stop just before you reach that overstuffed point. I know that this was hard for me to find, since before banding, I wasn't satisfied until I could barely move after eating. You just have to take it slow and really listen to what your body is telling you.

A body signal I have come to find is the "big sigh". Seriously! lol Pay attention to yourself while you're eating. When you unconsciously do that big sigh, it's time to stop eating. If you eat past that, you'll be uncomfortably full. I know it sounds weird, but a friend brought this up to me a few years ago, and I've been playing with it ever since. It never fails!

For now, I'd start with only putting a half a cup of food on your plate at a time. Eat it slowly, and pay attention. Give it 5 minutes when you've finished that amount to see if your stomach is still growling. If it is, get more food. If not, you're done. And a little further down the road, watch for the big sigh. I swear, it works! lol

Alexis,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to try that tonight and see how it goes.

Originally posted by tangerine

Listen to your body. ... Eat it slowly, and pay attention. Give it 5 minutes when you've finished that amount to see if your stomach is still growling. If it is, get more food. If not, you're done. And a little further down the road, watch for the big sigh. I swear, it works!

This is a great tip, Alexis, and one I know I'll need to practice!

I'm reminded of my mother always scolding me when I asked for seconds: "You've had enough. Just let it hit bottom!" I never felt it. Now the bottom will be a LOT closer, and I'll KNOW when the food hits it. Yay!!