HI everyone. I need help from you all. Last night I went to my Doctors mandatory support group meeting. There were about 20 people who had RNY and only one other person who had lap band surgery. We are all treated the same and I think we are diffrent. I was mixed up about how much we can have at a meal from day one. I have been having 4 oz. or a little more and seem to be doing fine. I get a slightly full sensation and stop eating and feel satisfied. And I have lost 27 pounds now in less than 7 weeks. Thanks to this board.Reading about giving yourself a higher calorie day to jump start your metabolism, I have done that and got off my plateau and lost 4 more pounds. I have never pbing and I am so happy now that I can eat salads and popcorn. When I have popcorn I eat a whole snack size package but found out last night that I would need to measure it in a 3 oz. bowl. I found out that I am supposed to be eating only 3oz. at every meal. Thats so small.Is that the amount of food every one else is eating? Also the Doctors nurse told me that if I over load my pouch I could get an extended esophagus near the bottom of it. HAS ANYONE HEARD OF THIS? I thaught I was doing so good. But now I am so scared that I am eating to much. I talked to the other woman who had lapband last night after the meeting and she is doing the same as me eating more than 3 ounces. I dont want to mess up my esophagus or anything but I think that it would be difficult to go to 3 oz. when I have never been on that small of amount . HELP please tell me what you all eat. Thanks so much...Janie

Hi Janie,

You're getting advice for RNY patients that does not apply in the same way to bandsters. It's really pointless to attend combined meetings, and I wish all doctors would realize that!

Pouch-stretching is a possibility, sure, but our pouch is not physically constructed the same way as it is in an RNY patient. It sounds like you're doing absolutely perfectly well.

Just pay attention to your body and stop eating when you start to feel full. That's the key. It is possible that consistent overeating over time can damage the esophagus and cause reflux and so forth, but the pouch itself is made of stomach and is therefore stretchable itself. I don't think you have anything to worry about based on what you've written here.

Hi Janie -

What Alexandra says!!! You are doing GREAT.

Can you find a bandster meeting to attend instead?

Thanks so much for talking to me. I can allways count on you two. I know of one Doctors lapband patients that have a support group meeting once a month, but I dont know if they will let me attend since I am not that Doctors patient. How would I find out about another group. My Doctor does mostly RNY plus he is in Dallas over 1 hour away. Thanks again. Do yall know about how many ounces you eat at one meal? Thanks Janie

Janie: I don't go by ounces. I try to envision eating no more than what one handful can hold. Then I cut that in half and eat till I feel restriction. Remember no drinking while eating.

You know, the funny thing is that at the support group meeting I attend in person, we don't talk a lot about quantity. The rule of thumb seems to be that everyone discovers their own rules. With everyone being at a different point in time and a different level of restriction, it just doesn't make sense to compare every detail too closely.

That said, I'll tell you that at lunch I ate the turkey and cheese off a small chef salad, along with a couple of bites of lettuce. That did me fine for lunch, because I'm making a new commitment to STOP EATING WHEN I'M FULL (emphasis for my benefit, not yours). I could have eaten the whole salad, but decided to see what stopping was like. It was fine.

For dinner I'll try to limit the amount to about a quarter-plate-full of shrimp and vegetables. I'll let you know how that goes.