Eating more than 1 cup in a sitting

[SpartanPrincess 82]

Hi! I'm one month banded and can eat about 2 1/2 cups at a time. Thankfully I only eat about twice a day because I'm pretty full in between. Is this ok? I'm eating healthy food fish and veggies NO carbs. My dr said I was doing great on weight loss so he didn't give me a fill. Lost 30lbs since jan 1

[2muchfun 8,928]

I'd have to disagree with your doc. The purpose of the band is to help you eat less in a sitting. But, I too could eat 2 ore or more cups of food for the first 4 months post surgery. I too ate healthy food which helped keep me from gaining weight.

Adjusting the band will help you feel satisfied sooner with less food. even if you're losing weight now I feel it's important to train ourselves to eat less and that's where the band comes in? jmo

[PuraVida37 715]

Congratulations on your loss so far! very good!

You should be eating much less at a sitting, and spread it out throughout the day. The way the band works is not eat however much you can fit, but eat the least possible to get you to the next meal. My doc wants us eating only 1/4-1/2c at a time with dimmed hunger until the next meal 3-4 hours later (or maybe a snack in between). If you eat too much it can stretch your pouch and cause complications like slipping.

This article is helpful and many have shared it here on lapbandtalk http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

[HealthyNewMe 1,935]

Seems like you are doing extremely well. My doc would think that's too much food, but it seems to be working for you. Now, if you start getting too tired of fish and veggies, that might be too much of another kind of food. I also have had great length of time w/out feeling enough hunger to eat. But, I too, could eat 2 to 2 1/2 cups of food at a time. My last fill (#6) has pretty much put me at my SWEET SPOT. No hunger, no desire to eat (other than in my head), and very small amounts of food at each meal. Yeah for the SWEET SPOT!

[Bandista 7,466]

Post-op protocol varies so much. My surgeon describes the ideal meal as being the size of a tennis ball and then not getting hungry again for 4-5 hours. I'm three months out and feel like I might be getting into the zone. It's definitely a journey and you are doing so well. Congratulations!

[SpartanPrincess 82]

Thanks all for your feedback. I think I will force myself to eat less because I def don't want complications.

[PuraVida37 715]

And just remember, if you get hungry you can always go and get some more, but just serve it out in 1/4c or 1/2c or 1c (whatever your doc says) servings. Eat slowly. The whole "game" with the band is see how far you can go with eating such small meals. (But obviously make sure you're getting enough, too, don't want too much or too little.)

Good luck!! Let us know how your week goes.

[steph2012 252]

My surgeon says to stop eating after a cup to a cup and a half of food. I agree with others, eat less in a sitting. If you find you are hungry, eat a snack after 2-3 hours.

[B-52 7,113]

You're newly banded...all you can do is measure your food for yourself....as I got restriction, the band began to do that for me, and today I cannot eat more than I should...I don't measure, but it is not much, and I am unable to overeat, the band just won't allow it. If I did, it would cause severe pain, indicating stretching the pouch. So I stop when the band says stop........and then I have no hunger or desire to eat after that, so I am not tempted to come back and eat more later....matter of fact I have to remind myself to eat or I will go without and not even realize it....

It' all about loosing weight....if you are loosing weight, whether it is you or the band, then that is all the matters....when you're weighed in at your Dr.'s visit, if you made good progress with the weight loss, then why get a fill?

Me...I gained weight after surgery, and complained about the hunger and how i was struggling, had no disipline to measure portion sizes, same as if I were on a traditional diet......so I needed the fills... others do not and are doing just fine....we're all different...and it's all about loosing weight...no matter how you do it...

Edited February 14, 2014 by B-52

[Srock 35]

Hi! I'm one month banded and can eat about 2 1/2 cups at a time. Thankfully I only eat about twice a day because I'm pretty full in between. Is this ok? I'm eating healthy food fish and veggies NO carbs. My dr said I was doing great on weight loss so he didn't give me a fill. Lost 30lbs since jan 1

Hi there Princess! I was banded on 1/21/14. Like u, I can eat 2 cups at a time (solids, no sliders and no liquids 30 min pre/post meals). I thought it would be much less too. But I don't have my first fill until 6 weeks post op. I'm eating super healthy and keeping calories between 700-1100 per day. Also exercising daily and losing at a slow/steady pace-23lbs since 12/21/13.

I expect that my intake capacity will shrink as I get fills, but right now, I'm sticking to 4 oz Protein with approx 1 & 1/2 cups low carb veggies at lunch and dinner. Breakfast is usually Protein Bar or toast/peanut butter. My doc has never mentioned food portions in terms of cups but maybe he will as I'm adjusted. Congrats on your success so far!!

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Let me just say this. Your pouch is made to hold 2 to 4 ounces. When you are at proper restriction this could cause not only pouch dilation but also esophageal dilation. 4 ounces is a half cup of food. Most eat a cup but you are running the risk of doing some damage to not only your pouch but to your esophagus as well. You are also putting yourself at risk for band erosion by forcing so much food into the stomach and pushing the stomach in to the band. I would NOT be eating 2 and a half cups of food just because you can. You can because you have no fills. Practice now eating less so you won't learn the hard way.

[SpartanPrincess 82]

What are some strategies you guys have used for sticking to a cup? Do you measure it out? How much would you say is a can of tuna? Is it a cup?

[gowalking 10,790]

I don't do cups...it's too hard to figure. I do 3 oz. Protein, 1/2 cup veggies, 1/4 cup carbs. I've been doing that pretty much since first being banded and it works for me. Check with your doctor to find out if you can try the same type of plan.

[Ladybandito 516]

To address what might be a little confusing on this thread -- the pouch is small, yes, maybe about 2-4 ounces. However, even with the band filled, well-chewed food will pass through fairly quickly. In fact, it is the esophageal contractions pushing the food past the band that gives you that "full" feeling after it has squeezed a number of times.

If you were to eat two cups of chicken or beef or eggs all at once and quickly, you would surely have problems. I dare say I bet you are not doing that, and if you are, yes, stop, for all the reasons mentioned above.

Some foods, chewed well, can slide right past the band. I know if I am eating "slider" foods, I can eat much more than I should for calorie reasons, and they don't send me that "I'm satisfied" feeling as quickly even if I'm eating slowly. Potatoes and veggies, or chips or ice cream, for instance. But some Proteins don't have the "heft" for me, either. I can eat far more soft white fish, for example, than I can eat "meatier" swordfish.

Your doctor probably told you to eat solid Protein first, then your veggies, and carbs. If you truly slow your eating and eat your "solid" Protein first, you may find yourself automatically eating less. The "slow" part for me was the biggest challenge, but once I got it, wow, what a difference.

I hope this makes sense, I was trying to keep it short.

[B-52 7,113]

I don't measure....but as an example, I do not think I can get through a can of tuna...I'll take a can, mix it up with chopped celery, onion, etc.....maybe get through 1/2 of it, along with a few crackers or cucumber slices....

And it's not me...the pouch simply will not let me over eat....I suppose I could force myself, but that would result in pain, probably from stretch out the pouch or similar....so I know to stop....

But it does not bother me because I do not have any hunger either....

Last night we went for diner....I started with a cup of clam chowder, had 1/2 of it (maybe)...then had shrimp with lobster sauce, plus mashed potatoes....had 3 ( medium) shrimp, and maybe 2-3 small swallows of mashed potatoes....that was it, finished...could not possible eat any more....plus I could not drink any Water, or after dinner coffee until we got home....