Hi friends,

Quick question here. The hardest part of getting back on track for me has been two things, 1. sugar, and 2. keeping my meals within 20-30 minutes. The manual given to patients at True Results-Houston says that we should finish our meals within 20 minutes ideally, 30 minutes max. It also says that what we put in our mouths should be pea sized. I find it very difficult to eat pea size pieces of food and finishing a meal in 20-30 minutes. It would take forever if that was possible. Not to mention that we have to chew our food into it is liquified. How are you guys taking this advice? Do you place pea size pieces of food when you chew and if you do, how do you finish it within that time limit?

What kind of peas?

Seriously, my bites are not much larger than my thumb nail. Somewhere between five to seven bites, I am "full" . If i portion out about five large or regular bites, cut in half to a third, depending on what type of meat, chicken or fish it is, 20 minutes is doable. You might actually time yourself a few times, eating fast was definitely a pre adjusted band habit. Good luck !

What kind of peas?

Seriously, my bites are not much larger than my thumb nail. Somewhere between five to seven bites, I am "full" . If i portion out about five large or regular bites, cut in half to a third, depending on what type of meat, chicken or fish it is, 20 minutes is doable. You might actually time yourself a few times, eating fast was definitely a pre adjusted band habit. Good luck !

5-7 bites? That's it? Wow, I don't think there's anyway I can get 5 oz. of food in only 5-7 bites. How is that even possible?

I never said it was 5 oz.

I eat until I am satisfied. If I feel my soft stop, a small burp, I am finished. Usually, the bites are predominantly protein. I try to drink greens plus everyday. If I need to bump the protein, I will have a smoothie, shake etc. I have a chewable vitamin and omega cap everyday also. The way my doc estimates where I am, he ask can you eat 1/2 hamburger in a meal.

Deli slices, fish, ground meats, all go down pretty easy and timely for me. Steak, chops, denser cuts, have to be cut smaller and chewed longer. 1 cup of chili, 1 cup soup, pretty much anything in a one cup quantity is doable.

Mainly, I am working everyday to be conscious of what I am eating and why I am eating. The most difficult for me, has been to listen to what my body is telling me, not what my mind thinks the quantity is that I can or should eat. My sense of what a serving is, has been distorted since childhood. I try to daily eat to live, not live to eat. Some days, not so successful, but I move on and try to improve my habit/ behavior, with the next meal.

I never said it was 5 oz.

I eat until I am satisfied. If I feel my soft stop, a small burp, I am finished. Usually, the bites are predominantly protein. I try to drink greens plus everyday. If I need to bump the protein, I will have a smoothie, shake etc. I have a chewable vitamin and omega cap everyday also. The way my doc estimates where I am, he ask can you eat 1/2 hamburger in a meal.

Deli slices, fish, ground meats, all go down pretty easy and timely for me. Steak, chops, denser cuts, have to be cut smaller and chewed longer. 1 cup of chili, 1 cup soup, pretty much anything in a one cup quantity is doable.

Mainly, I am working everyday to be conscious of what I am eating and why I am eating. The most difficult for me, has been to listen to what my body is telling me, not what my mind thinks the quantity is that I can or should eat. My sense of what a serving is, has been distorted since childhood. I try to daily eat to live, not live to eat. Some days, not so successful, but I move on and try to improve my habit/ behavior, with the next meal.

I see. I usally try to get 5oz. of food in per meal since my surgeon said that that's the max I can eat when eating. But I see what you're saying. I don't have to eat 5 oz. of food, that's just what I can't go past. All I need to do is to eat until I'm satisfied. How do you know though that you're not eating too little or becoming malnourished? I doubt that would happen to me, but is there at least a minimum a person should eat?

Edited March 25, 201412 yr by kentx05

I'm 4 months post-op with 3 fills. I've had no stuck or PB issues.

I'm now having trouble knowing how much to eat. I don't get the "full chest feeling" that others have talked about and I don't seem to have any soft stops anymore. I know when I've over eaten once I stand up because my stomach area is very sore - to the point that laying down is the only way to relieve the discomfort.

I'm now weighing my food so as to know exactly how much I'm eating at any given moment. Writing down may help too.