I've been banded for close to 5 years now and I still don't know when to stop eating. My surgeon told me that I can eat between 4-5 oz of food per meal. I measure out my food and weigh it just like I was taught. However, when I start eating I can't tell when it's time to stop. I'm trying to follow the rule 20 bites in 20 minutes, but it's really difficult to finish my food. I find that I go past the max 30 minutes that I'm supposed to finish my food by. Am I doing something wrong? I know some people say they get a signal when they should stop eating. My worry is that if I do stop at 20 minutes, 20 bites, I won't ever finish my 4-5 oz of food and I'll become malnourished. Any help would be great.

I'm lucky I guess as I instinctively know when I've had enough. You appear to be doing everything 'right' ie eating slowly & watching your portion sizes. I'm not Clear from your post if you are worried about Under or overeating?

I'd suggest not being so hung up on the amount you are eating and try to listen to your body. I can assure you as long as you are eating a varied diet you will not become malnourished. I ate what I wanted and let my weight loss tell me How I was doing. Try it!

Depends upon how much restriction you have......for me, I simply cannot continue, impossible to do so, impossible to over eat........it's as though if I take one more swallow, it will have no where to go but right back up....I will start to get warning signs a little before, and will have to slow my eating down. But soon after, I'm finished....I could start eating again after taking a break, but that is where the 30 minute rule comes in....otherwise I could graze all day....fortunately hunger is no longer an issue so I have no desire to do so.

Drinking Water will only make it worse, taking the place of food as far a volume (portion size) goes....it does not wash it down, least not for me.

I follow the rules for no other reason other than it is the only way I can eat with the band....I HAVE to chew, I HAVE to eat slowly...putting my fork down between bites helps me slow down.....If I don't follow the rules, it would be impossible to eat at all.....

Hi there, the links below in my signature helped me understand how the band works and how to work my band; maybe they will help you, too.....and how about calling your doctor to go in for a consultation. Maybe it's time for a fill! I am a person that needed four fills to get to the green zone and then as I lost more weight I needed to go back for a few more with a couple of small unfills in-between. In other words, getting my band "right" for me required some nuancing. I only have this rule for myself: eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. I wait until I get a hunger signal to begin my day, which means I never eat Breakfast now. Sometimes I don't eat until much later in the day but usually I am hungry around 11:30 or so. Paying attention to the hunger signal helped me get in touch with the full signal. I find I get bored with my food and sometimes have a sigh -- I just sort of know that I'm done. If I tried to overeat that would be impossible and I would be blapping it back up again. So for being really full, that is a very clear signal to stop immediately. Of course I overrode this quite a bit as I was getting the hang of this new lifestyle but these days I do pretty well so long as I listen. My body will tell me immediately if it's not going to tolerate something (chicken that has been reheated, anything I try to "bolt" down, etc.).

I do a Protein shake here and there -- 30 grams a pop -- and my body often wants an egg in the evening. I eat yogurt and I like almonds a lot. I eat cheese (my weakness but what the hell, why not have what I want if I'm not having much?). I'm of the opinion that Americans are obsessed with protein intake. I think I get plenty. My body still has plenty of stored reserves that it is burning; I believe that is the idea.

Good luck to you!

I am with B-52. I simply eat until I feel full which is much sooner than it used to be.