My nurse has said that people can eat about 4-8 ounces of food. How much can you eat in one meal? I am new but want to make sure during this band hell period that I am not eating too much!

"How much you can eat" varies according to the amount of restriction you have. When I'm most restricted I eat about 1/4 cup of food; when I'm least restricted (after my 1st fill) I could eat up to 2 cups of something like salad with a little chicken.

Sorry, it's just hard to answer your question.

If you don't have a fill yet, you can probably eat a cup of food without a problem. It's after you get fills that you are restricted to a certain amount

before you feel too full to take another bite.

Denise--I ate about 2 or 2.5 cups of food today. I know I have nada on the restriction. However, when you do have rest. what is the "norm" for you?

The real key isn't how much you CAN eat but something different. The idea isn't to be Thanksgiving Day full, the idea is to be not hungry. That's how skinny people eat. When they are not hungry they quit eating. That's really what you are striving for.

Part of our problem as fatties is that we are always looking for full, stuffed, overeating. With the band you have to stop and think every few bites, are you hungry? Satisfied? T-Day full? You want to shoot for satisfied.

I usually drink a Protein shake for my first meal of the day. So, 8oz around noon. Something like tuna salad around 4PM... maybe 4-5oz or another Protein Shake. I take forever to eat a meal and I LOVE salads so I have a big mega salad in the evenings. Usually about 4-5 cups or more. But it takes me a good two hours to eat it. This keeps my calories around 600 per day and I'm good with that.

I *CAN* eat way too much. Even with my will-power not to do so, I can eat more than I want to be eating. My restriction hasn't kicked in yet.. feh.. I eat about 1/2-3/4 of what I did pre-band, and the goal (for me) is 1/3 of pre-band.

I can only eat a out 2 oz at a time. More like 1/4 of a cup of food. I have perfect restriction I think.

I was up to about 6 ounces before my last fill. With that fill, I finally got some serious restriction, and now I an eat about 2-3 ounces.

If you don't have a fill, you're going to be hungry. There's no doubt

about that. That's why they call it ''banster hell"

In the book "Body for Life , he says it's good to eat small meals

every two to three hours. He says it keeps your metabolism

constantly working. Maybe you should try that, instead of eating

so much at once.

You're really lucky Jack. I have heard of people like you. The husband of Dr.

Tersigni's nurse, lost 85 lbs without a fill. She said he had plenty of restriction

without a fill. I was starving by the time it was time for my first fill.

Thanks everyone! I feel normal again!

I am 3mo post op and have had 2 fills. I have very little restriction so I can eat quite a bit. At a meal I can eat 3-4 oz meat, 1/2 c potato, 1 to 1 1/2 c salad. Sometimes I overdo it. I am still learning to hear the "stop your full" signs.

re; "If you don't have a fill, you're going to be hungry."

I did not experience that at all. I was completely unhungry for about 3 full months postBand...and first fill was 6 months post op. That time frame was where I lost most of my weight....being both unfilled AND unhungry....mostly.....

Jack..it sounds like from most of your posts you are having no problems at all. You have all the will power in the world and never cheat on the band rules. Sooo my question is this...Why the un-happy face under your weight loss??