Are you happy with the amount of food you can eat after receiving the right fill amount? What is a normal diet like? I know the rule is three small meals a day, does the band make it so three small meals satisfy you completely? P.S. three small meals consisting of just ½ cup food each meal?

Christi, here's a typical day for me right now:

Breakfast: an egg + a piece of fruit

Lunch: 2 oz chicken breast, 1/2 c of raw veggies

Afternoon snack: Glucerna chocolate Peanut Butter meal bar

Dinner: 2 oz of whatever Protein my husband cooked, 1/2 c of whatever veggies are available. ex: roast beef & carrots, chicken & broccoli, turkey & cauliflower, corned beef & cabbage, steak & asparagus, turkey meatloaf & peas, etc.

Evening snack: piece of fruit, or sometimes a bit of low-fat microwave popcorn

And a ton of liquids inbetween - coffee w/a little milk, tea, Crystal Light, Water, sometimes a glass of milk.

I usually have one Multivitamin and Calcium supplement. Some days I have additional dairy, like a latte or yogurt with bran cereal mixed in.

Chickie - I read somewhere on another thread you went vegetarian. You mind saying when/at what point being banded did you go that route? Do you do dairy / fish?

I must say not being here all that long that I really love you and Jaquis' view on food and exercise. I'm not sure if it's a "twist" on Western Doc vs those Down Under - but my husband just got back from Aust/NZ on business an ran into a collegaue who is banded as is he....DH was like they think of food as fuel....Dieting is not a word used, but healthy eating & exercise is SO prevalent.

I love your take on the process -

I was about 6 months post op when I gave up meat. No, I don't eat any fish, but I do eat eggs, cheese and drink milk (I would be a real sad panda if I had to give up cheese and milk! let me tell you!)

You might be onto something there. I think the lifestyle is different out here. I like to think we are more focused on health, but I don't know how true that is anymore. We seem to be developing a real McCulture down here. While the obesity epidemic is becoming just that, and epidemic and not just a scare tactic, our nation as a whole isn't quite as overweight as some other western countries (we come in as the 21st fattest country in the world according to Forbes). Personally, when I use the word diet, I use it to describe the way I eat. "My diet consists of" type thing Vs "I am going on a diet to shift 5lbs" It doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to the majority of people.

I am so used to snacking between meals and I wanted to know if the band make it so three small meals satisfy you, or most need more.

I can eat 3 fairly large meals a day, and be totally satisfied with what I am eating. I elect to eat 2 or 3 Snacks during the day.

I love to hear what people eat in a day, a half of cup of heathy food leaves too much to my imagination. So please let me know what fuel gets you through your day.

Today, I was super busy with my MIL and what I ate today probably isn't the best example of how I eat normally, but here it is;

Breakky was a yogurt, a lady finger banana and a granola bar (Crunchola, Blueberry for the Aussies, they really are very yummy)

Snack was a short black, handful of nuts and a half an apple (When I packed DS lunch, I packed this for myself, knowing I would be out for morning tea).

Lunch was a (brought) roasted pumpkin, baby spinach and chickpea salad, again a short black and a small bit of MIL's banana bread (she tries to feed me, although I eat more than she does LOL)

Snack was a skinny latte, about 6 good sized carrot sticks dipped in some cream cheese and hummus.

dinner was spinach and fetta cannelloni with home made Pasta sauce, and veggies.

Like I said, less than stellar today, and likely a lot more than the average bandster eats.

Edited March 28, 200818 yr by Chickie
forgot the word carrot

My intake for today was:

Breakfast was a granola bar (Carmen's, delish)

Mid morning I took the kids to the shops, I had a peice of raisin toast and a small skinny latte (a latte here is 1/3 espresso, 2/3 steamed milk, in a small glass, not a big fancy confectionary drink).

lunch was a Peanut Butter sandwich

Afternoon snack was a peeled, sliced apple

dinner was corned silverside, mashed potato/sweet potato and broccoli and carrots. And 1/2 glass of red wine.

With a couple of instant coffees thrown in here and there.

Edited March 28, 200818 yr by Jachut

I love to hear what people eat in a day, a half of cup of heathy food leaves too much to my imagination. So please let me know what fuel gets you through your day.

for yesterday i had the following:

morning - 2 cups of coffee w/FF vanilla creamer

approx 1/2cup of smart start cereal w/2% milk * fresh strawberries

snack - ostrich Jerky

lunch - approx 1/3cup of tuna salad w/3 melba toast

diner - 1 crab cake w/lemon * 1/3cup of cucumber/feta/grape tomato salad * glass of chardonay

i dont measure my food, i eat until i am satisfied (aka - no longer hungry but not full)

typical day:

b - atkins shake (cant normally do solids in the AM)

s - few almonds (5-10)

l - tuna salad with an egg - about a scoop

s - more almonds or an [ame=http://www.amazon.com/ISS-Research-Protein-Peanut-Butter/dp/B000OQA21C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1206710288&sr=8-1]iSS Oh Yeah Bar[/ame]

d - 2-5 oz meat (beef, chicken, fish), tablespoon of veggies (green Beans, corn) 1-2 bites of my DD's starch

80-100 ounces of Water a day.

How many bites do you find you can take (of course, eating the Protein, veggies, etc.) with no drinking.

I'm curious about this, because I found after my last fill, I can make it about 5 (MAYBE 6 or 7) bites, then I'm full.

The problem is, 2.5 hours later, I'm hungry again.

Ideas anyone??

Thanks!

For me, (I am approx 7 weeks post op - two weeks post 1st fill so not at optimal restriction), I can eat more than I THINK I should be able to--however when I actually look at it - the most I've eaten at one time was prob two cups of food in total-and most of that was veggies. Now, with that being said - I have to say that I have had NO PB's and NO Sliming (although I did have a piece of toast go down VERY hard yesterday).... I have found that if I eat slowly and chew very well that I do get full much quicker than if I eat more quickly. So it pays to follow the rules.

Right now - this is typical for me

Breakfast - 1 egg and maybe one piece of wheat toast

or sometimes I will only have a cup of Skim milk (this does satisfy me in the mornings)

lunch - 1 -2 Cups of Lettuce w/hard boiled egg and dressing (maybe 5 saltine crackers) --OR

1 fat free hotdog w/ 1/2 Cup of Baked Beans (good Protein lunch here)

Snack - handfull (approx 1/3 Cup of granola with cran-raisins)--but I only do this if I absoutley feel like I need something.

dinner - 2-4 oz of protien depending on what it is... 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Veggies and then maybe one or two tablespoons of mashed potatoes or rice (depending on what carb my hubby decides on)

Snack - maybe a 100 calorie pack.

and then throughout the day - coffee, crystal light and Water.

I have been trying to drink 8-16 oz of water before a meal - like 30 minutes before.. and then drink another 8-16 oz one hour immediately after the hour mark from the previous meal - this seems to be help curb the hunger --

I don't go for my next fill until April 24th - so this is what it's going to be for a while... I'm HOPING that the next fill will get me down to where 1/2 Cup satisfies me... but I'll believe it when I see it - I still can't imagine getting satisfied on just a few bites.