I haven't been banded yet, so please help me understand...I have heard that the stomach pouch doesn't allow for more than 1/4 cup of food. So, if you have three meals a day, that would be 3/4 a cup of food. Yet weight loss is supposed to be 1 to 3 pounds a week. Something doesn't add up for me here. Don't get me wrong, I would rather lose the weight slowly and safely, but 3/4 cup of food a day wouldn't be enough to sustain my cat, let alone me!! And if I did eat that amount, wouldn't I be dropping 20 pounds a month?

Thanks for any advice!:confused2:

You'll be surprised at how little a human can eat and still be okay.

We've just gotten used to bigger portions.

Remember back in the 70s or was it the 80s that the small size cups became kids size, the mediums became smalls, the larges became medium, and then they introduced the jumbo...which was called large.

And do you remember a time when all someone had for breakfast was a biscuit or piece of bread. And lunch was a simple thermos of soup.

That's pretty much the amount of food I eat now in a day.

That makes sense. Thinking back we DID eat less than we used to nowadays. I hardly ever eat the Jumbo portion or drink the Jumbo drink, but I probably have a large, and at 5'2" I guess my body really doesn't need that much. I also try to always leave food on my plate when I eat out, but when the restaurant portions are monstrous, I guess leaving for or five fries doesn't make much difference. :redface:

So, we're supposed to be eating only a 1/4 cup.....I thought it was a 1/2 cup.....my doctor...DR. KURI from Tijuana, Mexico....suggests to eat and stop when you are satisfied....do not measure....that's what the band is for to be our guide.....to tell us when we are full or hungry....something my body failed along time ago....

Everyone did a great job of explaining. Here's my "pat" explanation for people who don't understand.

Putting the band around your stomach is like the glass blower "pinching" the hourglass in at the middle. The size of the "pinch" combined with the size of the sand (your chewed up food!) control the flow from top to bottom.

All of the nerves that signal your brain that you are full are located in the upper portion of your stomach so the pinch (band) keeps the sand (food) sitting there long enough for those nerves to thoroughly convince your brain that you are without-a-doubt FULL.

I was banded a year ago and have only lost about 35 lbs. to date (factor into that a 6 month hiatus in a lot of activity due to blood clots after the surgery.....). Frustration over not having lost more in a year's time is a MAJOR understatement!:Banane06:

My VG band holds 14 ccs and it is at 7. I'm often hungry during the day (even though mornings are tight) and if I eat a small meal, my stomach is growling later at night for more... Not sure if I need another fill or what?!?! :Banane03:

Anyway.....what is the recommended calorie allotment per day for a bandster? I know at this point I can eat at least a cup or so of food (which many people in my support group say is 'about normal' - who knows!) but that doesn't seem right to me since I'm on a plateau with my weight loss the last few months.

Very very frustrating. Especially when people at work know you have a band and are looking at you to see what you've lost (and keep asking....) and are watching what you eat. I feel like a failure but I'm so not willing to give up after all I went through. Any help or advice is very appreciated!

:Banane11: