Okay. I am the slow loser of the Nymphs. I'm happy for every pound, but I want to figure out how to lose more. I suspect that I am eating too much, so I want to get an idea of how much the rest of you are eating.

The Allergan Lap Band site says "Eat only three small meals a day and make sure that these meals contain adequate nutrients. Your stomach can only hold about1/4 cup of food or 2 oz. at a time. Stop eating when your hunger is gone or when you feel comfortable." They also say you can have a couple of cups of low fat milk.

That STUNNED me. I can (and DO) eat WAY more than that. For lunch today, I had about 3 oz of ground lamb and 3 ounces of baked Beans. Apparently, that is 3 times more than I am supposed to eat!!!! In fact, according to Allergan, that lunch was what I was supposed to eat for the whole day. WTF? It was only about 300 calories and about 23 gms of protien???? That CAN'T be a whole day of food.

What are the rest of you doing? I know BandPal is eating with the damn spoon handle :laugh: . I'm thinking I should be eating somewhere around 1000 calories and 60 to 70 grams of protien. Am I totally wrong here? What are you guys doing?

Foofy, I am a slow loser also compared to some. heheh I don't eat with a spoon handle although maybe I should try... hehehhe

I try no more then 1 cup of food at a time. if I were to only eat 2 oz 3 times a day I would faint dead away. I still try and eat high Protein, and on most days I am good. I am type 2 diabetic so I try and stay away from sugars and most carbs. am I perfect, Nope.

In July I was diagnosed with a thryoid problem, damn thing finally stopped working, it's always had a problemo, but it finally fizzled out. so I was put on meds, and that made me feel better and I started exercising again faithfully, before that I was SOOOOO tired like when I was 250, so I knew something was wrong. But I still don't lose weight much. my PS said having the Tummy tuck might jump start my body and help me lose a few more pounds.

Also I don't have a tight fill. I only have had 2 fills, for 4.5 in my band. I am SOOOO afraid of being too tight, and having those problems. Sure I get stuck now every once in a while, But I like the fact that I can eat what I want to but just in moderation. My fills/ unfills cost $350.00 each , so I guess that's another reason I am afraid to be to tight.

Anyways I eat about a 3/4 to a cup 3 times a day. This past 2 weeks I have been drinking a shake for Breakfast as I am supposed to be getting in over 100 grams of protein because of my upcoming surgery.

Edited October 14, 200817 yr by Shalee04
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Foofy I think I'm not a normal bandster because of all the problems I've had. I've always been able to eat pretty much anything I want and even now that I've been rebanded I'm still able to eat anything I want, just less of it. I certainly am not at the point of eating only 1 cup of food per meal. I am at 4cc in my 10cc band and if I eat too fast or don't chew very well, I get stuck but after that clears I can eat more. Today for lunch I had 3/4 of a battered fish, some chips and a spoonful of pasta salad... definitely a big meal for a banded person and not a good choice calorie wise (not my usual lunch though). The point is that I can eat heaps but I do feel tight afterwards so it is too much. Seems like my restriction is coming slowly but surely. I have decided that I need to serve myself less food so that I don't end up with that problem too often. I was still full from lunch at dinner so I had a slice of bread with cheese for dinner and a snack later. I am still doing my walks on a regular basis and I know that helps keep me on track. I have another fill on 5 Nov so I'm hoping that one more fill will force me to eat smaller serves. Basically that waffle was about letting you know that you are not the only one who can eat or is a slow loser. :regular_smile:

This is what my doctor told me. If you can eat more than what would fit in a tuna fish can, than you need a fill.

I know that I go in cycles of losing and then maintaining. It sometimes helps to graph your weightloss. Seeing it go down really helps. I also know that I have had times when I didn't lose much in pounds but am down in clothes size.

I know that exercise helps. For me, that's not really an option. I'm in need of a knee replacement. I do try to walk as much as I'm able.

One last thought. I notice that sometimes I get a little sloppy about the quality of the food I'm eating. I do best when I stick with a higher Protein diet. Keeping the carbs low seems to work for me.

Thanks for the input all. I think half a cup to a cup is much more reasonable than the Lap Band recommendation of 2 ounces 3 times a day.

Although I CAN eat more than that, I am going to focus for the next few weeks on serving up the smaller amount, eating that (with the promise to myself that I can have more if I feel like it). I think that might make a difference. The tuna can is a great visual image!

I am a plate cleaner, so I have to work with that knowledge and make the portions small to begin with. There is NO way I can leave something on the plate. I think I still have that subconscious thought that food might disappear from the earth tomorrow, and I'd darn well better eat it NOW. Heck, even if food DID disappear, I've got at least a 90 day supply of pure energy wrapped around my middle.

This new plan is going to be hard on DH. He is the chef at our house and serves LARGE portions. I am constantly saying - "a third of this would be fine". But, I cannot blame him. I am the only one in charge of what goes in my mouth.

New plan starts NOW! Sades, hop on board. If it doesn't do the trick, I'll get another fill and get my thyroid checked.

I forgot to add. I still eat off of a saucer or a very small bowl. I find when I have used a normal size plate I put to much on it. So I just use the saucers. I also will measure out 1 cup of food if I am not sure, that way I don't eat more then that. and sometimes I will NOT eat all of that cup.

I grew up a plate cleaner and it's hard to get over that in my mind too. I hate to throw food out, when we can just eat the little bit left, But I have worked hard on this and am learning to throw out or give it to the dog these days.

Foofy, As a fellow slow loser:

It's not just how much you can eat, it's also what you can eat that tells you if it's time for a fill.

By your ticker it looks like you only have 3.5 cc's in your band and I think most people need more than that to feel restricted.

while you're figuring out if you need more fill etc and you're hungry, just have your husband fill your plate with a generous portion of green veggies, that way he fills your plate, but it's more of the healthy stuff and you get a few more bites to fill you but of lower calorie food.

My husband is the cook in our house, too and he is a big guy and likes to serve BIG portions, too. I know they don't put it in our mouths, but it is like putting a big plate of food in front of a hungry dog and telling it to just eat a "little"!

Shalee's suggestion of the small plate is also a good one to use, but I think you probably need more fill.

Thanks Shortgal. I probably do need a little fill. I was pretty tight for about 2 weeks after the last one and lost about 8 pounds. Then, in the nine weeks since that loss, I have just bounced two pounds up and down. Very frustrating. I guess I have not found the sweet spot.

It's probably annoying for someone like you who has lost your band to see someone who is not using their band to the optimum. Having a working band is a gift, and I shouldn't take it for granted.

Thanks for the input. You are doing great!

Thanks Foofy, you are sweet to say that.

The truth is sometimes I lament the loss of my band and other times I don't miss it a bit. There are times it's nice to know I don't have to worry about that foreign object and port inside in. Mostly my mood on that depends on how hungry I am on any given day. Which makes sense.

I never wanted a band that was too tight, so I understand why the thought of another fill and going through the tightness, makes getting a fill, a hard choice sometimes. Like you, I used to lose best after a fill though.

I do find that even if you don't or can't exercise, moving as much as posible during the day and keeping active helps. I often eat from boredom, so keeping busy ( as long as the activity is not baking, haha) can help. Needlework, cleaning out a closet or drawer, arranging photos, mending clothes, playing word games on the computer, anything to stay occupied and hands busy is good.

And some of us are just slow losers, period! It's ok, it's not a race. You are headed in the right direction and that's what counts.

I must say when I have a busy day I definitely eat much less. I think boredom is our worst enemy when it comes to eating so I agree Judy, get that body busy with anything but food.

I will get back to eating off a small plate as well because I have noticed the same thing, the bigger the plate, the more food I put on. Even if I don't always eat the whole lot, the temptation is there.

So Foofy you're on, let the challenge begin!

Small plate, less food. Makes so much sense and yet I've never done this before. I will now as I also have a hard time leaving food on my plate. Good idea, guys! No one has posted lately on the Halloween challenge. Anyone losing and just not posting?

Nothing to report Cindy since the only loss I've had is weight I put on after my initial loss after my second operation. Hopefully I will have something to report before the end of the month. What about you?

Up and down the same 2 pounds, Sades. I'm getting rather annoyed with myself. I had decided no more fills as I have such a hard time with them but I'm thinking of getting a tiny one at my appointment this Friday. Maybe just .125 instead of .25 which made me too tight last time. I need some help to propel me into the 180's. I can definitely eat way more than what fits in a little tuna can.

It truly is fine balance between being too tight or not tight enough. I have noticed that I am sore after eating since this last fill. I even PBd yesterday. I ate half a small white bread roll with butter... that went down fine but silly me decided to go for the second half and of course it got stuck. I tried drinking some apple juice as I usually do but it wouldn't go down, so I went for a second sip, well of course nothing would go down, not even the juice, it was gurgling in my throat and I thought I was going to choke to death. My sister was there and she yelled at me to throw up, so I put my finger down my throat and it all came back up. I was shaking and crying because I scared myself with the thought that what's if I couldn't throw it up. That's something I never want to experience again. I really have to choose my food better and of course, chew, chew, chew. At least I can't complain about not feeling banded!

Sades, white bread has been off limits for me for a long time! So are rolls and buns. I can handle bread that is toasted to the point that it crumbles when chewed. But that's it. Be careful! I doubt you would have choked to death but it does feel like it. Also, liquids usually make something stuck get more stuck. You just made the bread get more doughy. Better to wait it out.

It was the panic that got me I think. I can see that the tighter I get the less bread I'll be able to eat. I certainly don't want to be too tight that I can't enjoy some of the foods I like but tight enough that it's impossible to eat more than a small amount. I am learning to throw out food rather than eat it all so that's a start to losing my next lot of weight.