Ok, so I have had some pretty frustrating meals since my first fill and I'm hoping the more experienced bandsters can help me out.

3-4oz of Protein + 1/2 cup of veggies + pencil eraser sized bites + only 20 minutes of eating time = does not compute.

I am finding that there is NO WAY I can get down that quantity of food in the 20-30 minute time frame that I am supposed to be eating for. Last night, I ate for 45 minutes and I only got through the 4 oz of fish and maybe an 1/8 cup of veggies before I quit.

Bigger bites = painful going down

Smaller portions = hungrier before the 4-5 hours

Longer eating time = warnings from posters that food is already starting to go down into the lower stomach so you are just enabling yourself to eat more.

What am I missing here???

When you quit are your satisfied or just tired of eating? If all you're eating is what you say you're eating, I wouldn't worry about eating too much. The goal is to be satisfied with the amount of food that will still cause you to lose weight. Do you get any signals that you are satisfied? Or have had enough to eat? I think you are on the right track and I wouldn't worry too much about the time on the clock.

When you quit are your satisfied or just tired of eating?

Both. Sometimes it's because I am "full" and sometimes because I am tired of eating. If I'm eating something that is going down more easily, like Soup, I stop because I'm nervous about overeating. I'm still getting used to what I think my "full" feeling is..I don't really know. I haven't gotten to the stage where overeating makes me throw up so I don't really know what the stop point is. Last night, I sort of felt like my stomach was a small cup and the food in it was on the verge of overflowing. So I stopped eating. But I have no way of knowing if that's "full" or "over full". I was hungry again 2 1/2 hours later and that kind of freaked me out since I was supposed to be done eating for the day.

So far, it's been a week since my first fill and I'm losing a pound a day. I know it's not real fat loss since you can't lose a pound of fat a day but I am about 6-7 pounds down since last Wednesday. Not sure if that means I'm not getting enough calories in...I'm not sure of anything really! I do have another fill appointment in 2 weeks so I plan to ask my doctor but I was hoping to get some info before then from bandsters who have been at this for awhile.

I was never told to only eat for 25-30 minutes. My NP focuses more on the "no drinking for 30 minutes before or after and none with meals"

i have never taken 40 to 45 minutes to eat, I am satified way before that. I dont really go by the amount I eat. I start with my protein and than veggies and fruit. Some days I dont get pass the protein. There's been many days I havent made it to my fruit so i do them for snack. Are you waiting 30 to 40 minutes after eating and drinking your fluids. drinking will also give you the feeling of fullness. portions sizes are a good guide so you dont over do it but try not to force yourself to eat it if you are not hungry.