I'm on mushies and ate 3 meals today because I needed the protein but wasn't really really hungry. So, how do you know when you're full when you're not real hungry to begin with?

I've wondered the same thing. I've read people here say they're full, but I wonder if it's satiety? I'm curious to see in the future. I'm on purees at the moment and I eat when hungry just until I'm not hungry. I have not experienced what I would consider fullness as experienced before surgery. I just get this nice ok I'm not hungry anymore and stop. I get hungry often and wonder if I'm eating too much. If I eat something thicker, like hummus, I stay satisfied a few hours. I think that most of my mushies are just sliding on through. I guess next week it will get better once I begin soft foods as far as satiety.

This is the most difficult period just before you go to solids. Everyone is different as far as when they are full. I really never felt full the whole time but I just limited myself to a certain amount each day and watched my caloric intake. It is a challenge not to overeat during this time. My stomach growled a lot but when I got onto solids and that took care of it. Now, even though I don't have my first fill until 08-04, I can tell when I am full and I stop even if I haven't eaten what I set out for myself.

For me when I was at that stage I knew I was satisfied when I really didn't care if I took another bite or not. Hungry and satisfied will get more clear the further out from surgery you get. At this point you almost just need to eat the amount recommended by your doctor (so your intake isn't too little), let things heal, and before long you'll be relearning your body's signs all over again.

I always measured what I ate - the max I ate was 1 cup.....3 x's a day.

in the mushies stage i just measured foods-- i was allowed to have about 1 1/2 cups of food

now, i try to judge by measuring also, but my doc also said to listen to your body's signals, one of them is to sigh, another is to hiccup (if you hiccup, you've eaten either too much or too fast and must stop)

I think there were a few more signs too. My doc said you should NOT eat until full, but just eat the measured amounts and you'll be satiated. So, your stomach won't be growling.

However, w/my 2nd fill, I now feel more satisfied, and for longer periods, with only the recommended amount of food.

That is SUCH a good question!! And for me, the answer has changed as I have gone through stages - I constantly have to re-learn what "full" means. I will tell you the stages I've gone through so far. But first, let me say that "full" like after-Thanksgiving, ugh I ate too much full, is NOT the objective - ever again. We got hooked on that feeling, but we need to get over it! We're not after that kind of "full" anymore - sorry.

On full liquids - I used a baby spoon and ate 2-3 bites, stopped and waited 5 minutes, ate 2 bites more and waited - until I kinda got a "weird" feeling, not hurt not pain just kind of - pressure, in the stomach not the throat. On mushies, at first I got "full" in my stomach - on 2 tablespoons. This is the stage when the really deep burps started when I had eaten enough - they start down in my knees and rumble on up through, very low and slow and . . .satisfied! It actually feels good, but it's REALLY rude to anyone around you, LOL. I was eating more like a cup to get full when I went to solids. That was TOTALLY different! I would get "full" in my POUCH, not my stomach - and I hated it! I wanted to be full in my stomach, NOT in my stupid throat!! I got really down about the whole thing during this time, whined a LOT to my support group. Then slowly, as I started getting fills, the "full" feeling did transfer back to my stomach - I only feel it in my throat (pouch) right after I eat, then feel full in my stomach for hours. And I still do the long low burp thing!

So it changes - a lot - it's important to go slow and LISTEN to your body. Feel something weird? Stop and wait for that feeling to develop - or go away. Stuff is different with a band! You'll know - if you overeat one time (we ALL do it one time), you will really hurt and you wont be eager to do it again!

Good luck!

Thanks so much for all of your input! I love LBT. It's full of great people!