I am sure this has been discussed many times. There are so many different doctor recommened quantities. My doctor said I should be able to eat most of a Healthy Choice meal or about 8 to 9 ounces of food. Some say 4 ounces. Just curious what everyone is doing.

At restriction I've consistently eaten 3/4-1 cup per meal (around 8 oz). I can eat most of what is in the smaller sized frozen dinners.

I have seen a few people here who say they only eat 1/2 cup of food per meal, some even say 1/4 cup and all I can say is I'm glad I'm not them. I couldn't get enough nutrition, energy or enjoyment from such a tiny amount of food.

Edited August 6, 200917 yr by Jodi_620

I agree with Jodi! I, too, eat 3/4-1 cup of food at a time. I don't eat frozen meals at all so I can't compare on that -- I pretty much cook everything for myself. My favorite "treat" is to go to Moe's for lunch. I always get a salad (no shell) with chicken, black beans, salsa, cheese, onions and jalapeno peppers. I always loved their chipoltle ranch dressing and found a light chipotle ranch (I believe it is Marzetti) in the produce department at my grocery store and I use that. I can eat the whole salad but I think it's because there's a fair amount of iceberg lettuce involved. Otherwise, the 3/4 - 1 cup holds true.

I am at the 3/4 - 1 cup amount on most meals. Depends on if I am eating slider foods or not, if so, I can get down a bit more.

I agree with Jodi, those smaller amounts would not leave me as satisfied. I also exercise a bunch and need my fuel to keep me going.

I also think it depends on where you are in the process. In the beginning I could hardly eat anything, now I can eat a whole 8oz of food in a meal. Doesn't that sound funny, when you compare it to what you would have eaten pre-band!

Thanks everyone. This is very helpful. I can eat 1/2 cup of food per meal and feel satified but not long enough to get me to the next meal.

I have the 4cc band. I am currently filled to 3cc's but haven't lost any weight for 1 year. 30 pounds to go.

So it is definitely not the quantity of food per meal. Have you estimated how many calories you are getting per day? Are you watching fat, sugar, starch...? Since you are not staying satisfied, are you snacking a lot between meals? Are you getting enough exercise?

1/2 cup of food would not keep me satisfied either but if you are full on that you shouldn't eat more. It is solid food, right? Depending on your calories, you may be able to add another meal or two since you are only eating 1/2 cup...some people do better with several smaller meals per day and if you are not getting enough calories, that may explain why you are not losing.

I know the last bit is much harder to get off. Once I got to the "20 pound to go" mark, weight loss has been extremely slow. I actually gave up for the summer and decided to just maintain. I still only eat 3 meals a day I eat whatever sounds good not paying attention to calories and stuff but of course leaning toward the healthier choices. I can still only handle around 1 cup per meal. I also allow two Snacks per day. I have not lost or gained eating this way all summer.

I would like to lose this last 13 pounds and after my vacation the first week of September I plan to get serious about losing it. I know that will require me to really watch what I am eating and increase my exercise working harder than I have had to yet.

Thanks everyone. I took a good look at what I was eating. I got rid of the Fire Balls on my desk and added 2 snacks. Mostly fruit. I haven't been active enough. I had knee surgery this past March and even though the doctor says it is OK to start walking I tend to use "but my knee" as an excuse not to do it. Gonna re-vamp my eating and get back to walking until I reach goal.

Here's a typical day's food for me. I've been eating pretty much this amount everyday since my 1 year surgerversary. :-)