Hi I was wondering what a normal meal size is once you have good restriction and are on solids.........I have read that two tablespoons of food takes 45 mins to eat...not at all worried........just curious.....Due to be banded on 28th October.

many thanks

If that was true I would give up from boredom and starve cos I wouldn't finish it.

You will probably get lots of different answers. Some Dr's say 1 cup of food, some say 2 others say 1/2 cup.

What I have been told is that my food should fill a side plate not a dinner plate and that it should take approx 20 - 30 min to eat.

You can even buy a special bandsters plate that shows correct portion sizes. I think there is one available at a site called greatideas in nutrition or something like that. I don't measure I just eyeball it.

Elcee's right, you'll get lots of different answers to this question. My doctor leaves a 4 oz pouch above the band, and his goal is for his patients to eat 1/2 cup meals, three times/day, one snack, and to not get hungry between meals. He wants us to measure, and if we start to feel hungry in less than three to four hours, or if we find we're eating much more than 1/2 cup, then it's time for a fill. He doesn't want us to chew our food to death either. We should be eating pretty normally. Also, if after 20 minutes, we haven't finished our meal, we're supposed to stop eating...that's never been a problem for me. I feel like I have perfect restriction for me, and I eat normal foods, at a little slower pace, and in much smaller portions.

Edited September 27, 200916 yr by kiz

I just had breakfast:

4 prunes

about 3 tablespoons of all bran

1/2 a piece of wholegrain toast with jam

Too me about 20 minutes to eat.

For lunch today we'll probably have sandwiches. I can usually eat a small sandwich - not the American version, lol, meaning 2 slices of wholegrain bread, with sometihng like tuna and avocado as a filling, with the crusts cut off.

For dinner tonight, we're having lamb cutlets. I normally eat a cutlet, a spoonfull or two of mashed potatoes and about 1/2 a cup of mixed steamed veg.

I've always wanted to know this: How big, exactly, is this mythical "cup"? :smile2:

I am super tight right now and I can eat 1/2 cup maximum of food at a time...

It really depends on how many fills you have had and how tight your band is. Most of the time I eat somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup depending on the food. If it's soup, then 1 cup, if it's chicken then maybe only 1/4 a cup.

Now when you have proper restriction are you physically unable to eat more or do you just stop yourself? I have 5 cc's in a 10 cc band. I have some restriction but I am eat more than a cup of food. I don't drink with meals but I don't measure it either. I am just wondering....

I think I may be too tight now, but I am finally losing weight again. I was banded on 4/4/08 and had plateaued for months at 40 pound weight loss. Now, I'm down 53 pounds and I can only have liquids for breakfast, lunch is only a few bites of salad and grilled chicken and dinner about 3 bites of meat and 2 bites of veggies. Is it dangerous to be too tight?

I think I may be too tight now, but I am finally losing weight again. I was banded on 4/4/08 and had plateaued for months at 40 pound weight loss. Now, I'm down 53 pounds and I can only have liquids for breakfast, lunch is only a few bites of salad and grilled chicken and dinner about 3 bites of meat and 2 bites of veggies. Is it dangerous to be too tight?

Being too tight can lead to band complications such as a slip or erosion. Also, it doesn't sound like you're getting proper nourishment. If you begin to have reflux and pb's during and after meals, you might also begin eating more slider type foods to compensate, which generally are higher in cals and lower in nutrition and don't provide long lasting satiety.

Many people are tighter in the morning, and loosen up during the day, (I'm the same all the time though), so it's not unusual to need to start off with liquids in the morning. My concern is that you are still so tight that you can only eat a few bites at lunch and dinner.

If you had just a tiny unfill, and were able to eat three healthy but small meals, do you think you would halt your weight loss? You could loosen up over the next couple of weeks if you just had a recent fill, so there's that to consider too.

There's no easy answer, and you know your body, but just be careful that you're not putting too much pressure on your band.

Edited September 30, 200916 yr by kiz

Thanks Kiz for the info. I am eating slider foods more than before, but I know there is a fine line between too tight and too loose. Not sure if I should just stay on liquids for a couple of weeks and lose the weight (not stress the band by PBing) and then have a tiny amt. out. The funny thing is, I haven't had a fill since January. My band became tighter after a long flight to Hawaii in July. Weird, huh?

"My band became tighter after a long flight to Hawaii in July. Weird, huh?"

I have to start paying out of pocket for fills now, because I was self pay and my one year of included fills/appts is up. Next time I need I fill, I may just book a trip to Hawaii instead..lol

There can be such a fine line between a little too much and not quite enough. I hope it ends up that your band loosens up a little without intervention, but if you start to PB a lot, I agree with you, I wouldn't try to wait it out.

Congrats on the weight loss though!

I was banded about a year and a half ago......I have a #10 band which holds 4cc. My fill is currently 3.8cc.

I can normally do about a cup of food. I am at goal and have had no trouble maintaining my loss. I consider it to be perfect restriction.

Thank you.

I've always wanted to know this: How big, exactly, is this mythical "cup"?

Anyone?

A cup is a standard measure that is used in baking etc. These days recipes will say

2 cups of flour

1 cup sugar

etc

You can buy standard measuring cups from most homewares shops, variety shops probably even good old Marks & Sparks.

I have a feeling that there may be a slight difference in the size between continents but they are fairly similar.