starting the rules

So my goal over the next month is to chew everything at least 25-30 times and not to drink and eat. My husband and I went out to eat and I even asked for the NUT info and they gave it to me I figured out my pts and I was proud.  My husband who is normally a slow eater was impressed that it took us so long to eat. He tried to follow my chewing rule so he wouldn't finish way before my. I thought that was cute:)

It is good to have realistic and solid goals. You can do it and you will be sucessful with that plan.

Just don't spend more than 30 mins on your meal.  I was told it should take you no longer than 30 mins and no shorter than 20 mins.  I know when I follow those rules, I do really well.

I also measure my one cup and not allow myself more.  I know if I have food on my plate, I will eat it.  I'm an addict! Don't put it there before me!  I always have a take out delivered with my meal and I can (after 3 years) eyeball what a cup approx. is and then I put the rest in my take out container.  I eat my cup of food, note the time I took my last bite and not drin****il 1 hr later.  If I'm home, I set my timer for 1 hour.  If I get hungry before 4 hours, I know it's time for a fill.  I don't allow myself to eat more than a cup - because then it's difficult to know when it's fill time and I also run the risk of stretching my pouch.

Good luck!  It's good to return to the rules and start over!

That is so cute that your hubby wanted to eat like you :). My hubby inhales food then watches me eat. I hate being the only one eating so it actually helps me eat much less.

Silly question...how do you "know" if you've stretched your pouch? I hear that alot and my surgeon has never said I have but has always warned against it I was always wondering if it's something I would feel or something the doc would tell me...

Stretching your pouch takes so much work and so much food to do that , that really is my last concern with the band or one of the lasts.

for you to stretch your pouch you would actually have to eat like you did before three times a day, all the snacks for months and months and sometimes even yrs

A friend of mine just had a fill for the first time over a yr and half and ate anything she wanted and man do I mean she would eat and nothing happened.

My doc said you would have to intentionally eat that much food to even stretch it out , its really  hard to do .

but eating a cup or even a cup and half  of food wont stretch your pouch out .   There is alot of folks that I know in support that eats a cup and half of food and everything is fine and they have been eating like that for yrs now :o) 

Even though I dont have a fill in my band there is no way I could eat like I did before to even think about stretching my stomach back out I would throw up first . 

Good to know thanks for your response :)

I always wondered about it especially when I went through my first holiday season after my band was placed.