Truth?

Ok, aside from actul rules, need some honesty and just wondering.......
I have been back on the wagon and following the rules. The reason why I was off the wagon and losing so slowly is not a huge mystery to me. I am just wondering, as I eat my carefully measured cup of food, do YOU really eat 1 cup of food MAX per meal? I have no restriction, and did not in the past, and it is, obviously, very difficult to stick to 1 cup of food when you are not feeling satisfied. I am doing it and have no intentions of eating more, but i am just curious about YOU and how you think it has affected your success with the band so far. Thanks

I stick to my one cup per meal , there are times I have went over like 1/2 cup but its not very often . I have this week because Im struggling really bad right now with PMS and this band .

I do not want to have pouch dilation so Im pretty strict about the one cup per meal . When I get finished I always feel like I can eat more , but usually if I just wait about 10 min or so I get that statisfied feeling. I have never once got that Im full feeling and couldnt eat another bite but just a statisfied feeling .

thanks so much for the reply.... more importantly, i am a jet fan and my husbad is a packer fan.... i am sorry, but that's the lineup for the superbowl

LOL That would be a perfect match up for the superbowl for you and hubby wouldnt it lol

So sorry to spoil it for you but it will be the Steelers and the Packers :o)  I am hoping for the Bears though .


I do wish you the best of luck on Sunday though  Hopes to a great game without any serious injuries !!

75% of my month, I can't eat more than about 3/4 cup in one sitting. If it's a solid protein I can only eat at max maybe 4 oz.

I weigh by ounces and not by cups

I eat 3oz of tuna and 1 oz of crackers and about 1/4 of a medium cucumber for lunch most of the time --- that would probably all fit into a 1 cup measure

I eat 3 ounces of protein and some veggie for dinner --- again, once cut up, would probably fit in a 1 cup measure

I have to prepare my plate -- and take it away from the food --- and eat and then stop

I go as far as to put the rest of the food awa in the fridge before I start eating---
I have to wait at least 20 minutes -- if I want more, I can think about it and decide if I 'want or need' more ----- I honestly have not 'needed' to get more since I have had my band.

Lots of times, my mouth wants more, but my band and my stomach are satisfied.
So, I go brush my teeth, find something else to do and move on.

I work from home and am alone with the fridge and pantry all the time --- I have had to do this in order to be successful.

I can't eat until I feel satisfied --- I have to eat -- and wait -- and let the satisfaction come a few minutes later.

Kathy,

I admire you so much.  There is no way I could be alone in the house all day, staring down the pantry, and have the kind of success you have.  NO WAY!

Nancy

Sometimes I eat more than 1 cup. BUT it depends an awful lot on 2 things:

1. What the food is. If it's dense protein; I can't eat more than a cup comfortably unless I was to sit there and slowly pick at it for an hour. If it's a green salad with about 1/2 cup of diced chicken than I can eat 2-3 cups with the permission of my nutritionist. She said the lettuce is a slider food because it all chews up into water and doesn't have many calories so not to worry about it. I don't know about you but it certainly wasn't overkill on salads that made me fat :)  I do this at least once a week.

2. How long I am eating it. If I go out for a nice family dinner  and it's one of those hour long meals, usually I tend to eat more, probably 1.5 to 2 cups. Broken up slowly over the hour.  To start out with I might eat 3/4 -1 cup of my salad. A bite of an appetizer here and there and then about 3-4 ounces of meat, some potato and a veggie. Generally by the time I'm done my food is getting cold and I loose interest. This still leaves me with enough from a typical restaurant dinner meal to have another meal of the same size.  I probably do this once a month and even though it is so much less food than before surgery, it is something I can live with for the rest of my life. I don't think I could hold to a ridged 1 cup and nothing more deal for very long.


In regard to my success with weight loss using this method. My doctor has me at 1400 calories a day (sometimes that 1400 includes treats too), plus I do 1/2 hour of exercises 6 days a week. Sometimes it's hard to get in 1400 cals if I tend towards lowfat choices for all meals. Other times, if I want to indulge in a treat, I have to make sure to make low fat choices for meals. (Example: today I had a 220 calorie fancy coffee, and am having salad for supper). Using this method I'm happy with my weight loss thus far. If I wanted to go the fast track route and lose more quickly, the first thing I would do is reduce calories to 1200 per day.

Long and short of it is, I think you need to find a method (ideally with your doctor's and nutritionist's input) that works for you. It's okay if it's not what everyone else is doing : )Good luck!

Trixie

I am a bad measurer but a pretty good eye-baller, I think.  I cannot eat more than 3oz of dense protein in one sitting unless it's a long drawn out dinner where I can pick at it over an hour or two.  It also just depends on the time of day, how relaxed my stomach is, and so many other things. But no, normally I cannot eat more than a cup. I usually fix my small plate of dinner and can eat 1/4 of it before I have to stop cause I feel bordering on full and then within 15 minutes or so I can eat another 1/4 of it and then I put it away for a couple of hours and if I'm hungry again later on I can usually eat the last 1/2 that remains with no problem.  

Hi, I always weigh my meat. I have a WW scale, I put my plate on it and zero it out, add my 3 oz of meat. I do that for lunch and dinner. I have about a 1/4 c of veggies with my meal also. I have never physically felt that "full" sensation that I did prior to the band and that's okay, because I can go 4-6 hours without feeling much hunger. I do have a high protein snack if I get hungry in the evening. 40 minutes after I have eaten I start drinking again. I drink a lot of hot decaf coffee, since it's sooooo cold outside. ( It was -5 F this morning when I got up ) I'm always cold. I also drink a lot of water.

I have done this since I was allowed to eat solids. I want to protect my band and pouch. I don't want to stretch it or have my band slip, so I will do everything possible to keep it safe!

Wanted to add: my surgeon wants me to eat my meal within 20-30 minutes also.