How much can you eat? Really!

My band had a leak and I gained 25 lbs. However prior to my leak I could eat quite a bit. For example if I went out to eat I could eat most of my salad and 1/2 of my dinner. Is this normal for most? It seems like people say they eat a lot less than that.

People do eat less than that but its by choice most of the time not due to inability to eat.  Some have great restriction the rest of us have to work harder for it.

 No sure what  half a dinner involves! So I'll give you a few examples of what I can eat.

Physically I can eat more than I do. I stop before I feel I * have * to.

Soft foods - as much as I want!
A meal that starts with protein -  3-4 oz of chicken,  2 small new poatoes, a spoonful of peas. If I then walk away I am comfortable. BUT  if I stay at the table for five minutes, I can start picking again! So if I wanted to, over 20 mins, I physically could eat a " normal " meal.

Kate

One day I can eat alot another day I can't. But the days that I could I do have to stop like Kate said, otherwise I could eat alot more than I should with the band. My doctor checked last month for a leak which I didn't have. So, we have to make that choice.

uhm....your arm is looking pretty good right now! 

Like Kate- I can walk away... or I can wait a few minutes and generally pick right back up with eating.  I noticed lately I could eat more... so I finally took myself back for a fill... what a difference .25cc makes for me.

If I'm eating a mostly lettuce salad it doesn't seem to affect how much solid food I can eat- lettuce with dressing is a slider for me, so I hardly count it.

With proper restriction I would say my total meal consumption is 1/2-1cup of food.  Just had some mashed potatoes and beef tips for lunch, I probably ate 1/4 cup-1/3 cup potatoes and maybe 1/3 cup of beef tips with gravy.  I felt my sign, pushed the plate away, I feel full.  I could go back in a few minutes though and try and eat more... that's where the power comes in, not doing that.  I'd feel miserable if I did- but that doesn't always stop me.

I pretty much echo what others have said.  It also depends on the day.  I can mostly get down about 1/2 - 1 cup of food combined.  I get full pretty quickly and the good part is I stay full for a long time.  I don't know that I'm ever really hungry, but I will eat because I have to.  Even then I will just eat until I feel that sign of being full, and then stop.  There have been a few times where I have taken that last bite and the full feeling was not a pretty one.

For example, the other day my boyfriend and I went to the Chinese Buffet.  I had one chicken drummette, two strips of cajun chicken, two strips of barbequed pork, a piece of sushi and two broccoli florets.  That was all that I could eat.  Then I was really uncomfortably full through dinner time.

It depends on what I am eating...when I consider myself with a "good" fill I probably will eat half of a small salad and about 2 ounces of moist chicken.

My husband is almost 3 years post banding. When we eat out, as soon as the food arrives at the table, he asks for a to-go box. He then puts away 3/4 of the meal in a box and sets it out of site. He eats what is left on his plate and that is all. It's worked pretty well for him. He went from being near 500lbs down to 285 in 3 years.

Hey Bexie--
how cool that your husband has had this done, and now you are too!  I bet he will be a big help after surgery! 

and congrats to him for his success--that is an amazing weight loss.

betsey