Eating Too Much Food Still?

Does anyone else find that they still can eat a good amount of food with the lap band? To be clear, I have been banded over 1-1/2 years now, and I am supposed to be close to my green zone. Of course I eat much much less than I used to, and I hardly eat any carbs or bread, But I know that I am eating more than the 4 oz of food that they say that is all you will be able to eat once you are banded and had several fills. For instance when I make myself a salad, I eat a pretty large salad with 2 pieces of thin sliced chicken breast from the grill on it, basically the amount my husband can eat!   or another instance is that If I go out to dinner for an occasion, I am able to split a meal, but I find that I can eat almost my whole plate and then still feel not full. I just got a small fill but I am having problems with choking and regurgitation at night and I am wondering if I am too tight or if I am just eating too much. Although it doesn't seem like a lot of food, I know that I am eating more than what they say that you should only be able to eat. Does this make sense? I feel hungry, and I am able to eat but I have some symptoms of being too tight. I would say if I tracked my calories, it would be about 800- 1000 each day. I have tried eating only 4oz, and I am hungry!! but I cant go any tighter on my band because of symptoms at night.

See my reply to your other post as far as the night time issues. I've always still had hunger with my band, I know I was also told it would decrease hunger but it never has and I'm not alone on that many others have the same issue. All you can do is measure your food and stick to that and learn to deal with the hunger, sound like the old diet plans huh? Well that is what it is, many of us just have to be hungry like the old days. As far as eating a big salad that is because lettuce is basically water so it slides right on thru, it is the dense protein like the chicken that will help you feel fuller, that is why we are to eat protein first, then veggies and finally if still hungry a healthy carb like grains. I would suggest you actually journal your foods for awhile to see if you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are. That is the only way I can stay accountable to myself and it is easy to underestimate the amount we are eating.  You may also find once you get your nitetime issues resolved that this will resolve too. Good luck, bands can be fickle little beasts!

Thank You!!!!

Just like HISLADY said,

my doctor also said that lettuce is basically water, thats why we can eat so much of it. Maybe not as much as prebanded, but alot still for WLS patients.

prek3

Well -- how much I CAN eat and how much I DO eat are 2 very different things.

I plan my meals as best I can, I weigh/measure out my portion and I eat it --- -and then I stop eating.

I have done that since I had my band -- with no fluid, and then with some fluid -- gradual fills -- I ate that way the whole time.

I don't really ever try to see 'how much' I can eat -- because I know that based on the type of food, I could eat as much as before surgery.

Salad is weird -- a slider for some people, and a 'stuck' for me many times, so I don't even try to eat salad very often.

I had to stop trying to 'feel full' --- I was aiming to start feeling 'not hungry' --- big difference.

If I ever feel 'full', I have eaten way too much.

You should be learning to be 'satisfied' --- but not full

I would suggest you actually journal your foods for awhile to see if you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are. That is the only way I can stay accountable to myself and it is easy to underestimate the amount we are eating. 

What she said.  Ditto on salad being a water slider, I could eat tons.

Your problem could be two (or more)-fold...your band may be too tight and you may be eating too much.

It might help if you log your food for a week, and during that time, weigh and measure your food so you can see exactly what and how much you're eating.

Overeating because you're able to overeat is a slippery slope that could lead to complications like esophageal or pouch dilation and/or a band slip. I experienced frequent hunger when I was banded (and even more frequent, and extreme, since my sleeve revision) but eventually I learned to ask myself whether the hunger was physical or mental. Also, I had to learn what satiety is. It's the sensation of eating enough food. Enough isn't eating all the food I want just because it tastes good or I deserve it or I'm a good girl who cleans her plate or whatever. It's just eating until the physical hunger pangs are gone.

How many times a day are you eating? If you still feel physical hunger after eating 4 oz of solid food, I think you need to talk to your surgeon. If the problem is that your physical hunger returns too quickly (like 2 hours) after eating 4 oz of solid food, I would suggest that you plan healthy snacks into your day. When I was banded, I ate 3 small meals and 3 small snacks a day. it helped me deal with the physical hunger and also made me feel less deprived.

If your pouch has stretched your band will no longer work properly and you will be hungry all the time, please see my other response to you. Those who have a good functioning band and have great restriction do not have to journal because your band will keep the hunger down. But if you have pouch dilation your band will not work properly and this will cause hunger because your pouch is too big to induce satiety.

In the meantime as others mentioned you will have to journal and focus on dense proteins to keep you full, until you can get your band fixed.

Good luck