How much volume *can* you eat?

I know "just because we can, doesn't mean we should" but how much can YOU eat of certain things at a sitting? Please give me examples.. I know different foods chew down differently.  I also know that we are supposed to be able to eat 1 to 1 1/2 cups of 'chewed' food at a sitting and never any more. Here are some examples of what I "can" eat.. keep in mind.. I have never vomited.  I do sorta hiccup or burp right before I become "full"  but even my "fullness" is really sorta short lived.  Like I might feel full 30 mins then it is gone.. I am not hungry tho.. satisfied till my next meal but don't just saying I don't have a "fullness" to my pouch  beyond 30 minutes.. does that sound right for someone just over a year out? I know I can't eat as much as used to be able to but there are days I feel like I eat like a "horse".  It's kinda scary b/c really people would never know I had surgery, I eat so "normally" now as far as quantity goes in relation to my body size, anyone else feel this way? Anyway.. as I was saying.. this is what I can eat: 2 cups lettuce salad with 3 oz of meat, 1 oz of cheese with FF dressing 1 cup of chili with 2 saltines and a few bites of side salad 1 egg and 2-3 ounces of lean ham steak 1 cup kashi go lean cereal with 1/2 cup fresh  blueberries and a splash of milk small protein bar and a yogurt or apple 3-4 oz of meat with 1/2-1 cup steamed veggies. 1 small whole grain tortilla with 3 oz meat, 1 wedge of light laughing cow cheese, romaine, onion and a pickle spear. 1 whole grain tortilla pizza with some pizza sauce, light cheese, some veggies, a few slices of turkey pepporoni or canadian bacon and a few bites of side salad. I eat really well as far as choices but just seems like my volume is more than many so it concerns me.  I never throw up.. I can feel my pouch emptying after I eat occasionally.. thoughts?

Melissa, your volume sounds like my volume. I too have been concerned that I could eat too much. I believe we are now eating what a "normal" person eats.....  I have lost about 90 lbs and wear a size 8 or 10 and would like to lose a bit more.  I also hear you about the fullness part.... Regardless of how much I eat at one  meal, 2-3 hours I am truely hungry..... I eat about 5 times per day and really have to watch myself or I catch myself grazing... drives me nuts. Will be interesting to see what sort of replies are received to this post....  Just like you Id like some reassurance too.... Thanks, Karen

You sound just like me---if I DON"T eat every few hours, I am miserably, ravenously hungry by nightfall.  I want to lost about 15 more--be a 6/8 instead of a 10 (but I don't want to lose too much more because I love my clothes right now, lol). I have a real problem with grazing at work. I'm going to focus on that in 2008. I am going to work on having 'good' grazing options around me at all times. I hope that will help.

For me, it seems to depend on the day and also the type of food (density, in particular).   For the most part, the volumes of what you listed are about what I could eat, but often I would eat less than that.  My total average daily calories is about 1000.   That works for me.  I'm not starving.  I'm maintaining my weight and have never regained.  If it ain't broke, I'm not fixing it.  So how many calories per day are you getting in?  If you're making good food choices (and it looks like you are), then look at your overall calories and what the scale is telling you.  If your weight is maintaining, then you're fine.  If you increase your exercise, then you may need more food/calories to maintain your weight.   I don't think by what you posted that you're eating too much food. 

I can eat 2 cups of chili at a sitting generally but it takes me a long time. Conversely, I can only eat a 4 oz piece of chicken in that same sitting (time wise). Or 4 oz of shrimp. So I should be eating the shrimp but variety is the spice of life. So long as I don't eat a Tina's burrito each and every day and my calories are variable (from 1000 to 2000 maximim in a weeks time) I'm going to maintain, also depending on the amount of activity. But you wouldn't want to go by me. I keep dropping a pound here and there. I'm not actually maintaining yet. I'm still playing with my food intake to try and find that "sweet spot."

A lot of it depends on how dense the food is, and how liquid. I can eat a small Wendy's chili with four saltine crackers with no problem, but probably only 2 ounces of steak with a couple of bites of veggies. I can eat a whole small bag of soy crisps if I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing. I can eat eight crackers with two slices of cheese. I also found out I can eat cookies. Bad bad bad.

See what you mention is far smaller in amount than I can eat.  I can eat 4-6 oz of meat with 1/2 cup or 1 cup of steamed veggies.. I can do a small wendy's chili with 2 crackers and a side salad.. i donno it concerns me.  I hope I haven't stretched something.  I am only a year out.

you know what else it can be? our metabolisms snapped back to normal or even higher that average so we can and should be eating the normal cals for the person our size to maintain (and that's probably closer to 2000 than 1200.)

honey, that's nothing--i can eat you under the table--but you already know that from our December Board. I guess we'll just have to be diligent abou****ching out protion sizes and eat a lot of lean protein (that fills me up FAST). but, hey, it's a small price to pay for being hot and healthy:)

I agree with everyone else that has posted...it doesn't seem like a lot of food... I can eat about the same amount (humm never tried the lettuce salad) don't really eat salads...but I can eat anywhere beween 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of food again depends on what it is.  if it's soupy then about 1 1/2 cups but if it's meat its a alot less..carbs go down very easy and I can eat more of them lol