What is a normal portion of food once you hit the sweet spot

[JennHB]

Hey all,

I was reading the post about suggestions of what to eat in a day and I am curious to know what is the normal amount of food you eat once you have hit your sweet spot. I JUST got my second fill on Saturday and I went from 1.6 cc's (originally he put 2cc's in but I guess some slipped out over time) and I had NO restriction, so he put me up to 3.6cc's. I have a 4cc band so I cant imagine getting more in there, I am tight in the morning time but can still eat about a cup of grapes and fruit slowly, which is what I had this morning with no problems. For lunch yesterday I had a cut up chicken breast with some chopped up egg and tomato and ate that fine, I would say it would have filled a cup and a 1/2 to 2 cups if I put it in a measuring tool. But at night i am tight again. I could not eat more than 1/2 of a hamburger patty last night (no bread) My portions are so inconsistent, what should I aim for? A cup? A cup and a 1/2?

I thought I would be down a few lbs after a few days but I am at the same weight as when I came home on Saturday.

[PAMMIE]

Hey all,

I was reading the post about suggestions of what to eat in a day and I am curious to know what is the normal amount of food you eat once you have hit your sweet spot. I JUST got my second fill on Saturday and I went from 1.6 cc's (originally he put 2cc's in but I guess some slipped out over time) and I had NO restriction, so he put me up to 3.6cc's. I have a 4cc band so I cant imagine getting more in there, I am tight in the morning time but can still eat about a cup of grapes and fruit slowly, which is what I had this morning with no problems. For lunch yesterday I had a cut up chicken breast with some chopped up egg and tomato and ate that fine, I would say it would have filled a cup and a 1/2 to 2 cups if I put it in a measuring tool. But at night i am tight again. I could not eat more than 1/2 of a hamburger patty last night (no bread) My portions are so inconsistent, what should I aim for? A cup? A cup and a 1/2?

I thought I would be down a few lbs after a few days but I am at the same weight as when I came home on Saturday.

AIM TO LOSE 1 - 2 POUNDS A WEEK

[JennHB]

AIM TO LOSE 1 - 2 POUNDS A WEEK

Darn, I was thinking 5-6 lbs a week. LoL! Oh well. )

[PAMMIE]

Darn, I was thinking 5-6 lbs a week. LoL! Oh well. )

IT'LL COME OFF YOU'LL SEE

[Smiley]

According to my fill doctor, you definitely should not eat more than a cup of food at a time. Your stomach used to be the size of a football, but your new pouch is about the size of an egg. While it is okay for the pouch to expand some in the normal course of eating, consuming more than a cup of food at a time when you are truly restricted could be detrimental if you dilate your esophogus or overstretch your pouch.

[MyNewLife]

Thanks for posting this post. I too have wondered the same thing. I emailed Dr. Miranda and she sent me a sample menu. I am very confused because on this menu she states to eat 3 oz of meat, 1/2 cup veggies and fruit. This to me is more than a cup of food.

When someone says you are to eat a cup of food, does this include your meat, veggies, fruit...etc. Are you saying a cup of food total?

For breakfast I drink a shake, I have tried to eat breakfast, protien bar or piece of cheese and a couple of wheat crackers, and I get stuck 90% of the time if I eat breafast. Eggs are a NO NO for me no matter what time of day. I have also found out that Carrotts dont like me. For lunch I eat about 3 oz of chicken salad with 4-5 crackers, Yesterday I ate 3 oz of Salmon and about 1/2 cup of green beans, Dinner I ate 2 pieces of Bacon and of course tried some eggs, did not work very well. I guess I need to start weighing out my food instead of eating to that "full" feeling. If I do, depending on what I am eating I can eat im sure more than I am suppose to eat. I too can only eat 1/2 hamburger pattie at a time, nothing else with it, but if I eat say soup and salad I can eat alot of salad before getting that "full" feeling. I just dont see how if you are only suppose to eat a cup of food at a time, how in the world can you get in your calories.......

The thing that I am doing is I am eating heathly, staying away from junk food, slider foods and eating until I get that "full" feeling and stopping then. I just think that sometimes, again depending on what I am eating, that I am eating WAY over a total of a cup of food.

Good Luck!

Carrie

[jhawkchick75]

Thank you all so much for sharing and i'd love to hear what others have to say! I am so day to day on how much I can eat. Sometimes (especially at night) I feel like I can eat as much as I want and I don't get full. That always worries me that I am stretching my pouch, but it doesn't feel like it. I don't get tight or anything or feel full, so I get scared that i'm messing something up. Next time I get a fill i'm going to ask them specifically if everything looks OK. They never say anything and assume that means it's all OK, but I want to make sure.

[JazzyJude]

Remember, everyone is going to be different on this one too.

At first when we were all banded, we were to eat 1/3 of what we use to eat, as we didn't have any restrictions as there were no fills in our bands yet. After a couple of fills, you will notice you will be tight, due to the restriction of the band, so you are encourage to not over eat, but eat at least a cup of food in total, which the ratio would be like this:

~ 3 to 4 oz (1/3 - 1/2 cup) of protein (meat, eggs, fish, chicken, beans, nuts, turkey, ham, etc)

~ 2 oz veggie/fruits

~ 2 oz carbs/starches (potatoes, rice, pasta, breads, crackers, etc)

Now most of the time, I cannot get to the carbs at all, but could eat a little more veggie or fruit and that is what I do. MEASURE your food...it has helped me in more ways than not, especially when I think I am hungry, which I really rely on protein snacks a lot.

Hope this helps...

[determination]

I also thank you for the post. I can relate with all of your questions. Jude, when you talk about protein snacks, would you give us an example of what you are eating? Lately I have been so hungry. I am scheduled to get my third fill this Friday. I am hoping this works. At night if I eat chicken, hamburger, etc., I have a hard time getting them down. But if I snack on dry cereal or have a protein bar they go down fine. That is why it is so hard for me to know if I need another fill. I guess that I am not even sure that I am hungry (or think that I am hungry). Is it boredom, old habits or what?

Feeling very confused??? Then again maybe this is normal to have these little or big valleys on this journey.

[Christy26]

It changes for me everyday. I can never really eat breakfast, so I drink a protein drink or just some chocolate milk. lunch and dinner, I eat about a cup of food total probably. Sometimes less and sometimes more. Tonight for dinner, I had 1/2 a chicken breast and about 2-3oz of mashed potatoes and I couldnt eat anymore.

However, I am NEVER hungry. I eat because I know its time to eat or i start getting tired but my stomach never tells me its time to eat. I think its cause i drink water all day long.