I will apoligize up front for my post.

First and foremost I want to say, "Why are you eating spaghetti?" Spaghetti is not a protein and if you were going to eat it a cup is too much, even if your band will allow you to eat it you should have it as a side of 1/4 to a 1/2 cup and eat protein like a meat ball or something as your main course. Pasta, rice, bread all our made from white flours unless you go whole grain and they will increase in size in your stomach and make you feel very full and sometimes can even make you feel over full. None of these foods are worth the risk of causing your band to slip by over eating. If you really want spaghetti might I suggest spaghetti squash, add some sauce and a meatball or some chicken sausage. It really does taste good, try it. When you say you are still eating preband portions? Have you changed your plate size, try eating off a small plate and always measure your food. Changing eating habits and behavior is not easy and all of us struggle and back slide from time to time. But I have learned that if I do not measure I will over eat, If my band is not properly adjusted and I can eat pizza, pasta or bread, I will try and eat it. I will tell my self anything to justify why I want something or can eat it but honestly all it does is decrease my weight loss and make it that much harder to get back on track. You are not the only person struggling with the emotional side of eating, we all struggle with this if we are honest. Maybe what your body is telling you is you need to make better choices. The one thing to remember is always eat protein first, it makes you stay fuller loner, takes longer to digest and holds you between meals and keeps you from getting hungery. Good luck, you can do this.

nope, you are not alone. i am 10 months out now, lost 52 lbs, but down 5 dress sizes. i still have that big plate mentality, will probaly always have it unfortunately. i am tight in the mornings and lunch, so i usually cant eat much then. i have a protein shake in the morning, and for lunch is usually tuna or chicken salad, something soft but filling. at dinner is when my band is looser and i can ea with no problems. i drink warm tea or coffee and that helps with the tightness.

i had the spaghetti honestly cuz i wanted it. the "good"proteins like chicken breast or beef or shrimp or most turkey products are hard for me to get down. i barely eat during the day time cuz my band is tight and moslty loosens up at night. i did have some meat in the spaghetti as well. once i slowed way down and took long breaks between bites i was better able to tolerate it.

i will say i'm not the typical bandster as far as my eating habits are concerned. i got the band cuz i wanted to be able to eat what i wanted but in smaller portions. and that's exactly what my band is doing for me. i am content with the rate at which i am losing and have a great feeling that i will make my goal of a size 12 in one year, which is in 3 months exactly.

i'm not eating pre-band portions, i sometimes fix my plate like i did preband. with my current restriction there is no way i would be able to eat nearly half of what i used to eat.

i dont really have a problem with getting hungry, actually i mostly eat cuz i know i need to to survive.

thanks for your reply lovethenewme

screeden...your band sounds just like mine...maybe they were seperated at birth! LOL

sounds like you may be too tight. bandsters often gain weight or get stuck unintentionally after being filled too tight by eating things that are comfortable to eat, and those things are often the things that dont hold up in the pouch. it can be a slippery slope, from what i have heard. if you cant keep down your protein, you need to chew more or get a very very small unfill!

The mind thing, is I still have a problem only cooking for ONE. I cooked over 30 yrs for a whole family, 4 men and usually a visitor. I am boxing up all my big pots and pans n sticking them in the closet as its a nice set and dont want to just give away. I hope this will help me in making smaller amounts that later I do not feel I need to eat them, in order not to throw away. I absolutely hate throwing away food, but been doing so more and more. Trying to find that combination of cooking good food but less portion.

If you cook your protiens right..... long and with fluids soups stews ect they will be less tough and easier to chew and swallow. Also try tofu. It is a great source of plant protien and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. I use it in everything. I also do a protein and berry/banana shke evry morning. I use high grade whey prot powder, Kefir a cultures milk product banana frozen berries gound flax seed and my emergent C calcium and vit C packets. I sip on it all am and it gets me thru to lunch. Good luck

thanks for all the advice. i am really gonna have to stop being lazy and be more creative with the protein shakes in the am.