1/2 a cup

[dk4k 15]

Jacqui is absolutely right. The human body simply isn't made to sustain itself on so few calories. It can survive for a while - while consuming muscle, thinning out bone (pulling calcium), and sure - burning fat, but muscle is so much more desirable when a body is starving.

This is the bottom line. Your body NEEDS fuel, and when you starve it, you are pulling from ALL your stores, not just your fat stores. If your ultimate goal is health and a long life, you should work to conserve (or better yet, build) muscle and bone.

[sassyfrass 24]

I have to agree that 1/2 cup is just not enough food; banded or NOT. I have followed Weight Watchers for many years and it pretty much has you do a formula to show you how many calories you need a day (per your weight, sex, height, etc....) much like the posters here have said about how many calories a day to use for energy, etc... I'm sure other weight loss programs do the same thing. I'm just using Weight Watchers as an example because I know it so well.

I can't imagine the Dr. wanting you only on 1/2 cup too far out from your first stages, on any kind of program....again, banded or not.

I am only trying to be helpful as well, not a know it all, so please don't take this post that way. I just don't want you to be malnourished. I can tell you that there have been some weeks that if I don't get my correct calorie count in (too many times) that I don't lose. My body thinks I'm starving it, therefore it holds on to my fat and won't let it go. Just try eating more to see how it works for you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Congrats to all of you on your losses. I am still wating to get banded.

[Ro-Jae327 4]

I do not agree with the comment that Mist made. We go to our doctors and we listen to them because we trust them. If we didn't then we wouldn't have had the surgery with them. Please don't put them down and I think that they do have our best interest at heart. Basically, I think everyone should listen to what our doctors say and follow their plan. They certainly know more than we do. I was banded on 6/17/11 and I am two weeks post op. Just started mushies this week, eating 1/2 cup, as my doctor said. If you eat that and a Protein Shake in between with maybe 1/2 banana and 1 tbls of lowfat Peanut Butter, I'm not hungry and I'm still losing weight. I agree it won't work forever but right out surgery is fine. Listen to your doctor.

[Twinkles 7]

You are still up to 800 calories and I am more than sure at times you eat more than a 1/2 cup.

Like I said, I still religiously measure my food and I record everything I eat on Livestrong.com. Do I maybe, once in a blue moon, have an extra bite of something, lol, sure. So maybe I'll amend that for you and say 1/2 cup plus 1 tsp.

You are still supplementing with Protein shakes if you were not concerned with only a 1/2 cup of food you would not supplement with Protein Shakes (because you are not getting enough on a 1/2 cup food)

I'm glad you can assume why I am supplementing with Protein shakes... No, I'm not supplementing with Protein Shakes because I am concerned with only 1/2 cup food portions and no I'm not drinking protein shakes, they are too filling for me. I drink a 4oz serving of a drink, similar to milk. I'm drinking them because of my workouts, as stated before, I run 3-4 miles a day, 6 days a week. Even people who are not banded and work out heavily drink protein shakes. They make me feel better, plain and simple, I'm not drinking them out of concern for my nutritional intake.

nor would you be getting your blood checked every 8 weeks which is totally unnecessary unless you have some issues or medical problems.

Again, you assume too much. My Dr mandates for the first year, all his patients get blood work done every 8 weeks. Not once, in any one of my results have my results ever been less than great. I didn't have any medical problems before the band (except being overweight) and I don't have any now.

In the long run you can not live the rest of your life on a half cup of food. Also at some point you should be weaning your self off of protein shakes because you should be eating enough real food to survive and get your protein from real food not supplements. It is different if you are too tight in the morning to eat however at some point you are supposed to be eating real food not protein shakes to get your daily requirements.

I have no desire to wean myself off of my Protein drinks, as stated before, I'm not taking them as supplements or Meal Replacements. I'm taking them from a fitness standpoint. Not doing anything more or less than anybody on my running team does. We go for a run and have a Protein Drink, not a big shock there.

Also if you were eating enough substantial food you wouldnt need Vitamins because unlike the bypass banders can still get their nutrients from their food. After one year post op you should be able to eat a regular portion meal with no issues.

Since when is it wrong to take daily Vitamins? I've taken daily vitamins for many many years. I take a multi, Calcium and B12, nothing more than I have ever taken before being banded. Did I switch to a bariatric brand/vitamin, yep, but I've taken those three vitamins/supplements for as long as I can remember.

Also, who is to say what a regular size portion meal is? Sure as hell, not any of of us here, it is a very individual thing. I'm shocked how many have come on here forcing there beliefs with a sense of "my way or the highway". We're all experts, right? I don't think so. Every single one of us is going to react to everything differently. I have 1/4 cup of EggBeaters in the morning, and well, I'm FULL for 4-5 hours after, does that happen for everybody? I seriously doubt it. If I was sitting here hungry all the time, yeah, I'd be looking at way to increase my food intake, but I'm not, I'm VERY VERY satisfied after I eat my 1/2 cup meals. So, yeah, this WORKS for me but it won't work for everybody, just like what works for you, will not work for everybody.

[anewwayoflife 0]

I like this forum because everyone reaches out for our opinions and what works best for us. I have found so much info on this site that has relieved my anxieties about what happens next. So to call people "know it alls" kind of goes against what this forum is intended for.

Every doctor is different. I have only been banded for two weeks, so I am far from a know it all. I do know that my doctor told me to not count calories, count carbs <30, that is for incidentals like sauces, not candy or Snacks. Veggies that are not starchy we do not count them in our carbs. Protein is to be >80 (80 -120). He said eat until you are full or satisfied and then stop. No drinking 10 minutes prior to eating, no drinking for 20 minutes after eating. No Snacks at ALL. Three meals a day unless you do not feel like eating Breakfast, you can skip it. Protein drinks for a Meal Replacement but never for a snack. I'm two weeks out and am not hungry but am looking forward to my first fill so that I don't eat as much as I currently am. I am eating probably a cup of food a meal unless it is salad, then how do you figure that because it fluffs up in a cup, that sure would not be very filling, LOL! Oh well best of luck to all of you. If we knew it all, I don't think we would be looking for advice out here. Thanks for all the feedback. it is really helping me through the first stage of the lapband world. Those of you that have been banded for ahile are really helping us through all of these different things we have never experienced before.

[Melissannde 41]

Three meals a day unless you do not feel like eating Breakfast, you can skip it.

You may want to question your doctor or nutritionist on that one. It's usually recommended to have something within 1 or 2 hours of getting up. This helps kick start your metabolism.

Most doctors do not study nutrition in medical school, so I'm not one of those who slavishly follow a doc's food rules if they don't make logical sense to me.

To the OP and the 1/2 cup question. When I was banded 2 years ago my surgeon told us 3oz Protein, 1/2 cup veggies. Well, I was SMO and didn't think 3oz was enough.. so I did 4oz of Protein and 1/2 cup veggies until I lost about my first 100. I'm now on 3oz & 1/2 cup. He's recently changed the protocol to 1 cup of food.. huh?? ok.. so the other day I took my 3oz and chopped it up and it fit into a 1/2 cup measure just about perfectly. So, 3oz of protein and 1/2 veggie is 1 cup of food. I could probably lose weight well on only 1/2 cup food total, but I don't think I'd have the energy to do the awesome, sweat drenching, muscle building workouts I love on that small amount.

Everyone is different.. Viva La Difference!!

My theory is, many bariatric surgeons started by doing the RNY (bypass) and know those rules by heart.. how to refeed the rny patient after surgery (the long slow progress from liquids to mushies to solids) and the standard 1/2 cup food per meal. Instead of relearning how band patients are different.. they just impose the same refeeding progression and 1/2 cup rule on the bandsters. This is just something I read someone else postulate one day.. and it made sense to me.

[Liza<3 1]

Thanks everyone for all ur input this has help and by no means do I think u guys are a no it all...lol.. this is just a forum to get insight on what other go through not a DR's web site.....I do eat more then the 1/2 for each meal and am still losing weight. so I think am going to leave this at 2CC for a month or so and see how it goes...I feel 1/2cup just doesnt seem enough and I have a hard time trying to get all the veg and nutrition i need with this 1/2 cup. Thanks again everyone