How late can you eat?

[LapBandit 5]

Does anyone have any info on how many hours it is OK to eat prior to bedtime? I am supposed to eat six times per day but I've heard you shouldn't eat after 8PM because it slows your metabolism. Six times per day means I eat about every two hours. What's your daily eating schedule? Thanks!

[Janieh123 0]

I have been told not to eat after 7pm at night. Who told you to eat 6 times a day? We are suppose to eat 3 meals a day with no Snacks if possible.........curious to know what is up with the 6 times a day on a weight loss surgery.........

[Alexandra 55]

Eating close to bedtime can cause various problems for bandsters, including reflux in the night and irritation/tightness the next morning. As a rule it's a good idea to not eat for at least a couple of hours before going to bed.

[LapBandit 5]

Thanks for the input. My doc said that eating 6 small meals a day is the best way to keep your metabolism burning all day long.

[disneynut 0]

LapBandit,

My nutritionist tells me also to eat 6 times a day. It feels like I'm eating and drinking constantly but I am losing so I guess I am not going to complain! I believe this does keep the metabolism working. I try myself not to eat after 7 -7:30.

[Nana~ 4]

I too was told 3 times a day no Snacks, isn't it funny how everyone is told differant!

It makes sense though pre banding thats what I did to diet.

[Divamom 1]

Haven't been banded yet(JUNE14th) but my pre-op diet is how I'll be eating after the liquid, puree and mushie stages. My doc and nutritionist started me on it immediately after my 1st appt. The diet is eat 6 times a day. 3 meals and 3 Snacks. High Protein, low fat and lowered carb. I lost 3 lbs the first 5 days and nornamally I don't lose anything. So I try not to eat after 8PM since we have so much eating to do which is funny since we are trying to lose weight but they told me the same thing about the wholde metabolism thing.

You know most of us ruined our metabolism from dieting our whole lives and I think this is the closest way to try to get it back.

Good Luck

[Stitchy 0]

I have a question about the number of meals and Water. We are supposed to drink 8 glasses of Water a day. We can't gulp the water; can only sip. We should not drink for 30 minutes before, during, or 1 hour after a meal. Stop drinking well before bedtime so you aren't up all night peeing.

Now, eating 3 meals a day doesn't leave much time to get all that water down. How can you manage it with 6 meals?

[LindaV 0]

Hi Stitchy,

I notice that when I drink Water (and I do gulp), I tend to get hungry within about 15 minutes. It's like the Water washes what is left in my pouch out. Because of this, I tend to do most of my drinking about 30 minutes before I eat. I will usually drink 16 oz of water over about a 10-15 minute period because I know that I will usually be really hungry about 15 minutes later. Then I only have to wait another 15 minutes to eat. Of course, I am a new b bandster, like you, so I am sure things will change as we get fills and such.

Anyway, I eat about 4-5 times a day, including a snack in the evening if I havn't gotten in enough calories or Protein. I am finding right now that I can eat about 2 cups of food at a time so it's probably good that I am not eating 6 times a day .

[Eficka 0]

Hey everybody,

I eat when Im hungry and my doc is ok with it. It means that I eat every 3-4 hours.Then I wait 45 minutes and start to drink.I guess it doesnt matter how often you eat but you must not eat more than 600-900 cals a day.I cant just sip on Water so I normally drink.When Im takiing my pills in the morning I drink at least one glass of water in like 2 minutes. But I can feel that its going right through the band down to the bigger part of stomach.During the day I try to sip,but I would say that my sips are a bit bigger than the ones my doc wants me to do :-))

[MelodyJ 0]

I teach patients not to eat for 3 hrs before bedtime....especially if they have GERD. I tend to eat about 6:30pm and then walk and can drink when I come back. I drink about 24oz in less than an hour....then I am full til bedtime! I was told to eat about every 4-5 hrs.....so glad they didn't push the 3 meals/3 Snacks for me....just am not hungry! 1/2 cup lasts quite awhile....still living off the fat of the land!!

God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -44lbs

[NJGirl 0]

"I guess it doesnt matter how often you eat but you must not eat more than 600-900 cals a day."

My doctor said to stay between 1000 and 1300 calories a day. Normally when I go lower than that I do not lose.

[LapBandit 5]

Thanks for all the input, everyone! It is so interesting how each doc has their preferred methods! I just had an appointment on Friday and my doc told me to EAT! He said that I wasn't eating enough and that I'm training my body to stay in a border-line starvation mode. Many of you sound like you've been told the same. He said you have to train your body that food is available and that it doesn't need to feed off your organs and muscles. I told him that his advices is going against 30 years of brainwashing and he made me promise that I'd eat six times a day just until I was "satisfied" but not full. He said that his reputation rides on the success of his patients and that he won't lead me wrong. I love him! He's tough, but honest. Good luck everyone!

[Jachut 487]

I wasnt told anything at all in regard to calories, Protein, Water etc. My approach is just healthy eating in moderation, I'd eat closer to 1500 calories a day, its crept up a bit since my restriction waned and I started losing only v-e-r-y slowly but I've had a fill and its moving again at a good 1lb per week pace.

It really worries me that people are told to eat so little. There's definitely going to be nutritional deficiencies - both on the levels of Protein (at the expense of other foods) bandsters are told to eat and certainly on a daily diet of less than 1000 calories. You cannot maintain that long term.