How many times to eat a day

[cherg 2]

My doctor says I should eat 3x a day the whole meal should be the sixe of the palm of my hand and no snaking in between. I have a hard time following that and my nutritionist says if I can't follow the rules of the band I shouldn't have it. Pretty harsh I think. Anyway I am looking for new ways to eat throughout my day any ideas.............................

Thanks

Cheryl

May22nd banded-215

Today-165

[shutuplena 0]

My doctor and nutritionist said the same thing. I find that very hard to do but I keep trying. I do eat small meals throughout the day if it becomes too much for me to deal with.

[faybie 0]

If I am not at the right restriction level, 3 meals only is hard to do because I get hungry. However, with the right amount of restriction, 3 meals is very easy. If you can't do just 3 meals, maybe you need a slight fill.

If you haven't had a fill yet, then your nutritionist is not correct because you should be wide open. If you are wide open, there is no way anyone could possibly stick to 3 meals the size of ones palm.

P.S. cherg, I just saw your weight loss so far, how phenomenal! Your stomach shrinks as you lose weight too, so you may be loose because you have lost so much.

[leatha_g 4]

My original band surgeon said 3 times, no Snacks. My fill doc, who's been doing fills since before the band was FDA approved, says 6 small meals a day - no more than 4 oz. Go figure. Since this is for life, I tend to eat when I'm hungry. Sometimes I forget, sometimes I don't eat enough, sometimes I eat more than I should.:faint: I'm also nearly 4 yrs down the road, so as always, consult your personal physician.

[cherg 2]

Thanks faybie!! Well let me tell you I have a 4cc band and am 3cc filled. I also THINK I am hungry and most of the time if I try to eat to much I pb. Actually not a day goes by that I don't get sick. I may need a slight unfill, but I still need to get this eating thing down cause I think I am a compulsive eater and just eat to eat. You no with the band I never feel that full feeling like I did before you no that sickening full feeling that you use to hate well I am glad not to feel it but then again its hard for me to judge when to stop eating. If I wait till my chest hurts then I get sick. Catch 20 I guess. I am just looking for a good healthy eating pattern to get on cause right now I am not following anything and I need that structure in my life.

[cherg 2]

Faybie your weight lose is awesome as well!! Congrats!!!

[cherg 2]

shutuplena I am wondering did u or do u take phentermine?? I use to take it alot in my past until I found the lapband then stopped. That message board I use to go to as well.

[faybie 0]

Thanks faybie!! Well let me tell you I have a 4cc band and am 3cc filled. I also THINK I am hungry and most of the time if I try to eat to much I pb. Actually not a day goes by that I don't get sick. I may need a slight unfill, but I still need to get this eating thing down cause I think I am a compulsive eater and just eat to eat. You no with the band I never feel that full feeling like I did before you no that sickening full feeling that you use to hate well I am glad not to feel it but then again its hard for me to judge when to stop eating. If I wait till my chest hurts then I get sick. Catch 20 I guess. I am just looking for a good healthy eating pattern to get on cause right now I am not following anything and I need that structure in my life.

The only way I know I am full is the minor pressure in the middle of my chest. I sure hope that doesn't mean I eat too much. I am so scared to death of stretching my pouch.

Thanks for the kudos! I am having a good day for sure. The pants I bought 2 weeks ago are already falling off. I can't wait to get to a size that I actually have clothes so I don't have to go buy any. I am not sure how I managed to completely skip 2 sizes on my way up, unless I just squeezed myself into clothes that didn't fit.

[transformer 1]

My doctor said to eat four "meals" of 15 grams of mushy Protein (scrambled eggs, tuna, cottage cheese, etc.) first. If that goes down well, I can have something else with each meal, such as mashed veggies or fruits. Carbs like mashed potatoes are last if I have room left. Sugars have to stay below 8 grams per day and the foods I choose to eat have to be low fat. I can't drink liquids 30 minutes before eating or until 2 hours after eating to avoid flushing the food down before I feel full.

I haven't had any problems with hunger at all since I was banded. My liquid diet required 90 grams of Protein per day and I did not get hungry in between. I truly believe that the protein intake is the key!

[AngelaT 2]

If a nutrionist is not understanding, then not a good one. eating four to 6 small meals a day keeps your metabolism up, especially with the low calories we get with the band. Ideally you want 800-1000 clas per day, on ocassion up to 1200 of high Protein, low fat, low cal food. By eating a palm size meal only 3 times a day, and less than 800 cals your body goes into starvation mode and malnutrition. In between go ahead and have a 60 calorie lowcarb low fat yogurt, or even a Jello 60 cal sugar free pudding if you have a sweet tooth. I almost always have a healthy/low cal snack in between. I was banded Nov. 7 and I still do NOT have a fill. By having these little in between healthy Snacks I feel VERY satisfied and NOT hungry t/o the day. No fill at all and I am down to 200lbs from 226 at pre-op(one week before banding) in 10 weeks I have averaged 2.6 lbs a week!!! That is over 10lbs a month!!! I had never been able to do that!

Have a little healthy snack in between... don't forget your Water first to see if it is thirst or hunger!

[avilla 1]

I agree with AngelaT...My surgeon said only 3 small meals a day and no snacking...But with only the 3 meals I found I was having a serious problem getting in all my calories that it takes to be losing weight...I have been playing with the idea for awhile now of keeping a couple good choice of snack foods around to grab between lunch and dinner like the little carrots or those little things of cottage cheese or yogart...Having one of those seems to keep me right around my 1000 calories and keeps me totally satisfied until dinner time

[MarySue33 0]

Mine told me three meals, too, but also added that if I feel like I need it to add a Protein Shake or half a Protein Bar as a snack in between. I typically have a Protein shake for Breakfast, a banana or a yogurt mid-morning, my lunch, half a protein bar or a little cottage cheese mid-afternoon and then my supper at night. I am still amazed that I am not hungry at night. That was always my downfall pre-band. One thing I have come to realize that a lot of times I used to confuse thirst with hunger. I sip the flavored Dasani or a Crystal Light all evening long and I have come to realize that I probably wasn't really hungry for (fill in the blank here -- ice cream, popcorn, cheesesteaks, cold pizza, you name it) -- but I was probably just thirsty all along. Anyone else have the same experience?

[conniesueb 1]

Isn't it amazing how often we eat for reasons other than hunger? I would eat when I was bored, happy, sad, upset, watching t.v., whatever! NOw I only eat when I am actually hungry. What a concept! My doc also suggests 3 meals and no Snacks, but does not put a restriction on the size of the portion. After surgery I was lucky to get a quarter cup of food in, but now I am feeling much more open, and could probably eat a lot more, but I try not to. I am also learning to distinguish between being "satisfied" and being "full" or "stuffed". They say to stop eating as soon as you start to feel full, but sometimes it seems as though I feel full and hungry at the same time! My little stomach feels full, but the rest of it is still rumbling--does that make sense?

[siyah 0]

My doctor says I should eat 3x a day the whole meal should be the sixe of the palm of my hand and no snaking in between. I have a hard time following that and my nutritionist says if I can't follow the rules of the band I shouldn't have it. Pretty harsh I think. Anyway I am looking for new ways to eat throughout my day any ideas.............................

Thanks

Cheryl

May22nd banded-215

Today-165

Well, I say bullshit to the snacking. If you are hungry-eat. Just make wise choices and yes- keep it small like they say so as not to stretch the pouch. There are great snack options for either high Protein or very low cal. (Jello, SF pudding,...)

[laurigee 545]

I was eating only 3 meals a day and I seemed like I was struggling with hunger and weight loss. Now I eat 3 meals and 2 Snacks. My weight loss has kicked in again and I notice when I keep a little something in my stomach all the time I don't overeat or eat to fast when I do eat. I have just kept playing around with my diet to find a way I can continue to lose and hopefully someday maintain a normal weight. I just feel 3 small meals a day is just not possible for me for the rest of my life. But then thats just me. Congratulations to everyone for your weight loss and lifestyle change.