Portion Questions?

[Healed32 0]

I was banded on Sept. 30, 2008 and on full liquids for 1 week which was anything that would fall off a spoon. I was able to go to mushies 2 days ago and have been tolerating well. My doctor said to never eat more than a cup but that we could eat a cup. I hear people on here talking about that you should only eat 1/2 cup and about not being able to get that down. I can eat my cup fine and if I would let myself I know I could eat more, I'm just not going to because I don't want to stretch my band.

Am I the only person who has been allowed 1 cup and the only person who definateley could eat more.

I am so scared of doing the wrong things and I so want this journey to be my last. It worries me to hear everyone saying only 1/2 cup when my doc said 1 cup.

Thanks for any insight.:eek:

[kiz 1]

I had my surgery almost a month ahead of you, but within the past couple of weeks (I'm sure that's because all the swelling had gone away), I could eat more than the 1/2 cup my doctor recommended. Only a few times, have I eaten more than the 1/2 cup, but less than a cup. I don't want to have any band issues down the road, due to my negligence.

At my last appointment, I asked the nurse practitioner about this too. She said that, basically, I'm completely open, so mostly my food is going straight through. She said to make my snack, (my meal plan allows for one), a high Protein snack to help me stay full throughout the day, and to try to keep my meals around 1/2 cup, but up to one cup would be fine. I know my maintenance diet, when unfilled, allows for 1 cup meals, so I think that's kind of where I am now. I'm mostly sticking with 1/2 cup now that I've revved up my snack from something like a sf Jello to something with more substance. I feel very lucky that I'm not too hungry yet. Drinking LOTS of Water and other no cal liquids, eating my Protein first, and adding the high protein snack seems to be doing the trick. I'm still losing, so I scheduled my fill for a couple of weeks from now.

Edited October 9, 2008 by kiz

[Jodi_620 37]

A lot of people get worried during this stage, I see posts about this all of the time and when I first went on solids, I worried too, especially after reading how little some folks here were eating. At this stage we are not restricted and we can eat more than we imagined we would (not to say we should eat more than we should). We worry that there are problems with the band or that we have done or will do something to damage it. Just eat sensibly, do as your doctor says and you will be fine.

My doctor didn't give me a measurement restriction. He just told me to eat until I am no longer hungry and in the beginning that probably took more than a cup. You have not had a fill yet, so it is normal that you can eat more than say someone who has had a few fills and has a lot of restriction. Even at restriction, I can eat more than 1/2 cup of food per meal (depending on what I am having) and my band is fine and my weight loss has been steady. I don't think that following the 1/2 cup rule is realistic long-term. Getting the proper nutrition and listening to our bodies (i.e. stop eating when you are no longer hungry) makes more sense.

Edited October 9, 2008 by Jodi_620

[meschultz 0]

Healed.. I was told it is 1/2 cut during your post up mushies stages, but once all the healing is does I know our diet goes to 1 cup.. every doctor is different though.. I would follow what he tells your or if you feel unsure ask the doctor.. they know best.. :eek:

[Granny05 0]

Hi, this is my first post~ I had my surgery 8 days ago and am having trouble getting in everything I am supposed to have. I have lost a total of 20 pounds in the past 3 weeks, which includes a 2 week pre surgery liquid diet and 2 weeks post liquid diet. Has anyone had trouble getting in everything their doc's recommend?

[Jodi_620 37]

Granny,

This is common so soon after surgery. You still have a lot of swelling. Most people should have their appetite back by about two weeks post-op. Be sure to keep sipping Water so you don't get dehydrated and take in as much Liquid Protein as you can handle.

[SueAZ 3]

Remember that all doctors are different. Mine are in the group of 1/2 cup Protein and 1/2 veggies at each meal. And stay away from liquid calories. I still use carnation instant Breakfast but have been told to kick the habit. I work odd hours so it has been tough.

[rockie 0]

hi guys

a quick question; im going to have the procedure done on oct. 16.dr aceves office told me to go on a low carb diet a week prior. this seems so easy compared to the nightmare pre op liquid diet stories i read on these forums. could it be because my bmi is under 35 (its 34)

please advise dny

[Jodi_620 37]

Could be. The less excess weight you have overall probably means the less fat has accumulated around your liver.

[jmegirl 2]

I would say the reason you feel like you could eat more than 1 cup of food is probably because you could! :wink2:

When you get the band put in it's empty, so once your stomach swelling goes down after the surgery (probably 2 weeks) you're going to be able to eat more because your band doesn't have anything in it to cause restriction. I promise there isn't anything wrong with you being able to eat more than 1 cup - but good for you for restricting yourself anyways! Once you get your first fill, you'll notice the restriction people talk about and you'll see why people say they can't eat more than 1/2 cup of food at a time. It might take more than one fill to get to that particular point, but ultimately you'll feel more restriction once you have your first fill - so don't stress!

[jmegirl 2]

hi guys

a quick question; im going to have the procedure done on oct. 16.dr aceves office told me to go on a low carb diet a week prior. this seems so easy compared to the nightmare pre op liquid diet stories i read on these forums. could it be because my bmi is under 35 (its 34)

please advise dny

I am a 38 BMI and my doctor is requiring 7 days of low-carb as a pre-op diet. If my BMI were higher than 40, he'd just be requiring 14 days of low-carb.

The purpose of the pre-op diet is simply to shrink the liver to make surgery easier for the doctor, since the liver must be moved and pinned out of the way in order to get to the stomach. A fatty liver could slip and slide and not stay out of the way, making surgery difficult. This is why a pre-op diet is a good thing! A low-carb diet is one way to shrink the liver fast. A liquid diet (like Optifast) is also another way to shrink a fatty liver just before surgery.

Trust me when I say that every doctor is different in what they require pre-op, but as long as you stick to what your doctor says, then everything will be fine. :wink2: