Help! Real food - portion sizes

I am starting regular food this week. I have a list of suggested foods by category and what constitutes a portion but they don't say how much to eat. How many cups/ounces total per meal? I don't want to stretch the pouch need to know the amount/volumne to put in it at one meal. :help: One cup? Half cup? One and one half? Confused...

Thanks!!!!!

Hi, I don't have an answer for you but can you post some of the things on your list? I don't start solids for another 2-weeks from Weds but I can't stop thinking about food!!:hungry:

Since you are just starting on regular food, I would start with 1/4 cup servings. I usually eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of any particular food on my plate.

In the past, I have eaten about 1/2 cup. Now I don't have as much restriction (which I like) and I am eating about 1 cup of food at each meal and still losing.

Since you haven't had a fill yet, you don't have to worry too much about stretching the pouch. My directions say to have 2 ounces of protein for every once of carb. and to limit intake to a total of 1.5-2 cups of food.

I started out with about 1/2 cup of food or about 3 oz of fish (fish is great protein for just starting solids). Eat slowly, chewing very well and pay attention to how you feel. Generally, I found that when the question of have I had enough pops into my head ... I had. Stop eating - put the food in another room. If you are still hungry in 10 minutes, you can have more. That has worked really well for me. I never have gone back for the rest.

Good luck

Stitchy:
Great answer on waiting 10 minutes! I'm using that one tomorrow!

I was always told 3 oz of protein, 1/2 cup veggies, then carbs if there's room. Usually, that fills me up before I get all of it in and I'm satisfied for at least 3 or 4 hours before I'm thinking about eating something else, unless my meal has consisted of too many carbs (which do not satisfy).

I like the idea of the 10 minute thing, but what I've always done is eat slowly and as soon as I feel as though I've had enough (I don't mean full, stuffed or over-full) I stop eating. Chew well, eat slowly and listen to your body's subtle signs and you'll know when you've had enough. Everyone has their own subtle signs. For some, it's a sigh or a hiccup. My nose runs. You'll have your own.

Stitchy, That is exactly what the nutritionist told me about portion size, She also told me that I should put the food in the other room.. and most likely I won't go back. The other thing she told me is to use a dessert plate for my food to better guide me to portion size. I am not banded yet, pretty soon though. But, I'm starting to take all the info. down. LOL

Congrats. I am 3 weeks behind you. Let me know how it goes.

Janey, I hate to give you a non-answer, but the band will tell you how much to eat and it will change from meal to meal and from day to day. As I write this I have eaten 1 & 1/2 pieces of bacon and 2 bites of toast...I'm feeling about done for breakfast, yesterday I ate 2 pieces of bacon and 1/2 piece of toast before feeling this full.
You are going to do great...eat slowly and go with how you feel, it's a whole new way of eating. I believe it's how naturally thin people live.

I started with the half cup measure but soon started figuring out the optimum quantity per meal. If in doubt at first, go slowly. It's better to always start with less in your plate than with too much.
A good trick is to use a smaller plate (dessert is a good one) and even kids fork/knife. Remember to chew food over and over, calmy, fight the tendance we all had of gulping it down and put your fork down between bites.
You'll see how wonderful it feels feeling full and satiated after a few bites!:D :D
niki

I agree, it differs for me for day to day and now I just listen to my body's signals. I dont really think about it, I just eat slowly and carefully and stop when I've had enough.

But when I was healing, I did measure out a cup and stuck at that or less if I felt full before.

In the beginning, it was pretty hard for me to eat a WHOLE poached egg at one time....for about a week or 2 I had to make two meals of it.....

After my mushie stage, 4 more weeks my dr has me moving to 4-5 ounces of food for each meal...Said to make what I eat count due to not being able to take in much...So I took that as meat and veggies...He told me to use a childs plate to make the portion look bigger to me and to also lay the fork down in between bites....But alas, I am still on my 2 ounces of mushies right now