Question:
3 mos. post op and can suddenly eat more? Anyone else?
October 1st was 3 months post op for me and I have lost 66 pounds so far. Just over the past two days I've been able to eat more at one sitting. I do pretty much the same things everyday. I have a protien shake for breakfast, walk a couple of miles, drink all my water, have a small lunch (usually peanutbutter and crackers) then just a small dinner. Last night I finished and entire healthy choice lasagna dinner. Tonight I finished about 5" of a 6" turkey sub from Subway. I am full but not miserably full. I am so worried about this. Did this happen to you?? If so, was it just kind of a phase or is it permanent? How did this seemingly happen overnight?? All info is appreciated. Thanks in advance!! — Jennifer H. (posted on October 3, 2003)
October 3, 2003
Your pouch does stretch over time-it is meant to and periodically (every
few months for me) you will notice that you can eat more at meals. The
first few months, we eat just a few ounces, but as time goes by you will be
able to eat much more. Our pouches end up at 6-10 oz size. Consistency also
comes into play-softer foods, like the lasagna, you can eat more of than
say a chicken breast. Also keep in mind that just because you CAN eat 5
inches of a turkey sub (is that with the bread?), you don't have to... you
still have to maintain some self-control over portion sizes. Your doing
very well for 3 months..keep up the good work!
— Cindy R.
October 3, 2003
Jennifer: What Cindy said was right on. I'd just add that it's possibly
the time of your cycle that is allowing you eat more and feel hungrier. A
subway sandwich with the bread is a huge amount to be eating at 3 months.
If you could continually eat that then I think you might want to talk to
your doctor about the possibility of an enlarged stoma. It's probably too
early to worry about it right now, but it's something to think about if
indeed suddenly you can eat a whole lot more than you could before. Now if
the sandwich was without the bread then that's not that much food, and I
wouldn't worry at all. Hopefully it's just a temporary cycle thing, and
you don't have to worry about self control of portion size this early into
the game. You're doing great though, so congratulations. S
— sherry hedgecock
October 3, 2003
At about 3 months post op your pouch relaxes a little and has more give to
it,instead of being so rigid.Your pouch and intestines also have learned to
work better together as well, so you are able to eat a little bit more.
— jennifer A.
October 3, 2003
YUP, YUP, YUP! It happened to me at 6 months out. Overnight I could eat
almost a cup and a half of food. YIKES! It really freaked me out. But in
your mind squish down that sub until all the air is out of it. A lot of
that "volume" is simply air. I wouldn't worry about it. You'll
find as you go along that many things can affect how much you can eat at a
given time: Your hormones, how much and what you ate the last time, the
type of food you're eating, whether you are drinking with the meal . . .
Lots of things. But you'll also find that if you could eat that TODAY and
came back tomorrow you probably couldn't eat that much again.
— ctyst
October 3, 2003
Ditto what everybody else said, with this extra thought: Now is the time
to begin emphasizing dense protein foods in your diet, as they take up more
space in the pouch that most carbs, are generally lower in calories, and
help stave off "head hunger" (which may cause you to eat more
than you really wanted in one sitting). I'm not anti-carb, nor do I want
to nag somebody who still isn't eating much, but you might want to re-think
your menu if it typically contains crackers, pasta, *and* bread every day.
Also, I notice that it seems you eat food only twice a day (and your
lunch, if it's just crackers and peanut butter, is a really small meal).
No wonder you're eating so much now when you do allow yourself to eat. It
may be time to think about eating 5-6 small meals a day, to keep from being
so hungry (and so in need of nutrition) that you eat more than you're
comfortable with, mentally or physically, at your meals. We all hit these
windows where we find we can eat more -- it's happened to me more than
once, too, at 16 months out -- and I'm thinkin', as long as I fill up any
extra space with protein, I'll stand a better chance of surviving my
"increased capacity."
— Suzy C.
October 3, 2003
Oh my goodness! I could have wrote this post. I was 3 months one day b/4
you. Had surgery on 6/30/03. I have lost 70 pds. in the 3 months, so we are
right around the same. I too noticed that I can now eat more. I try to eat
more chicken, fish, and turkey which fills me up for a longer period than
pasta. Good luck and keep up the good work.
— [Deactivated Member]
October 3, 2003
I read an article from a Bariatric Doctor that indicated that the growth of
the pouch is normal, but that you need to make your body get satisfied with
no more than 4 oz of food. To be able to do that you need to eat about 4
oz of food every 3-4 hours. The more you eat the more will the pouch
stretch and once the pouch stretch there is no much the Doctors can do. Be
very careful! Good Luck!
— earana
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