I'm a BAAAAD Girl!Yes? No?

I keep eating too fast! Then I or at the least, I have horrible pain for 30 minutes. I cannot adjust to eating slow. I shovel it in at record speeds. Even though I try to concentrate on eating slow; take a bite, put the fork down, count to ten, take another...etc. ARRRGGGHHH! It seems so artificial and weird! I am afraid I have stretched my pouch,too. Today, I was treated to a lunch at a sushi bar by a good friend, and I knew I could not eat the rice in Sushi, so I ordered Sashimi (no rice,just the fish). It was brought out to me on a boat!!! I figured I would be asking for a doggie bag, but I ate it all and felt full but fine. I had 18 pieces of Salmon,Tuna, and Hamachi!!!! True, each piece was only two inches long, but I was amazed! For supper, I had half a roast beef sandwich (toasted). I drink water all day and workout at the gym. Am I a bad girl or what? I have lost 40 lbs. so far after two months.

In my mind you are pushing the limit, and you have been since you had the surgery. After everything you have been thru do you really want to stretch your pouch, and yet I have heard it can happen. Just because you can eat that much, does not mean you should. Remember this is just a tool. You may have lost a good amount so far, but with that behaviour don't you think you might loose momentum at some point? Jane

Hi, The problem might not be a stretched pouch..it might be a large stoma...some of us come out of surgery and the stoma does not shrink the way it is supposed to..not our fault..or the surgeon's fault...just the luck of the draw...and hence are able to eat way more than others. The malabsorption part is still in effect....so weight loss still happens...but in these folks, amounts are much less restricted. If food is not measured..overtime...these people are right back in the same scenario as before surgery..diet and exercise....of course..eventually EVERYONE makes it there...no matter the pouch size etc. There are always certain posts that will draw the self righteous out of the woodwork....it is an unfortunate spin off of posting on a message board. Sooner or later..everyone will have their share of issues...no one is exempt. Sher' 272/228/???

PS:::When the stoma is too large it renders the pouch useless and food just sort of goes straight through into the gutt...amounts are still somewhat limited..but much less so....and not at the "2 spoonfuls and I'm stuffed" level. Sher'

Hi Lou Ann, If I wait too long to eat I tend to shovel and do the same as you. I've actually taken one of my children's insulated lunch bags and fill it everyday with high protein snacks and extra vitamins. I keep the snacks in the car or by my side at work. I usually fill the bag with an ice pack, calcium, vitamins, B12, string cheese, yogurt, protein drink and I love jello(I know they're not protein but they're good snacks). This really helps with the hunger(both head and stomach). Try it, you'll like it. Oh, I also like to get a V8 for a snack sometimes. If your food is passing through quickly you are definately going to get hungry quicker, just snack on protein. Let me know how it goes. Take Care, Syndi PS I add two little hard pretzels to the bag in case I need to crunch/munch on something. God knows sometimes it hits the spot but only after the protein snack!!!!! Good luck