OK how are you doing with food?

Hi Everyone, I am One month and like a week out. I am so scared of food. After going one month without food I am so afraid of what I can eat. I ate to fast once and it came back up well twice. But its like I feel like I cant hardly eat anything like my stomach is the size of a pea instead of an egg. LOL! I know its trial and error but I know I dont eat like I should. Just wondering how much some of you out there eat in a day??? Also...how much do you eat in one setting and how long does it take you? It takes me forever!!! like an hour just a couple of ounces. Thanks so much Elizabeth M One month out and 33-

Hi Elizabeth - I only had to go without food (liquids only) for a week. But I was really afraid to eat too much too fast. I was following the rules by blenderizing everything, but now I really chew, chew, chew. I also don't measure my 2 oz out like I did in the beginning. I know when to stop, and I'm good at eyeballing the 2 oz. I still stop way before I get full and miserable. Here's what I've had today so far: Skipped breakfast (I know - bad!) Venti Hazelnut Latte from Starbuck's while shopping at Target Lunch - 2 oz of Beef Jerky (Tender Steak Bites - chewed really well and eaten slow!) 1 oz of swiss cheese Snack - 1 carton of Yoplait Yogurt That's it - and I'm hungry. About to go start dinner. I probably should have had more to eat by this time, but I'll get in some more calories by bedtime. According to fitday.com (where I log in my food every day), I've only had 441 cal and only 33 grams of protein. Having beef and veggies for dinner - hopefully that'll do it for me. If not, I'll have a spoonful of peanut butter (my dietician's suggestion) or another Carnation Instant Breakfast drink to get my add'l protein in. Also - don't take too long to eat - I was doing that at first and my dietician said that's why I was probably still hungry after eating - I was taking too long. I eat a "meal" in about 20 minutes. Probably should take longer, but I'm a busy mom and I'm constantly trying to do multiple things at the same time!! Good luck to you! -Wendy

I have barely eaten anything today, I am just not hungry at all, as a matter of fact all I have had today is a string cheese stick. I am going to have some shrimp for dinner so that will help a little. I just have no appetite today. But yesterday I got 105gms of protien in but it was a miserable day for me!! I dumped on the 40gm of protein shake I got down and then when I was eating the last of my can of tuna it got stuck(I didnt chew it well enough) so that came back up. But at about 11 at night I had a tablespoonful of Peanut butter and it was great for my sweet tooth!! ~Nicole 216/175/120

Elizabeth, I have a hard time eating enough to get in 60 grams of protein a day so I have a protein shake for breakfast. For lunch I'll usually have cottage cheese, yogurt or deli turkey with a slice of cheese. Dinner varies, but is usually a small piece of fish, refried beans or shrimp. I'm having a hard time with chicken lately. It just seems to sit in my chest so I'll leave that alone for awhile. Connie

I cannot imagine going a whole month without food! I guess if I had a smaller pouch it would be different, but with my 4 oz pouch, I DEFINITELY get hungry. I assume you are on soft foods right? Just take it slow, but not too slow. I think the thing is, if you are taking an hour to get in a couple of ounces, that would to me indicate that maybe your pouch is 1 oz or so. If that is the case, I would talk to your nutritionist as to how often you are to eat and how long it should take you to eat. I don't believe I know of many docs that want us to nurse a meal for an hour. For me, I dumped the worst on simple carbs like crackers. I would recommend having pureed proteins if that is good with your nutritionist. I had pureed chicken curry a couple weeks out and it was great. Maybe you can try something like that. Good luck and let us know if you find that right mix! Always good to know each other's tricks! Dina

Elizabeth, I am still on Stage 4 (soft/pureed proteins) and my typical daily menu is: a.m. 1 med. egg, scrambled, with 1 oz. LF cheese, melted lunch 1/2 C. FF refried beans or 1/2 C. chili beans with 1 oz. LF cheese, melted 3:00 8 oz. 1% milk with 20 g. protein powder p.m. 2 oz. tuna mixed with tsp. Lite mayo or 1/4 C. 1% cottage cheese I nurse between 50--65 fl. oz. of water inbetween eating. I am taking in between 400--600 calories a day. I have not had an difficulty at all, no pain, nausea, dumping, nothing. I eat my meals in about 5-10 minutes. And I am losing very slowly. Go figure. Hope this helps. Maureen