how much can you eat?

How much is everyone able to eat 1.) at one sitting 2.) through out the day I am not talking about calories, but quantities. I am eating so much more than I used to. Even my husband noticed it. I can usually eat a whole slice of pizza at one sitting. For lunch I eat 1/2 sandwiches and even chips. I am getting in my protien and water without a problem. In fact I don't have any problems at all. My son will even ask, Mom, how can you fit that in an egg (the pouch) LOL I am satisfied with my weight loss, currently at about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds per week but wonder if I am eating too much food. Thanks, Ellen

I can eat more now, too. Just had my 6 mo nut visit a week or so ago and I mentioned to her I worry about being able to eat more, although my calories are still 800-850. I mentioned, for example, when I make a salad, I start with 2 oz cabbage or spinach, then add some mushrooms, garbanzo beans, cheese. Gee, it now looks huge, like a full cup. Plus eating my main meat/fish course which is now 3 oz. She said not to worry about the volume of the salad. I am sometimes not able to finish that bowl of salad (but I do eat the beans and cheese so I get the protein I planned on, ). Yes, in healing, our pouches are no longer the size of an egg and may be able to hold 6-8 oz of solids. I asked my surgeon a few months ago about stretching the pouch and he said, although they use a section of stomach that is less amenable to stretching, it does stretch in the healing process and if overloaded. We're ok as long as we STOP when satisfied, and not uncomfortable, to the point of possibly stretching the pouch more. Throughout the day, I still eat 5 times a day, breakfast, a protein drink 'snack' (drinking, not eating) mid morning, lunch, small protein snack in the afternoon like string cheese, dinner, and a protein snack in the evening like pudding or cheese/crackers. We were instructed in my program to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks immediately postop. Now that we're further out, we should limit our snacks to protein snacks and snack only if needed to get the protein in for the day. I'm also insulin-dependent so I almost always have an evening snack because I tend to go hypoglycemic before bed and it helps even out my sugars with a little snack in the evening. This has been my experience so far. My weight loss is slowing and is similar to yours. Talk to your nut if you're concerned about your volume of food intake. I'm no expert, but your experience looks normal to me! Kathy

Ellen; I can eat more than I could, but still not very much. I still try to stick with protein first, but have noticed I can pack in salad like you cannot believe. I can eat 1.5-2 cups without discomfort in about a 1/2 hour. If I eat the way we're told to when we were first back on solid foods (only dense protein), I can't eat much more than before. Usually less than 3 oz. at a sitting. I've had pizza 2x post-op. The first, I only attempted to eat the toppings, but ate the cheese and pepperoni off of one slice. The second time was last week and I ate 3/4 of a piece in an hour (super thin crust cooked crispy). I didn't eat any of the edge of the crust. I don't eat sandwiches at all because of the bread and I've never been big on chips, so I don't eat those either. If you're losing, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I fight because I have a hard time eating enough to keep my body losing. I've gotten very bored with my current lunchtime choices, so I'm skipping today...good thing it's a holiday weekend so I've got time to revamp my menus and get a fresh perspective for next week. Blessings, Jennifer 253 / 171 / 137

Hi Ellen, I also feel like I am eating too much some days, but other days I hardly eat at all. For the most part, I eat up to about 1/2-3/4 cup of food total per meal (not snacks), but like Jennifer said, I can eat lots of salad...I can't figure out why. My nut. told me that up to 1 cup is ok (for soft foods) but I just can't hold that much without being really uncomfortable. As for throughout the day, I eat 2 main meals (lunch and dinner), have a shake for breakfast, and about 3 snacks in between in addition to my fluids. I am discovering I am having blood sugar issues, so I am revamping my early afternoon snack and bedtime snack to try to stop the dizziness and nausea. I do notice that the 2 days I don't go to the gym, I tend to be less hungry, but on gym nights I usually need an extra snack in the evening. Good luck! Christine