I'm disappointed with myself!

I have put off writing this post because it means I will be letting out a secret on myself. Not an easy thing to do to oneself. I'm ten days post op and I have been over eating already! What I mean by that is more jello than I should have at one time (like maybe 1/2 a cup or maybe even 3/4 of a cup) a whole coffee mug of chicken broth at one time. I will make a sugerfree hot cocoa and drink a whole mug full. I try to make myself sip it slowly like over fifteen minutes time but that is really pushing it. I just finished having a whole mug of egg drop soup. Now I know that is more than I am suppose to be having but I can't seem to stop myself. This early in the game I'm afraid that I may have caused some damage to my new stomach. I'm just so angry with myself and disappointed to. I have not vomited not even close to it. That is something I am so afraid of happening yet there I go eating more than I should. What the hell is the matter with me !! Before the surgery everytime I heard about someone over eating I thought how could they do that after going through all the pain of the surgery and all the hard work it took to get to be a post op! Now look at me.........eating like a pig. I welcome any and all feed back. Should I tell Dr Valin about this behavior when I see him Wednesday for my first post op appointment? I don't know if I should keep it to myself or not. What do you think? Thank you for your help. Love and Peace Anne B

Anne, do not beat yourself up. Sugar free jello is equivalent to water, a low-fat broth is also a liquid diet. The liquid goes right through the pouch, so it's possible to eat (drink) more. Keep the calories low, and fat content low. Try to drink more water to compensate. I think folks who over eat tend to do so two to three months post op, and with soft foods like ice cream (high in calories and fat). I don't think you can over eat with sugar-free Jello. It is doubtful you will affect your stomach size with any liquids. Perhaps try a snack of sugar-free applesauce inbetween meals. Give yourself a break. Try some other activities to keep your mind off the food. Take a walk. Go shopping! I think you'll have plenty of time to worry about eating once you start experimenting with soft foods later. Wishing you the best. --Steve

Anne- Ten days post op..not sure I would be able to get that much in. Just take it easy. I am not sure you have done any damage to your pouch. Go over the pouch rules for your stage and try to stick with it. Hope you are getting some walking in too. Don't be so hard on yourself... Everyday is a brand new day. Good Luck Hugs Joanie

Hi Anne, That does seem like a lot a one time. I know I was only allowed 1oz every 15 minutes and that was tough for me to handle! I would mention it to your Dr. Try very hard to take little sips and space it over time. Maybe you are not feeling the fullness because you are drinking too fast. Good luck to you and don't hesitate to post here because you think we are going to judge. We are your friends and are here only to help, support and encourage. Love, Sandy

Oh Anne, you poor thing, you are so hard on yourself! I can't agree with Steve more. What you are consuming is equivilant to practically nothing. I also agree with him to try to distract yourself. We are by nature so obsessive so this is why you are micro examining what you are eating. Try using fitday.com to get a better idea of what you are taking in. It helps a lot this early on. Now if you were saying you were experimenting with choc chip cookies this would be a different post! But truly, jello and broth are not going to hurt you. It all comes out in the end, pardon the pun! Keep up the good work! Cheryl

I'm going to play the part of the food nazi here. So get ready to duck! Yes, are are taking alot in at one time. Way too much. Yes, it is generally full liquid (except for the egg drop soup), and it does not stay in the pouch. That I understand. But when you are going over 4 oz in less than 15 minutes, and you are only 10 days post-op, that is just way too much!!!!!! Now, when you have egg drop soup, it has some content that does need digesting and should not just pass through your pouch. That worries me LOTS!!!! The first question in my mind is "What are you thinking??" or "Are you thinking?" From your response, the answer is yes. You know it is a problem, and it's time to do something about it. Yes, talk to Dr Valin when you see him. You need HELP!! People who have this surgery sometimes think that it is a quick fix, and there will never be a problem again. You bring forth the light that it is neither and that is important for others to know. Something is going on, and if I was to guess you are depressed. You have lost your best friend, your comfort and medication that you have relied upon for oh so many years. Yes, food is the cheapest and most readily accessable tranquilizer. We celebrate with food, we morn with food, we anguish with food. We do everything with food. All this surgery does is provide us a way to control the size of the dose. Have you done any premament damage.... not likely. People misread what happens for stretching a pouch and that will happen anyway over time. No one 2,5,or 10 years out has a 1 oz pouch like the day of surgery. The tool is that it is still a 4 to 8 oz pouch and we have to learn how do deal with that. Don't vomit. It is one of the leading causes of developing an ulcer post-up and should be avoided at almost any cost. Talk to Dr Valin. You might benefit from a small dosage of medication to help you over this hump. The feelings won't last, but it might be more than you can handle without some kind of support. Go to support groups. Talk to others and find out what they have to say. If nothing else, you can at least be with people who have/have had to face the same weight problems you ahve had, and find comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Peter ps. Not too harsh for a food nazi. I can send you to a professional if you want

I was having a mug of chicken broth, but not in such a short time. I would sip it over an hour or so.... Tak to Dr V Wednesday and go to the support group Wednesday night! Don't keep things to yourself! Figure out why you are drinking so fast. Are you hungry? Or worried about being deprived? These are liquids and not high in calories/fat etc, but try to slow down and sip! Good luck, Carmen

Hi Anne, You have gotten a lot of good advice and I'm not going to say anything more than this...we were operated on our stomach, not our minds. Regardless of the amount of research we do to prepare ourselves for this, it is such an individual process no two people are alike in their journey. Tell Dr Valin. You only get the 'honeymoon' phase once, and you need to take full advantage of it. If it means you need your Dr's help, so be it. Thats why they're there. Call him, ok? Good luck, and let us know how you made out. We're all here for you, and we all care. -Deb