Fear of eating too much...

Hello my lovelies!!!

So I'm two weeks out and I'm finding that I'm running into this fear factor of eating too much. I'm still keeping my portions at 4TBS for proteins (say canned chicken and light mayo for chicken salad)  and 1/4 cup for things like soups, yogurts (more "liquid" items)...

My eating guidelines from my NUT list 2T-6T or even up to a 1/2 cup for soft food portions... 
Do I just go at my own pace and move at my own comfort level? I don't want to push portions too big or waste too much food.

Is this a normal feeling post op?

I would (personally) go at your own pace, each person is different.  As long as you get in as much protein and liquids as possible, the rest will come together in time. Your early out, pushing things is not always wise. I am 10 months out and still struggle with protein/liquids each and every day. Some days are right on, others not so much. I am up to half a cup TOPS per meal and 1 to 2 oz of a snack depending on what it is.
Best of luck to you!
Kelly/tink

Stacy,

Stick to your Doctors program......Don't eat more than they say.....IMHO.....

Kelly

Hello back to you my loverly!

I had the same fear and since I'm just 3 months out as of yesterday I can speak a little from experience.  I was SOOOOOO scared of over eating and part of the problem is that after surgery the nerves aren't responding and you honestly can't feel "Full".  It wasn't until about 2.5mo out that I was able to understand, comprehend and actually feel satisfied.  It scared me so bad in the beginning and that is why they say it is SOOOOO important to follow the guidelines because you can't feel it.

So to answer you last question - YUP you are normal - YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Sounds like you are doing things right. Be sure to get in the required amounts of protein and water that your doctor suggests. Don't worry...it all comes together...you are doing great.

Hugs....connie d

I'm really struggling getting all my liquids in.. i guess i just need to make sure i'm sipping more.. i have my water bottle full next to me and i just can't seem to keep it going down.

In the beginning I had to put visual reminders up everywhere. Post-it notes that said WATER or SIP,SIP, SIP or DRINK STUPID were put up in my office cubical and throughout my home. When I was out I always havd a bottle of water IN HAND, because it was easier to forget to drink if I put it down.

I would also set a reminder on my computer to go off every half hour, or I would track bottles of water finished. It does get easier and you sound like you are doing fine.

I'm almost 5 yrs post-op and I still measure my food.

Just make sure you are eating slowly. My surgeon said the most important thing I could do to make sure I don't overeat is to eat at a pace of 1/4 cup per 15 minutes, and not eating longer than 30 minutes.
How much you can eat changes at any given time. Like sometimes I can eat an entire cup of chili and then today, I was done at 1/2 cup.
Don't push yourself to eat all of what is there. One of the great things about your pouch is that you'll learn what full means pretty quickly. Don't push past that full feeling just to finish your food.

I am terrified all the time that I'm eating too much. I suggest keeping track of what you are eating so that you actually know. I've found I think I eat too much and then if I actually look at the calories of what I ate, it's within my range.

Like others have said, follow what your doctor says and also pre-portion what you are eating.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Post-its are up.. and i put DRINK STUPID as my reminder on my outlook calendar at work.. ha ha..

I did have my post-op NUT visit today @ 11:30 and she said so far i'm on track losing and the way I'm eating.. so that made me feel better. I had a rough day personally and I feel like crawling in a hole and crying about it.
Your encouragement on eating made my day a little better.  Thanks all..

I swayed between feeling like I might eat too much... and then feeling like I'm not eating enough.  Even now, 1 month post-op I sometimes think I'm not eating enough.  I realized that it's just that before surgery I was eating WAY TOO MUCH!  LOL!! 

For now I go by the 1/2 cup rule.