Stretching the pouch

As many of you know, I have kidney failure requiring dialysis 3 times a week. Dialysis not only removes the fluids I consume (I've completely lost the ability to urinate. ) ), but also the toxins, like potassium and phosphorus, in the foods I eat

Recently, I asked my dietician if she had any experience with bariatric surgery post-op patients. Not surprisingly, she said "No" but, that she would contact other dieticians on her professional listservs and see if anyone could help with a diet that would help me get in enough protein and stick to my fluid restrictions. A few days later, she came back with a 4 stage diet. Stage 4, in a nutshell, was:
1 oz of nutritional supplement, hourly
1 oz of water/Crystal Light, hourly
2 oz. of protein, 3 times a day

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm ambivalent. There is s a very big part of me that it thankful this is so simple. (Simple in number of steps. Not simple in how easy it will be to accomplish.) Then, I think about the post-opers I know that got so excited that they were able to eat a whole serving of something. If a serving is a cup, and my pouch is only 3 oz., why should I be shooting for or even need a whole cup?

Kelly

You measure your food before you chew it up. So what you actually swallow is a lower volume than what you put in your mouth. Thats why they say chew chew chew and then chew some more before you swallow.

Thanks, Ann!! Kelly

A cup is 8 ounces, so nothing in what she listed would be a cup.  Go by what she says, not serving sizes for the foods listed on the box.  Those serving sizes are for people who have full stomachs, not us.  I can eat about a cup of food now at a year+ out, but that didn't come until a year post-op.  Go by what your NUT says, not what the box says.  The volume will come with time, but don't ru**** you don't need to. Take care. Ellen

What I'm really asking is, if our pouch is only 3 oz...how (or more importantly why??) would you want to stretch it to one cup of food?? I'm not looking for volume. From what I understand, one of the good things about the surgery is the full feeling after only a few bites. Seems like stretching the pouch would require more & more food to get that full feeling.

Thanks for responding, Cinderellen!! I hope this post finds you doing well!!

Kelly

You're welcome and I'm doing quite well. The goal is never about stretching the pouch, but that comes naturally as you go along.  I would keep measuring everything I eat to keep the stretch to a minimum.  My goal was never to be able to eat a cup of food, it just is what it is.  This is also about food choice as well as volume.  We need to relearn what to eat and in what quantities, that is really the whole point of this surgery.  The responsibility still lies with us to make appropriate decisions. I think you are being very thoughtful and responsible with your pouch.  You will do great. Take care. Ellen

Hijack....

Cinderellen, amazinggggggg weight loss, you go gurl....... Keep up the great work, you look amazing.....

Thank you.

The pouch stretches some automatically.  It's just the nature of the human body to do whatever it can to adapt (like the malabsorption going away after 12-18 months..)

Thank you, Andrea!! I didn't know that malabsorption goes away after 12-18 month. I didn't equate the stabilization of weight around that same time with the loss of malabsorption. Hope you're well!! Kelly