stomach question

when is your stomach considered completely healed? at that time about how much should you be able to eat safely. im doing my best to listen to my brain but when you go places and the food is so good you just wanna keep eating......... i stop myself of course but its so hard. i know they say our stomach is like the size of an egg but if you chew up your food how much food can you really eat comfortably. 

just wondering. for those who have been out here longer than me.

Your body is physically healed up in about four weeks.

If you are a new post-op and your pouch is still the size of an egg, you can comfortably eat an amount a little bit less than the size of an egg. Once you have a fully mature pouch at about 18 months out, you will probably be an,e to eat about 1C of medium density, average water content food (more of foods that are less dense or have higher water content, but less of dense foods with low water content).  I am nearly 8 years out, and I can eat half an average size chicken breast or about 3 ounces of steak if I only have 2 bites of a veggie with it, but I can eat a much larger amount of something like egg salad in a lettuce wrap.

You are finding out for yoruself what thsoe of us who are many years out tell people all the time... that the surgery is on your stomach only, not on your brain, and that the mental part of the journey is the hardest.  

It will get easier as you go, but you need to accept that for the rest of your life you won't be able to eat much.  It does concern me a bit that you are asking how much you can "really" eat. Please embrace only being able to eat a small amount.  In the future, you will likely wish that you could again eat onyl a very small amount.

Lora

you app 1 month post op?

most likely you are still healing and it may take a few more weeks  or a few more months to really feel when we eat "enough". when they cutourstomch - they also cut the nerves that will tell us if we are full or ..if we ate too much. DUring first few months - until the nerves are heaved - it is very important to measure (by volume) the food.   specially any dense proteins, or eggs, etc. 

Eating too much very often as we heal and can't feel - can damage the  stoma, or even the pouch. 

yes im alittle passed one month out. i wnt out to eat last night and i had about 2 ounces of baked fish but only ate 1/2. had a very small chunk of meatloaf but only ate 4 bites. and ate 3 bites of green beans. am i over doing it or am i psyching myself out. 

you need to measure it now. my bite and your bite are not the same. so I am not sure what your "bite is..." BTW: my sister bite was typically half of my cake portion when we were kids.. 

first month - 4 oz. - by volume.   it is not a lot of food.   initially I carried a small plastic 4 oz measuring cup. 

Great tip/idea on the measuring cup to go!

Please please please measure out your food.   I thought I could eye ball everything but I was wrong.   When I eyeballs I would easy too much and end up on pain and throwing up.   You can do a lot of damage and possibly end up with anothersurgery.   just take it easy and easy slow and only what you have measured.