Can't tell when full? Don't want to stretch stomach

Sorry I meant 1/2 cup serving of something. In the end it equals one cup.Because I have two servings of something at once.

thank you for your information and help.

I would think at 16 months, the goal would be to maintain a certain calorie level. Also, from all I've read, it can take a year or more for your stomach to "feel" fullness, and some people never feel it like they used to. I think that's why everyone's advice about continuing to weigh/measure and be certain of how much you are eating is so important. ESPECIALLY if you still can't feel full.

Also, did your surgeon tell you how much your new stomach is supposed to hold? Unless yours is significantly smaller than average, I would think 1/2 cup at a time would be less than your stomach can old, and therefore, would be no problem at all for you and no risk of stretching.

I was told mine will hold 8oz by weight when fully healed, so my plan is that I will never eat more than that at one time, to a) ensure that I don't stretch my stomach, and b) ensure that I don't overeat.

I can manage 4-6oz at 6 months out, and I anticipate a maximum of 8oz by one year.

Definitely ask your surgeon how much yours is supposed to hold if you don't already know. That helps me a lot in determining how much I can and will eat.

Thank you for your reply he said it can hold one cup now.

i eat one cup of food, 1/2 cup portions of things to equal a cup

for example

1/2 cup beans

a slice of bread (that I've measured to make sure fits into the 1/2 measuring cup)

I always measure wverything

Then as long as you aren't gaining weight and are either maintaining or still losing (whichever status you are working on), then it would seem to me you're doing just fine. I don't think it's necessary for you to keep your stomach "filled" at all times. I mean, most people don't eat all day to keep their stomach full. As long as you're meeting your nutrition requirements and getting plenty of protein and fluids, I wouldn't think you would need to eat more than 3 regular meals a day, with perhaps a snack now and then if you need one to get your protein in.

As far as your "hunger cues" go, I have no idea what a daily menu for you is, but hopefully beans and bread are just a rare example, as that is a lot of carbs, and eating carbs just makes you hungry for more carbs. Definitely make sure you're eating protein first, which should be your priority, and focusing on dense proteins like meat, fish, chicken, etc., and good carbs like leafy green veggies. Those things will stay with you longer and keep you from being hungry.

I am almost 2 years out. Never eat until you feel full. Your clinic is correct: sleeves are hard to stretch. Excess food backs up into the esophagus, actually, and that, however, can stretch. Our capacity increases the further from surgery we go as we are healing, and so swelling goes down. Additionally, people just eat more crap the further from surgery we get. I do it too. This also gives the illusion of increased capacity, because processed carbohydrate, and starches in general, "smoosh" when chewed. Protein stays dense, but we can eat far more bread, cake, etc, than meat. So, it's not "stretching" so much as it is food choice and perception.

Fullness is: chemical, physical, and neurological. You will not be full just because your stomach expands. They explain this very poorly, and even some surgeons are unaware of the neurological aspect.

You have a cranial nerve called the vagus nerve that runs from your brain, along your stomach, and it goes even further down. It is very closely tied to satiety. During surgery, the fingers of this nerve that run over the stomach are severed, which is why we do not feel fullness the same for a very long time.

Because fullness is chemical, what we eat also can cause fullness, or not. Protein will always cause the most fullness when eaten by itself, because the stomach digests protein and fat last. Carbohydrate goes right through, and begins to be digested when you chew, actually. What type of food you eat also can cause fullness. For example, insulin stimulates hunger, so foods that raise insulin more will stimulate hunger more. Protein stimulates insulin far less than carbohydrate, and fat stimulates it the least of all.

At any rate, I do it by volume and weight. My stomach can hold 1 cup by volume approximately, at this time. Maybe a bit more if I overeat, however I try to eat less than a cup per meal. I measure dense meat by weight so I can calculate protein. It must fit in the volume I've distinguished.

I'm rather draconian when it comes to myself, however that is how I've kept off all my weight (I used to weigh 750) without zero regain - which is quite rare. Other WLS patients are inclined to eyeball things. That does not work for me, alas.

Eyeballs always lie. Big lying liars. They always tell our brain that a little more food is ok.

Kitchen scales never lie.