A different view - 6 weeks post-op

So, I have some questions and am looking for advice. 

I thought this would be so easy.  "I won't be hungry anymore! I can eat low-carb! I've done that before! I got this!"

Uhh, not.  I never took into account that 80% of my stomach was being removed and that it would have to heal! I have had such a hard time learning how to eat without making myself puke! I thought that I would be so happy that I have lost 42 lbs since May 17.  Suprisingly, I am upset that it is so hard to get used to this new life.  Not only am I mourning food, but I am hung up on the fact that no matter what I eat, I never know if it is going to make me sick or not.  Yesterday, I ate tuna salad for lunch and was nauseous.  Then I ate grilled chicken for dinner and got sick again.  After maybe 4 weeks, I finally figured out that most of the "uncomfortableness" that I was feeling was because I was eating too much, or too fast, or bites that were too big.  I would get this really heavy painful feeling in my chest like literally food was just sitting in my esophagus and wasn't entering my stomach.  So I backed way off and ate much less and started working harder at it.  I still have bad days.  

This is not me complaining...this is a concerned me.  I want to get a grip on this; I want to figure it out, because at the end of the day, this is all a sacrifice I am willing to make to be healthy -- no matter the price.  I am just wondering if I am the only one who is feeling a little defeated?  Everyone who's had the surgery always sounds so grateful and happy -- I never hear anything negative.  Maybe one day I will feel that same way, but not yet.  This has been a tough road.  

Will I always have these issues?  Or is this all from healing? Will I always have to eat this slow?

I think the good outweighs the bad. I was sick to my stomach a few weeks after surgery. I was tired. 

This life is so much easier than the last one were I had to worry about was I going to fit in that chair? Would I break the patio furniture? Would I be able to walk as far as everyone else? 

I know this is not easy. It does change your life. I feel for the better. I don't have to lie and say I don't feel well when I go somewhere because I can't walk that far. 

it does get easier. It can be hard to. I mean going to a party and there are trigger foods there. This is a learning process. One day at a time. Or one meal at a time.

Best wishes to  you. When you start feeling down think about what you will be able to do when you lose some of the weight. Make a list. 

Are you weighing your food?   If not, you should be.  At six weeks out your sleeve is still healing.  And getting into the practice of weighing your food helps you to know how much you can eat.   Even now, 2-1/2 years later, it's difficult for me to accurately gauge how much 3-4 ounces is.  My eyes always want more more more.

It takes time to get into your new normal routine of eating.  You have to wrap both your body and your mind around it.  Weighing along with tracking what you eat via an app like My Fitness Pal are great tools to use.  

Don't be discouraged.  You will find what works for you and be able to adjust.  But I do highly recommend you start weighing so that you know at what point you become sick or uncomfortable eating.

Our bodies do not need as much food as our minds would like us to have.  We can never have that "stuffed to the gills" sensation from eating large quantities of food.  Now it makes us miserable.

Here's the scale I use.  I bought it from Amazon.

I am 8 years postop. Last night I overate on slider foods... not good... I was in pain most of the night..and still today.. I don't do that often ... but I do it.... and i hate every time I do stupid **** like that. 

But that means my tool - the pouch - is still doing her job... and making sure I don't do that.  (I ate all appropriate WLS food- just way too much of it)..

So true...because without this surgery....there is NO WAY I would have lost 42lbs by now!! NO WAY!! I had proved that fact over and over again with yo-yo dieting! 

I do weigh my food...I can eat maybe 1-2oz of meat and about 2 tbsp of anything else (veggie or carb).  That's it for a meal.  If I eat chicken salad (or something that can be weighed by cups instead of oz), I can eat about 1/4 to a 1/2 cup.  It's just that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes chicken salad works and sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes turkey burger works and sometimes it doesn't.  That's why I was expressing frustration -- because I never know when something is going to go wrong.....maybe I am over-analyzing.  I have already made the step to stop food from controlling me, now I want to be the one in control.  

Does anyone have a consistent problem with tuna salad?  For some reason, that has not set well twice now.  

My pouch does not like poultry unless it is pureed and very moist. The trigger for you may be the mayonnaise on the salad (chicken and tuna), it may just be a bit too rich for your tummy right now. I have switched over to using greek yogurt thinned with a little lime juice or vinegar instead of mayo as the oil in the mayo was not sitting well.

With my doctored "mayo", I can eat tuna and shrimp salad without a problem. Just the thought of a turkey burger makes my tummy hurt.

Oddly enough, I'm fine with beef, pork, goat, venison and all fishes including crab and scallop and bluefish.

Yes. I'm 8 weeks out and tuna and eggs do not sit well. Also anything with to much seasoning makes me sick, Cajun chicken and chili have been the only thing to cause me to vomit. I'll wait a few months before trying them again . Are you eating slowly enough ? From what I've been told, sometimes your pouch just doesn't like certain things but that can change. Also , turkey burgers can be very dry . I have had luck putting one in a nonstick skillet with a tad of water, putting a lid on it and then finishing it off with mcormicks turkey gravy... It's in a dry packet and has 0 carbs and 5 calories . 

This makes me feel so much better! It's not just me! And also, that turkey burger recipe sounds delish!!! 

Many people find that their stomach is "touchy" for at least the first few months after surgery. As things continue to heal, you'll tolerate things better, and it's really a learning process to figure out what works and what doesn't.

At first, I had to eat VERY slowly. Bites the size of a grain of rice, put my fork down between each bite. Some foods gave me a lot of trouble, like cooked eggs, and I had to wait months until I could tolerate them.

At about 6 months out, I could take "normal" bites, if I chewed very thoroughly and also put my fork down between bites.

2.5 years out, I can eat normal bites at a normal pace, but have to be careful that I don't overdo it; it's still important to weigh and measure portions.

Yeah, the first months really can suck. It's not as easy as we might think it will be. But it DOES get better.