I HAD A WHOLE SANDWICH

I am terrified, today was the first time that I actually finished a whole sandwich!!!! Okay guys this is freaking me out, I have not been able to do that since before my surgery. Does this mean that I have stretched my stoma? Please say no. I am hoping that it is because I will be starting my period soon, and sometimes I do have a bigger appetite, but still wasn't able to finish off a whole sandwich. Help!!!!!! 214/140/114 26lbs. til goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sally, Here's the deal......you are at that point of the journey when the swelling has subsided and the are is mostly healed. That means that that 99% of post-ops from 6 months or so out CAN eat more. BUT......should we? ....You know those little measuring cups that you got at the hospital (2 oz size) It's time to bring them out again....and maybe your food scale.... One of the problems that we have as post-ops is that we try to recreate that "semi truck on the chest" type of fullness to tell us to STOP eating. That feeling diminishes for most folks as time goes on and we may have to try and stuff ourselves to find it again. Before you run into trouble; just take a few basic steps backwards and you'll do fine through this transition time. 1. Go back to weighing and measuring for several days and then perhaps commit to doing it every Monday forever just to keep you honest. 2. Check out whether you've begun to sip during your eating? You should water load right up until you eat and then do not drink again until at least 30 minutes after you eat.....an entire hour is better. 3. have a protein drink about an hour before your meal to give you some satiety.....that way you won't be as tempted to over eat. 4. consider the consistency of the food that you are eating. All of us can eat way more than 2 oz of yogurt before we have that tight/full feeling but few of us can have more than 2 oz of grilled lean steak. 5. Track your food intake to look for patterns and to help with your awareness. www.fitday.com is excellent and is FREE. www.sparkpeople.com is also free and has a food tracker on it as well. Maybe committ to journaling your food for the first week of every month forever? If your sandwish was moist like a tuna salad then it probably went down easier than a deli turkey with just a bit of mustard. Was the bread dense whole grain or squishy white bread full of air???? Give yourself a break and don't worry too much about your "whole" sandiwch. Take it as a wake-up call to reevaluate your new habits and make some tweaks now instead of after you've reversed your downhill weight loss! Big Hugggzzz to you! You have done soooooo well on your journey!!!!! Joyce P.S. Did you know that if you put a tsp of mustard on your sandwich instead of a tsp of mayonaise that you could lose 10 pounds in a year without making any other changes in yoiur eating???? The "little" calories can make a huge difference! -- And, if you select whole grains then the fiber count can be subtracted from the carb count to give you a lower net carb.

I hear you. I am 1 year post-op tomorrow. I can eat a whole 6" sub, and not feel full at all. Scary.

I think Joyce gave you some excellent advice!!! Thanks Joyce!!!! Measuring is key....