Help!

I'm so confused about how much to eat! At my nutrition class, my NUT made a big deal about only eating 1/4 cup of food or 2 oz.  So I'm 3 weeks out and I've been eating pureed foods, 1/4 C, 3 times a day, 4 hours apart.  I've been soooooo hungry!!! Hungry like rip your head off and keep walking hungry. I mention this to a friend of mine who is a year out and she's shocked I'm still able to sit up.  She said no, you have to weigh your food, it's like the difference of a pound of rocks and a pound of feathers.  That 1/4 C of mac and cheese is no where near two ounces and even two ounces of pureed food is no where near 1/4 C of food. She pointed out that WLS is NOT about being hungry all the time - you need to eat until your satisfied, don't push the limits, just eat until you're satisfied. So I went home and made mac and cheese (it's okay with NUT and surgeon) and just ate until I felt satisfied.  Life was bliss!!! I suppose I ate about 1/2 C to 3/4 C and chewed and chewed. I slept good, had energy this morning.  Then I crashed in the "OMG! I ate too much, I've ruined everything. Kelly (my NUT) said only 1/4 C, 3x a day, at least 4 hours apart!" I'm going to call her and ask her these questions, but do you remember being at this stage and what you were eating? Thanks! Jana

Early post-op is a weird and complicated time. Early out from surgery I did weigh or measure all of my food, and I also kept a food diary.  Our instructions were sort of similar - 2oz of food at a time, go slowly.  I wasn't hungry so even that was hard, but more importantly our instructions were as much protein as possible.  Aim for 60g (which is hard early out!) and 600-800 calories daily.  I don't think I met either goal until about 5 weeks out, and I was eating 3-5 small meals per day.  The problem at first is that you may or may not know when you are satisfied or full - sometimes it takes a while before you can really feel your pouch (because some nerves may be cut during surgery) and tell when you are full, and for some people the signs of being full are totally strange (like hiccups or a runny nose).  The idea behind measuring is so you don't overeat and get sick, or accidentally harm your pouch.  You'll also find that as you eat more solid foods, they will fill you up faster - slippery pureed things sort of slide right through so you can fit more of them.   Furthermore, as your pouch heals it may tighten up, a lot of people report that, myself included.  I could eat more in terms of volume during the first six weeks or so than I could up until the end of month 4 or so.  Right now, I would stick to measuring/weighing, but try to listen to your body for cues that you are full.  Also, when you feel hungry sometimes you are actually thirsty, so often I'll drink 8oz of water and wait the 30 minutes and see if I still feel hungry.  Sometimes I do, and sometimes I'm fine.  It also might help you to track your food on fitday, thedailyplate, or calorieking.  I agree with your friend though, wls is not about being hungry all the time.  The first few weeks are the hardest also for learning whether you are truly physically hungry, or if you just want food because you are addicted to food.  I cried once because my husband made toast - it was a total mental breakdown because the toast smelled so good.  Its a rough time, but it gets easier. Best wishes, Jenn

I say follow the plans given to you by your Nut or DR, don't listen to others. Each and every DR is different so you'll get a million different answers on this question. Mac and cheese? There are better choices, but if it's on your plan then go for it. Wow, I get sick after a few bites of pasta still! Are you drinking protein drinks, is that a part of your plan? You really need to be eating/drinking more protein than carbs right now. At 3 weeks out I was on soft foods (high in protein) like cottage cheese, string cheese, egg salad, SF pudding with protein added in,  and protein drinks. At one month post-op I was told to stop all protein drinks.