Dietician please check out my food intake....

I had RNY a little over 2 months ago and am able to eat most everything.  That's good and bad right?  I have tried most everything and feel that I can eat the same foods I did before, just less of them.  I have had a few instances of being sick from chicken, and once from salmon.  But I think in both cases I may have not chewed the food enough and/or my pouch was still full from eating earlier.

Of course, I always think protein first and get as much as I can in.  I was never told a calorie number to strive for.. so I'm hoping what I eat is good. 

Here's a somewhat typical day....

8:30am Pure Protein Bar for Breakfast 190 calories, 20g protein, 6g fat, 17g carb

11:30am Flatout hyeroller sandwhich with deli turkey or tuna and cheese(2%) - I use the large flatouts and split the sandwhich in two.  I eat half of it and then eat the other half a few hours later.  Total for the whole sandwhich is about ~320 calories, ~40g protein, ~4g fat, ~20g carb 2:00pm (the other half of the sandwhich) 5:00pm Dinner varies....but most often 3oz poultry with some sort of starch and on occasion, a few veges like cooked broccoli or green beans.  calories/fat/protein/etc ???? 8:30pm Usually some sort of light snack, 2% cheese with corn tortilla, melba w/peanut butter, fat free/sugar free pudding/etc.   calories/protein/etc varies.   I'm not really having many vegetables and typically no fruits (but was never a big fruit eater before).   How does everything look?  I think with my protein bar and sandwhich, I'm getting most of my protein in before dinner, so dinner/snack is all just extras at that point.   -Rachel

One of the most common misconceptions by WLS patients is that you should feel "full".  You should NEVER feel full after ANY WLS.  The reason for this is because it will take more and more to give you that "full" feeling as time goes by.  So those that eat until they feel "full" are setting themselves up for regain later on.  That is why measuring your food (by volume such as tablespoons, not weight) is SOOOO important.   As time goes by, you will be able to consume more.  You didn't get fat overnight.  If you start regaining, it won't happen overnight either.  You will slowly start eating a little more, etc.  The only way to prevent that is to measure everything starting now and don't stop.  Then you will know ahead of time, "This is what I have to eat.  This is all I have to eat.  This is all I am going to eat."  You will be less likely to increase your portion sizes over time if you are measuring every one of them.  You're also eating solids 5 times per day.  Is that what your surgeon recommended?  When are you drinking?  If you eat a solid at 8:30, 11:30, 2, 5 & 8:30, when do you drink (considering that we must stop 30 minutes before and not start until an hour after eating by most surgeons rules)?  Does your surgeon not make you stop drinking?  I can't imagine you getting in 64 ounces of fluid per day if you are eating that often.   If your pouch "still feels full", it is probably because it IS still full (which it never should have been to begin with).  If you still feel full from your previous meal, you probably didn't drink enough between meals either or like you said you didn't chew it well enough.  Also, you are eating so close together, that it is highly possible that you still have the last meal in your pouch.  If you just aren't hungry, then only have a bite of your meal and end it.  But if you are starting to eat while you are already full from previously eating... that worries me. 

Not a NUT or RD, but I can tell you that the fruits and veggies really are important. In my program, we didn't get to "add" whole grain carb products (bread, cereal, etc.****il we were meeting our requirements for fruits and veggies servings per day. There are a lot of vitamins that you'll find and need in those fruits and veggies...I'd really try to focus on incorporating those into your diet and cut back on some of the starchier things if need be to have enough room for the veggies. Order of eating should be protein, veggies, fruits, and then, if any room left, carbs (this is according to the plan in place from my NUT).

Hi Rachel, I have to partially disagree with what wendy_fou posted about feeling "full" and that we shouldn't feel full really at all because of the surgery, this is not entirely accurate.  Some people can feel comfortably full and some do feel hungry.  I am one of those people that when I ate my recommended portions I did feel full (not "stuffed" or like a balloon) but I also felt physically hungry at times and was told this was completely normal by my dietician and surgeon.  I exercised a lot during my journey and would frequently feel very hungry due to the calories I would burn, but I also learned what "full" felt like too and it wasn't a "stuffed" feeling, it was a comfortable satiated feeling.  And it helped me learn what the boundaries were and still are.  I can tell when I am hungry and need to eat, and I can tell when not to take another bite.  But this does go to show that everyone is different.  And everyone has to find their balance.  And sometimes this can be a long process.  I do agree with the above poster that fruits and vegetables are very important and were promoted with my surgeon and dietician.  Does your plan call for vegetables and fruits??   I wish you luck on your journey!! ~Shannon

There is a difference between being satisfied (no longer hungry) and "full".  A person should stop eating when they are no longer hungry, not when they are "full".  I have always been advised never to eat until "full" (by my surgeon, RDs & NUTs) and there was something posted in OH magazine this month confirming everything I had been told about not to eat until "full".   It is very dangerous because it does take more and more to fill us up as time goes on.  Therefore, eating until "full" can lead to partial or even complete regain.  I don't doubt there are exceptions to every rule.  But I have to believe the experts that the majority of people should NOT eat until "full".