I do not faithfully weigh my food but I typically stick with a lot of the same foods and my question is this: Is it possible to stretch your pouch without any pain, discomfort, bad symptoms at all? I went to a gathering today that served chicken and I had some chicken and broccoli. I wasnt able to measure food and I ate until I just kind of told myself "that should be good, you don't need to feel full". Has anyone else had success not measuring? And again, would I know if Im pushing the limits by stretching my pouch if I ever eat a lot? Right now I eat like a bird but these are some fears I have for the future.

I believe you can. And some people stretch their stomas. Or there stomas stretch for some odd reason. The only thing they notice is that they dont ever get full...

I do not weigh and measure my food and have been very successful thus far.  I have weighed things in the past to get a feel for how many ounces of protein something is.  My doctor's recommendation was to eat until satisfied (not full). It seems to work pretty well. I have tended to be pretty all or nothing about things in the past, so this advice has actually helped me far more than compulsively weighing everything. I think there have been times I may have eaten a bite or two too much, and I felt it. So I tend to not pu**** because I don't like to feel that way. I am not yet at goal (getting close) and am worried about regain.  My surgeon's advice was to make "good choices, not calculations." You will be able to eat more as time goes on. I have some days I can eat more than others.  I have seen many refer to this as a "big pouch day."

I never weighed or measured, just ate until I felt full and stopped.  But I stuck to a high healthy fat, high protein, low carb diet, so I was more likely to feel full quickly.  Your mileage may vary.

Audrey

Thanks all... As for my diet, its all protein, low carb. Very low carb. Tons of water. My scale does not move fast but I know I lose inches quickly because a pair of pants that dont fit one day will fit within a week. This has happened 3 times now! If only the scale would correlate! I have a feeling it has to do with not having regular BM's. I typically need assistance every couple days. 

First few months post op WLS is CRITICAL to measure your portions. During surgery the nerves have been cut and it is possible to overeat and not know about it. The first few months are critical because your pouch and stoma are still healing.  Stretching stoma and pouch before they get healed completely is possible. 

I am 8 years post op and my pouch and stoma are still good. 

Initially I used to carry a small plastic 1 oz container that I would use.  Or to avoid that - I would have my protein shake when everyone else was eating food.  Or chose more slider-softer foods, things that would easily slide out of my pouch if I ate too much. 

When I first read your post I thought well they could be pretty far out and not have issues but then I saw you just had the surgery like 2 months ago. IMO it is imperative to weigh or measure foods for about the first year. Without that I don't know how you're going to have any concept of what you should be eating.

After the surgery you won't feel full for a while - I didn't have that sensation for a few months. At first I had to force myself to eat so that I got my protein but after I was healed if I hadn't weighed my food I easily could have gone back to overeating without even realizing it. We spent years and years and years eating too much, how are we going to know what is too much without measuring or weighing it? Part of eating is visual and I've taken the last 14 months to learn what my portion should look like and it is WAY WAY SMALLER than what I had been eating before.

I will never rely on my stomach to tell me when I'm full. I'll rely on what my portion should be. I don't worry about stretching my pouch because I know what that portion should look like. I don't weigh everything anymore but I weigh almost everything and I'm much more comfortable when I go out to eat because I know what a portion is.  And hopefully I'll go forward like that. If you take the next 12-18 months to learn these things then it's likely we can be successful long term. Or at least that's what I've learned from the vets.

I bought a scale and I weigh all meats. I bought 4 oz ziploc plastic containers so that I could portion things out for the week and know that I'm getting half a cup of this or that and/or that half of one of those is a 1/4 cup. I have toddler plates that I use to eat on and tiny tasting spoons and shrimp forks for eating.

I have one of the bowls and a spoon in the car for "just in case" times when we're out. I weighed out how many slices of my favorite pre packaged deli meats are 2 oz (4 slices) so that if we're ever stuck and can't get home in time to eat, I can pick some of that up at a nearby grocery store and have those and a wedge of laughing cow and know I'll be fine.

I've found that pre planning has helped a lot. I spend the weekends prepping my food so the remainder of the week is grab and go or just really easy. My husband and two teens still eat "normal" foods, all of us together at the table, and I do the grocery shopping. I have to have a plan or this will go south on me!

I have only felt "full" once since surgery (after eating the second half of a cauliflower pizza for lunch)... and have been able to drink well beyond what I'm supposed to have been able to without any repercussions or discomfort from the beginning. (IE 2 days out, was able to drink 9 oz of liquid for my CT in 15 minutes. They estimated it would take me 12 hours, so I had my CT at 2am vs the scheduled 11am appt)

My surgeon was also surprised but told me not to trust how good or full I felt for a few months, but just to stick to the plan and I'll be good to go.

I the same with the Ziploc containers. It is really nice, and they are marked at 1/4 and 1/2 cup. That way when I pack up my tuna salad, cottage cheese, or whatever else I eat in the future, I've got it pre-measured for me. I also bought a small food scale, but I haven't eaten anything solid yet to weight. I'm planning to have turkey meatloaf tonight for dinner, so will try it out then.

I weigh and measure everything still.  I don't trust myself to stop eating when I've had enough ;)