Eating

How much do you eat at mealtime. I had RNY on 6/18/2009. At first I could barely eat anything, now I can eat an entire sandwhich. Is that too much to eat at one time.

The stomach pouch with the RNY starts off very small - initially meals are only 1/4 cup size. IF YOU TAKE CARE OF IT, the pouch gradually stretches over 18 months to its biggest size, about 1.0 to 1.5 cups, total. Then it should stop stretching. IT IS POSSIBLE to overstretch the stomach pouch if an individual consistently eats meals that are much bigger than that.

A sandwich can vary in size, so it's hard to say how big your pouch is. I tell my patients to avoid bread, by the way. To see if your pouch is the right size, measure out one cup of solid food, like cottage cheese, baked chicken/fish, green beans (not salad, which has a lot of air) and eat it slowly, over 20-30 minutes. If you're satisfied, your pouch is probably the right size.

The other reason RNY patients can eat larger meals is if their STOMA has enlarged: the "plumbing" connection between their stomach pouch and their Roux limb of intestine. If it takes much more than a cup to satisfy you at mealtime, follow-up with your surgeon; he may wish to get an x-ray of your RNY to see if the pouch has enlarged, the stoma has enlarged, or perhaps some other reason exists to explain it.

Good luck!

Thank You Dr. Elliott for your response.