I think I am eating too much? Thee weels out!

Hello friends!

Age: 21 Height: 5'8"

Female (with PCOS)

Starting weight : 350 Ibs

surgery weight: 335

Current weight: 315

At Three week stall currently! :(

So I had my VSG September 15th 2016 and now I am a little over three weeks out. The first two weeks were tough, I had to go to the hospital twice for fluids due to dehydration and I couldn't get my protein intake up to were it was suppose to be. When I got out of the hospital I got my @*# in gear and got it right. The thing is I am worried I can eat too much! I don't feel full so it's bothering me that I can't tell when to stop. When I eat I get gassy in my chest area and when I burp I feel fine again. I get gassy even after one bite of something and sometimes when I drink water too.

My surgeon also put a fobi ring around my stomach.

Here is what ate today...keep in mind i'm on week 3, day 2 and my NUT said their program allows us to skip the pureed stage as long as everything I eat I chew up a ton, which I do! *though no steak or uncooked veggies*. and to eat until i'm the slightest bit uncomfortable then stop.

Breakfast: 1 egg on one piece of whole grain toast

Lunch: 1 low fat mozzarella string cheese, 1/4 cup tuna with 4 wheat thin crackers

Snack: 1 low fat mozzarella string cheese

Dinner: 6oz homemade chicken pot pie *includes about 1/4 of 1 mushy biscuit* no other bread in the mix...

between that I got my water in and I mix my protein in with sugar-free drinks like calorie free poweraide. My daily calorie intake is usually between 600-800. I can also drink water pretty fast, faster than I think most people can do at this time. I can finish a bottle of water in roughly 30 minutes without a problem, I only do that if I need the water fast in order to catch up with my hydration. Normally I make myself take 1 hour to finish to pace things.

I know I definitely can not eat more than 6oz of something in one sitting. which I read that most people can only fit in 1-3 oz this early out. I have never thrown up from eating too much and never had nausea from the surgery. I just get a lot of gas. Though before surgery I always swallowed a lot of air when I ate for some reason so I belched a lot.

I'm not saying that I regret my surgery or that I think my surgeon cut out too little of my former stomach...I just want to know what you guys think about this?

Also I have been at a stall for around 7 days now... I lost 24 pounds in the first 9 days after surgery and got down to 311...then slowly went up to 315... and have been sitting there since. Anyone one else have that related type issue so early out?

Thanks guys! Feel free to be a little harsh if you think i'm not doing things correctly, I may need some tough love

Telling a morbidly obese person to eat until they get uncomfortable is some of the dumbest, most reckless advice I have ever seen. If any of us knew when to stop, we would not be having surgery.

Weigh and measure your food, and track every bite. Every last morsel. At your stage, you should not be eating more than one-quarter cup at a time. Almost all of that should be protein, every time. Every time.

When do you stop? When your quarter cup of food is gone. And you don't touch food again until 3 to 4 hours later.

It doesn't matter how big you think your stomach is, or how you feel. You eat a set volume, you log it, then you move on. That's the only way this is going to work for you.

OMG! This advice is perfect. I hope the OP listens and does not make excuses.

Before surgery I always liked the full feeling because it made be feel satisfied, it's weird never feeling hungry or the same feeling that I had before the surgery that was the full feeling. But I will for sure take this advice! I want to be as successful as possible! Thank you for the great advice!

Hello Friend!

Good for you for reaching out!  Sometimes it takes a village.  Grim gave you great advise.  I'm 22 months out (closer to you than to Grim) and even tho I am in maintenance I do best when I follow those same rules.

Now is a great time to practice eating in ways that you never could before.  Not that it will be easy -- just easier. 

I am not one to usually give food advise. But, you asked so I will jut give you my personal perspective. I didn't eat ANY carbs like crackers/bread/biscuits when in weight loss.  The memory of the dietician telling me to have wheat thins with tuna is seared on my brain....I said nothing to her but it was The Worst Advise Ever to give to someone like me.  Others (and maybe you!) may be different.   Even in maintenance, those types of carbs are exceedingly rare. 

By the way, I could swallow water easily like you.  It turned out to be only a good thing.

Have a fabulous journey.  Keep on keeping on.  Keep on examining. Adjust as needed. 

Shel

I am a HUGE carb lover :( but who doesn't love carbs right. That's why I am where I am and many others. My nut also said wheat thins and tuna and I was so happy lol but yea I see what you all mean by cutting the carbs now. I'll just slice cucumbers really thin and have those for a crunch with my tuna.

And good to hear that the water amount is nothing to worry about. I was worried I was stretching it or something from the water. People are now telling me that it just goes through the sleeve faster so you can drink a good amount. Others aren't so lucky  have read they can only drink tiny sips and still have trouble keeping it down.

Thank you for the reply! Glad you are doing great and congrats of reaching maintenance! I can't WAIT til I am in your stage lol

At this point in the journey, skip the carbs and PLEASE do not rely on eating until you "feel full!" Weigh, measure your food & then STOP! Use an app & log everything you eat. And, at this point, if you're eating 6 oz at a sitting, you're eating too much and should cut back your intake. 

It's great that you're able to get your fluids in, but remember to wait 30 minutes after you eat before you drink (for an excellent explanation, search an article written by Frisco on the Pyloric valve).

Also important! Don't forget to take any vitamins or supplements, like calcium, that your Nut has prescribed. 

You will get past this stall (and others that will come along). Just remember while in weight-loss mode that protein always comes first, then veggies (later on) and only then good carbs (like quinoa or other protein-fiber filled grains).

You will do well! 

Grim & everyone gave you fantastic advice.

I would also agree with ditching carbs.  Bread and biscuits have zip nutrition, anyway.  Protein, protein, protein!  As soon as many of us add carbs back we gain.  Sadly, that's the harsh truth of recovering from obesity.  If you are gaining, ditch carbs, measure EVERYTHING, and don't eat until discomfort.  Also, low carb diets are way better for people with PCOS, and many see improvement. So it will help the weight loss and the PCOS to stay low carb :)

It's better to eat a second egg than a piece of toast, and it's better to eat more chicken instead of a biscuit.  Be aware many sauces have high amounts of starch and sugar and should be avoided.  

As for cutting too little of the stomach, it's actually bad to have too small of a sleeve as that can increase chances for GERD.  Also, the size differences between sleeves are smaller than non-surgeons realize.  What makes a difference is your habits more than the size of your stomach.  You will even gain weight with the duodenal switch if you eat too much carbohydrate, though it's much harder for other reasons to gain weight with the DS.  Still, I've seen one client who gained because they did not curb their carb intake.

Some swaps that might help:

• cucumbers instead of crackers
• sliced tomato instead of bread slices
• spaghetti squash or spiralized veggies instead of noodles
• extra veggies instead of biscuits.

Thank you for the fantastic advice as well! Sliced tomatoes for bread...PERFECT.  that's such a sad thing to hear about the client who gained the weight, that's heartbreaking. I will burn that into my head so I don't do the same thing.

Some people use portabello mushrooms, or "oopsie" bread.  They also make lower carb pitas and things like that.  You can also use lettuce to make sandwich wraps, too.  Just get the big heads of romaine and wrap stuff in them.