Not feeling full

I am almost 3 weeks out and sometimes it doesn't seem like I get full. Does anyone else feel that way. When that happens how do I know when to stop eating? I don't want to hinder my weight loss or stretch out my pouch. I thought I would get certain feelings when I am full. Can anyone help?

You are still in a recovery stage so your body is kind of in a state of shock. I remember at that time it was either I'm hungry or OMG ate to much where's the toilet. Once you get back to eating regular food it becomes easier to understand your "new" body and how it works.

There have been so many nerves cut during your surgery, you're not going to feel "full" for some time. Your medical team should have told you this...if they didn't then shame on them. I am 5 months out and only know I'm "full" because I've eaten more than I should and I can feel it...for lack of a better description...backing up and sitting at the bottom of my throat.

You have to stick with the recommended amounts your doctor's give you for however long you are from surgery. At 5 months I still can only manage about 6 oz or 3/4 cup of food, and that's only if it's partly soft or soupy/saucy. If I'm eating solid protein like steak, chicken or pork, I can only manage 4 oz with nothing else.

At 3 weeks I'd suggest you try to eat no more than 2 oz per meal. You have to stick to strictly weighing, measuring, and tracking every bite. In a couple weeks you can try adding another ounce, and so on. If it feels like too much, back off again and try later. It's an ongoing process.

My new stomach is ultimately supposed to hold 8 ounces, but I figure it's going to take a year at least before I can eat that much...or I may never be able to. I usually make meals that are 4 oz only, because that "sitting at the bottom of my throat" feeling really sucks.

You know when you need to stop eating because you're measuring everything that goes onto your plate and never eating more than that. At 3 weeks out, you're probably measuring 2 ounces of food and stopping once you finish those 2 ounces. If you need more protein, you're supplementing with a shake or two.

You likely don't feel full because your stomach nerves were severed and they're still healing - this means that you can't trust anything your stomach tells you. Right now, it's a lying liar that lies. You can't trust it if it tells you you're hungry and you can't trust it if it tells you it isn't full.

In addition, most of us don't start to feel that sense of restriction until we hit full solid foods, which is normally in the 4-8 week range post-op.

You will need to get used to not feeling full like you felt before surgery. You will eventually learn the "whoa, there...that's enough" feelings but they are not intuitive to what you felt before. You may have a tell (I hiccup and burp), but even you tell may be later than you want to stop. I'm almost 3 months out and I never feel "full", I just stop eating.

I measure absolutely everything. I even just bought a pocket scale so I can weigh better when I'm eating food away from home. Like Gwen said, 2oz is a good spot to be (I think at 6 weeks I could do about 1.5oz). I'm still at 2oz now. Track everything you eat too, so you know your protein and calorie intake. As long as you're getting in your protein and you're still trying to lose there's no need to eat more.

Are you taking longer than 30 minutes to eat? I've been told if I eat for more than 30 minutes and don't feel full, that I have to stop.

Nope I take 20-30 minutes like my dr told me to

I am 7 weeks out and just felt my first real full feeling yesterday. By full, I mean stomach full. Before yesterday, I had an occasion of it sitting in my throat full. I am up to 2-3 ounces of food at a time. You really don't want to push yourself until you feel it, you want to stop before you feel it. That is why weighing is so important.

When you get to the point that you can eat dense proteins, you'll definitely feel full, and if you take one extra bite, you'll regret it hehe. The first few weeks, one is normally on soft foods, and passes through the sleeve.