How much volume *can* you eat?

Melissa, I too eat quite a bit but am staying down in the 160s.  My typical day goes: Up in the morning with a glass of protein drink (isopure) which I take my supplements with. (In the morning I take fiber capsules, Vit C, Multi Vit, B-12, and my armour thyroid and heart med). Then I will have a whole grain waffle with sugar free syrup or an egg and a piece of toast. Then I wait for a full hour before I start drinking. I usually drink 1/3 gatorade 2/3 water on ice - about 16 ounces. I drink 2 or 3 of these in the morning. If I'm doing lunch early, I will skip my morning snack, but at lunch I will eat something like 2 tacos, no lettuce extra meat, or I'll go home and have leftovers or make myself a taco salad (I make it mainly with the meat and a little chease with fat free sour cream and taco sauce and a few baked doritos to sprinkle over the top. I wait an hour to start drinking and then take my afternoon supplements about 3 (fish oil, Vit. A&D, calcium,bete caratine, vit. c, fiber, and some more thyroid. After I do that, I have my afternoon snack - usually a half of apple and some cold chicken or cheese. Then I wait an hour again to start drinking (I think drinking is of upmost importance as I have ended up in the hospital a few times for dehydration). Then dinner is usually around 7 and we usually have meat like steak, hamberger, chicken, pork chops, etc. with some veges. If I have to have a snack later, I buy those fudge bars that are sugar free and one of them. But I always fit my liquids in between whenever I can. My total calories is usually around 1800 on fitday. I drink some more in the evening and take my evening supplements before bed. (fiber caps, zantac,acidophilus, stool softener, and a little ambien to help me go to sleep - otherwise I'd stay up all night! So I don't know if this is normal but I do get in 80 grams of protein a day and at least 100 ounces of liquids. Oh ya, when I get full, I do the hiccup thing too. I find that standing up and stretching really helps and keeps the hiccups to a minimum! Diona

You sound much like me with your quantities, thanks for sharing.  I am still keeping my cals down below my BMR (I had it tested and its 1681), actually I rarely go over 1200 b/c of fear.. I will get it up there though in time.  I just don't want to gain, I like where I am for my bone structure and height.  I also know that I will probably "bounce back" a few pounds, did that happen for you? Thanks for sharing how you do your day.  I eat very mini meals and very low calorie meals.. 200-250 5 times a day usually and so far this has worked for me but I know I gotta get the calories up.. I run 2-3 miles3-5 times a week and will start adding more vigourous strength training here soon.  THanks again!

Yep, I have discussed all the specifics (the anal nurse that I am).  Mine was done perfectly correctly.  I either have more of a "numb" pouch or who knows, maybe I have done a bit of damage?  I think we all wonder that all the time.  All I do know is I eat VERY normally, people don't know I had surgery and I can eat rather fast and in decent amounts.. no not as much as preop but quite a bit.. I tend to just measure, take my time and just eat like I am supposed to despite I can do this.  But then if I eat just DENSE meat and nothing else.. no veggies with it to water it down etc.. 4-6 oz is pretty filling to me or say 1 egg and 2-3 ounces of ham alone.. so its hard to say.. its such a head game figuring out if you are NORMAL or not.. one thing I do know is I have never really gotten foamies or thrown up.. so I have always felt like the odd ball out b/c I don't experience this.. I used to think it was b/c I chewed better than others but I do think my stoma has to more relaxed, larger, whatever, what other explination could it be?  Anyway.. I know my doc did my surgery correctly, hes very particular and well known for the great job he does, I just hope I didn't do some damage.. I have never eaten often to pain.. I have had pain less than 5 times that I can count after eating which I don't think is abnormal when I read here on the boards about over eating.. So who knows. I do want to say that I am sorry to hear how your surgeon did you wrong with your surgery.. it is unfortunate.. Sounds like you have developed a plan that has worked for you though.. I have seen your response to many on here.. I am sure its very hard for you and can tell it bothers you greatly.. but you do well despite it.  I am also trying to stay on track even when I don't get the huge reminders with my pouch etc that I have had surgery.  Keep up the great work.. you are doing terrific with what you DO have.. hang in there.

Original pouch size was 1cc (size of thumb), bypass 150cm.. stoma size I was told the size of an m&m or diameter of tip of pinky finger... sounds pretty "normal" to me.

Honestly I think it depends on the time of the month.  But generally I can eat a lean cuisine, healthy choice meal, or even one of those jimmy dean breakfast bowls and feel absolutly STUFFED afterwards.  Other times, can barely manage half of that.  But let's see what's currently coming to mind... Pizza - sometimes two pieces but usually just one. Taco - 1.5 of one and I'm done One of any kind of fruit fills me up pretty well.  Sandwhiches, anything involving bread, like your typical fast food deal or even just a regular home made sandwhich...generally I can eat half of one before I'm full. But sometimes, every now and again I can eat the whole thing. Other times I can only manage a few bites. Chinese food...very, very little and I'm stuffed. In fact, anything involving rice or noodles pretty much sets me straight after say...10 bites. (whatever that is). Thin or soft things, like soup, grits, mashed tators, ect...I can eat a fairly large amount of...like say, a can of progresso soup, I can eat and is very filling.  I can eat 4 out of 6 mcnuggets and 1/2 a small fry at mcdonands. :) I can eat 1/2 a chicken biscuit.  12 cheesy tots from burger king (which is truly not good for me I know).  1 pack of peanut butter crackers I don't know...I guess I really still can't eat that much at one time.

16 months out and my volume can vary by a number of things: At time of month I can go as much as 1 1/2 cups of non-salad content. No idea why the hormone flux would allow for more than normal to fit, or "feel" like it fits, but magically, it does. That would equate to 3/4 of a 10" deli sub sandwich. Any time I'm including dense protein like grilled chicken or steak, I get full at about 3/4 cup or less. When I fix an entree-size chicken breast, I usally end up tossing out the top 1/4 of it and get in a couple more bites of veggie, and that's it. On a normal day, when there's no blue moon, and Aquarius is in the 3rd house of Capricorn (lol) - my regular capacity is about what would fit into a lean cuisine meal minus a couple of bites - about a cup of solids. The time of month volume had me wondering for a while if something was amiss - but the holidays have reassured my that my pouch is still in working order.  I fixed a plate of shrimp, cheese, and deli meat, and didn't even get to a cup capacity before I was "done."  No need for the 5dpt.

It seems like every month around my period or (what would be my period.. cycles are WHACKY right now) that I get that "bottomless" pit syndrome.. where what normally fills me up doesn't any longer.. so that is reassuring.. u aren't the only person who has said to me.. weird isn't how volume can change with hormonal changes? Argh.. lol  Thanks for responding to me :) You made me feel better.