How to know when to stop eating

I thought by 18 months out, I'd have this figured out by now. Since my RNY, I've been a heavy dumper. Even after all this time, my pouch still doesn't communicate well with my head. I eat until I feel full. About 20 minutes later, I start to feel overly full. Then I have a minor dump. This seems to happen nearly every time I eat. Is there any sort of trick to knowing when to stop eating? Should I eat slower? Should I start to measure my food before I eat? How do you know when to stop? I'm getting desperate. Any advise would be appreciated.

I wish I had a better answer.  maybe it would be a good idea to measure until you become comfortable enough to eyeball it.  Also eating slower and making sure to chew are good ideas.  I know when I am in a hurry I gulp and I pay later.   By the way, I am a WI native and just so you know, the robins have arrived in Texas, they're on their way and Spring will soon follow. Best of luck to you, Traci 303/131

Thanks. I guess I'll have to focus even more on slowing down and chewing. I really do believe its the quantity rather than the texture that is slamming me. I haven't actually measured my food for months so maybe I will have to go back to that. Thank goodness this long winter is on its way out.  We had more snow here this winter than they've measured in over a hundred years. The snow is finally starting to melt and I actually see a little grass sticking out here and there between the piles of snow. Welcome Spring!

In my own experience, there are a couple of things...like someone else suggested, measure. When I 'feel' I am eating too much, I do go back to measuring. It is funny how when I do that I can feel fuller than I would think. I will also make a VERY conscious attempt to chew a lot better, eat slower. You will feel the sensation, at least I do. I will eat too much and then when it hits me...OY. Not fun. I feel like I am stuffed to my eyeballs and I HATE that feeling!!!

That's exactly how I feel -- stuffed to the eyeballs. It doesn't hit until 20 minutes after I eat.  I guess I'll have to try measuring my food again.

I was a little confused reading this at first.  I equate dumping with the sweating, shakes, blurry vision coupled with the knowing that I've had a spike, and then a drop in my blood sugar.  As far as the overeating and the sickness that follows, on occasion this will still happen without rhyme, or reason.  If one day I can eat 1/2 of the south beach pizza, the next week I can't so I have learned to recognize foods through trial and error that present this problem.  When this does happen it forces me to go easy on my pouch for several days, which is not a bad thing.   The only thing I can offer up is pay attention to the foods that trigger this for you and portion them out. Good luck.

Dumping seems to be a little different for everyone. For me, a minor dump means feeling hot, nauseated, tired and shaky along with a feeling that the food I just ate is backed up and just inches from coming back up. It lasts less than half an hour. When I have a severe dump like you are talking about, I get all of these plus diarreah and they last a lot longer -- at least an hour and sometimes longer. And I usually have to take a nap for a while. Minor dumping happens to me every time I eat too much which is a lot. The problem is that I'm not sure when I'm full. I'm trying to avoid becoming a grazer but I'm finding it difficult to eat enough to feel full without eating too much and feeling too full.

Why don't you try to put smaller servings on your plate than normal even though it might not look like enough... (put the extra food away) Then give yourself 20 minutes on the timer to eat slowly...After 20 minutes if you are not done...STOP anyway...Then give yourself another 30 minutes to an hour and start drinking water.  You will be amazed that feeling satisfied is easier than you thought!  Also, never eat anything out of a box without doing it a serving at a time. Example...If one serving of almonds is 16 almonds or 1 ounce...Then take only 16 almonds  (put the bag away) and give yourself time to see if the hunger pangs go away.  Sometimes...I will eat a small fruit late at night just so I don't go to bed hungry because then I can't sleep. I can eat one or two strawberries or a small handful of blue berries and I'm good for a long while!    If you learn to eat til satisfied you will feel soooo much better. Whenever I over eat I have the same problem as you...I get that way when I don't pay attention to what I am really eating and just eat mindlessly. You really do have to focus on your eating style, at least until you get the hang of eating til satisfied.  You should stay satiated for a good three hours by eating this way. It helps me...But we are all different I suppose...Also...I eat 5-6 times a day with three meals being about 6-8 ounces and 2-4 on the inbetween snacks in case you were wondering. Good luck, Anita

I remember the dietitian in my program saying that if you eat until you feel full then you have overeaten.  She said to put the fork down after each bite and ask your self "am I still hungry?"  When the answer is no, then stop eating.  I have followed this advice for 18 months now and it has served me well.

Judy, first thought that came to my mind is you are eating too quickly and not allowing your brain to tell your pouch enough is enough......my suggestion is chew thoroughly, eat small bites and measure what you put on your plate.......eat within a 20-30 minute timeframe only and see if this helps. I hate the over-full feeling, I can usually tell when enough is enough for me.....I've even spit the food into a napkin to avoid that major discomfort. Good luck!