Opinion

Ok so i had surgery feb of 2007, and now im ok with my size i started at 385 and im down to 192 so thats awesome...now the scary part...why can i eat so much? i mean yes i cant finish a burger with a bun or what not but it still seems like im able to eat more then i should. can anyone give me advice as to roughly how much we should be consuming? or if im just crazy..and please no mean things like just stop eating cause if it were that easy i wouldnt have had surgery in the first place lol

thanks so much!

I am not sure of an amount but i can say it varies for me. I can't eat a whole burger( like fast food or restaurant) unless I take the bun off but in other instances i feel like I can eat a bunch.
Some times my husband will say " you can't eat all that!" and I do. 

I can definitely eat more"slider" foods that don't stay long in my stomach.

It depends what I am eating.

I could eat a whole burger-- no bun. I can eat a six ounce steak. I can eat a ChikFilA salad with extra chicken. But as a general rule, I eat about 8oz-12 oz, tops-- usually 4-5 oz dense protein, plus a veggie or yogurt.

You'll find you can eat a TON more salad.

I am not going to say, "Just stop eating"-- but I will say that holding myself accountable for balance and portions eliminates some of the "Am I okay?" guesswork fo rme.

At about 18mths out I could definitely eat more and its a scary feeling!!! I guess the main thing is to eat quality, healthy foods~if we stick mainly to good things then we shouldn't experience too much regain down the road. I am almost 4yrs out and can eat a whole burger w/bun. Its weird b/c some days I can eat alot and feel like a bottomless pit and then others days I don't have much of an appetite at all~although I would assume that's how "normal" people are. Of course if I'm eating dense protein like chicken breast I do fill up faster and stay full longer. Anyway, it sounds like you're just like the rest of us~not sure if that's good to hear or not, LOL!!!! Maintainance is a scary place to be b/c most of us have never been good at it. It sounds like you've been extremely successful so far, so just keep doing all the good things you've been doing and you'll continue to be successful for the long run!!!!!!!!

Question for ya , (from newbie WLS)

Immediately after WLS we are told NOT to drink before, with or 30min after a meal, due to the water filling the pouch making it difficult to eat the nutrients we need since the pouch is so small.
After losing all of ones weight and being 1yr+ out is drinking water with meals  a good thing to do in order to reduce the amount of food one is intaking? It seems after a year or so, people begin to eat a wider variety and usually less healthy foods.

Just wondering. I know before surgery drinking before meals was recommended in  order to reduce the amount of food eaten before feeling full.

Hi there! Drinking with meals and 30/30 before and after is discouraged forever. I know some people farther out like to "water load" before meals to try to fill up the pouch with water and not eat as much food, but that is not something that I have ever found helpful. Drinking with meals and after meals essentially washes the food out of the pouch faster so you will get hungry sooner, kind of defeating the purpose. Also, they are now finding that many people that have not followed the no drinking rules are experiencing having a stretched stoma which is leading to weight gain down the road. Hope this info helps!

I feel it has to do with what you eat and not how much.  I can eat more soup, for example, than a salad.  Because soup has alot more fluid.  Now breads will fill me up faster than, lets say, mashed potatoes.  Also, feeling full and satisfied has to do with what you eat.  So, I wouldn't get too caught up in how much, but take a look at what you eat more of and if that is something more towards liquid vs solid foods.  Is this satisfying you.  All foods are different.  I hope this helps.Paula

I feel it has to do with what you eat and not how much.  I can eat more soup, for example, than a salad.  Because soup has alot more fluid.  Now breads will fill me up faster than, lets say, mashed potatoes.  Also, feeling full and satisfied has to do with what you eat.  So, I wouldn't get too caught up in how much, but take a look at what you eat more of and if that is something more towards liquid vs solid foods.  Is this satisfying you.  All foods are different.  I hope this helps.


Paula

i can go to a restaurant and eat an entire adult size plate.
scary.
just gotta make the better food choices because i can eat a lot.

My NUTs guidelines call for my meals to be 1.5-2 cups total volume.
Keep in mind a 'burger with a bun' is pretty general - is it a 1/4th burger? A 1/2 pound? A monster burger (just kidding!!)... it really depends the size of what you are eating and the texture... my pouch also has 'moods' one day I can finish off a whole burger, another day maybe 1/2. I feel I pretty much eat 'normal' portions now (what a normal portion should be, not these blown up portions Americans consume today)... IMO as you get further out its so important to practice mindful eating and stop when you are full - dont get trapped into eating everything in front of you because its there... make sure you are stopping when full and boxing/packing up the rest of what you can eat. Eitherway I dont think eating almost a whole bunless burger is that much (1/4th pd)- I can eat a small salad, mostly all of the burger (1/2 or 3/4ths) and a few bites of whatever side I had.