ever feel like your pouch shoulnt hold that much food...

So I am four years out and I feel (on some days) that I could just keep eating. At times people have commented on the amount of food I have eaten. They will say something like 'Wow! you ate all that?'..... has anyone ever had that as well.... what does it actually take for a pouch to stretch???? just curious......
thanks,

newly preop so i have no frame of reference to answer you, but just curious about what *types* of food you are eating.  even now i can eat way more of certain softer, moisture foods than, say, denser, dryer foods.

Congrats on your new venture. Its actually different at diffent times. For instance, just last week I was able to eat 4 steak tips (they weren't huge, but they were not small either) along with some pasta salad. Other days its more of the mushier foods... I did see on someone else's post though a 5 day pouch diet. I guess from the research that I have done on it, kind of brings you (and your pouch) back into cync. I am going to try it. Almost seems like the first few weeks after surgery condensed into 5 days.
I hope you do well with your journey.
oh and just a note, I have not been like this from the begining. Something I have kind of noticed over the six months or so.... and it is not all the time either. Days here and there.
Take Care!

Slider foods I can eat a lot of.
Steak, chicken, fish shrimp eat much less of.
So I eat more dense foods and stay away from the slider foods.

Scary as we get further out. Good thing I exercise every day.
Yep, it's a lifestyle change for sure.

I love the newbies, but when they say "100 pounds gone forever" and they don't exercise...well lets say they will be woken up later on when they are further out.

One thing I will say is I never drink with my meals.
I'm at a size 6/8 and love being there, and I plan on staying there.

I am infamous for drinking while I eat. Not alot, but I do. I will have to make another consious effort not to do that, and see how I do. Thanks for the info...
when you say 'slider foods' what do you mean?

There are days when I can (and do) eat ALOT and other days when I eat next to nothing. Dense protein like chicken breast does fill me up pretty fast and keeps me full for a long time, but also doesn't settle very well. You can stretch your pouch and your stoma over time. My surgeon said that drinking with meals is a sure fire way to stretch out the stoma so I avoid that at all cost!

I do drink with my meals. Not alot but I do. So we will try to stop doing that.  And like you said, its not every day that I can eat alot, most days I am pretty much on track with my eating.
Hope you are doing well.
Take care and thanks for the post!

Hi everyone.
I am new to this board. I am only one year out but I need a little more than the bandster board.

I just asked my dr this same question, about stretching the pouch and he said, " I am not so concerned with stretching the pouch, that rarely happens. What does happen is band slippage, and that is why you should try to not eat over a cup of food at each meal".

That being said, somedays I feel like I have eaten all day. and if I have a big dinner (big for me that is) the next day I am not hungry at all and dont eat breakfast. Sometimes after a big meal the day before I cant even get much lunch in either.

and sometimes I think to myself "wow, you ate all that!!!".
But I do try to log my food at the daily plate every single day so that I dont loose track of what is going in!

Hi, I saw my Surgeon on Tuesday.  I am almost 5 years out.  He said, just like a new pair of shoes will stretch a little, so will my pouch.  It will NEVER be able to hold as much as my old, complete stomach though.  I was concerned because I was eating a lot also.  Last September, he did X-rays on my pouch and it was still very much intact.  Just eat a lot of protein and veggies.  But, protein first.  I find I really have to listen to my body.  If I eat while watching TV...I always overeat because I'm not paying attention.  Then it is too late and I feel awful.  So, just be careful about that!  Good luck and keep on plugging.  You will be fine.

Hi, just wanted to say I am 7 years out as of yesterday. I am going to see the surgeon in Sept. I have not seen him in 5 years. I have maintained a 150 lb loss, but I am still considered obese and I hate that. Two years ago I was having some serious spasms in my stoma and intense pain radiating in my chest and back. I had an endoscopy done and the doctor said my stomach was the size of a very small apple. So it has strected some. I do not exercise, so I am happy that I maintained my initial loss. I would love to lose 50 to 60 pounds more. I feel like I could eat alot more than I do, but I try to control the urge. I intend to talk to the doctor and see if he ever does additonal surgery to make the stoma smaller again to help with additonal weight loss.  I don't think I could ever eat as much as before surgery, which was RNY.  I am grateful for my life now, not perfect, but so much better. 

Debra