how much can your pouch hold

I know everybody is different, but..... how much should the average pouch be able to hold at 7 weeks post-op?  I seem to be able to eat almost 3/4  of a cup of food total and never have a feeling of fullness. is this normal? I was told at one of the pre-op  meetings that we would only be able to eat 1 cup  total , but I was assuming that was farther out. I am just sooo scared of stretching my pouch. I am also in a stall I think because I haven't lost anything in a week. Is it also normal  to feel hungry this soon? My head is starting to mess with me i think!

At 7 weeks, what you can eat and what you should eat may be two different things.  You should be still going by your plan,  Mine was (and still is pretty much) 2 oz protein, 2 oz veggies or fruit, 4-6x a day.  Don't count on feeling full.  That takes a while. Your nerves were cut and although you may get a new fullness sign, sneezing, nose running, burping, I still don't have one.   I think I can eat close to 1 c now at almost a year out on some days of some things, but not everyday, everything. 

You really can't stretch your pouch unless you over eat, day after day. 

Stalls are pretty normal.  Your body has to stop and catch up every so often.  Worry about getting in your fluid, especally in this heat, and working your way up to around 80-100 protein, and you will keep losing.

I know I could eat a lot more early out than I can now..didn't realize why as Price just pointed out our nerves are cut so many people don't feel full right after surgery..that's why its important to measure your food early out..I think I got the "full" sensation about 3 months out and I am pretty restricted, can only eat about 1/4 cup of meat or 1/2 cup of something softer like yogurt..stalls are very common in the beginning your body needs a little time to adjust. Hang in there!

Did your NUT give you measurements to go by?  If she did then you need to measure and weigh and follow them to the T.  Make sure you are getting in your liquids.  That will keep you full especially if you are drinking protein drinks.

It depends a lot on what kind of food you are talking about.  If you are talking slider foods like yogurt and soup then it's easy to get down 3/4 cup.  If you are talking denser food then I still sometimes can't get down a cup.  Like a small chili from Wendy's.  Sometimes I can get it all down and sometimes I can't because sometimes there is more juice and sometimes there's more beans/meat.

I had a gnawing hungry feeling early out and my Surgeon put me back on my Prilosec and it really helped.  I still take it and I'm going on 3 years out. I can tell the difference if I skip it for a couple of days in a row.

Watch for your sign for fullness.  I hiccup when I'm full and Price mentioned the other signs.  I use to get so upset when the hiccups started because I didn't know why I was doing it but now I am so thankful for them because that means my tool is still working.  Once you identify your sign you have to listen to it!!!   One bite to many can be very painful and miserable.

It looks like you lost a lot before surgery so your body is probably taking a rest and trying to catch up.  If you haven't taken your measurements yet then this is the time to do that.  I've found that most of  us lose inches when we are in a stall.  Don't let stalls discourage you because they are a part of whole process.  Lose, rest, lose, rest, lose etc. 

I think the fear of stretching the pouch is both common and misplaced. Most regain with RnY doesn't happen because the pouch stretches. It happens because the stoma stretches and then food won't stay in the pouch. 

Are you on regular, solid food or still mostly liquids and mushies? Are you taking a PPI? Those things will impact your feelings  of hunger.

My nut told me to eat regular diet at 6 weeks and to only eat 2-3 ozs of protein 3x's a day and 1 protein drink in the evening, so i am only eating 6 to 9 ozs a day.  i am supposed to drink a lot in between. what is it with a runny nose? I eat 2-3 bites and my nose starts running!

The runny nose is your vagus nerve telling you that your pouch is full. It's not uncommon to eat 2 bites and be full as early out as you are. Some people sneeze and some get hiccups.

My own opinion from having done a lot of reading is that most programs don't have people on enough protein. I think 100 g a day is about right for the first 2-3 years after RnY and 70-90 g after that. A lot of protein sources like meat, cheese and eggs is 6-7 g per ounce. So, if you eat 2-3 oz. 3x a day and your protein shake has 20-30 g  of protein, that's 56-93 g. So if you can really get in 3 oz and it's a source that's 7 g per oz. and your shake has 30 g of protein, you are okay but if you can't eat that much and your shake is closer to 20, you are going to be hurting for protein.

So, if it was me, I'd have another protein shake in there.

I really love how my program recommends we do it. They say to start out with almost all protein shakes to get the 70-90 g a day. (But I recommend 100 g for RnYers as I said.) Then, as you start on mushies and then solid food, you gradually replace each shake with meals. Once you get your meals in, you start replacing your other shakes with water/non-caloric beverages, but you still have to get 70-90g of protein. Then, as the meals get bigger, you replace even more shakes with non-caloric beverages. Eventually, you may have only one shake a day or none but some people end up with more depending on how much they can eat at their meals.