Would you please consider doing the cottage cheese test?

Jen,

I am sorry it took me a while to get this done, but the results amazed me.  I can easily eat 8 oz. of small curd cottage cheese.  I am not overstuffed, just comfortably full.  I could probably eat another ounce or two if I tried.  I am still maintaining around 103 lbs., but who knows what the future will bring.  This was a bit shocking and scary.  I hope this helps.

Thanks Elina, that actually helps A LOT. Your success is always a big inspiration to me. Knowing that you have done so amazingly well with about the same size sleeve, puts me in a very optimistic mood!

I did it a few months ago around my 2 year anniversary. I could eat 6.5 oz. Same as at 1 year out.

Though I did eat until I was stuffed as that's how I interpreted the instructions.

Jen,
I did the test, finally but first, a disclaimer.  I did have a cup of coffee about an hour earlier, and today IS the day after Thanksgiving! I was able to have 4 oz. quickly and I started to feel a bit overfull.  I could have had more after 10 minutes, but the rules said as much as you can eat, quickly in less than 5 minutes, before your "pouch" starts emptying!  However, I copied the info below because of his findings that up to a 9 oz. stomach will not impact negatively  on your weighloss or maintenance.  That's good to know!  I hope it gives you a better outlook for your sleeve :) It makes me feel better!

http://www.bsciresourcecenter.com/proddetail.php?prod=A4

The Cottage Cheese Test

1. Purchase a container of small curd low-fat cottage cheese.
2. Begin the test with a full container of cottage cheese, and perform the test in the morning before eating anything else. This will be your breakfast on that day.
3. Eat fairly quickly until you feel full (less than five minutes). Note that the small soft curds do not require much chewing. You are eating rapidly so you will fill the pouch before there is time for any food to flow out of it.  After eating your "fill" of cottage cheese, you will be left with a partially eaten container that has an empty space where cottage cheese used to be.
4. Measure the volume of cottage cheese you have eaten by filling a two cup (16 fl.oz.) measuring cup with water. Pour water into the container of cottage cheese until the water level rises to the original top level of the cottage cheese.
5. The amount of water poured into the container is the functional size of your pouch.

Dr. Flanagan's research indicates that the average volume of the mature stomach pouch, measured by this method, is 5.5 ounces (163 ml). Additionally, he reached the conclusion that, "sizes ranging up to 9 ounces have NO IMPACT on the person's success in weight loss". This means that unless your pouch holds a greater volume than 9 ounces (267 ml), the exact size of your pouch is not a critical factor in whether or not you can lose excess weight and then manage your weight as time progresses.

Summer that's great information, thanks for posting that!

I finally had a chance to do the test today.  At 3 years out my results were the same as about 2 years.  I was able to eat 5 oz, it was alittle over the 5 mins of the test too.  Nice to know my sleeve hasn't changed in the last year.

Baja

I inadventantly did this test today. got cottage cheese for breakfast and emptied out the rest of the carton which was a little under a cup. couldn't quite fini**** decided to measure the empty cup with water and figured out i could eat about 2/3 cup. Interestingly, last  time I saw my surgeon he asked me how much i could eat at a sitting and i said 2/3 cup. dense protein i suppose a litte less. D

i do this all the time! :)  I have cc for breakfast often.  I eat the same 6oz (3/4 of a cup)  I will take 15-20 min to eat it.  In 5 min I could eat maybe.... 4oz??  If I eat too fast I get nauseated. :(

I'll play, I'll play!!!  I'll do the test for lunch tomorrow after my bike ride.  I only have large curd CC, but I'll just try not to chew it was much (for time).  I venture to guess that I will be able about 6 oz.  I regularly eat about a half a cup and I am fairly full with that.  I'll let you know tomorrow.

mary

I did not think the instructions were to take the 5 minutes, only up to - so I did not actually eat up until the 5 minutes, I just ate until I was a bit past satisfied, what I would call "full"

So, small curd in under 3ish minutes I eat 2/3 of a cup or 6 ounces.