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It happens to all of us at one time or another as we make this journey. We eat one bite too many and live to regret it. Early on, I thought "OMG, what have I done!? I can't believe that I'll have eat like this the rest of my life!" The good news is that it gets better, much better. Part of that is learning to know when you've had enough. Part comes through your pouch healing and maturing.

So, how do YOU know when you've had enough? Have you learned to recognize the signals your body is sending you to let you know you have had enough? If you over-eat do you get sick or just feel awful. Do you recognize the 'if you take another bite you'll be sorry' feeling before you take that bite?

Just after surgery, pretty much regardless of the surgery type and then again after fills for banders, you might find that you can only take in what seems like a tablespoon or two before you get the ‘OMGoodness’ feeling telling you that you've crossed the line. For people that had their surgery a while ago, they realize that they can now eat more than they used and that can be scary.

Right after surgery, you can likely only eat an ounce or two before you will have filled the tiny, swollen pouch that you fought so hard to get. You may also have had some of the nerves that will ‘signal’ you that you are full cut and that may impact your ability ‘sense’ that feeling of fullness. When you couple that with a lifetime of eating HUGE quantities at lightening speed, that can be a recipe for some painful lessons.

Here are some tips that might help you through this process.

1.       Measure your food. Believe me when I tell you that you don’t have a ‘good idea’ about the size of a portion. This is for several reasons. First of all, in our society of super-sized meals, we all have a distorted perception of what a ‘normal’ serving looks like. On top of that, we have surgically altered our pouches and now they can’t even accept a ‘normal’ serving. So measure your serving portions. It will really help you develop a new sense of what your portions will look like. You need to do this over and over again. Also know that as your pouch heals, you will naturally be able to consume more and that’s okay.

2.       Slow down and put your utensil, sandwich, etc… down between each bite. It will help you focus on what you are eating. As you slow down and focus on what you are eating, you are much more likely to learn your body’s subtler cues that will alert you when you are full. Know that right after surgery, you may only have a one bite window between full and overfull. As you get farther out, this is likely to relax a bit. But, to be honest, this early part of the journey is very good training. It helps us to learn to pay attention and learn our body’s signals.

3.       Eat mindfully. What does that mean? It means to pay attention to what you are doing when you are eating. You don’t get to eat that much anymore, so be sure that you are paying attention and enjoying every morsel. Sit down at the table to eat. Measure out the portion and put your utensil, sandwich, etc… down between each bite. Savor the taste. Enjoy it. You don’t get to eat nearly as much as you used to, but once you get past the initial few days, weeks and early months post op, you may find that you can and do enjoy eating as much or more than you did before, because you are paying more attention to what you are eating.  

Please go to the Loser's Bench Discussion forum and share your ideas on this issue.

Hi everyone.....

I am glad to be on the "Loser's Bench" - and here is what I expected from it.  I thought that there would be little tips and tricks that would help me once I got home and as I became more and more able to join in old "social customs" based around eating.  Seems most social gatherings are around food... food that we can't or shouldn't eat, and are maybe having a hard time trying NOT to.

For instance, several weeks before my surgery, I went to the www.bariatriceating.com site and ordered their sample "starter" package.  It included single servings of LOTS of different protein powders, 4 ready to drink protein drinks, a shaker and the book "Before and After" - which I read in about 4 days.  I made it a point to try all the protien powders during the time before surgery, and mark the packages either "YUM" or YUCK!"  I have all of them up on a shelf in my kitchen, for the next time I shop either online or at a nutrition store.  Then, the night before I had my surgery, I went out to our local liquor store and bought several packages of "jello shooter" cups.  They are plastic disposable cups that hold exactly one ounce.  I prepared two different types of jello... lime jello made with Any Whey added to it, and Orange jello without (because I wasn't sure how the Lime was going to turn out).  I also shopped before hand, and had lots of bottles of IsoPure, Syntrax Nectar Fuzzy Navel, New Whey Protein Bullets, and my multi-vitamins all on hand, so that I wouldn't have to shop for them when I got home and might be sore and sick-feeling (luckily, that wasn't the case - as I had to go out almost daily and shop for bandages and dressings because I was having trouble with two of my incisions).

I live with a woman who's social life is especially based on eating, and yes, she's over-weight.  She lost a huge amount of weight about 6 years ago on Weigh****chers, but after her total knee replacements, she put it all back on.  She almost always goes out to lunch at work, and seems to feel the need to go out to dinner at least two or three times per week.  One of our pre-surgical food rituals was to go out for Sushi every Friday night, and she was really feeling like a huge hole had opened up in her life since I wouldn't be able to go with on our regular Friday night "date".

Well, after they put us on soft foods, I decided to take a chance and go with her.  See, my favorite sushi is a scallop hand roll.  And there is nothing softer (or as the bariatric nutrition nurse calls it - a "slider") than raw scallops, chopped very fine, with a tiny bit of mayo and a pinch of those little, tiny orange eggs.  So, I took a chance, and ordered a single scallop, chopped fine and mixed as described, and very slowly and carefully put miniscule tastes in my mouth.  They literally disolved before I could get them swallowed.  I was in heaven.  Pure protein, and no dumping or getting stuck.  We could go on our "sushi dates" again!  I now have them make me TWO scallops, and it takes me almost as long to eat them as it takes her to eat her two hand-rolls and one regular roll.

It would be nice to know that others are still getting "acquainted" with their pouches, just like I am.  Supposedly, we need to eat every two - three hours.  But, for instance, I had an ounce of scrambled egg one morning, then two hours later, had some liverwurst, and about half an hour later I was drinking some liquified spinach soup with some Any Whey protein powder in it.  Suddenly, I knew I was in trouble.  I felt like I had a huge "burp" that wouldn't come up, and I just kept getting more and more uncomfortable.  It got down to the point where I was spitting out my saliva.... and finally I threw up.  The amount I threw up should never have fit in my pouch... and I didn't understand what had happened.  I stick religiously to my one ounce cup-size VOLUMN, which is what I've been told to do.... NO....you don't eat a one ounce protein bar just because it says one ounce.... you eat what will FIT into your ONE OUNCE CUP.  BIG difference!!  This has happened to me 3 times now. 

So, it would have been nice to know that there are people out there who are still learning their way around their tools.... and maybe how to interpret signals.... because I'll be fine one bite, and the next bite, NOT fine.

Well, those are my thoughts for now.... I'm sure I'll have more.  Hugs to all of us, and I hope for more input as well!