Question:
Why I don't feel full?

I am 11 days post-op and I just began pureed food today.I had a medium scrambled egg fried in PAM.The prob is that i ate it all very slowly but didn't feel full and probably could have eaten more.I am worried that I am not going to get the fulness feeling that I need to control my weight!!Has anyone else had this problem,will it change when I get to regular foods or am I just gonna have to be more carefull about portions than other people?    — natalie J. (posted on December 16, 2003)

December 16, 2003
You arent feeling full because you are eating soft textured foods that squish in and out of your pouch... once you are able to eat something like chicken salad or fish, you will see just how tiny your pouch actually is. In fact your first exploratory bite of chicken will show you...lol. I know exactly how you feel as I panicked as an early post op too... until I realized that I was eating soup and yogurt... which couldnt fill my pouch enough to put any pressure on the sides to give me a full feeling. You will see, but all is well so dont worry! ciao bella, susan maria www.bariatriceating.com
   — SusanMaria

December 16, 2003
Hi Natalie. I'm about 8 weeks post op, and I didn't feel full then either. I just stopped when I thought I was full. Just wait.. You eat 4 bites of food when you're this far out, and you feel uncomfortably full.
   — Michelle J.

December 16, 2003
First question is HOW LONG is very slowly that you took to eat it and second thing is with my MO people our full-meter is out of whack. We can be full and not even realize it. That's why they stress we measure our foods early out until we get that full sensation to return.
   — [Deactivated Member]

December 16, 2003
Hi Natalie, I don't have a medical explaination. But I have been the same way since surgery (about a year ago) I rarely ever feel full- But I do find, If I eat..and wait a little while. I feel satisfied. But I never got that "full" feeling everyone talked about. Cheers Kim
   — WABBIT F.

December 16, 2003
One thing i noticed early post op, is that not only did I not feel full...I really didn't feel anything, not hungry, not full..nothing. I chalked it up to the healing process and ate my little 2 oz's and left it at that. i recommend you do the same. This is a criticle time for hurting your pouch, it's not even close to being healed yet.
   — thekatinthehat

December 17, 2003
When I was a fresh post-op, I never felt full. I called my surgeons office crying like a baby thinking the surgery didnt work for me. The nurse said that it is normal for some people not to feel full when they are still healing. That is why it is so important to weigh out your food so you dont over do it. I ate too much several times because I didnt know when to stop. Even now I still dont get the full feeling until several minutes after I stop eating. I have to be careful or I will over do it and be sick. Trust me, you dont want that feeling OUCH!!! Good luck to you. ~Sidney~ Open RNY 10-23-02 down 130+ and below goal
   — Siddy I.

December 17, 2003
It will change when you get to solid foods. By eating pureed, and very slowly, you aren't getting full, just letting the food slide right on out of the pouch. There are a few unlucky ones who have stoma problems and never feel full, but at 11 days post-op and not on solids yet, don't worry about it.
   — Cindy R.

December 17, 2003
My dr gave me some very good advice. He said to let your eyes determine when you have had enough. Learn to judge early when you should be full. Then when you have eaten that much, stop. Your head will register fullness a short while later. Like one of the other posters said, you learn really fast if you take a bite or two too much. Then you will feel the discomfort of being too full. It'll just take a while to get comfortable with the whole thing. Don't worry about it. If you do feel that you need to watch, go ahead and measure your food to make sure you aren't eating too much. Your dr should be able to give you some guidelines as to what you should be able to have at this point.
   — lharbison