Question:
I am 4 months post-op and can eat more than I thought I would be able to

I had gastric bypass on December 5,2003 and have had no complications!The weird thing is that I can eat anything except salsa,even candy,diet soda,beef,bread.So far EVERYTHING!The thing that worries me is that I can eat larger portions than what I think is normal for the stage.The other day i had a 1/2 sub and before I realized it I had eaten it all slowly and chewed a lot,with no probs,i did feel very full 15 minutes later.I'm gonna try and pay more attention and measuring more cause because I have it so easy,I will have to be more careful than others ,especially later on when the honeymoon is over!Let me know what u think about this and does anyone relate to this,how is your weight loss going(i've lost 56#)I do drink when I eat(I gag if I don't)NO LECTURES PLEASE. 228/172/140 — natalie J. (posted on April 8, 2004)

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April 8, 2004
I've said this before, WLS is not a "one size fits all proposition." There is as much variation in the amounts that different people can eat as there is in our rates of weight loss. So I don't believe anyone can say that you're eating too much. I'm "lucky" too, as you say, for being able to eat most anything without problems. It wasn't that way for me the first 3-4 months, but the last several months have been great. I also know others who were able to eat a wide variety of foods early on with no trouble. And I also worry about the period following weight loss where I will need to begin maintaining, something I've never been able to do my entire life. I hope that the WLS will give me the edge there that was missing for so long. I also believe that maintaining contact with your support system will help us long-term. I do not attend formal support groups, but I'm on this site nearly every day, and garner a great amount of support from being here.If you feel that you overate, perhaps you are right that you will need to pay more attention to the physical signals of being full. Slowing down might help as well. I find that I try to eat too fast at times and can be a bit uncomfortable because of it. I know this is true, because restaurant meals are usually my best eating experiences, and they are generally slower-paced than when I eat at home.Congratulations on your success so far, and best wishes for it to continue. Lap RNY 9/11/03, 270/175/???
— Carlita

April 8, 2004
Hi Natalie....Yup- I can TOTALLY relate- There is NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, surgeons make different size pouches- I've been able to eat more then most everyone I've talked with- At first I REALLY REALLY panicked ! I just KNEW I would not lose weight-(or very little) HOWEVER, 16 months later- I've gone from 5'8" 327lbs to 154lbs- (a loss of ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE POUNDS) I too can eat ANYTHING I want- sooooooo I need to be VERY careful and (try) to make good choices- I don't starve myself- I think the way I was able to eat "so much" and still lose so much- is I stuck to protein foods,and veggies (I kept away from those carbs)...I was VERY strict for the first 14 months- but have found those evil things have found their way back into my life---- this will be a LIFELONG battle for me- But I would say, don't panic about HOW much you can eat...just focus on WHAT you eat....Hope this Helps - Kim
— WABBIT F.

April 8, 2004
By most accounts, you are consuming quantities that are too large; at 17 months out, I could not eat an entire sub. Your choices aren't so great either. Try to stay away from candy (in any amount) and eating bread will only fill you without contributing much in the way of nutrition. No lecture, here, just a little practical advice to help you make the most of your tool and to help you backsliding after the honeymoon phase is over.
— SteveColarossi

April 8, 2004
I'm three months out and I can really relate to what you've said. I know that I won't dump from eating carbs or sweets so this is so dangerous for me. I've lost forty pounds but plateaud this past month (only 7 pounds lost). My surgeon gave me a gentle lecture, I did do this for ME. So I've began to write down everything I eat, I excercised today and bought a bunch of sugar free candies to soothe my empty mouth. I know that when I eat protein first I get full, I just have to keep doing this...I want to lose another 75 pounds....
— vaibarra

April 8, 2004
I think you are wise to be concerned. And I think you have put your fingers on the issues you'll need to address. The most dangerous I see is drinking with meals. It can QUADRUPLE the amount of food you can eat at a sitting! I know it seems hard to do and I don't score 100%, either, but it's worth the effort to work on it, or limit yourself to tsp size sips. Measuring, is always good, as it gives you a "marker". The meal is over "now". The same with timing. I am volume eater, not a grazer, so eating too long is not the problem, but I definitely do better with a measure. This is the beginning, this is the end. You just gotta work with the strengths and weaknesses you have. Recognizing that "something" is not right is way more than half the battle.
— vitalady

April 8, 2004
I don't know if this is a lecture :) but this is my answer... First, when we drink with means, in general, we are clearing out the pouch to make more room for food (for me, opposite effect, and I get sick even 2 years out). There is pretty strong documentation of that. This is from: Management of the Bariatric Surgery Patient Lifelong Postoperative Care Posted 03/30/2004 Dorothy Roedel Ferraro, MS, CS, ANP, CNOR, RNFA "Fluid intake: Adequate fluid intake is essential to any successful weight-loss regimen -- but a challenge to patients with a reduced gastric reservoir. Drinking and eating together can overdistend the gastric pouch, resulting in discomfort, vomiting, or even insidious pouch dilatation. Thus, although consuming noncaloric beverages is important, patients should avoid liquids from 15 minutes before each meal until 90 minutes afterward. Doing so can effect a prolonged feeling of satiety." (The print version of this article was originally certified for CE credit. For accreditation details, contact the publisher. Jobson Publishing, Clinician Reviews, CE, PO Box 488, Canal Street Station, New York, NY, 10013; fax (212) 219-7849) I guess I would look at what you are saying word by word, and then like another poster, agree that you are SMART for being concerned: 1. "I ate half a sub before I realized..." To me that says you may need to pay closer attention to yourself while eating. I am not trying to be funny, but are you in a trance state when you eat? Definitely not! I would cut the food to the portion you KNOW you should eat, then wrap the other half, if you don't think you can trust yourself with a large portion. Some of us, when ordering a meal, ask for the doggie bag/bax when ordering... then we put into the container the amount we are not to eat at that sitting. A real solution to a common problem - portion control. 2. I would ease up on the SODA (!!!) and salsa. Salsa can have quite a bit of sugar. And I have heard (and know from experience) that once I have something slightly illegal for the day, it sets me up for failure for the whole rest of the day. Yeah, you CAN eat things. But SHOULD you? Not if you are concerned about the result. Only wishing you the best, and hope this isn't too preachy- ask a question, get an answer :)
— kultgirl

April 9, 2004
Hi there, Congrats on your weight loss. I had my surgery the 9th of Dec. 2003, and have noticed the same things you are stating... I KNOW I have 46 years of no so good eating habbits that I am working very hard on. Post op I always had water with my meal, BUT now I dont/can't/won't. I vowed to follow my surgeons regeime (sp) to the tee, not for him, for ME...This was a prayer answered for me and I in no way shape or form want to loose my (what I feel) last chance to live a healthy life..I don't go to sub shops or any place I know I am not strong enough to go.. Some places I never plan on going again..I am so afraid that once I give in that I won't be able to control my cravings and I'll end up back where I was...My health means more to me than food, and I fight daily that little voice that wants to try this and that.. But for the first time in my life I say NO and will try to keep it that way until that little voice gives up... I write everything down that goes into my mouth, even bites of things..It's working for me... Best of luck..GOD BLESS!
— Kalli R.

April 9, 2004
Thanks for the question Natalie! I logged on this morning intending to post just about the very same question! I had my surgery 12/4/2003 - it seems like overnight I can eat more volume - I made chicken salad the other day - canned chicken, celery, onion, couple teaspoons lite mayo - and I ate the whole thing for lunch - that seemed incredible to me. I don't drink with meals and still have increased ability to eat more volume - I guess I am worried I've stretched my pouch somehow. There is a thing I've read about called "water loading" - maybe that is worth a try. I think for now I'm just going to be very careful, deciding before I eat how much I will eat and then stopping. I am just surprised because it seemed rather suddenly that I could eat more - I appreciate hearing from someone in the same boat!
— mriley

April 9, 2004
natalie j we are about the same Post-Op, Congratulations on your weight lose! I think for some post-op in our range you are "normal" and this won't last. I had 1 day in which I ate some cornbeef and cabbage and thought it was more than I usually could eat, but it did not last long. I also try to stick to the recommended servings per person rule, i.e. 3 oz of meat 1/2 cups of cabbage. My weight is down 68 pounds since surgery (I exercise almost each day for 30-40 mins doing cardios). The other reason you might be eating more than you think you should is already answered by you - the food and water, but this you already know. However, I have read from long-term post-ops that they did this too and it did not prevent them from reaching their goals.
— Anna M.

April 9, 2004
You said it yourself. You drink while you eat. This is the reason you were able to eat a whole subway sandwich. I eat and 20 to 30 minutes later I drink. This you keep doing and you will gain all your weight back. When we drink and eat the fluid washs out the pouch and we are able to eat more. I would try not to drink while I eat. It will also make you hungry and you will eat.
— mspisces

April 11, 2004
Hello NAtalie, I also am 4 months out, Dec.17th..to date 58 lbs, I also have been able to eat anything I want without a problem and I think in quantities I believe are too much for having this surgery, but as others have said, pouches are different sizes, I was becoming depressed because people having surgery around my time were losing a greater amount of weight than I was, yet my sister kept saying, Look at you, be thank how great you look, be thank how much weight you have lost, look at all your accomplishments, not what everyone else is loosing. She was right I am doing many things right, and many things still have to be worked on, If I had it all together I wouldn't have needed the surgery in the first place. So don't beat yourself up, You know in your heart what you should and shouldn't be doing..You have made a great accomplishment on your weight lose, You are doing a wonderful job and should be very proud of yourself for taking such a bold step in your life first to go through the surgery, then to do the best you can to be succesful to make the best choices you can to be the best person you can be....Good Luck to you.....I know you will lose all the weight you set out to and you will feel great and look great!!!
— Arlyne F.

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