Question:
How many oz's at each meal

I am 7 weeks post op and can eat almost anything except fat and sugar. I would like to know, how many oz's should you be eating at each meal? I am currently eating about 2 oz's for lunch and dinner and a 8 oz protein shake for breakfast. This is what my surgeon recommends. I still feel hungry at times after a meal and since I can't drink anything for up to an hour afterwards this makes it hard. The Doc says Anything that will fit into an egg is more than enough food...that is about 1/4 cup or 2 oz's. Can you give me some idea's on how much and of what you eat that is health conscience. Thanks for your help in advance. Melissa    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on February 19, 2005)


February 19, 2005
I was instructed to eat no more than 1/2 cup for a meal(3) and less than that for a snack(3) and of course to stop eating when I was full even if I did not eat everything. The amount of time that I was to eat was just as important as the quantity, 1/2 hr for a meal and 10-15 minutes for a snack. This way I could discern if I was full or not. In the course of my instructions for PO eating I was told to get 60-80 grams of protein in a day and was given specifics on how much at each meal and snack to shoot for. The amount your doctor told you is about right for someone that is at your stage. Are you on solid foods yet? If you are still eating mushy foods then that may be the reason why you are getting hungry so fast. If you are on regular foods, then you need to figure out if it is head hunger or true hunger. Try eating slowly putting your fork or spoon down after each bite. And remember the more protein that you have then the denser the food is, thereby filling you up more. I think that how fast you are eating may be directly related to why you are hungry so soon after a meal. I did not have a real hunger pang for close to a year out. The protein shake that you are having for breakfast this early on is not something that I did so I cannot really comment on it if it is right or not. One thing to keep in mind that a liquid will empty out of your pouch real fast leaving you feeling hungry faster. I would suggest a scrambled egg, cheese or something else for breakfast.
   — ChristineB

February 20, 2005
Research is showing that you should eat 3 meals a day plus the protein shakes. But if you eat most soft, easily digestible food you can eat more and may sabotage your weight loss because you will feel hungry again in a short time. You want to work your way up to eating 6 oz of sold food per meal. This should be protein first then vegetables and fruit. Minimize carbs and soft foods like rice or cottage cheese. Carbs will also get your insulin response going and make you hungry sooner. It does not sound like you are eating too much at this point. Just keep these guidelines in mind.
   — Beatrice C.

February 20, 2005
Most nutritionist suggest 5-6 small meals a day for the normal person trying to lose weight. My sugeon and Nutritionist both suggest 5-6 meals at 2-3 oz per day. Don't drink anything for 15-30 minutes before eating and wait 45-60 minutes after eating to drink. This will keep the food in your new pouch longer and help stop that hunger feeling. Try to drink 60-80 oz of water a day and you have it made. Sometimes when you think that you feel hungry, if you just drink some water, it will go away. Remember, they did surgery on your stomach, not your head. Are you really hungry or do you just think that you're hungry? Good Luck, this first year is so exciting because there are so many changes in your life -- You'll love it and it is worth every thing you go through! Judy
   — jk_harris

February 20, 2005
First week Clear liquids, 1 week to 10 days Full Liquids, nest Pureed Diet (week to 10 days), Soft Diet(introducing one new food a day to your diet). The whole idea is to give your stomach time to heal and YOU time to adjust to eating differently. You should be eating 6 small meals per day. Three Balanced meals plus 3 high protein snacks. 48 oz of water per day. Never eat past the felling of fullness (remember fullness will not feel the same way as before surgery. You should be building up to but no more than 1/2 cup of food and if it is liquids up to 8 oz. However, 2 ozs sounds about right for now. You should not drink at least 1/2 hour before your meal, do not drink during and wait at least 45 min. before you start drinking. There are protein liquids like IsoPure from GNC that you can drink during the day which will give you 40 grams of protein. Your protein stanks can be protein drinks. Make sure you are eating your protein first, veges next and try to cout out bad carbs! When you eat are you eating at a table? Chewing until the food is liquid. It should take you about 20 min. to eat about 2 ozs if you eat slow. Use a timer. I remember when I first had pudding for my first meal, I could ownly have two ozs. and I was told to take 45 mintues to eat it. There is a reason for all of this. We need to change our eating habits. If we don't do that we will go right back to our old habits. This is what we signed up for. Eat at a Table, use a shimp fork or desert fork to eat your meals with when you are at home. Even your liquids, make sure you are sitting at a table and paying attention to your fullness. I would also recommand a support group. It is aways help full to talk to someone. Keep up the good work. I'm almost two years and I'm nearing my goal of 200 lbs lost.
   — Linda R.




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