Question:
Im two months out and Im eating more than 4oz for meals

Im over two months and one week out. My doctor said try to eat 4oz of food each meal or until you are full. Somethings like soup I can eat 6oz to 7oz of. Is that too much.? Will that streach my stomach? Also the past two weeks I will have 1/2 cup of sugar free ice cream once or twice a week. Do you think thats ok. So far I have lost 53lbs. I think Im loosing like I should. I just dont want to streach my stomach.    — barfiep01 (posted on March 26, 2007)

March 26, 2007
Congrats on your awsome weight loss. Now, the soup thing... there is alot of liquid in soup and it will move into your small intestine much faster than something that is more solid and must be digested a little before moving down the chute, so to speak. I would be careful and eat it over a longer amount of time, you don't want to move things through too fast and miss the absorption opportunity. Also watch the caloric and sugar content. Be careful on the ice cream if this is one of your trigger foods. You don't want to get on a slippery slope with the "dab stuff" But if you are only using it occasionally, then go ahead. Remember to eat slowly and stop at the first sign of feeling full. good luck and, once again, congrats !!!!
   — Kari_K

March 26, 2007
6-7 oz of soup is just fine, it is not too much. I had my surgery over 6 years ago now and I had that same concern. Most soups contain a lot of water/broth and it goes right through you. And that will not stretch your pouch. If you are able to handle the sugar free ice cream then it's OK to eat. The only thing I would take a look at is the fat content in the sugar free icecream. Even if there is no sugar there could be a lot of fat in it. I don't know since I have never been able to eat icecream. A lot of post-op's can't have ice cream because of the lactose - I AM ONE OF THOSE!!! I can't have lactose free ice cream either because the sugar causes me to dump really bad, so either way I get no ice cream. Definitely if it is sugar free then you are fine - just look at the fat content (and vice versa, if you are eating fat free foods, then look at the sugar and carb content). Your doctor may tell you that 4 oz is a good number to go by, but you may find that some foods you can only eat 1-2 oz and be full. If you find that you are able to eat half a cheeseburger after only a few months of surgery then that ISN'T good. I actually learned after my surgery that I had a mega-esophagus...I had overeaten so much prior to my surgery that I had stretched my esophagus and was able to eat more than most people. So I still had to be careful and I still have to be careful. It sounds like you are doing great, keep it up!!!!
   — JGDugar

March 27, 2007
Hi Patricia, and thanks for writing. You pose a good question that many people fear. I am 3 years out now, and when I have soup or other liquid or super soft foods, I tend to eat more. Liquid still slips down quite easily and you can just have more because it finds those small places to set in and slip down. If I eat protein, like chicken for example, I eat much much less because it is bulky and fills me up much quicker. I would encourage you to skip the ice cream. It is a stepping stone for more desert, and you want to avoid that during your honeymoon phase of weight loss. Make it a goal to have only from time to time, not a weekly treat, that will eventually shoot you in the foot. The more you wait for those changes in your diet the better. Maybe back it up to once a month than twice a week? That would really concern me. Regarding stretching your stomach. You have to wrap your head around the idea that your pouch will naturally stretch. There is a a way to measure how big your pouch is, and I will share that in a minute. Your pouch is a muscle, and if you stay on liquids your whole life, you probably can keep it small, but you won't stay on liquids your whole life, you were meant to eat, and you will. So, it will stretch, in small amounts and over the first few years. Don't try and make this happen, but don't fear it when it does. By the time you are two years post op, you should be able to consume about 1/2 regular meal or one frozen meal up to twice a day. Sometimes I can eat an entire 6 inch sandwich from Subway, and other times I can only eat half of it. Sometimes I eat a cup or cup and a half of food, and other times I eat toast twice a day and that is it. I don't force myself to eat 3 times a day or get stuck with big meals. It is just food not life. You are losing good, I assume you are exercising, so keep up the good work. You need the exercise, or your weight loss will suddenly stop and it will be miserable to get it going again, so if you are not exercising, now is the time to start. Ok, regarding measuring your pouch. Here is what I have learned and what I do. Get a container of cottage cheese. First thing in the morning (since you have not eaten for many hours), begin to eat cottage cheese (measure out 1/2 cup, then 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup again, have in 3 separate bowls or cups). Eat all the cottage cheese you can in five minutes. This is not a race, but the time is five minutes. Bite, chew, swallow, and continue for five minutes. However much cottage cheese you eat is how big your pouch is. When you are full, stop. Not painfully full, that is too full, but just satisfied full. If you eat the 1/2 cup you have a 4 oz pouch, if you eat more, then add to that 1/4 cup plus the half cup will be a 6oz pouch, the other 1/4 cup would be an 8 oz pouch. I can eat many different foods, and haven't tested my pouch in a few years, but when I did, I had a hard time completing the first half cup. That encourages me. Cottage cheese is a solid food and will fill you quickly. Hope this helps. Take care. Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

March 27, 2007
Does your doctor mean that you should eat at least 4oz per meal and more until you feel full? Or does s/he mean that you should eat until full or until you hit 4oz, whichever comes first? If you can stick to 1/2 a cup of sugar free ice cream every once in awhile, go for it. But do keep in mind that sugar free does not mean low fat or low calorie and has some form of sweetner in it. Congrats on your weight loss! Don't sweat the small stuff.
   — mrsidknee