Question:
Have I stretched mine?

I am 11 weeks post op and have lost no weight for the past 3 weeks. I feel like I have fallen back into my old eating habits which arn't good ones. I can eat junk food without getting sick not sure why I ever tried this but now I am scared. Last night I ate a pasta tv dinner that was 8oz in size I had no problem finishing the whole dinner does this mean that I have streched my stomach I read most people can only eat 1/2 a cup of food at a time.    — [Anonymous] (posted on August 26, 2001)

August 26, 2001
Well, my suggestion to you would be to contact your doctor. Also it does not sound like to me that you are doing your part, (please dont take that the wrong way) but eating junk food and tv dinners is not part of the deal. You need to remember that the surgery is only a tool, its not magic and you jave to do your part. It does not matter if our stomach holds 20 or 2 ounces, if we fill it with junk and fat, we will not lose weight. I hope this is not to critical, thats not my intention, i just think maybe you should take a minute and remember why you had this surgery in the first place. Every day you wake you should think to yourself how little can i get away with eating today, NOT can i eat a 8 ounce tv dinner. I hope that things get better for you soon. Best of luck.
   — Malynda S.

August 26, 2001
I don't think anyone should start the day thinking "how little can I eat today." That's the old anorexic attitude. Everyone should start the day thinking "What can I eat today to get in all my protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy food I need?"
   — [Anonymous]

August 26, 2001
Do the cottage cheese test to see how much your pouch can hold. You can find it by typing in "Cottage Cheese Test" and following the instructions. It is simple to do. It sounds like you are fine to me. Most people can hold 6 or 7 oz after the pouch "softens". Your dinner is mostly liquidy and is probabaly less than a cup when chewed up. The test confirms that it is perfectly normal to be able to eat up to 9 oz after the pouch's elasticity returns and the doctor who created it says that the size of the pouch (up to this amt) will not hinder our wt loss success at all. Of course when the pouch is first created, we lose the fastest but we can and do continue to lose after it "softens". Good luck and don't fret!
   — Marilyn C.

August 27, 2001
Hi. You sound like me. I am struggling so hard with my eating but the old habits are getting so strong. Malynda had a point BUT not all of us are as strong-willed as she sounds. And I'm not trying to be critical of Malynda. I'm glad for her that she has one less thing to work against her - a weak will. But do you think you might be a food addict, like me? If so, look in your phone book for Overeaters Anonomous or Food Addicts Anonomous meetings in your area & go to a meeting. I hope I don't sound insulting; please don't think I'm trying to insult you. It's just that I'm going thru such a struggle with food and the sense of desperation and worthlessness it causes when I slip up time after time is so overwhelming; and then having some wls people (And I'm NOT referring to Malynda!) criticise saying, "Why did you ever go & have surgery if you can't commit to eating as you should." or "You should have never had surgery." Maybe they mean well, but it hurts. The OA helps to keep me on track. Alot of us wls people don't understand that there are alot of us with a food addiction, just like an alcoholic is addicted to drink, or a drug addict to drugs. We want to loose the weight more than anything in the world, but the addiction is so strong. And I don't believe that we should not have had surgery. No, we needed the surgery because the obesity was killing us. But for we who are week-willed, we need all the help we can get after surgery in order to succeed. This includes AMOS, wls support group meetings, OA or FAA meetings, and counseling; possibly even antidepressants as depression might be an underlying cause of overeating. My thing is to do whatever it takes to beat this food demon and make my wls a success. There is a yahoo group for the 12 Steps/wls, but I can't remember the exact title of the group, or link to it. I'll have to get back to you on that, if you're interested.
   — lalasmommy