Question:
Is This Okay

I think i have stretched out my pouch! I was so hungry the last 3 days and i just did not know where is was coming from! Last night i sat down at dinner and ate a whole roll, and 4 pieces of spinach pasta ( way to many carbs!) and to top that off i drank probably 5 or 6 ounces of tea with my meal! i am so scared that im gonna mess everything up. I am almost 3 monthes out and im not getting as full as i did at first. Today i started my period, first time in 3 years! I dont seem as hungry, but im also really trying to control what i eat. How easy is it to stretch out your pouch?    — lisa N. (posted on December 31, 2002)

December 30, 2002
RELAX, your pouch isnt stretched! You drank with your nmeal, washing more food thru your pouch than normal. So dont drink with your meals and you will eat less. Feel sorry for women, that time really gives them big aoppetites.
   — bob-haller

December 31, 2002
It's pretty difficult to stretch out the pouch. It sounds like you were just really full from the roll (sometimes bread swells in the stomach) and also drinking a bit with your meal. But I doubt you've stretched your pouch. It also sounds like you had the pre-period ravenous munchies, which everyone gets (perhaps you don't remember since your last period was three years ago). For starters I would stop drinking ANYTHING when you eat. Stop that bad habit right off. You'll see you won't get that full-to-bursting feeling. I personally don't think you're eating too much. Hugs, Joy
   — [Deactivated Member]

December 31, 2002
I was told that it is very hard to overly stretch the pouch. You would have to consistently overeat in order to do so. Now, the fact that you can eat more at 3 months and not get as full as before is NORMAL. As time goes by our pouches do stretch, and they are supposed to. We could not survive at any normal weight if we were only eating a few ounces per meal like we do as early post-ops. As time goes by you will notice that you can eat more and more, but you'll end up eating a normal sized portion and get full instead of the massive quantities it used to take us pre-op to get full. What I would try to concentrate on at your stage is developing good eating habits that will serve you well in the future. Maybe it was just the one meal you described, and that might have been abnormal for you, but I would ensure that you had protein first at every meal and that you refrain from drinking with meals.
   — Cindy R.

December 31, 2002
Don't worry. Stretching the pouch is harder than we all think. Drinking with your meals gives you that full sensation in the tummy area. Don't drink with your meals. That is a very bad habit to start and hard to break. Menstruating is terrible. I also feel like binging right before it comes but I don't let myself eat. I know what is coming and why I feel that way. Good luck to you. You will be just fine.
   — Regina C.