Question:
Surgery in Feb 2002. I can eat a lot. Help

I went down from 268lbs to 150 and now up to 170. I have a lot of stress in my life right now, and I eat to find comfort and a lot. Any suggestions? I really want to loose these 20lbs. Do you think my pouch stretched?    — mamita093 (posted on May 10, 2005)

May 10, 2005
I'm not sure about the pouch stretching, but if you are stress eating, you are probably making bad choices and snacking all throughout the day. I can understand about the stress eating because I too am going through a lot of stress right now. I keep a very close eye on my weight and when I get to the upper end of my range (that I chose for myself) I cut back on sweets and try to start making better choices for myself. I also try to find other things to do instead of eating. Maybe going outside and walking around or reading a book or praying about it. Start back with your protein and veggies and try cutting back on carbs and sweets and see if that helps any. You are more than welcome to email me if you need a buddy to talk to.
   — Shel E.

May 10, 2005
Jen, you and I had surgery around the same time, so I can relate to the efforts it takes to keep the weight off after 3+ years. Some suggestions: weigh often enough so that when you see the scale go up you have a plan for corrective action while its just 5 pounds, which seems so much easier to tackle than 20. But with that said, you do have 20 to lose. I thought Shelly gave a great answer below about trying to occupy your mind with other things besides eating. Go for long walks (get a dog!! I go for an hour long daily walk with the dog when I want to drop a few..) Change what you are snacking on. Pumpkin seeds, one at a time can take a long time to eat yet give you protein, the 94% fat free (taste free in my book) popcorn can let you continue munching with not much harm. Make a big protein shake with fresh fruit in it, and water, not milk. And get all the junk out of the house. If its there, trust me you'll find it and eat it. I'm a stress eater too so I have to keep the chocolate down to a minimum sometimes. And exercise, find a way to get exercise in every day-take the stairs at work, park furthest away from the building..I'm sorry to say that its work at this point. As for whether you have stretched the pouch, i was told that frequent overstuffing can lead to pouch stretching..so it depends on what you are eating..as you know we can down alot of things in quantity that munch up into water, such as salad, fruit, popcorn etc. If your eating a 12 inch sub in one sitting, then I would say, yes its stretched. You can always ask for an endoscopy to measure the size of your pouch, which at our stage should be anywhere from 6-10 oz.
   — Cindy R.

May 10, 2005
I've had similar experiences as had surgery the same time as you, although I was nearly 350 and now am about what you were when you started (266), up from 240. I'm having major hernia repair surgery on June 8th (laparascopically), and agree with these other two responses that we need to go back to the high protein, more liquids, vegies, and cut out the breads and snacks and carbs. Best of luck, and hoping for the same. All others I know who had this surgery after me are enjoying size 4 and did not stop like I did in my 240's. Sigh.
   — Karen L.

May 10, 2005
All 3 of these answers are great! I will tell you that I have found out that our pouch does not truly "stretch" Our stoma stretches and allows the food to pass into the intestine more easily...what happens then is that the intestine is able to function as a food holding area. Think how much food you could stuff into there!!! I also fight "head hunger" all the time. I find that what helps me is to try to stick with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. It doesn't always work, but does help. I have heard someone else say that they set a timer for 15 minutes and then just quit eating when the timer goes off and then set it for 3 hours when they eat for 15 minutes again. This keeps you on a set schedule and limits your food intake. Good luck!! Carmen
   — kccjer