Question:
I overate on purpose and now I'm scared!

I'm exactly 8 months out from RNY & have lost 113 pounds. I wanted to see how much I could actually eat as opposed to what I've been doing which is stopping after eating a certain amount. I consumed a whole toasted bagel, two big handfuls of WOW chips, six fat-free cookies, 2 regular cookies, and a big handful of peanuts in like 15 minutes. I didn't feel sick, just full afterwards. If I can eat that much is something wrong? Now I'm afraid of how much I can actually hold in my stomach and that I'll go back to my old habit of binge eating knowing that I can actually hold that much at a time. Why is it possible to get so much in?    — San (posted on February 12, 2003)

February 12, 2003
Keep in mind that once you chew food it condenses down to almost nothing in most cases. I think that many of us here have "tested" our pouches at one point or another. I can almost eat a whole bag of pork rinds or microwave popcorn, however, give me some chicken breast and I get full very fast. Most of what you ate was the type of thing that chews down to nothing. Don't stress over it, but don't make overeating a habit. I'm 8 months post and down 112 pounds.
   — George B.

February 12, 2003
Sandie, first congrats on the great weight loss in just 8 months-awesome. A few questions, are you transected, and how big was your intial pouch size? We all start out with different size pouches-thats why some early post-ops can eat alot more than others, the pouch can range in size. And over time, the pouch does stretch some. I know that at 8 months, I could not eat everything you did in 15 minutes (the cookies and peanuts and chips yes, but not a bagel on top of it-it would have been either/or) but then again, I have/had a 2 oz pouch. Yours may be bigger. Or if you are not transected, I would ask the surgeon about this and if she/he thinks it is too much, they can always order a look to see if their is a staple line disruption.
   — Cindy R.

February 12, 2003
This doesn't strike me as a volume issue. I don't think you overate. You just ate a bunch of junk food with next to no nutritional value. Big difference. At 8 months out, if I tried, I imagine I could probably get that amount of volume in my pouch, too. And like you, I don't dump (never did). But it's not the size of your pouch that matters so much as what you put into it. When we're 8 months out, we can put lots of different stuff in there. In the long run, there's no surgical solution for bad food choices. The pouch is only a tool, not a magic wand! (If somebody finds a magic wand, let me know -- 'cause I'm the one cowering behind this poster, with a pint of Edy's ice cream in my hand, poised to snarf that down the minute somebody invents a consequence-free way to do it!). Just shake this bad experience off and resolve to do better tomorrow -- you've done great so far, and it MUST be because you don't really eat like this. :)
   — Suzy C.

February 12, 2003
I'm 20 months out and can't consume all of that. I had a 1/2 sandwich and maybe 7 dorito chips and a couple of sips of my diet pop. I have lunch for tomorrow. Be careful.
   — dolphins94

February 12, 2003
I agree with George's answer...I can eat a bag of microwave popcorn, but stick some steak or chicken in front of me, and I get full really fast and stay full much longer...I wouldn't make a habit of treating your pouch like that...but we have all tested the limits of our pouch every now and then...Good Luck and Have a Sparkling Day!! ~CAE~
   — Mustang