Question:
I can eat 1.5 cups of food 5 wks out from RNY, this can't be good...
I am 5 wks post-op RNY, not really wanting to eat and have lost over 30 lbs so far. My problem is that I can eat over 1 1/2 cups of food at once with a 1/2 oz pouch?! I have never felt full, but always feel satisfied and stop eating when I reach my serving amount, usually about 6oz. On several occasions when I didn't measure ahead of time, I just kept eating until the food was gone. Anyone else have issues with this so early on? I dread having an enlarged stoma or problems of that nature, especially when I read about people only being able to eat 5 bites and having to stop. — Rachael B. (posted on July 28, 2003)
July 28, 2003
I am curious as to who determined your "serving amount" 6 ozs.
You say you have a 1/2 oz pouch. How can this be? Not bashing, just
trying to figure it out. Sometimes I am so dumb (lol). but, you are right
that being able to eat 1 and 1/2 cup food at a time does not sound good.
— Delores S.
July 28, 2003
I am only a week out, so I may be unclear on this, BUT, I think it really
depends on the type of food, (whether it is soft, mushy, easy to slide
through), if you're chewing really well, and how long it takes.... I've
heard many say they could eat a great deal of food if it is soft, or if
they sit there for a long time....I also have seen just in this week, that
it really varies from meal to meal... sometimes an ounce of yogurt makes me
full, and sometimes I can eat almost a cup of SF pudding...so it really
depends.. I wouldn't freak out too much, and remember, you can always check
with your doctor if you suspect a problem....good luck
— Kelly B.
July 28, 2003
Like the others have said it really depends on what you are eating, soups
and things that aren't very tick will go through the opening quicker,
especially if you are taking a while to eat it.....as your doc if you are
concerned. Good Luck!
— Saxbyd
July 28, 2003
Thanks for the responses. To clarify, this was 1 cup of turkey chili and
1/2 cup of steamed broccoli and I ate it in 10-15 minutes.
— Rachael B.
July 28, 2003
Hi, a couple of responses, one as poster stated by it depends on what you
are eating. I am almost 10 weeks out and tonight I had 1 to 1 1/2 oz of
pork chop, 1/4 baked sweet potato (Maybe) and a few bites of brocolli.
That may not even have been 3 0z total of food. Had it been cottage
cheese, I would have been able to eat a greater quantity. A previous
poster asked where you got the 6 oz from, my Dr. wants us to eat 2 oz of
protein, 2 oz veg and 2 oz starch at every meal, there is no way possible
especially on regular food.
— Kriola
July 28, 2003
Delores - my surgeon is where I got both my recommended serving size and my
pouch size.
— Rachael B.
July 28, 2003
For me the longer I give myself to eat something, the more of it I can eat.
The other night I indulged myself in some pasta (I had been craving it
soooo bad). I had a little over a cup on my plate, which is way more than
the usual couple of bites I will allow myself. I nibbled on it for 2 hours
and ate it all! Granted, that is rare, but like the others have said, I
think it depends on what you eat and how long you give yourself to eat it.
I find that I can eat less protein than I can eat carbohydrates. That is
why I always eat my protein first, since it fills me up fast. Sometimes I
don't even get to my carbs because I'm full from the protein (that is
probably a good thing because I can eat carbs forever!). Just eat slow,
take your time and chew thoroughly and give your brain time to know it's
full!
— MomBear2Cubs
July 28, 2003
There are so many factors going into how much you can eat. A big one is
NOT drinking with meals. If you drink it just moves the food straight
through. If you want to read about a stetched stoma go to my profile,
there is a copy of a post made by someone with this problem.
— faybay
July 28, 2003
The turkey chili would tend to move on through pretty fast. The broccoli
should have filled the hole though. This is tons of food to me but my plan
is definitely different than yours. At 6 weeks I was on 2 oz of 99%
protein only and was very full on that. Since most days I eat 1/2 to 5/8
of a cup per meal and you were told to eat 3 times as much as me from the
start, then 1-1/2 cups of food might be right for you, as it would be
around 3 times what I eat. I am almost 6 months PO. You need to talk to
the nurse, doctor, dietician, someone to figure out what is going on. If
you focus on protein and switch to denser things I doubt you will be able
to eat anywhere near that much.
— zoedogcbr
July 29, 2003
Are you drinking with your meal? You'd be surprised how many times I found
out postops drink with their meals, not realizing the reason or the
seriousness of it. Do not drink AT ALL. Maybe a teensy weensy sip a time
or two, to soften foods up. But do not drink after either. This turns the
food to soup and it runs straight on through. So if you drink after every
few bites, by the time you eat some more, the first has already gone out of
your stomach. At least that was how it was explained to me.
— Michelle A.
July 29, 2003
My surgeon and support staff were very specific about how much to eat and
following the schedule. For the first six weeks it was just 2 oz. of soft
food (oatmeal, applesause, cottage, etc) per meal. My stomach was very
tender and I was never hungry and could barely have that much. Then for
another month or so it was 3 oz. per meal of slightly more advanced foods.
It has taken me about 8 months to work up to 5 to 6 oz. which is nearly the
maximum they want us to eat at a time. You can eat more if you take time,
in fact, you can be eating all day, but that defeats the purpose of having
the smaller stomach and eating less.
— Donna S.
July 29, 2003
I have noticed that if you are coming up to that "special"time of
the month, for some magical reason, I can eat what is considered by most an
OUTRAGEOUS amount of food, but then, it goes away. See if you are just
about to enter that time of the month, but then if not, and this is
something that you can do all day long, maybe a problem, but there is also
the time frame that you are eating it in, if you sit and eat the same thing
over a 2 hour period of time, not a problem, 10 minutes, maybe a problem.
Check your cycles. I go through this as well. Good luck to you.
— sheri H.
July 29, 2003
1 1/2 cups already.....depends on what you're eating....Also, have you
stopped to think...what the Hel* am I doing? Why after going thru all this
surgery are you basically forcing yourself to eat that much...already?
Truthfully, if you'd stopped eating after 1 cup full...I am POSITIVE you
will fill full after about 5 minutes.....Please take the time to stop
yourself.....you don't want to go around filling unbelievably full do you?
It feels horrible plus think of the consequences......Try eating 6 little
meals a day...if you're feeling really hungry all the time. Make them
mostly of protein ie: cottage cheese, sliced meats/cheeses etc or even a
protein shake.
— Heather D.
July 29, 2003
Well, what is your timing like? If you can eat that much over, say, 2-4
hours, that's not that bad, really! If you can eat that much in 15-30
minutes I'd say 'STOP IT!' I am about 15 months out and can eat about 1.5
cups of certain things. Yesterday, I tried to eat about 1.5 cups of salad
then atempted to eat a high protein dessert and barfed my guts out for
about 15 minutes! OUCH! Remember this, your brain needs to get used to
the new tummy--you'll catch on, just give it some time! You may want to
call your surgeon and explain what is happening, just to be on the safe
side.
— jenn2002
July 30, 2003
Rachel, First most peoples pouches average they say about 2 oz, i dont
think as small as yours is that what the Dr. told you??? Or are you
guessing. I am 3 months out and still can only eat up to 2 oz every 2or 3
hours So ya That is alot for so soon out.I would def check with your Doc
— lukimom
July 30, 2003
I had the same question and decided to ask my doctor. His answer made
sense to me. Just because you are able to eat this amount does not mean
you should. He told me that he said not to eat more the 2 oz per meal
period. Depending on the type of food I was eating could make it seem like
I was eating more or less food. My suggestion to you. You've already
stated you quit eating when you feel satisfied which is what the stomach is
suppose to do. Continue to measure out your food in the amounts he has
told you to do. When you start having issues of not being satisfied, then
it is time to worry as that is why we have our stomachs made smaller.
— D L.
July 30, 2003
In response to a previous poster... the 1/2 ounce pouch is probably
accurate... my surgeon made mine 1/2 ounce, and another surgeon I
considered said 1/2 is what he aims for too....just fyi....take care.
— Kelly B.
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