Question:
How much should it take to fill me up?

I had open RNY on 3/25/02, I have lost 52 lbs. The nurse at my surgeons office said that most of their patients feel like they are going to pop when they eat 2-3 oz. I am still hungry when I eat 12 oz. I asked my Dr. if he thought that I had a staple line disruption and he said no, that I shouldn't worry about it since I am losing at a good rate. I am worried though, could my pouch be stretched, will I keep losing if I continue to eat this much? Three oz. is nothing to me! HELP!!!!!    — Brenda V. (posted on June 18, 2002)

June 18, 2002
Hi. Obviously if you've lost that much weight, you must be doing something right.;-) There are times that I too feel like I can eat quite a bit..for example salad, watermellon, popcorn. Other things a few bites fill me up - steak, chicken ect. I've never actually measured just how much I eat though. How long are you taking to eat? Maybe your pouch is starting to empty as you continue to fill it. Are you drinking with your eating? Maybe it's washing the food out of your pouch too quickly. I hope I've helped somewhat. Good luck to you. Leah
   — Leah H.

June 18, 2002
12 oz of what food? Eaten over how long a period? Drinking with meals or not? Measured by volume (in a measuring cup?) If it is a solid food, like chicken, and you're not drinking when you're eating, then yes, that is too much, in my opinion. Let us know more so we can answer better. JK, RN
   — Joya K.

June 18, 2002
That question came up a support group meeting last night. The surgeon who answered the question said that they have found that pouch larger than 2 or 3 ounces has been shown to still provide significant weight loss. He said it appears that the size of the pouch may not have as much influence over weight loss as thought. They now think that it is mainly the malabsorption that produces the weight loss. That means you can eat more and still lose weight. That's what the man said....
   — Karen J.