Question:
2oz. feels like too much food. am I starving myself?

I am 7 weeks post-op Lap RNY and i am having tummy trouble. in the past 2 weeks i've found that i am hardly ever physically hungry and i even have to force myself to drink my water, but i'm still not getting enough in. plain water makes me feel sick, and too much liquid makes me vomit, even when i sip or take it slow. taking my meds/vites is a nightmare. it takes 30 minutes to get them all down and then i am miserable for an hour. i'm on soft foods, even though the doctor said i can be on full solids now. i'm just not ready. i take tiny bites of food, and chew and chew and take my time, but after about 5-6 bites and/or 10-15 minutes i am SO full and have only eaten maybe a third of my meal. i rarely get to my veggies. one more bite and i lose it all. I can always eat enough if I have soup or beans, but I'm afraid of not getting enough protein that way. are the soft meats filling me up too fast? or could i have excess scar tissue in my pouch? should i go back to full liquid? is it okay to stretch my meal time out to 45 minutes or an hour, rather than 20-30 minutes, so i can at least get enough nutrients in my system? should i be eating more than 3 meals per day or taking extra vitamins? i'm so tired and weak, i know i'm doing something wrong. Please help!    — maurer_power (posted on December 4, 2002)

December 4, 2002
hi there. every surgeon has their own opinion. some want you to eat only three times a day and others suggest 6. id say listen to your pouch. if 2 oz at this point feels like to much then it is. id say just eat smaller amounts but increase the amount of times you eat a day so you get what you need in and dont go into starvation mode.maybe when you can accommodate more food at one sitting then you can eliminate the amount of times you eat per day again. best of luck to you.
   — carrie M.

December 4, 2002
I was 8 weeks post-op yesterday. I have only recently felt like I could eat more than before. Until I felt that way, I would eat about 6 times a day. The amounts were so small that I felt I needed that to get all the nutrients in. You also should be taking at least calcium and a multivitamin. Are you doing a protein drink? I found that I absolutely had to in order to get the amount of protein I needed. Feel free to e-mail me if you want!!!
   — Want2bslim

December 4, 2002
Talk to your doctor, honey. I am 6.5 weeks out, and although sometimes I can only eat a third of my meal, most of the time its ok. What worries me is that you're having trouble with water...call your doctor. NOW. :) Good luck!
   — Tamara K.

December 4, 2002
My nutritionist said she will give me the amounts of protein and carbs she wants me to have each day and I can have it in 3 meals, 4 meals or 5 meals. The doctor recommends 3 but if you can't eat the whole thing, the nutritionist said it's okay to break into 4 or 5.
   — susanje

December 4, 2002
I have heard if you take your pills at night before you go to bed, it may be easier on the tummy. Good luck!
   — Heather S.

December 4, 2002
Can you handle protein shakes or carnation instant breakfast? I had to take my meds with CIB for the first several months because it was much easier on my tummy.
   — sheltie

December 5, 2002
Well, the others addressed some of your other questions so I'll just pick this one that struck me (if I understood you correctly). Why are you trying to get all your meds and vites down in 30 minutes? Why not space them through the day? Some vitamins and meds work best when taken alone anyway - for example C and iron can be taken together but shouldn't be taken with anything else and you should wait an hour before taking anything else. I'm further out than you but I would still have a hard time if I tried to take my vitamins, my prevacid, actigall, calcium etc all together at once! You're making it harder on yourself if this is what you are doing. Give yourself a break, and also give the vitamins/meds a chance to do their stuff.
   — sandsonik

December 5, 2002
Re: vitamins - I have resorted to crushing my Calcium Citrate pills and mixing them with cottage cheese or applesauce (no sugar added)in order to swallow them. I take a vitamin B12 sublingual in the morning and let one of my Flintstones vitamins melt on my tongue to take away the bad taste of the B12 pill. As far as eating and drinking, I'm 4 weeks out and, like you, have trouble drinking a lot of liquids without feeling sick. I try to have several sugar free popsicles to make up for the lack of water. I also eat 5-6 times a day, although my doc's office said 3, because I know I'm not getting in all my protein. Everyone has told me we all move along at our own pace, so I'm taking their advice (and passing it on to you) that we will overcome these obstacles eventually and settle into more regular eating and drinking patterns. Hang in there!
   — Arlene S.