Question:
What exactly is considered a

I am 8 months post-op and have this fear of over-eating and stretching my new stomach. I always feel like I over eat when everyone else says I do not eat enough. My doctor says to eat 5 to 6 "small" meals a day. What is exactly considered a small meal? I know this may seem to be a stupid question but I never want to be obese again. Thank you for all input and help. Merry Christmas!    — Crystal D. (posted on December 18, 2002)

December 18, 2002
One half of a sandwich is a small meal.
   — MARSHA D.

December 18, 2002
Good question - bet everyone has a different definition of "small". For me, 1 scrambled egg would be a small meal. So would 1/2 a sandwich, so would a few ounces of meat with a few bites of vegetable. A protein bar could be considered a small meal. An ounce of cheese and a few crackers would be a small meal...just my opinion.
   — Cindy R.

December 18, 2002
I'm 18 months post-op and I consider a normal meal for me to be most but not all of a Lean Cuisine size portion. I never eat a full sandwich or more than one slice of bread or 1/2 of a hamburger bun on the rare occasions when I eat bread. For me about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food is enough, but I eat 6 times a day. Some meals are a protein bar, or a piece of fruit. The thing that I eat in the largest portion is watermelon. Seems like I can eat about 2 cups of that, but I know I really don't eat 2 cups. Besides it chews up to nothing. Your quantity is really dependent on the density of the food. The more dense, the smaller the portion. Hope this helps.
   — Teri D.

December 18, 2002
From what others have said, I think I am fairly typical in that I can eat different amounts at different times of the day or different times of the month. I worried and worried about how much I was eating until I did the cottage cheese test (I used oatmeal). Now I just eat until I am satisfied and don't worry about it because I know my pouch size is "normal" (about 8 oz) and I am transected so I won't be disrupting any staples (if I did it would be a much bigger deal than gaining weight!!!). Sometimes I can eat up to 1 1/2 cups of food, but most of the time 1/2 cup to 1 cup is more like it. For breakfast it may only be 3/4 oz cheese or a spoon of peanut butter and a cup of coffee but I almost always eat quite a bit at my noon meal. The trick, IMHO, is to eat to satisfaction at each of your meals. That keeps your mind AND your body happy as long as you don't exceed the number of calories that you need. Protein and fat fill you up faster and keep you feeling satisfied longer than carbs.<p>For a specific example, my lunch yesterday was 2 oz of beef fajita meat with a little cheese melted on it, 1/2 cup of refried beans, about 4 chips and a little salsa. I had the other 2 oz of meat and about 1/4 cup of the beans about 3 hours later. That to me is a small meal at 20 months out.
   — ctyst