Question:
I'm 7 weeks out and have had a hard time eating enough food.

But yesterday I made a can (16oz) of chunky chicken soup and was able to eat the whole can. Is this suppose to happen? I know I haven't strecthed my stomach.    — geoprism123 (posted on April 5, 2004)

April 5, 2004
Hi, I wouldn't worry, soup usually is pretty mushy and can go right thru your body once you eat it, I could eat that much too sometimes when I was 7 weeks post op!
   — Melodee S.

April 6, 2004
Don't worry - soups go through the pouch pretty quickly. And I'm sure you were careful and really chewed up the "chunky" stuff, so it probably cleared through pretty easily as well. Doesn't sound unusual at all.
   — Carlita

April 6, 2004
the important thing to remember when eating foods that go through quickly is that it is easy to consume tons of calories. Limit meals of any kind to 20 minutes. This way you are not overeating.
   — hooterzgirl75

April 6, 2004
I guess I am different. I am 7 wks postop and I can only three spoonfuls. All people are different.
   — onepowerfullady

April 6, 2004
Hi Pat- I'm 6 weeks out tomorrow and have the same issues. I was told to at this point move my meals from taking 45 min down to 30 max. Some days, I swear I can only eat a little bit and then others...wow! Soup, applesauce...all that soft mushy stuff of course goes through faster and so I can eat more of that. In the big scheme of things though...I have to look at the total I'm eating....and it is miniscule compared to before!!! Good luck to you :)
   — M. Me

April 6, 2004
Although I would hardly want to suggest that overconsumption of soup at your early post-op stage is a sign of the apocolypse, it would be helpful to consider less of the mechanical (physiological) reasons and more of the emotional (psychological) reasons for your conduct. The first few months provides us with a window of opportunity to evaluate the hold that food had on our former lives--- we then have the ability to start unlearning years of bad eating behavior, modifying our relationship with food and trying to cultivate a healthier lifestyle. Now these changes are certainly difficult and no one accomplishes them without errors made along the way. But. that is also why the suggestions that have been made are so very important. By limiting the time of your meals, you limit input; by strictly controlling portion size, you will also restrict input and hopefully stop finishing something simply because it is on your plate. Good luck.
   — SteveColarossi