Question:
I feel like I'm eating too much..

i'm 3 wks post opt. I eat 1\2 cup 3xs a day. i don't snack in between meals. but I feel like i'm eating too much... hows anyone else gone thru this? is this normal? I've been sticking with soft foods,example eggs, cottage cheese creamed soups.    — tracy T. (posted on April 27, 2000)

April 27, 2000
Oh yeah! At first I felt like I was eating a ton of food and I was positive I was going to stretch my stomach. But my surgeon told me it was imperative that I eat the food that I had been instructed to eat AND to drink water dur- the day as well (are you drinking?)because it's the water that helps to "wash" away the fat. I still drink water throughout the day and I am one year p/o RNY (open). It makes me feel better and my surgeon told me and I know it's true, that it's important to keep hydrated. Good luck to you. Keep following your surgeon's instructions and you'll do just fine.
   — Judy P.

April 27, 2000
You are not eating too much. You are doing just fine. 1/2 cup three times a day and no snacking is not too much. It always feels like we are eating too much in every step of our weight loss. From the day we get home until we even reach our goal we feel like we are eating too much not exercising enough, or not eating enough sometimes. We all feel like this at one time or another while losing weight. If you still really feel that way go get weighed in at your Dr.s and ask him. He will probably tell you the same thing. As long as what you eat is healthy for you, you should have no problems. As time goes on you will be able to eat a little more. Good luck with you on your weight loss. You are doing just fine.
   — chris M.

April 27, 2000
I noticed a difference on it being easier to eat at about 3 weeks, I understand that is the effect of the swelling going down. I am 6 weeks post, have lost 60lbs. I am eating most everything now I see a big difference in the quantity of eating. If I go out to eat I can only eat 1/3 to 1/2 of the meal and feel full. Soft foods, fruit, lettuce and tomato go through easily. If I drink with my meal it seems to push food through and I can eat more. Therefore avoid drinking during meals and you will quickly feel full.
   — Paul T.

April 27, 2000
Hi, I'm 9 weeks post-op and I did an experiment the last few days to see how much I was actually eating -- I wrote down the calories for everything I ate because I thought I had been eating too much -- turns out I was eating on average less than 800 calories a day which isn't good! When we move to solid food from pureed food we get full so fast it does seem like we're eating alot, but I suggest you write down everything you eat and the calorie amount, and I bet you're not eating too much.
   — Elizabeth M.

April 27, 2000
Tracy, You're doing just fine with what you're eating now. I, too, felt like I was eating too much, especially after graduating from pureed foods to more "solid" type foods. And because my weight loss has been a little slower than other's, (I'm 7 weeks post-op, have lost 25# and battling a wicked plateau already) I was sure that I was overeating too. I finally started to realize tho' that the "full" feeling I was feeling after eating my little 1/2 cup was VERY reminicient of the feeling I had pre-op when I would truely stuff myself to the gills! There were times when I felt so quilty about feeling so full that I was convinced that I'd "never lose weight eating this way"! I had to consciously go back and think about how little I had actually eaten to help myself realize that I wasn't eating too much and nowhere NEAR what I had been able to eat before my surgery. I was experiencing a guilt that was completely undeserved. I finally started doing what other post-oppers have already suggested to you...counting my calories. That's helped alot. So, I guess it is "normal" to think that we're overeating because we feel so full. Just keep on "keepin' on" tho' Tracy and you'll be ok. Count your calories follow your doctor's diet, and keep up with your water intake. Good luck and God bless. cj
   — cj T.