Question:
I am 6 weeks post op. How long at this point should it take to finish our meals.
At six weeks post op how long should it take to finish a meal?. I am still going on the 45 minutes but am getting sick of eating cold meals that should be hot and hot meals that should be cold. I really need help with this. Also how long after you begin eating does the food start to leave your pouch? — Maureen C. (posted on May 29, 2003)
May 29, 2003
I am also 6 weeks out. I can eat rather quickly with no adverse reactions.
For example, I can eat a whole banana in about 10 minutes. I asked the
nutritionist about it when I was there this morning for my 6 week visit and
she said as long as I'm not taking bites that are too big and the food gets
stuck or not getting nauseaus, its ok to eat at my pace. Right now its
taking me about 25-30 minutes to eat a cup full of food. I also asked her
about how much I'm eating, she said its ok to eat the whole banana if I can
because everyone's pouches are different. Again, as long as I wasn't
putting too much down at once. Hope I could help!!
— Jessica C.
May 29, 2003
My nutritionist stresses that we should not take more than 1/2 hour to eat.
She says that stretching out the time defeats the purpose of the pouch.
The key is to eat and then not drink for at least 1/2 hour b4 of
afterwards. Her thought about defeating the pouch makes sense to me.
— [Deactivated Member]
May 29, 2003
As far as eating cold food, go to your local Babies-R-Us or whatever baby
store and get the special baby plate that has a water resivoir under it.
Mine is divided into 3 sections for food, and there is a little 'port' that
you open and pour boiling water in underneath that. It keeps my food warm
until I have finished eating (which is still between 15-30 minutes). They
only cost about $5 at Babies-R-Us.
— salymsmommy
May 29, 2003
I too am not able to eat fast, it takes me 30-45 minutes to eat about 3oz.
I cannot eat faster as I throw up very easily (always have). IMHO, one
needs to take as long as it takes to eat a minimum amount of food (In my
case, my minimum is 3oz, my maximum is 4oz). Now if I could eat more, then
taking longer would be a bad thing. Currently, if I stopped eating at 20
minutes (as some suggest), I would get in about 1-1.5oz of food, and would
risk mal-nutrition.
— [Deactivated Member]
May 29, 2003
My dr says your pouch starts to empty after about 20 minutes so if you take
longer than that you will eat more by defeating the pouch. I would say eat
less at a time so that you can finish in 20 minutes or less and then save
the leftovers to eat at another "meal." I eat many small meals a
day (about every 3 hours) to keep my metabolism steady, make sure I can get
in enough nutrients, and combat feelings of deprivation. I don't know about
everybody else, but it works for me, anyway!
— ctyst
May 29, 2003
I am surprised that you are taking so long to eat. I normally kept it at
20 minutes. Also remember that after you eat you have to wait 1 1/2 hours
before you can drink anything. Why 1 1/2 hours, because by then you should
have digested all the food in your pouch. What type of foods are you
eating? I am almost 4 months out and have lost 55 lbs. already. Email me
if you want and I will help you on your journey.
— Robyn W.
May 29, 2003
Maureen, Omigoodness, it takes you 45 minutes? Sorry, that is just a super
long time, and if you eat that long and that slow, you're able to eat
larger quantities and in my mind can almost be grazing. When I was early
post-op, I chewed very slow and it never took me longer than 20 minutes to
eat. From what I've seen and heard, most nutritionists recommend average 20
minutes, but no more than 1/2 hour. I'm now 1 year post-op and it doesn't
take me longer than 10 minutes, sometimes even 5, I still chew slow and
carefully it just gets easier. Just b/ there is say 3 oz in front of you,
doesn't mean you have to eat all oz., know what I mean? You'll get the hang
of it, takes time. Goodluck to you!
— Lezlie Y.
May 29, 2003
Maureen- Let me echo what most of the other posters have said and encourage
you to eat shorter meals. I was able to lose 215 pounds in 235 days (I'm
about 35 pounds from my goal) by limiting my meals to about 30 minutes.
Also, now is a great time (while you just can't eat much) to evaluate how
important food was in your life and how important you think it should be
now.
— SteveColarossi
May 30, 2003
I'll add my voice to the crowd and say that at 6 weeks post-op, no more
than 20 minutes per meal, even if it means you are eating less. I disagree
with the poster that says to wait 1 1/2 hours before drinking after a
meal-45 minutes to an hour max. Like Cheri, I too eat every few hours but
at 15 mo post-op, 5-10 min for a meal now. You'll be able to speed up your
eating and the amount you can eat as you get further along. Don't rush it
though.
— Cindy R.
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