Question:
About how much food should you be eating on a daily basis post-op?

When I explained to my friend about having surgery , she asked me "How much food will you be eating in a day?" Do you eat three times a day with snacks as some diets do or will it be more or less? Just wondering ahead of time.    — angela D. (posted on May 5, 2002)

May 5, 2002
Angela - you'll get a lot of variety in the response to this one! I am 9.5 months post op - have lost 95 pounds and want to lose 42 more. I started at 287 - my goal is 150. I eat about 1500 calories a day. Typically I get 40-50% from protein, 20% from fat, and the rest from carbs. I eat three meals a day - small ones - and a few snacks per day. I am paying attention to not "grazing" as that was my downfall pre-surgery. We eat out a lot, and I've figured out how to make that work for me. If someone doesn't know I've had the surgery, they would never be able to tell by how I eat - I just eat less food than I used to (and typically less than everyone I'm with!). Of course, looking at a woman who weighs 192 pounds, they probably think "I know she eats more than that," but every day I get smaller - so one day soon the amount I consume will "match" what I look like! Good luck to you. OPEN RNY 7/17/01.
   — blee01

May 5, 2002
Hi, I agree with Bobbi, everyone has something different to say to this question. As for me, I have been eating 6 "mini meals" per day since about the 4th or 5th month. I am almost 1 year post op and eat between 1400-1600 calories per day, high protein, lower carbs and some fats, but limited. I drink at least 2 protein drinks per day as well.I exercise every day and drink tons of water and decaf. teas, and am now 6 pounds below goal. Also like Bobbi, noone would know I had surgery if I didn't tell, I just eat leass and very healthy, but believe me I do eat, and only early on was I able to only consume a couple of tablespoons at a time. The amount gradually increases, and for me, eating every couple of hours keeps my metabolism working full force. Best of luck and continued success.
   — Vicki K.

May 5, 2002
I was on semi-solid foods before I even left the hospital. Of course, I could only consume about 1 ounce per meal. In the beginning, because your new pouch is swollen and still healing, you won't be able to eat much more then a couple of ounces per meal. In order to get in your protein, you may have to have 5 very small meals a day. As you heal and adjust to your new pouch, the amount you eat will increase slowly. Some doctors want you to eat 5 small meals a day and others want you to eat 3 small meals with a high protein snack in between. It will vary and you should always follow your doctor's advise. At 6 months post-op, and down 110#, I eat 3 meals a day. I consume around 8 ounces of food per meal and I never go over 1,000 calories a day. I snack on fresh fruit, sugar-free Jello or a small smoothie made with skim milk, fresh fruit and fat-free yogurt and sometimes a small piece of low-fat string cheese in between meals and then drink lots of water. When I go out to eat, I order what ever looks good and I know I can tolerate and I always take home 3/4 of my meal in a doggie box. You can eat whatever you want or can tolerate, but it will be a much smaller amount then you ate as a pre-op. I found my tastes for certain foods changed after WLS and I no longer crave some of my old favorites. I also make sure I eat very sensibly, since the amount we can consume is so much less it has to be good choices. I spend twice as much time shopping for 75% less food when I go to the grocery store now because I read the labels and stick with low fat, low sodium and sugar free foods. Some posties can eat more then others and still others eat far less then I do. It is not the same for everyone, just as the speed of losing weight is not the same for everyone.
   — Susan M.