I'm 7 1/2 weeks out from an RNY.  My surgeon said I could start eating when I got hungry, usually 1-2 weeks post op.  I got hungry early, about four or five days out.  (My husband brought in Chinese food and before I even thought, I snatched a piece of chicken off his plate and ate it!  And it was GOOOD!)   I struggle to be careful not to over eat most of the time.  I feel hungry and eat, but have to watch my volume so I don't make myself feel sick.  I feel hunger and want to eat more than my pouch can hold.  I know that the first part of the surgery helps me lose by restricting my intake and that later I maintain the loss by having good eating habits, being content with less food.   So how normal is it that I'm still struggling with volumes?

Once I have my meal, it does hold me for a long time.  I'm only eating once or twice a day most of the time.  Unless you count my vitamins and calcium.  They would make an additional five "meals" a day!

I'm thirsty all the time, but can't drink enough volume to satisfy.  I was always a water drinker, 2-4 liters a day.  Now I just can't seem to get more than one liter in, and that's with effort.  If I drink more than a couple of swallows, it overfills me.

Are you using protein shakes?  Because you won't get enough protein eating once or twice a day.

I started on protein shakes, but my surgeon called me out on it. She doesn't want her patients drinking protein - she wants' them eating it. I was pretty relived as post op it all tasted fairly nasty to me.

So how do you get enough protein eating only once a day?  You probably need, what, 70 grams of protein a day?  So are you eating ten ounces of meat at your one daily meal?

There's no way you can eat that much protein in the form of non-protein shakes this early out without hurting yourself. Be careful.

Wow.  You have been on here since 03?  You should be measuring your food and vitamins are not a meal. 

You should be measuring, tracking and eating 5-6 times a day.

You should be measuring your protein and liquid intake.

If you do not stop snatching now, it will snowball into a bigger problem later.  This is not a free ride for anyone.

It comes down to having a bit of self control and self awareness.

Good luck on your journey. 

I joined in 03, but my husband's health failed and he eventually died,.  I did not go through with WLS.  I came back to the site in 2010, had my surger December 8, 2011.  I wasn't active on the board during the years away. 

I'm looking to see if my difficulties at this point are unusual.  When I suspect I've had enough (even though I still feel hungry), I stand up and walk a couple of steps.  Somehow I can feel the volume in my pouch after I stand.  Just sitting there, the hunger doesn't go away.  It feels like to me I should have a better sense  of the volume as I'm eating.

I started on protein shakes, but my surgeon called me out on it.  She doesn't want her patients drinking protein - she wants' them eating it.  I was pretty relived as post op it all tasted fairly nasty to me.

I was joking about the vitamins being a meal.  At this point they feel like one! 

When you;re talking "at this point." do you mean because I'm almost two months out?  Or becuase you think I've been here since 03?  And I think you're saying I should stop snacking.  I was saying that I DON'T snack.  I schedule my vitamins (twice a day plus calcium 3 times a day, all spaced out at least 2 hours apart) and sometimes I don't even feel like eating them!  But when I sit down to eat, I feel hungry and that's my struggle.

Thanks.

At this point you should be measuring, as your stomach is still not able to feel and sense fullness correctly. Put a measuring cup in your purse and you wont have to worry about it ever again.

I missed the sarcasm about the vitamins.

I hear you say you feel hungry, but at 2 months, your stomach does not really know what is going on, your getting mixed signals.  You don't know if it is truly your stomach or your head. It is similar to an arm or leg that was lost from an accident. Some people say they still have the sensation the leg or arm is there, clearly the limb is gone. The mind is more powerful than any of us know.

Sit down and schedule your food and vitamins. If your surgeon told you not to drink,,,, don't do it. I was scratching my head going why do people go through this if they do not follow guidelines? I don't mean that is a never break rule, you may need a sip of something for food that is very dry or overcooked. But snatching on impulse is what caught my attention.

I read about a woman that purposely ate sweets to see if she could dump and she does it once a week.... that is a recipe for disaster and I do not understand why people must do counter productive things to themselves. I am not saying you are one of those people, I know too many people that do not follow the rules and they gain weight back in big ways.  It is literally self sabotage and I do not understand it.

You are still very early out and need to measure.  I carried a measuring cup and a small container of hand sanitizer w/tissues to keep my measuring cup clean for a very long time.  I never had to worry about how big a serving was because I measured. many times I took what I needed from my families entrees when we went out. When I order an entree, I know I will get 2-3 meals out of it. 

You have identified that you stuggle, start measuring and it will help you visualize your pouch being full.  I bet you will not be able to eat even a cup this early out, your pouch is not that big, it is the size of an egg. You have not broken it, or ruined anything.  I bet the measuring will help you more than you know

Good luck. 

Are you normal? Sure, for someone heading for a very bumpy ride.

Please supplement with protein shakes and this early out, concentrate on getting in as much fluid as you can, although the exact amount doesn't matter much at this point - it only matters that you try.

For a post-RNY patient, chicken 4-5 days after surgery is super risky. When you eat, you should be doing soft foods - yogurt, popsicles, maybe oatmeal...if it's "mushie", it won't hurt your brand new baby pouch.

Be careful.

I had a little bit of a bumpy ride in the hospital and when i came home, I was fairly well medicated.  I read the papers from the surgeon and thought I understood them well.  I think it was the drugs talking.  I didn't realize until a couple of weeks later that I had started too early.  I have been pleasantly surprised at how well I've tolerated the foods I've eaten.  I've tried to go slow (except the one chicken piece that screamed my name until I saved it) and have had almost no trouble.  Except the natrual almond butter - no sugar.  To die for!  So good!  And then I thought they were going to MAKE me die for it!  That must have been dumping!  Never again...  I have experimented to see which foods leave me feeling over all better after eating.  I went for a hamburger in a restaurant (real hamburger) and was able to eat 1/4 meat with a little of the cheese.  And a bite of the tomato and pickle.  Yummmmm.  I eat a lot of beans, some cheese, a lot of chicken. 

My mouth is never finished eating before my stomach is.