Question:
I feel so full after

just a few bites. I know I am only 5 weeks out, but it seems like I am so hungry and I eat about 5 bites and I am full. really full. I have good bowel movements and have not vomited. I just wondered does this get better? I dont want to try and eat large amounts, I just want to get in enough food like I am suppose to. I take vitamins every day b 12 sublingual, calcium. I get my protein through shakes and a protein drink my surgeon suggested. I try to eat chicken and other meats (chewed thoroughly) but like I said feel full so quickly. so does this get easier ? I wind up wasting food, cause of this full feeling. thanks for any help. melinda    — taterbug898 (posted on January 1, 2005)

December 31, 2004
I use to get full after just a few bites of food. I am over 1 year out and I was just able to eat meat about 6 months ago. So if you can eat meat you are going better than me. Anyway, you do not want it to get too easy eating too much food. To this day, I do not take more than what I think i will eat, isially about a teaspoon of each food. Very rarely can I eat more. I get my protein through carnation instavt breakfast, no sugar added kind. I do not like all of that other protein stuff. When I had my surgery my surgeon told me I would never be able to eat enough in a day to get my protein intake, so I never expected to be able to eat a lot of food. I think you are ok as long as you are not vomitting. Hope any of this helps. Holly
   — Holly H.

December 31, 2004
It took me til about 3 mos. out til I could do more than a few bites at a time. There's so much swelling early on and it takes a long time to get over it. Just maximize your first year and make sure you get your vitamins and protein levels in as well as fluids. I'm over 2 years out and chicken is one of the meats that I've never tolerated well at all. I do mostly fish/shellfish and beef. I didn't try any meat at all until I was 6 weeks out because remember you do need time to heal. I think you're doing fine and yes, it will get better over time. One of the things I have had a struggle with is this feeling of wasting food. I just eat what I can and go with it.
   — Cathy S.

December 31, 2004
Melinda - It sounds as though you are doing well. I experienced this too - it wasn't until around 6 months out that I could begin to eat and drink more "normally" again. Hang in there - it does get better. I remember that feeling of wanting to eat more, but I couldn't. Sometimes that still happens. It takes some time to adjust to our new portions and to buy and fix less food. In time, you will be able to tolerate a more normal portion (not pre-op normal, but reasonable person normal). Good luck on your journey. Dee
   — Dee G

January 1, 2005
Your surgery is working EXACTLY as it should! You paid the big bucks and risked your life for exactly this! You WANT restriction, as long as you have it, it's good! I know there is a myth out there that we will not get enough calories, to which I say, if there is a calorie anywhere in the room, it will jump on me. I don't NEED to go get them, they find me. Our doc's plan seems weird by what many are doing today, but I still stand by it. 1-2 oz meals eaten over no longer than 15 min, 5-6 of these per day. The object is to keep the pouch teensy until the day you hit goal wt. It'll relax fast enough without pushing it along. You still have to get your water, your protein drinks, your vitamins...... food is sort of an afterthought for now. Make sure it is GOOD food, but your 5 bites of meat sound IDEAL to me.
   — vitalady

January 1, 2005
Hi, Your right on target! If you could eat more then that I would worry. I'm 15 weeks out and I just started eatting alittle more then just a few bites at a time. Just try to eat the 6 small meals a days as your doctor has told you. Please try not to rush the process or you will hurt your pouch. Remember how bad you wanted the surgery and your goal weight. Keep your eyes on the prize! I'm 15 weeks out and have lost 50lbs. You can do it!
   — Veronica M

January 2, 2005
welcome to the losers club! this is perfectly normal I still waste alot of food too and I am 7 months out. But I can eat alot more than I think I should. The key is eating more often much more often. so a whole deli sandwich lasts me the whole day.
   — Penney S.

January 4, 2005
you're right on target and that is exactly what is supposed to happen. I worried about wasting food and then realized that is exactly why I got in trouble in the first place. <G> I actually look forward to eating out .... I end up with meals for the rest of the week and my food bill has plumited. <G>
   — coffenut

January 4, 2005
I stopped worrying about wasting food when someone told me that excess food was wasted whether I dumped it down the garbage disposal or dumped it in my tummy. How true...any excess turns to waste in one form or another. I do work continually on understanding the portion sizes I can handle but if I estimate incorrectly and don't want the leftovers, I dump it without a second thought.
   — scbabe

January 5, 2005
totally agree with SC BABE, You can put the leftovers in the garbage can or use your body as a garbage can. I am doing my best to choose to treat my body like the beautiful thing it is, and take care of it the way it deserves to be cared for. I am not a garbage can.
   — **willow**

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