How do you know if your pouch has stretched??

I am just concerned...I feel like I can eat too much, like I am eating way too much at a sitting? How do I know if my pouch is stretched?

Denise

That's a really good question.  Did you think of calling your surgeon and asking him/her?

From what I've read you do the pouch test.  Just eat dense proteins and see if it fills you up quickly.  When I eat dense proteins (chicken, beef, turkey) I can't eat very much at all.  Maybe 2 or 3 ounces.  When I eat slider foods, I can eat much more. 

An EGD will tell you if your pouch or stoma is stretched.  Pretty hard for that to happen, but it can.

Steve

Steve not to sound dumb but what is an EGD and what Dr does this?

Of course it's stretched......it has to. The more important question is whether you still have useful restriction. If you eat dense protein chances are you can't eat very much of it. If you eat refined carbs.....much easier. Before you pursue EGDs etc.....try a couple of meals...measured portions......of dense protein to get a sense of how much you can comfortably eat. If you still have useful restriction ****rtainly do at 4 years out and I can eat more than I could at the end of year 1)....then the issue is all about food choices. Susan

From what I understand, a "mature pouch" can hold about 1 cup of food. Also it isn't the "pouch" that stretches so much as the STOMA...For those of us with an RNY we no longer have a Pylorus valve, and the stoma can be stretched at times...

How much do you eat at one time? What kind of food? The only one who can TRULY tell if your stoma is stretched is your surgeon.

I have read before that there is one test you can do that involves eating cottage cheese (fat free) as much as you can within 10 minutes. (This is only for people a year out) and if you can eat MORE than 1 and 1/2 cups than your stoma MAY be stretched.  But I am NOT a doctor.

Always check with your surgeon.
Warmly,
Jackie

samples of what I eat:

1 to 1.5 cup turkey chili

1 to 2 eggs with turkey sausage links

hardboiled egg and turkey sausage links

Pasta sauce with lots of meat and parm cheese, no noodles

3 to 4 oz fish with grilled veggies

1/2 of a chicken sandwich

Egg salad sandwich

3 to 4 oz chicken breast

steel cut oatmeal maybe a cup with fresh berries

4 to 6 turkey meatballs usually 1 oz each with pasta sauce

Trader joes goat cheese pizza, half of it only**

trader joes chicken patty with tatziki sauce

carbmasters yogurt

I dont eat that many "bad" carbs like pasta, rice, bread, or potatoes..in fact I rarely eat potatoes


recently elephant bar, got the salmon and shrimp soup, ate it all

these are all different meals on diff days

Denise

I assume your NOT eating all that in one day! LOL! Actually it sounds pretty "normal" are you measuring your food at all?

Try using something like fitday.com or Spark people to measure your food and keep an idea of what your calories, carbs and protein is...Although as WLS we do NOT have to be uber diligent, I know most of us keep our calories around (a year + out) 1100-1300 calories per day. depending on your activity level and age.

But 4-5 oz of dense protein per meal is about average. I mean it sounds like your eating about right. Are you gaining weight? If so, then maybe cut back...Try truly measuring and weighing your food to you can get an idea of how much you are eating per meal. (It took me awhile to learn to 'eyeball' measurements on food).

If your weight is good and everything is well, then you are probably doing all the right things!
Does teh trader joes pizza have a "dough" to it? What is it made out of? If your losing or maintaining your probably doing all the "right stuff"...By the way...I was HUNGRY right out of the gate! LOL! I never lost my appetite and never dump and can eat ANYTHING.... Means I have to work that much harder to make sure I measure and weigh my food so I DON'T over eat.
Good luck!
Warmly,
Jackie

Thx Jackie

LOL no it's not all in one day, just sample meals.

I journal everything I eat and drink. I average 950-1450 cals and usually tend to hover around 1100, 1450 has only happened once and I rarely go over 1200 but its there so I am accountable.

I do measure and if I am unsure I count the portion a bit larger for my nutritional value. I am not gaining, I have not lost in months until a few weeks ago lost 7 pounds and have not lost again.... but no gain, just cant get under 180 and its making me crazy.

The pizza has dough let me give u the count on it....
half the pizza is a serving size
Cal 280
Fat 11
Carb 30
protein 13

that is my most indulgent meal ever!! lol

I also do not dump and have never lost my appetite either, kinda sucks! oh well right!
take care
and thx again!
Denise