So am I normal?
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.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
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'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.
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.
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.
Proud mama of Mischa and Gabriel, both born post-op.
My mouth is never finished eating before my stomach is.