Am I the only one that feels this way? Or Should I even feel this way?

Ok ya'll.. I was having dinner on Saturday... Shake and bake chicken tenderloins, mashed potatoes and green beens.. Sounds good huh? lol I was shocked and astonished that I ate 2 green beans, about 2Tbls of potatoes, and a WHOLE tenderloin!! (about 4-5 inches long and 1 inch across)  I WAS SO EXCITED that I ate that much!!  OMGoodness!! Does this mean I'm beginging to become a "normal eater again,"  I thought to myself.  Then yesterday we went to Wendys and I said, hey, why not.. let's give a salad a try.  I got a mandarin chicken salad and ate 1/4 of the lettuce, the whole packett of the almonds and the crunchy noodly things. (I couldn't really handle the chicken on this particular day)           but I was so happy!! But you know, today I got to thinking..  Connie, you are only 4 months out. (not quite )  SHOULD I BE EATING THAT MUCH??  The last thing I want to do is to stretch my pouch and end up going backwards instead of forwards!!  I'm really honestly scared!!  I have my 3 month appointment (a little late on the 28th of this month) but I didn't want to wait that long to find out a little advice.   I also was told by a friend (after being told by a nurse it WAS ok for us to drink soda) that I shouldn't because it will stretch our pouch.  What do ya'll know about that?  I can drink light colored sodas (sprite, orange) and an occasional root beer if I let it sit opened to decrease the fizz some but I don't want to drink it if it'll cause me problems.   Also, tea??  I've been using splenda like a good girl!  but they are NOT decaf.  Is that also a big no no? ANY help is wonderfully appreciated by you VET's!! Or anyone that may have been told something different from their doctor!! THANKS BUNCHES!!!  Connie 

My NUT told me not to drink soda because it will stretch out the pouch.  I may have a part of one per week, but I have pretty much given them up.  I still drink tea with Splenda.  I don'****ch the caffeine.  I could have it again after I was on a regular diet.     As far as eating.. it is bittersweet.  You feel that you can actually go to a restaurant and not be the "side show freak" because of how you eat... but at the same time you don't want to fall into the patter of behavior that got us to where we were before surgery.  I am just about 6 months out and I can eat about 3/4 of a cup of food at a time.  I don't snack much between meals and try to drink water as much as possible...  but I still get alarmed when I can eat a whole 3/4 cup.   So.. NO.  You are not the only one who feels this way.  I think at times that I will do almost anything to stay the same size I am or get smaller..  So being able to eat more scares me.  

Connie, One thing Dr. Farrel told me soon after surgery and that was listen to your pouch. When your pouch says stop do it. If I notice the amount encreasing it freaks me out also. I do not drink soda because I also heard it will stretch the pouch. So during the day and part of the night you will find me sipping on crystal light. Also at Target I have made a new discovery it is On The Go packets of SF ice tea with lemon Target brand. I will add one packet of the tea and some spoonfuls of SPLENDA and one packet of True Lemon to a 32oz   containor with ice and drink that most all the time. Actually what you had the other day for dinner is not that alarming. It really isnt alot but in our heads we think it is. Anyway Dr. Farrel will put you in contact with Suzanna Price she is a great person and dietitian her office is at the ACC building. You will have to ask Dr. Farrel to set up a appointment with Suzanna. Hope this helps and you always welcome to call me.                                             Annie

I'm not allowed potatoes of any kind for 6 months - no bread, no pasta, no rice, nada. Most of that is because it swells in your stomach. It's not because it will strech the pouch, but because then you eat much less of the foods you REALLY need to have - meat and fruit/ veggies.  The soda - I was just told the carbonation swells. So can't help you there.  I was told that Absolutely under NO cir****tances ever - Green Tea or Black Tea.  I was told Limit the Caffine because does block nutrition absorption.  I even double checked and posted on the Diet & Nut board and here is what the nurtitionist told me: Coffee: To Be or Not to Be In talking about non-heme iron - here is how Green Tea and Black Tea affect your absoprtion level: "green tea decreases non-heme by 28%, black tea decreases non-heme iron by 80%". She mentioned a single glass of tea can reduce it by 50%.  Considering anyone who had RNY - which is a malabsorption process, we need whatever we can get. Having said that - I have at least 1 cup of coffee on Sat and Sun and I drink the AchievOne.  I just do it two hours after I've taken my vitamins and 2 hours before I take my iron.  But I'm just a little over 4 months out and I can have a 4 oz chicken and 1/2 cup green beans or broccali or some veggie rather easily.  Steak - I'm still more on the 2 oz size because it's so dense. Fish, well fish is awesome! It freaks me out how much fish I can put away.  Brett - my surgeon's PA - told me that we could never ever stretch the pouch out enough to make it bad and gain all the weight back. What makes a person unsuccessful at keeping it off after RNY are the habbits and food they consume.

I would disagree that you cannot stretch the pouch out enough to gain all of your weight back.  I know at least 3 people who have had RNY in the past and weigh more now than they did before surgery.  One lady in particular ate like 5 slices of pizza one night.  Now.. I might be able to eat one, but 5?  My itty bitty tummy would not hold anywhere close to that... 

Connie -

I had my surgery at Duke, but I have to echo, just about verbatum what Jennifer/Cagair had to say.

If you haven't already, try checking out the Nutrition board. They often have some interesting posts and because it's moderated by RD's, most of the information that is on there is pretty sound.

Barb

I also had my surgery @ Duke 3 weeks ago, so i haven't really eaten "real" food yet.  But i do remember at one of the seminars i went to we discussed soda and they said that there is so much gas in a can of soda that even if left open for 24 hours, if the next day you cover the can with a rubber glove and leave it for another 24 hours... the gas left in the can is enough to blow up the rubber glove... I would be afraid to drink any soda... i don't want my little baby pouch blowing up like a rubber glove!!!

I agree with what the others have said.  I would stay away from sodas and carbs as much as possible.  I was told no rice or bread, at least for the first 6 months or so, and to severely limit the other carbs in my life.  What we need is protein and veggies, so they always come first.  I have not limited my caffeine consumption since I was released to eat a full diet again.  I am an absolute addict when it comes to Starbucks.  What Cagair said is true, it's all about food choice. The other thing I will say is that while you probably can't do too much damage to the pouch itself, you can stretch the openings at either end of it.  They make them tight so that you have to eat slowly and that your stomach empties slowly.  If you eat too fast or too much CONSISTENTLY you can stretch them out some.  This allows you to eat faster and more often. You will never be able to eat like you used to, but with time and effort, you can still out eat your surgery.  That is why you need to be vigilant about your food choices.  I do not believe that anything you have eaten has done damage to your pouch or other parts of your surgery.  I only say this as fair warning to all.  That is why it's so important to eat slowly and stop when you're full.  I am 9 months out and eat typically about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup at a time.  I eat 3 meals and one snack a day.  The snack will be on the smaller side, like a cheese stick and a couple of crackers or something.  I rarely supplement with protein bars or shakes.  I try to stay away from things that slide out of my pouch too quickly like soup or other "slushy" foods.  I did actually eat soup tonight and was able to eat nearly a full cup of it.  It moves through more like beverages allowing me to eat more of it than I like to.  I found that over the month of December I tangled with carbs more and that was definitely a problem.  Once I start down the carb road I crave them and end up eating way more than I should.  They are very calorie dense and should be eaten sparingly. I try to stay between 700 and 900 calories a day.  I was told that the three things my doctor wanted me to "obsess" over was vitamins, exercise, and measuring my food.  I was also told to not go by weight in ounces, but by volume.  So I am to measure everything based on a 1/2 cup serving. Okay, that's everything I can think of off the top of my head.  I'm sorry it's so disjointed.  This is what I was told and what I've read, take it as you do the rest of the information on this board, as opinion only.  We all are told slightly different things by our doctors and it can get confusing.  It might not hurt to make an appointment with your Nut to see what they have to say.  I think you're doing a great job and will continue to make wise choices.  Take care. Ellen

ROFL ok, I've seen a lot of people posting that they only eat around 3/4 cup at one sitting.  Now I'm scared. 4 months out and I can take on a 3oz chicken breast AND 1/2 cup veggies!

Another thing to keep in mind is that every doctor makes his pouch different.  Some have bigger pouches than others.  I don't know where you started out, but yours may have been bigger to begin with than mine.  If you're losing weight, you're heading in the right direction and all is well. Take care. Ellen