baby spoons

So, I am having my surgery at the end of January. Do I really need to get baby silverwear and bowls? My family thinks thats silly and to just put small amounts in the regular bowls and silverwear. Just wondering what you all think?

I have some small silverware left over from toddler years. It works nice, but so does using the end of a reg fork. Doesn't take a Einstein to figure out not to fill full the fork. I have some smaller plates..aka I guess salad plates. They are nice because it lends your eye not to feel so deprived. Most plates are HUGE. But they are reg plate like not kid plates. I didnt use sippy cups or any of that..reg glasses just dont gulp!

I used my regular dishes and spoons.  If the baby ones help you, then get them.  I didn't see the need myself.

NO it is not silly at all. This surgery is going to be a lifestyle change for you. It will take a while to adjust to the MAJOR change in your eating habits and eating with baby spoons and on smaller plates will help you adjust to eating much smaller portions than you are used to. You should start to eat this way now so you can get used to it because after the surgery you will not be able to eat the same again. Another thing to remember after your surgery is that it is okay to not finish your plate of food. It may take 3 hours to eat a dinner but that is because your pouch is the size of an egg. It will take food much longer to digest also so dont force yourself to eat because your family is eating at the table and eating good. Eat what you can and be done. It took my family a while to accept it cause eating good at my house is the norm. But I can no longer do that. I am fine with it also because I want to be a weight loss success and thinner. It may be depressing at first not being able to enjoy a meal with your family as before but eventually you will be able too do that as long as you accept and remember that this is how you have to eat now on.

In my opinion, it depends on how disciplined you are. I didn't use baby spoons or smaller bowls although I did switch to smaller plates. The reason I didn't use smaller silverware is because I'm an adult - not a child. I just made sure I took smaller amounts of food on my silverware. I have a friend who had the surgery a couple of years ago and used smaller silverware which she offered to give me. She didn't use baby spoons and forks though. She used shrimp forks and those small serving spoons. I politely told her no thanks. I couldn't imagine what I would do in a restaurant situation. Carry around my own silverware in a plastic baggy? I just decided to teach myself that I have to use regular silverware and measure out my portions. I think the key to not overeating is to measure your meals until you learn what a portion size is supposed to be. Using smaller plates makes me feel like I'm eating a plate full. I think I would have a real problem with giving myself smaller servings on a regular full size plate because I would feel like its not enough food. Remember the surgery is a tool. It's up to us to relearn how to eat in order to make the tool work for us.

Lillian

It all depends on the patient. Immediate lifestyle changes are needed post op. If you find yourself eating too much too fast, then you'll likely be better off with the baby utensils. Smaller amounts of foods on small plates do tricks to your mind--your meal doesn't appear as small as if it was on a normal dinner plate.  Take small bites, chew well. DAVE

I bought some, but not specifically for me. I bought them to make my family eat with once a week, for the first month or so I was on solid foods. I have teenagers, who put on one fork load my entire dinner. I decided it was a good lesson in portion control and table manners.

It didn't help long term and didn't really change their habits significantly, but they still catch themselves at the dinner table and slow down a bit. Or understand what I mean when I tell them to take human bites.

For the first 2-3 weeks, I used baby spoons and bought small bowls with lids from the Dollar Store.  I tried using a regular spoon, but would over judge the amount.

The little bowls worked great - they held 2 ounces.

After that, I used regular eating utensils, plates, cups, etc.

I just used salad plates and regular forks/spoons.  For soups I used a small cup, and I times I believe I ate out of a serving cup because I'm a freak about dirtying up extra dishes! :-D

Personally, I bought baby spoons and do think it was a waste. But I did buy simple white appetizer plates and small ramekins to use as bowls and I still use them at over 4 months out. I think the small dishes are essential since it helps with portion control but also helps with giving me the feeling that I have a full plate- even if it's only half a cup. I notice that when I use larger plates the small portions look too small and I want to eat more or take more. Along those same lines, I only eat with salad forks and teaspoons now since I'm trying to stay in the habit of taking small bites.
One thing though, your family may not get how drastic this change is and needs to stay in order to not only get off the weight but to keep it off. About 50% of gastric bypass patients don't maintain their weight loss. "Success" is defined if we lose about 70% of our excess weight. My point is that as every day passes I see that everything in my life has to change-- forever and ever, not just for right now-- if I want to really be successful. I don't think I'm ever going to use my full-sized plates or bowls again since it's a set up to overeat and to regain for me. It looked weird at first to my family/friends when I had a mini ramekin (1/2 cup) or an appetizer plate (3") full of food for dinner. But, it's what I have to do and how I have to live to become who I want to be. I hope that helps.