how much should i be eating?

I had surgery on december 1 how much should i be able to eat  per meal around a 1/4 of a cup? Im not to sure because I had a stricture and im all messed up now, still fearful to eat and be sick.  Im always wondering if its going to happen again :( I have had a very tough time with this entire experience and I have been feeling regretful of evening doing this!!  I feel like im so limited on what i can eat ugh this is not easy at all!! Sorry for venting just frustrated .

Probably 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

I really struggled the first few (or more) months due to an ulcer and hair-trigger dumping. At one point, when I was not getting enough protein in, my NP said to me (paraphrased, of course): I know you are scared. BUT you HAVE to learn to eat. That means taking some risks. You may be uncomfortable and you may even get sick. But you will learn what your body needs to recover, be healthy, and suceed at this surgery. I expect you to get in between 60 and 80 grams of protein a day.

I really took it to heart. I found a protein drink I could tolerate and had two a day, to get the majority of my protein in. I also relied heavily on carbmaster yogurt. Once I started getting that in, I started feeling stronger and more confident and it seemed my pouch was more tolerant of new things. My ability to eat larger servings slowly increased and I figured out which foods would not cause pain or dumping by just taking a couple of small bites the first time I introduced something new. I'm 8 months out and this is still a work in progress but I am actually, more often than not, feeling like a normal person! And I'm looking damn good now that I am eating healthy and exercising well;)

Be brave. If you feel comfortable eating 1/4 cup of food at a time, stick with that and don't move up to 1/2 cup (I can still seldom eat that much dense food in one sitting). But definitely make sure you get adequate protein at this point and you'll make quick progress from there. And, if you are feeling healthy, you will know something is wrong sooner if your stricture does return... Hang in there!!

i had mine on 12/22/11 and my NUT's are saying about 1/2 a cup. if after that I feel i can do more, add in a tablespoon or two of vegetables.

I had my surgery on 11/21/11.  I haven't had a stricture or any other digestive complication, but I did experience "the heart attack" (very severe pain in the chest and neck) several times from taking "one bite too many."  It drove me CRAZY!  I was eating slowly, measuring my food, chewing it to MUSH and I still took one bite too many.

I have NO fullness signal - nothing - I'm not hungry when I start to eat, not hungry when I finish and feel nothing during my meal, so I have no idea when I'm reaching the point of being full.  It's very difficult to adjust my food intake because of this and very hard to get adequate calories. 

I spoke to my surgeon and nutritionist and they advised me to split my meals.  NOT GRAZE! They do not want me picking at my meals!!!  That is behavior they discourage at all costs.   They told me to simply prepare my meal (say 1/2 cup of whatever) - eat 1/2 and then eat the other half a couple of hours later.  That way, I won't experience the "one bite too many" problem.  I did this for about a month and had no further pain issues.  Now, I can eat the entire portion without any pain. When I feel that I am ready to up the amount again, I will split up my meals again until I can eat the whole meal. 

The pain experiences were severe enough that I was afraid to eat anything other than liquids. My surgeon basically said the same thing that someone mentioned here - sometimes I will have to go through some pain to figure out what my body can tolerate.  The pain is my signal that I've gone too far.  It won't always be that way, but for now it is.  It's important not to become afraid of food.  You have to eat to survive.  If you don't get in enough calories and, ESPECIALLY, enough protein, your body will shut down.  Not only will your weight loss slow down considerably (mine did), you will start getting sick.  You do not want this to happen!  

Make sure you are getting in your protein!!  If you have to do this with shakes and protein powders (make them with good NF Greek Yogurt - adds lots of protein), then do so.  But don't allow yourself to become afraid of food.   Food is not the enemy.  Things WILL get easier.  It just takes time.  

Good luck!  

Blessings!
Suzanne