How much is to little?

good morning everyone!  I am 5 1/2 weeks post op on a "soft diet" per my doctors orders.  I can hardly eat more than one or two bites of something without having that backed up feeling.    I know everyone is different but I see people eating meals at this point.  I can drink without a problem but everything needs to be chewed VERY well or I'm in the bathroom.  

Just kinda venting a little frustrated.

nicole

When I was at 5 1/2 weeks I wasn't eating more than 2 oz at a time before I felt full.  It's normal in my opinion to be eating very little each time you eat. I was till having one shake a day to make sure I got in all my protein. As long as you're getting in your protein you should be fine.

You may have a stricture...call the doc. 

Every doctor makes the pouch the size that they prefer to work with and what they believe is right for the person.

My surgeon performed a micropouch which gave me a stomach the size of a grape.  Most surgeons create a pouch the size of a small egg.  Some have made them as big as eight ounces.

With my micropouch it was almost four months before I attempted a  "meal".   My first meals were a cup of vegetable soup one day and 1/2 of a small Wendy's chili the next time.  I also remembering ordering a slice of pizza and eating just the toppings.

For the first three months, I would have a few bites of either applesauce or tuna with mostly mayo.  Protein shakes kept me satisfied and meeting my protein requirements.  I still eat small servings of food or I will feel very sick if I overdo it.

Ask your surgeon how big your pouch is and how much you should be able to eat.  It could be a stricture or just a extremely small pouch.  If your pouch is small, then you will not be able to eat as much as someone with a larger pouch.

Nicole, I agree you need to check with your surgeon and let them know what's going on. I faced a similar situation for the 4 months following my RNY. I learned that having a cup of warm/hot coffee or tea 15-20 minutes before I tried to eat held loosen me up a little and I was able to get little more down (and keep it there). I still have issues in the morning and still start my day with a protein shake. You might need to adjust your "normal" and eat a few bites every couple of hours until you get through this (ask your nutritionist) or try different foods that are on your plan. Foods I liked before surgery or that I thought would be great for the soft phase absolutely did not sit well or caused that backed up feeling. My new normal is that there is no normal which I will take every time based on how I feel compared to how I used to feel. 

I am 8 weeks out and I chew everything very well.  Even the people who you see eating meals are still chewing everything well in order to get it down and keep it down. Could your bites be too big? 

Another issue could be the types of foods you are eating.  Here is an example - I made this great egg casserole last week and ate on it all week.  Loved it and tolerated it well. Made it again last night and my husband bought me a different kind of sausage.  Just that one ingredient swap made all the difference.  I kept it down, but it sat in my stomach like a rock.  Felt very uncomfortable.   

So - tell us more - what foods are you trying?  Is it really only one or two bites that you can keep down, or does it just feel like that?

this sounds similar to my path. they will give you averages for food but as you said, everyone is different. if you are getting fluids and protein shakes I think you are fine. I am 6 months post op and only eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time. it took me awhile to get here and I was told that the max I should ever eat long term will be about 1 cup. if you are worried about the food/calories I would suggest eating 6 times a day (3 "meals" and 3 snacks) even if each time you only get one or two bites in but I really think you are OK. of course, your doc is the one who would really know! it does get better! hang in there!

This was me! I was six weeks out and two or three tablespoons and I was belching ( my signal that I ate to much) and uncomfortable. Hang in there, it gets better!

If you can only eat one or two bites, you may have a stricture.  You should be eating small amounts but I think most can eat more than two bites at five weeks out.  Call your surgeon.