Should I increase my meal size?

I'm about 7.5 weeks post op.  Up until now, 2 oz of food has been more than enough to fill me up and make me not even think about eating again for hours.  However, at only 7.5 weeks out I'm beginning to feel that the 2 oz isn't holding me over until my next meal and I might actually be feeling HUNGER again.  I eat every 2-3 hours so that's about 6 small meals per day.  My calories are always between 500-600, protein is always between 65-80, and my meals are always 2 oz or smaller.  

How far out were you when you started to increase your portion sizes?

Could it be that I'm confusing hunger with thirst? I have been finding it very difficult to get my fluids in.  I have a desk job which you would think would be easy to keep sipping since the bottle is right next to me but I do a lot of typing which tends to keep my hands busy so it's hard to stop and drink every minute when I have work that needs to get done.  I've also been starting to introduce new things into my diet to see how my body reacts to it such as chilli and pork products.  The chilli was extremely easy to get down and I feel like I could eat have doubled the portion if I gave in to myself.

I'm also afraid that I'm eating too often which is causing my stomach to stretch and that is the reason I'm feeling hungry. However, I keep trying to reassure myself that there is no way I can stretch my stomach by only eating 2 oz meals every few hours.  I'm probably overreacting but I desperately want this to work and in the past I was a victim of self sabotage.  I think I just need some reassurance and opinions.  

Thanks for reading this - it's most likely a result of built up anxiety and stress! 

I'd concentrate on the fluids and see your Doctor to see if an anti-acid pill is appropriate.  At nearly five years post-op I've just started on the pills after putting on 4 Kg.  All is now well.  You're doing great  :-)

I see 3 things I'd do, in your shoes.  Up fluids...you just have to...no excuses.  Treat acid as a possibility for the hunger sensation.  And focus on dense proteins.  You didn't say what you were eating other than specifically mentioning chili.  Chili is not dense.  Chicken breast, salmon, tuna, steaks...eat 2 oz of those and I'm guessing 3 meals a day would be plenty.  I'm in my 9th month out and am just now increasing to 2.5-3 oz protein. 

I also agree with you, 2 oz won't stretch out your stomach even if you're eating 6 times a day.  I'm a person that only eats 3 meals (possibly 4 when I'm on night shift) a day so I don't have any advice on eating as frequently as you do. 

I agree with you completely.  

(And I'm also a three meal a day-er.)

I'm not a dietician, but have been working with one who specializes in people who have undergone some type of gastric procedure (many of us have had the sleeve).  She's said to not eat any more frequently than every 2.5 hours and to go no more than 4 hours.  As others have said, I'd increase your fluids and contact your surgeon's office.  They must have a dietician you can work with, and if not, I'd ask for recommendations for one.  I am nearly 11 months out, drink about 12-14 glasses of water per day, and eat about every 3 hours (but I am only on food - no protein shakes) at this point.  I feel absolutely no hunger or thirst.  I just know to drink and get my protein in throughout the day.  I still can't handle more than 2 ounces of dense protein (chicken, turkey, beef) but can handle 3 ounces of fish.  Lots of good luck!

I am no expert, so I'll just tell you what worked for me.  At 7 weeks out, I could only eat about 1 to 1.5 ounces of food at a meal.  At about 7 weeks, the swelling in my tummy went down and my capacity started to increase, so it makes sense that you might have more capacity now, and I don't think there is any danger in increasing your protein as long as you don't overeat your sleeve (as evidence by pain, discomfort, or mucus production) or over-do the calories.  Over time, I topped out at 3 to 3.5 ounces of dense protein per meal and all the low-carb veggies I could fit.  This started at none and increase to about 3.5 ounces by about 1 year post-op. 

I tried to eat fewer meals, wanting to establish the habit of the way I'd eat in maintenance. Ironically, when I went into maintenance, I actually increased my meals from 3 to 4 as a way of increasing my calories.  If I had known this, I might have had 4 meals per day all along.  But then it would have been slower losing the weight... so I guess I'm happy with what I did. 

My decisions to increase my calories and quantity of foods was based on my comfort level.  At first I was eating 450 to 500 calories a day.  By three months, I was up to 600-800 calories per day and by 9 months it was 800 to 1000.  That' what I found I needed to be comfortable. 

Now I'm maintaining or losing very slowly at 1200 to 1400 calories a day. 

I wanted to get my protein from solid food rather than protein powder, so I cut the supplemental shakes and protein powder as I ate more protein per meal.  I kept my protein between 80 and 100 grams per day.  If you plan your meals to meet your protein requirement and fill up on veggies, you should be ok eating until you are full.

best wishes,

Carol

Thank you all for your replies. I'll be sure to increase my fluid intake and call my nut. I am taking prilosec every morning so 8 don't think it's an acid problem. I did notice that if I eat chicken or beef I do stay fuller Longer but even with my morning protein shake if I don't eat several times a day I won't get all my protein in. Plus I thought eating more frequent meals kept your metabolism and energy up. I suppose I'll cut the chilli and focus on more protein. Thank you all for the advice. I really appreciate it!