Portions

Before anyone asks me to call the surgeon's office, I did, but I probably wont get an answer bac****il Monday or Tuesday. They're a little slow. 

I looked through ALLLL of the literature that they gave me but I can't find an answer. For the first 3 weeks, I was supposed to eat 1/4 cup of food (2 oz) per meal. I'm almost at 8 weeks, but they never talked about stepping up the amount per meal. I've upped it myself to 3 oz a meal, because I'm starving and I read that people about the same surgery date were eating more than 2 oz. 

When you were around 2 months post op, how much you were eating at this point? 

I was eating 3-4 ounces at that point.  

If you're starving all the time, it's most likely an acid issue.  Are you taking a PPI such as prilosec or nexium?  How much liquid are you drinking a day?  

Okay, good. Then I'm not overdoing it with the 3 oz! I was worried. I have NEVER EVER drank water, so I'm REALLY trying here. The weight loss is going okay, but I know that for health in general and to curb hunger, I HAVE to drink it. I really need to get in the habit and hold myself accountable. 

Before surgery I would have up to a 2 liter a day of soda,and that's literally all I would drink. haven't touched one in about 3 months and I stick to mostly iced tea and a little water, but I need to get there. :/ 

It doesn't need to be water - any non-caloric drink will meet your liquid requirement.  Set an alarm for 15 minutes and drink something every time it goes off.  I bought 32 ounce bottles (Nalgene) and that makes it easy for me to keep track of my liquid intake - I know I need to drink three a day.  

But the hunger might be stomach acid - are you taking a PPI?

Is the ice tea decaffinated? You may want to consult your NUT about that if it isn't.

I had my surgery a day before you. I'm up to about 3/4 cup during a meal. After I finish my protein I normally will have a bite or two of some cooked veggies. I've upped my calories to about 700-800 and also upped my water to 80 oz and this has really kicked started my weight loss back up. 

I'm confused - is your sleeve larger than normal for some reason? Typically they're 3-5 oz. 4 oz (average) is around half a cup. You shouldn't be able to eat 3/4 cup, especially this early out, I would think? Most people recommend actively measuring your food to ensure you don't go over 1/2 cup, to ensure your sleeve stays small as long as possible and you maximize weight loss. 

According to my surgeon, my sleeve is very small so take that into consideration. I am 5 1/2 months and still can't eat 4 oz. I think I have done 3 oz maybe 3 times if it was really soft, mushy food. If I am eating dense protein then I eat 1 1/2 oz - 2 oz. If I'm going to get a few bites of veggies or fruit in then I will likely be around 1 1/2 oz of dense protein. 

I agree with what Gwen is saying that if you are hungry then it is a darn good chance that it is acid related. If you aren't taking a PPI then you may want to talk to the doctor and get one added. If you are taking one, you may want to consider a different/stronger one. 

I am curious about what you said about stomach acid. How do stomach acid and the feeling of hunger relate? And, my stomach feels the same when I haven't eaten vs. when I HAVE eaten. My stomach always "hurts" like I am hungry. Does anyone else feel this? I have difficulty discerning what I am feeling - hunger, fullness, acid. I am confused.

I don't quite understand how/why the signals are so similar. I do know that mistaking hunger sensations for acid is raised on the boards pretty regularly. I thought for sure that I would know the difference since I had such bad reflux pre-surgery. I was wrong :) Almost every time I have found that when I think I am hungry it is really coming from acid and I need to go back on my PPIs. 

I think it's pretty common to have a hard time determining what you are actually feeling. Full definitely doesn't feel the same as it used to feel. I rely more on measuring my food and knowing that is how much I can eat. I'm slowly learning what signals my body gives me for satisfied.