Your pouch size?

It seems that most people eat various amounts at several years out. I'm just wondering how most of you ended up. How much can your pouch hold to feel full and how many of you still get a full feeling? I'll start. I can eat about 8-12oz, depending on the food. I do get full, but it's a lot different than it was the first few months. I don't get tightness in my chest, so it's hard to know. I also get hungry feeling quicker on somethings... Amy

I still weigh my food (well most to the time) I generally eat about 5 ounces. I do get a full feeling especially with dense foods but that feeling doesn't stay with me for more than an hour. If I eat much more than that I know I will be asleep soon I've never "tried" to see how much I can hold. Good luck and continued success to us all. 5'6" HW 250 tight size 24 jeans SW 235 CW 157 size 6 jeans Surgeon GW 165 Mine 154?? "normal BMI"

Amy, I am finding that I can still only get in about 4 oz of any dense food .Chicken , Turkey . I can follow it with a salad and maybe some veggies .. but that is it .. then there are times I can not tolerate more than a couple bites .. It is getting easier though now to get in more food .. but I think it has to do with timing or me .. I eat all day due to my diabetes ... no meds mind you .. Thank God .. but I still have to keep the food in not to let my sugar drop .. so I may take a big chicken breast with me to work .. cut up in small pieces and eat it like some do jerky .. I am not for the first time feeling the urge to eat .. some what of a hunger pain .. not like pre-surgery days .. but a feeling of " Hey I need to eat something " I do weigh my foods at times , but for the most part .. I eat what I can .. and always stick to the protein first .. Hugs, Natalie

Hi Amy ... I really would have liked to have found out the size of my pouch when I had my endoscopy, but the gastroenterologist was such a jerk, I didn't even get a chance to ask him the questions I had wanted (long story, won't get into it right now). I've been battling some eating issues for a bit now, so I really don't know how much my pouch holds, but I have a horrible fear that I am like a bottomless pit, and that I just won't be able to stop (and that the size of my pouch would be irrelevant). I have, previously, been able to eat quite a bit more than I ever thought I would or could (which may have attributed to a 20 pound weight gain), although I'm not congnizant of specific amounts. Very interesting to see where everyone else is though! Karyn

we are in the same boat at the same time my surgery was 6/17/2003... I have gained 20lbs since xmas .. and i seen the difference in christmas pics today. Im scared to death I dont wanna go back to the way life was then.. so im starting monday on what i ate in the early days .. but i can eat salad now just now... still cant eat chicken steak ground meat a bit.. but my guilt is sugar i can eat the hell out of candy and cookies cakes and pies.... im going sugar free... i cant do fresh veges either.. its weird somedays i can eat something same thing the next day i puke.... my doctor said i will never hold more than a cup of food.. your stomach regularly holds quart...

I'm about like you, Amy. I don't actually measure my food, but I'd say I generally eat about 1 to 1.5 cups' worth, depending on the food. If I have chicken breast at home, I generally eat about 3/4 of one, along w/ some kind of veggie and maybe a slice of whole wheat bread. But if I'm out to eat and the chicken is extra good & moist, I often eat the whole breast--and that's with a small side salad and several forkfuls of veggie. If I'm eating tuna salad (tuna, lt. mayo, shredded cheese), I have about 1/2 c. of it with a slice of bread, plus 1/2 c. of some kind of veggie or fruit (sometimes more if it's fruit). I honestly don't know how much more I COULD eat. I think I could always eat more than I do, even with the rather generous portions I eat. But I'm one that, even from the beginning, didn't have a very well developed sense of "full." I always just went by recommended portions and stopped. I eat at regular meal times, plus 2-3 snacks. At this point, almost 2 years out, when I finish eating, I'm well satisfied; and if I'm drinking enough fluids, I rarely get hunger pangs even after several hrs. So I'm not battling the "I'm really hungry" problems that some grads have. That DOESN'T mean I don't struggle with the cravings and grazing problems--I do, big time! Thanks for the post. I imagine as I follow the replies, I'll feel guilty, as I think I eat more than many. I eat b/w 1500-2000 cals/day, but I do work out about 500 cals worth 5-6 days/wk. Jo

I can tell you that between October of 2005 and June of 2006... my pouch size doubled. It was 4 cm and it is now 8 cm. That is probably the normal evolution of a pouch. I had endoscopies so I know the physical measurement. As far as how much I can put in there... it varies great. I can put lots and lots of salad and things like that which chomp down to nothing. But when it comes to steak 3-4 oz is all she wrote due to the density. I definitely get hungrier after eating less dense foods. No question. Kathy

I'm 29 months out from surgery and still amazed to have this wonderful tool which allows me to fill up quickly. Of course I eat more today than I did even a year ago, but the appetite seems to have leveled off at this point. I find from day to day my pouch fills up differently. Yesterday I ate an entire chicken breast and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. Another day I might fill up on half a chicken breast. Either way it's a lot less than it use to take to fill me. I try to stay between 800-1,200 calories a day, averaging around 1,000. Still work out 45 minutes, twice a day, 6 days a week. My metabolism will never allow me to be thin, but I'm happy at 5'6" weighing 188. I wear size 10 cotton pants, 14-16 tops (due to bustline). Overall my food/exercise plan is working and I've maintained my weight for over a year. Life is good.

I'm nearly 23 months post-op and the amount of food I can eat at any given time varies. I can eat less in the morning and more in the evening, less dense food than non-dense food. Generally, in the morning I have shake with 8 oz fat-free Carb Countdown milk, 1 frozen banana & 1 scoop of protein and I am STUFFED! It takes me forever to finish this. At lunch I usually have 4 oz of tuna salad OR 3 oz of tuna salad on whole grain bread. For dinner I usually have 2-3 oz of chicken or fish & 1/4 cup of veggies. In the evening I will have a single serving bag of popcorn and later a protein bar. I can usually eat all of these meals and be filled nicely, but sometimes it is just one bite too much. I make sure that in between my meals and snacks that I am drinking ~100 oz of water (decaf tea, Crystal Light, etc.). That seems to keep the "hungries" away. I don't find that I want to graze until the evening, that's why I allow myself the popcorn. It satisfies me and I don't get too out of control during the rest of the day. Too much information, not enough information, or not the right information? Hope it helps. XOXOXO, Sharyn

Great question - and, truth be told, I still have times when I can only eat 2 or 3 bites, and then there's times when I can finish an entire salad with meat on it! I also notice that there are many more days for me when I could skip eating altogether because I'm just not hungry! But, I know that's not a good thing, so I do eat protein to keep me in line. Jules