For the sleevers that are now on regular foods ......How do you know when you're full? What does it feel like and where exactly do you feel it?

Hi Bert --

How are you feeling? I've been wondering how you are doing.

When you start on solid food, you'll need to be very careful and take it very slowly. The feeling of fullness will come quickly (obviously -- you'll be amazed at the miniscule size of the portions you'll be able to eat) and much higher -- feel more like in your chest than in your stomach. Unfortunately, I learned a lot by trial and error. If I ate too much, the food would feel stuck and the only way to get relief was to vomit. It wasn't the typical vomitting you get if you are nauseated and sick to your stomach, it always felt more mechanical to me, like I just need to eject the extra food as soon as possible. Usually, I would feel much better as soon as the food came up. It still happens occasionally to me now, but usually when I allow myself to get too hungry (by not eating in a long time) and then I overeat unconciously too quickly.

My advise is to chew, chew, chew and take things very, very slowly in the beginning.

Hope things are going well for you. Remember, if you are having any difficulties right now -- they will pass.

Brian

bert, i will be 2 years out and i definately push my limit. I can comfortably eat 1/2 a cup of food without any problems. after that if i shove in more i feel pain and discomfort, like you used to feel at christmas dinner or something. . . just like i'm feeling right now. . . i had 1 cup of fideo noodles and hamburger meat sauce. . . ugh, i shouldn't have done that! but hell it was good!!!!

It's difficult feeling to explain, but you recognize it immediately. And my best piece of advice is, the minute you feel it STOP EATING! If not, you will revisit what you've eaten and be very uncomfortable until it is expelled. I kinda feel a bubble. The best way to describe it is imagine a lava lamp and when those bubbles start floating to the top, I imagine that's what it would feel like. BUT, the bubbles don't go back down. And if you take another bite, the remaining bubbles are going to keep climbing up, too with nowhere to go. Imagine also like when you have to burp and that gas bubble rolls up and is expelled BUT it won't expel. You just get that rolling up and then uncomfortable until you throw it up. It's not painful just very very very uncomfortable. You will make the mistake (as I have) of trying to drink it away to burp, or shoving more food in to push it away, but it never gets better, only worse with those things. You just have to learn to stop. Period. STOP THE MINUTE YOU FEEL THAT Bubble. I won't seem like you've eaten enough and your brain will try to fool you into eating more, but trust your sleeve. You cannot. That food will last you about 3 hours and then you'll be hungry again and you just do it all over. I eat about 5 meals a day that are from 250-350 in calories each.

I hate when I'm too full, I measure my food but at 7 months I struggle to eat 3 oz of food. I make a loud hiccup when I'm full, my kids now say Mom's done eating, its embarassing,lol. Eat slow and you will figure out your full signs.

I never go over 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of food because I don't want to start the bad habits that got me fat to begin with...stuffing my face lol

Some people say they burp or hiccup and know they're done even though they can't FEEL it yet. It takes 5 to 20 minutes (depending on who you ask!) to actually feel full so eat very slowly. The last thing you want to do is stretch your sleeve out or worse, do real damage to it.

I agree with the lava lamp comment. I eat out of a very small bowl and only fill it with 1/2 - 2/3 cup of food (depending on what it is). I know where my limit is when I measure it out. If I am eating out or from a normal size plate, I take very small bites and I stop when I get that lava lamp feeling. I haven't ever thrown up but I have pushed myself enough to know where my limit is. My trick is just to measure everything and use small bowls and utensils. I feel this has been a huge help for me personally.