I will have completed 6 months in two weeks and this week I noticed another change in capacity. I can drink now a couple of big gulps without feeling tight and eating is much more comfortable. I can see now that slider foods are easier to get down without feeling hardly any restriction. I almost feel like I am eating normal with the exception of not being able to eat a big plate of food.

But what do the nuts say...

1/4 at 3 months?

1/2 cup at 6 month?

I remember eating a 1200 calorie diet and really was not losing that much weight...while running 5 miles a day, everyday in the blistering Miami Heat. I was around 185 at the time.

The next couple of months are going to be VEWY INTERESTING. Just don't want to fall of the wagon!

Wish they had something already premade that I could grab that was low cal, high protien, that wasn't loaded with salt. I don't do Protein shakes. I might have to bake my own chicken breasts now.

I HATE COOKING! I just like to grab something and go!

Check out netrition.com. They have a number of high protein, low carb foods to grab. I also find protein bars can be a big help getting in the protein. I use balance bars right now because they taste good and are vegetarian. There are many more to choose from as well. I have found veggie pepperoni and jerky.. of course there are lots of meat choices there too for on the go. Cheese sticks, cottage cheese or greek yogurt, cans of split pea or bean soup...hard boiled eggs....peanut butter and carrot slices... I like the Trader Joes almond/flax seed butter....

If you don't mind the extra expense and like the convenience, you could buy those pre-cooked grilled chicken strips. Not sure about the sodium content, but those would be a high-protein "grab & go" meal or snack. I usually grill 2 big chicken breasts at the beginning of the week and eat from them for a few days . . . I've even found myself grabbing some for breakfast as I'm getting a little tired of eggs.

hmm Id be interested in knowing how much others can handle.

I am just past 2 weeks post op...and I can do 1/2 cup of soft food. Is this normal??

I am six weeks post op and my max is still just 1/2 a cup at a time. Anymore than that and it comes back up.

Just remember, restriction changes through time and the kind of food you are eating.

Just remember, restriction changes through time and the kind of food you are eating.

ABSOLUTELY!!! Everyone -- please re-read this word to the wise from "feedyoureye"

She is unquestionably correct!!

I am 10 months out and I can eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of cubed skinless chicken breast - because it is so dense it fills me up. Other foods - yogart, cottage cheese.. I can eat 1/2 cup and be looking for more!

I'm a year since my surgery, I have not seen much increase in how much I can eat in the last 5 months. I can only eat about 3 oz of dense protein and a few bites of vegetables. About 4 oz of soft protein. Some days I'm a little more hungry so I have extra protein. Slider foods never fill me up, I could be full and still want chocolate. If you stay away from junk food most of the time then it will be hard to get back into old habits. Good luck

Just remember, restriction changes through time and the kind of food you are eating.

Do you think it matters on the size of the sleeve as well? I have pretty good restriction at 15 months out and I think I was a 34.

I'm almost at 6 months and still feeling quite a bit of restriction. Like ToBeThin and Feed Your Eye above, much for me depends on the food I eat. Dense Protein = not much more than 1/4 C ; yogurt I can eat about 1/2 C ... but not much more. The other thing I am experiencing is that the less food I eat, the less I want to eat. So for example, if I get busy and skip lunch accidentally or just grab a piece of cheese, dinner is even less appealing and I can bearely get 1/4 C in, even if I try "slider foods" like a carb.

I'd say play close attention to the slider foods you mentioned. Perhaps there are particular foods that are more of slider for you specifically. Consider writing things down very accurately for at least a while, to get a good sense of what and how much is actually going down.

I'm like you. 1200 calories are too high for me to loose significantly. That's why I love the sleeve. Hopefully the grab and go foods people have suggested will keep the calories low for you and help.

Do you think it matters on the size of the sleeve as well? I have pretty good restriction at 15 months out and I think I was a 34.

It seems like it must matter... I have a 36, oversewn, but that doesn't really tell the whole story... how long is the stomach? My Dr. makes the pyloris end bigger than the middle... I think i can hold more than some, but first meal I hold less... dense Protein I hold less. I can eat over a cup of mix veg and protein in the PM. In the AM about 1/3-2/3 cup something.... or half a sandwitch, a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese fills me up in the AM. I am sitting here eating broccoli with cheese sauce... about a cup of broccoli with about a half a cup of sauce, home made... around a cup and a little more all mixed up...I have really slowed down at about a half a cup... I will probably take a break (a few minutes) and eat some more. I'm not sure I will be able to eat it all. The rest will go with me for lunch tomorrow. I guess thats not to bad at 10 months out. I will have a snack sometime in the next couple of hours. That will make about a 1200 cal day. There was a couple of months that it seemed like I was adding a hundred calories every couple of weeks. I was just more hungry and could eat more and more. That slowed down, and seems to have stopped. If I eat the right things, I don't have a problem staying in the right calorie range to lose slowly (2-3 pounds a month). I hope it stays that way! Sorry, I'm rambling!