Help With Overeating

[tinfoil_heroine 19]

Hi all...I keep accidentally overeating at just about every meal. I'm almost a week now on pureed, and I did myself in so bad today that I had to get sick in the office bathroom. did this happen to anyone? Suggestions?

[Lissa 2,631]

Suggestions? Yes. Stop it! Easier said than done, I know. You're going to have to really watch yourself when you eat. You need to eat until you are satisfied (not hungry) rather than until you're full. You already know that you will get sick if you eat too much, so slow down, chew (purees, I know) well, and taste your food. Try waiting a minute or two in between bites so that your sleeve will have time to let you know that you've had enough.

There is a lot of head work ahead of you, but some of the things I've discovered are: I don't have to eat the whole serving. I can put the food away and have some more later if I want it. The food WILL be there later. I don't like being sick, so I try to stop before I'm hurting. If I'm hurting, I'm probably going to be sick, not something I like.

You may want to talk to a therapist about food issues, even if it's only a couple of times. Just laying it all out on the table and looking at the issues can help you move past a lot of those issues.

Also, especially early post-op, it's easy to miss the cues that tell you that you are full. I've heard of people whose full signal is now a sneeze, a runny nose, or a burp. Mine is a burp. If I eat enough that I burp, I immediately put down my fork and push the food away because I've actually eaten too much. I will literally spit out a bite of food if I'm chewing at that burp because I know that bite will not go down and I will be uncomfortable for hours.

It takes awhile to transition to the "new" version of eating, but you will get there. Good luck! I don't know whether you're eating too much because you think you're hungry or if it's happening accidentally, so I've tried to address both sides of that coin.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

you need to measure your food at this point. When I first started out, I used to eat these tiny cans of chicken salad. That seemed to be the perfect amount for me. That was what I used to measure food.< /p>

If I was out and didn't have the measuring device with me, I had to picture (sounds gross) my food chewed up. Then I decided if that amount would fit in that can.

A lot of people use a 1/3 or 1/2 cup to meaure. Eating with the sleeve is a learing experience. Find out how much you can comfortably eat, and then measure your food so that is the amount ( or less if you find yourself getting full sooner) you eat each time.

[RMS 64]

try using a measuring cup and only eat that amount for a while then go up to the next size. I used 1/4 cup for about 1 month after surgery and then moved up to 1/3 cup. Hope that helps

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Lissa is totally right! You could try measuring your food out. And put all your food away. Try doing something while your eating ie I'm on the computer checking messages while I'm having a meal. I make sure i pick up my fork, get the food and put the fork down and wait. You have a horrible habit that has affected you up until now. now if you can't do all these things, then eat with your left hand if your right handed. Take the time to make a conscious decision on whether or not your hungry. It takes approximately 28 days to change a habit. You really need to work on changing this habit. Always try to eat less. I know, it's not very fun, but you can do this.

[shellbell33081 115]

Thank goodness I'm not totally nuts! A lot of times I sneeze if I start getting full lol. I thought I was going crazy so it's nice to hear that others have experienced this. Thanks, Lissa! Most of the time I burp, like Lissa, so I know it's time to stop eating. Hang in there and be careful!!

[thinoneday 445]

I understand what your going through. . . we have a wonderful tool here and it works very well. Just be careful . . . sometimes even though we've been given a gift, we tend to abuse it and after a while, it gets us big time. . . you don't want that. . .follow your cues and when you notice that your cue is coming up, stop eating. . .don't worry, you'll get the hang of this. . .it takes a while, but your going to get it. . . good luck!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Hi all...I keep accidentally overeating at just about every meal. I'm almost a week now on pureed, and I did myself in so bad today that I had to get sick in the office bathroom. did this happen to anyone? Suggestions?

You need to start measuring your food right away, and stick to it. Be careful, you can seriously hurt yourself over doing it. Keep that in your mind as you feel you want to start going over board. You can put yourself in the hospital for weeks.

*hugs*

[tinfoil_heroine 19]

Thanks, guys! I've been measuring my food...my surgeon told me he used a 36 bougie, which was 3 ounces. I looked it up and that seems to be 6 tbsp, which seems about right for me. I think my fatal error today was I tried to eat something that wasn't mushy enough.

Also : my nose ran all day, afterwards. I guess that's going to be my cue.

I'm so freaking glad this forum is here because people at work think I'm out of my mind for getting sleeved anyway (except my friend who had RNY).

[tinfoil_heroine 19]

Okay, so review of next day...world's WORST acid reflux. But I'm taking it easy and only brought cottage cheese w/ a little apple butter and then some hummus for lunch to work today. Probably an egg for dinner, and maybe a fozen Protein shake if I feel like it.

Something tells me I wasn't ready for refried beans/guacamole either. Just because it's pureed, doesn't mean I'm ready for it. Lesson learned.

[Lissa 2,631]

Are you taking an acid reducer? I have moron brain this morning, sorry if you posted it earlier. The acid reducer will help with the urge to eat and will help with the acid reflux. Drink your Water. It will help with some of these issues. Are you eating cottage cheese every day? It's pretty high up there on my list of NO foods since I'm lactose intolerant post surgery. The lactose intolerance is getting better, but it did a number on me early post-op.

[tinfoil_heroine 19]

Lissa -

Yep, my doctor put me on an acid reducer twice a day for the first 60 or 90 days (I can't remember), but I do take it religiously, because I take seizure medicines, and I'm sure that would upset my stomach. I don't have a problem with lactose as a rule, before or after surgery. I'm just thinking I asked my poor sleeve to do a whole lot yesterday and it's retaliating on me. Remembering my Water is really hard for me, but I'm trying. It seems that using a straw helps. I do eat the cottage cheese most weekdays...it's easiest to grab and eat at work. Since this is my first week of pureed, I'll probably branch out as I research.

[Heatherr 149]

Go slow in the beginning and don't be afraid to try foods that disagree with you at a later date. The two times I got sick were because I ate too fast. Both times it wasn't something I hadn't eaten many times before, I just got distracted while multitasking and trying to rush out the door. Learn your cues. Mine is gurgling. I've read about others doing the runny nose sneeze thing. GL. You'll learn your body as you go along, just go slow.