I had my surgery on Oct.10th. I am on mushy food right now. I have been hungry but just sticking to what I am told. Today I was hungry. Ate my half cup mushed chicken and apple sauce. Still not feeling satisfied had a few bites of mashed potatoes. Worried I stretched the pouch. Am I being crazy paranoid? ?

I had my surgery on Oct.10th. I am on mushy food right now. I have been hungry but just sticking to what I am told. Today I was hungry. Ate my half cup mushed chicken and apple sauce. Still not feeling satisfied had a few bites of mashed potatoes. Worried I stretched the pouch. Am I being crazy paranoid? ?

I think u r yes.. I know all providers are different, but here in the uk we don't have the half cup rule, just eat untill your satisfied but not full..

Untill restriction and mush u eat will slip threw the band so u should be fine, as long as u r only eating the foods your directed to..

Good luck x

You are fine !

But remember... to get the best results on your journey... try and following the guidelines given to you by your doctor... I was given sample menu plans... I followed them in the beginning and they were sooooo helpful... also if try and keep and food journal and also try and attend support group meetings with other bandsters.

Just try your best... you really have to eat a lot to stretch your pouch.

Louloumoo... I love it when you said that you eat until your "satisfied but not full"... I do the same thing... for me it's usually just over a cup of food.

Pre band I used to eat until it hurt. I tell new bandsters (and old) in my coffee groups that I host that it's ok to leave food on your plate if your full. I plan my meals for the week (dinners) and put them in the fridge/freezer in band-size portions. This made a big difference in my success when I was losing. I knew what size portion kept me satisfied.... but not stuffed.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss: 160 lbs

I had my surgery on Oct.10th. I am on mushy food right now. I have been hungry but just sticking to what I am told. Today I was hungry. Ate my half cup mushed chicken and apple sauce. Still not feeling satisfied had a few bites of mashed potatoes. Worried I stretched the pouch. Am I being crazy paranoid? ?

Yes...you are...you are just starting out...long way to go until you need to be concerned about that....have you had any fills yet???

And when it happens, you will become experienced enough to know it, recognize the signs, and experienced enough to know what maintenance tips you can do....

It is still your stomach, and it can and will expand and contract as before....you will get to a point where you will know it when it begins to happen, and do something on your own to prevent it from becoming a problem.....

No, you are not being paranoid. I am newly banded and worry about the same thing. Glad you asked the question!!

A little mush shouldn't stretch your pouch. The reason you are eating mush right now is that it goes down easy and is good for the healing process. You won't feel "full" again the way you remember it. When you are on solid foods it's more important to watch those portion sizes for pouch reasons but right now it's just up to you to stop eating...the band won't do that for you!

My limit is 1 cup. But realize, I am at green. It is actually uncomfortable for me to eat beyond 1 cup of solid food. When you get that physical feedback and push past it is when you are really putting yourself at risk for pouch dilation.

If you have zero restriction or fills, your food is most likely just slipping through within moments so there's no back up in the pouch long enough to cause dilation. If you are overly concerned as you progress to more solid foods and can feel a sense of restriction, eat more slowly allowing food to pass and not try to eat 1/2 (or 1 cup in my case) in a short period of time.

But as you get fills it's time to start listening to your band and stop when you get that feedback. Your pouch literally fills full (not full as in no longer hungry, full as in capacity). I never eat on top of that, despite hungar. Sometimes I get premature fullness w/ dense foods. I will merely wait 1/2 -1 hr and finish my meal if that be the case.

Good Q