Has anyone discussed this with their surgeon as to why it is so bad? I like very spicy and salty food, and I find it very difficult not to take a couple small sips of Water after eating. I swish it around in my mouth, to take out the taste, two sips at most. I have never had dumping.

Does anyone else feel like they need to do this? And what if your food is a liquid like Soup? Doesn't that count as eating and drinking?

Has anyone been told eating and drinking at the same time will stretch out ones stomach?

I'm worried but I can't seem to stop.

Exactly how long before and after eating am I supposed to wait??

Also I just can't stop eating fast!!!! It's so hard. Eating fast, lightning fast, is such a huge habit for me. After I had kids it only got worse. I forget or I try and slow down and it's so hard. I find eating super boring and tedious and sometimes I just want to get it over. Sometimes the food tastes so darn good I just have to keep eating it!!! Anyone else have any advice for me?

Edited January 17, 201511 yr by bellabloom

Hi Bellabloom, I just saw this and wanted to answer your questions but I at first couldn't understand them by your personal status. I saw you posted that you had gastric bypass in Dec so you should be in phase 2 or 3. Now about your questions:

Has anyone discussed this with their surgeon as to why it is so bad? I like very spicy and salty food, and I find it very difficult not to take a couple small sips of Water after eating. I swish it around in my mouth, to take out the taste, two sips at most. I have never had dumping.

My NUT and nurse told me not to drink 30 to 45 minutes after eating so the food will stay in your pouch enough time to get that full feeling. If you drink before then you'll only get hungry sooner. As to you saying I never had dumping, I really hope you can say that in the months to come but with gastric bypass it's almost a given you will.

Does anyone else feel like they need to do this?

Yes, and we all better if we want a successful outcome.

And what if your food is a liquid like soup? Doesn't that count as eating and drinking?

liquids don't hang around your pouch long and go to your water intake for the day. Now if your soup has solids in it then you should treat it as a food and not drink until 30 to 45 minutes later.

Has anyone been told eating and drinking at the same time will stretch out ones stomach?

No, not that I recall. Just that eating to much will.

I'm worried but I can't seem to stop.

Exactly how long before and after eating am I supposed to wait??

30 to 45 minutes.

Also I just can't stop eating fast!!!! It's so hard. Eating fast, lightning fast, is such a huge habit for me. After I had kids it only got worse. I forget or I try and slow down and it's so hard. I find eating super boring and tedious and sometimes I just want to get it over. Sometimes the food tastes so darn good I just have to keep eating it!!! Anyone else have any advice for me?

Try, try, try, to chew, chew, chew. Keep every bite of food in your month as long as it taste good then swallow. Now that you've had the surgery you should be very full quickly with a pain in your chest when you eat to fast or to much.

Has anyone discussed this with their surgeon as to why it is so bad? I like very spicy and salty food, and I find it very difficult not to take a couple small sips of Water after eating. I swish it around in my mouth, to take out the taste, two sips at most. I have never had dumping.

Does anyone else feel like they need to do this? And what if your food is a liquid like soup? Doesn't that count as eating and drinking?

You said: Has anyone been told eating and drinking at the same time will stretch out ones stomach?

I say: No, that's not the issue. Drinking fluids flushes the food out of your pouch faster and the you get hungry sooner. You want to keep the food in your pouch longer.

YOu said: I'm worried but I can't seem to stop.

I say: Yes, it's hard but can be learned! I was the type that always drank a lot of water during my meals. If, at a restaurant, my water glass (or wine glass!) was empty and the waiter wasn't coming around, I would be freaking out inside!! And I wouldn't eat another bite until I had the liquid. Now, I am finding that usually when I'm to that feeling, I am really just done eating! lol

You asked: Exactly how long before and after eating am I supposed to wait??

I say: Stop drinking 30 minutes before eating, eat for no longer than 30 minutes, and then you can start drinking 30 minutes after (30/30/30).

You said: Also I just can't stop eating fast!!!! It's so hard. Eating fast, lightning fast, is such a huge habit for me. After I had kids it only got worse. I forget or I try and slow down and it's so hard. I find eating super boring and tedious and sometimes I just want to get it over. Sometimes the food tastes so darn good I just have to keep eating it!!! Anyone else have any advice for me?

I say: Couple of things here. You HAVE to stop eating fast and yes that is hard but it is because you aren't eating "mindfully" You're not even tasting your food. You have to chew your food a LOT. Keep it in your mouth, really taste it. Put your utensils down after each bite and enjoy the food that you are chewing the heck out of. Take 3 deep breaths before you even pick up your utensils for the first time. Take a deep breath before you pick your utensils back up to take your next bite. Make a game of it. It takes a big effort to do this even though it is so simple. I was working with a coach and my goal was to do the 3 deep breaths before beginning eating. That simple. I was to do this for 30 days. Most of the time I wouldn't even remember until I was almost done eating! It's really hard! But, I'm learning.

You say you find eating super boring and tedious! Cool. Use that to you advantage. Don't server yourself very much. Just the small amount you are supposed to have. My theory on the food tasting so good that you just have to keep eating it (because I'm the same way!!!) is that when you are drinking liquid with your meal, you are actually washing out the taste of it from your mouth which means you want to eat more because you want that flavor in your mouth. Well, if you chew a lot and keep the food in your mouth longer and don't drink liquids, the taste will stay in your mouth longer without needing to eat more! But that's just my theory!

Last thing to say is to suggest you join a support group. It may be that you (and most of us) have a food addiction and you need to learn what to do about it. But, also start with mindful eating. Be completely aware of every bite you take, every flavor you taste, how long you are chewing, etc. But, you also shouldn't eat longer than 30 minutes!! And stop eating when you are satisfied, not full.

My new NUT showed me a scale of 1-10, with 5 being in the middle (natch!) for hunger level. He said I should try to remain at about 4-4 1/2 on that scale of being hungry, which is closer to the hungry level. It means that I'm almost to the middle, which would be perfectly not hungry or not full, just very slightly hungry.

Best of luck! Keep us posted as to how you do.

And speaking of all that, I have my OWN issues! I'm not doing as well as I should be. I started out like gangbusters last year. But I have been stalled for a while now.

My biggest trigger is FREE food. I have a real problem turning down free food. We had a party at work yesterday and they brought in Chinese food. And not even for lunch! This was around 3:00!! lol. I put on my plate some of that pork (those pink strips), a crab rangoon, 1/2 of an egg roll, 1/2 a spring roll. I think that was it. I didn't eat it all, partially because of the guilt but partially because I knew I shouldn't even have ANY of it. But I DID eat some and that was the problem. And then I got home and had a small dinner. And then an orange (well, one of those small clementines). Then a granola bar. THen another clementine. Ack!! And I knew I wasn't hungry.

So, that's one problem I need to learn how to handle. (Oh! I also had a sugar free chocolate pudding!).

My other problem is that I don't know what to eat. Other than making a chicken breast, and the turkey skillet, I am just not sure what to eat for dinner. Dinner is my main problem. If there are suggestions of what to eat for dinner, please post!!

I was told it was the cardinal sin of Bariatric surgery, by my surgeon. As it pushes the good through your stomach allowing you to become hungrier sooner. It really defeats the purpose of having the surgery in the first place.

Thank you everyone! Great comments

And speaking of all that, I have my OWN issues! I'm not doing as well as I should be. I started out like gangbusters last year. But I have been stalled for a while now.

My biggest trigger is FREE food. I have a real problem turning down free food. We had a party at work yesterday and they brought in Chinese food. And not even for lunch! This was around 3:00!! lol. I put on my plate some of that pork (those pink strips), a crab rangoon, 1/2 of an egg roll, 1/2 a spring roll. I think that was it. I didn't eat it all, partially because of the guilt but partially because I knew I shouldn't even have ANY of it. But I DID eat some and that was the problem. And then I got home and had a small dinner. And then an orange (well, one of those small clementines). Then a granola bar. THen another clementine. Ack!! And I knew I wasn't hungry.

So, that's one problem I need to learn how to handle. (Oh! I also had a sugar free chocolate pudding!).

My other problem is that I don't know what to eat. Other than making a chicken breast, and the turkey skillet, I am just not sure what to eat for dinner. Dinner is my main problem. If there are suggestions of what to eat for dinner, please post!!

I have a few ideas for dinner:

Stuffed peppers are awesome - ground turkey, rice and tomato sauce on the top. My nutritionist gave me the recipe.

Baked chicken breast with veggies - I brush a little olive oil on the chicken, salt and pepper. Then I chop up veggies like yellow squash, zucchini, red pepper add a tablespoon or two of olive oil salt and pepper and roast them in the oven. Delish! You can also add potatoes that you zap in the microwave. You can also put shredded parmesan cheese on the veggies it is so good!

Turkey burgers with veggies as a side

Rice Pasta with tomato sauce

These are just a few of the things that I make that my family will also eat. If you work I'm sure its tough to come home after a long day and start dinner. Maybe you could try just a few of these on the weekend at first. Let me know if I can help at all.

Has anyone discussed this with their surgeon as to why it is so bad? I like very spicy and salty food, and I find it very difficult not to take a couple small sips of Water after eating. I swish it around in my mouth, to take out the taste, two sips at most. I have never had dumping.

Does anyone else feel like they need to do this? And what if your food is a liquid like soup? Doesn't that count as eating and drinking?

Has anyone been told eating and drinking at the same time will stretch out ones stomach?

I'm worried but I can't seem to stop.

Exactly how long before and after eating am I supposed to wait??

Also I just can't stop eating fast!!!! It's so hard. Eating fast, lightning fast, is such a huge habit for me. After I had kids it only got worse. I forget or I try and slow down and it's so hard. I find eating super boring and tedious and sometimes I just want to get it over. Sometimes the food tastes so darn good I just have to keep eating it!!! Anyone else have any advice for me?

drinking and eating together not good because fluids wash away nutrients your body needs to feed from thats why 45 min waiting period should occur

@Marathongirl: Thanks for the ideas!! I do need to add some variety and this will help.

Another few more good ideas for dinner:

- chicken stir fry - this is one of my favorite and I do not eat rice with it, just the chicken and any vegetable you like

- Meatballs in marinara sauce & vegetables - you can make these with ground turkey, chicken or beef whichever agrees with you more

- baked chicken hot wings with Lousiana hot sauce and light ranch dressing

- grilled chicken souvlaki with zucchini and mushrooms

- slow cooked beef with mushrooms

- slow cooked pork chops and apples

- Salisbury steaks with mushroom gravy

These are some of my favorites and my family loves them as well. I usually will make a vegetable with my meals and stay away from starches however about once a week (Sunday's) I will make some type of starch. I only do this when the extended family comes over because I don't need the starchy carbs and neither does my husband.

And speaking of all that, I have my OWN issues! I'm not doing as well as I should be. I started out like gangbusters last year. But I have been stalled for a while now.

My biggest trigger is FREE food. I have a real problem turning down free food. We had a party at work yesterday and they brought in Chinese food. And not even for lunch! This was around 3:00!! lol. I put on my plate some of that pork (those pink strips), a crab rangoon, 1/2 of an egg roll, 1/2 a spring roll. I think that was it. I didn't eat it all, partially because of the guilt but partially because I knew I shouldn't even have ANY of it. But I DID eat some and that was the problem. And then I got home and had a small dinner. And then an orange (well, one of those small clementines). Then a granola bar. THen another clementine. Ack!! And I knew I wasn't hungry.

So, that's one problem I need to learn how to handle. (Oh! I also had a Sugar Free Chocolate pudding!).

My other problem is that I don't know what to eat. Other than making a chicken breast, and the turkey skillet, I am just not sure what to eat for dinner. Dinner is my main problem. If there are suggestions of what to eat for dinner, please post!!

Usually when things are free, it means they have little to know value. . It's the expensive food you should be going after!!!

I also downloaded the Eat Slower timer app. You can set it to train you to take longer bites. I also try and look at my four year old and how she eats. She takes such slow tiny bites and has all this business between bites. Wiggling, asking questions, going to bathroom, feeding the dog from the table. She leaves half her food...and goes about her business of playing. I never ask her to eat more like I was as a kid. I just feed her every time she asks for food. It's truly amazing to me. We don't arrive broken. Families can nurture or nature a food problem. We are not biological related and I don't think she'll have my problems if I can get my eating habits in check. I've always eaten fast prior to surgery because I've wanted to eat over my hunger sensations. I didn't want to know if I hungry, full or satisfied. Most times I would sit down for the meal already full or satisfied and I would eat seconds and thirds on a what could already be considered the second dinner in the first place!! I've heard ppl talk about eating until satisfied not full but my set point was eat until misery set in. That's when I felt I was worthy of getting up. Then I would wonder why I was so always so exhausted....sorry for the rambling..... :-)

Edited January 21, 201511 yr by MisforMimi