Hey guys! I was sleeved Oct 22nd, 2014 so I am about 6 months post op. How much food were you able to consume in one sitting 6 months out? I feel like I'm able to eat too much. I'm not eating tons of food, but I'm eating a few more table spoons of tuna, a few more shrimp than before, I'm just worried I'm stretching my stomach...

6 months seems to be kind of the magic number for a lot of us. I too noticed I could eat more around that time. I went from 1 egg to 2, 5 shrimp to 8, etc....I figure depending on what it is, I can eat as much as a half to 3/4 cup of food now.

One thing I had to do once I realized my sleeve was holding a little more food was start to measure everything and just STOP when I was finished with the measured portion.

Just because you can eat more, doesn't mean you should

For me it depends. Sometimes I can only eat a few bites of food and other times I'm surprised at how much I can eat. In general, I'm around the 1/2 cup mark.

I definitely had to start exercising discipline to control my portion sizes at six months. There are a few on this board whose restriction seems just as strong when they are fully healed, but I think for most of us, once the swelling of the stomach goes down, we really notice the difference in capacity. Don't worry, though. All you have to do is measure/weigh your serving sizes, and you won't be in danger of overeating. And thanks to your sleeve, you will still be satisfied with a lot less food than you were accustomed to pre-op.

I definitely have to exercise more portion control, but it depends on the food. Soup I can eat a little under a full cup, probably 3/4 of a cup is more my comfort level. I can still only eat 1 egg, but I can drink a lot of liquids. However I have also increased my workouts to 5 -6 days a week, so I actually get hungry now. Not ravenous, because I plan Proteins around my workouts, but I do need to eat after a workout.

Yes, measure, measure, measure your foods! Many of us never felt "full" pre-sleeve, and I think once the restriction of the sleeve lessons, we can tend to push it a little too far. Pay attention to your serving sizes and remind yourself that your body is satisfied and nourished. Also try to avoid those triggers that convince your brain that you are hungry. For me, that's salty-crunchy junk food. For others it's sweets or artificial sweeteners, for others it's fat. If I eat a chip, I am done for! I work hard to keep those flood gates closed! (In the grocery store today I kept repeating the mantra, "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels, nothing tastes as good...") I find I can eat a surprising amount of salty-crunchy junk if I am not paying attention.

At 16 months out, I still try to focus on meat, fruit and veggies, and then carbs. I try to eat 3 oz. of meat, and focus on veggies after that. I don't eat bread, but I do eat 90 cal. wraps for sandwiches, and occasionally a half cup of Pasta or rice. I am maintaining, so I am eating around 1200 calories a day.

Good luck! (And by the way, a little extra tuna or a few extra shrimps are fine! Good Protein, low cal.)

Amy

I saw a great solution when going out on YouTube. She kept a collapsible measuring cup in her purse in the amount her sleeve could hold. When her food arrived she would add the protein and veggies, etc to the cup and then dump it on an appetizer plate and wrap up the rest to go. Then she wasn't likely to eat too much.

I have done that too. I stick a measuring cup in a plastic baggie and throw it in my bag when we go out. It helps me remind my brain I am in control, and my tummy does need excess portions.

Thanks so much guys. I will definitely be measuring EVERYTHING. I was doing that way in the beginning but somewhere along the line I guess I started to get comfortable! I'm about to go look for collapsible measuring cups too! Lol. Thanks guys!

So glad you posted this topic! I appreciate everyone's responses which have encouraged me today. Thank you all!

At 6 months I could eat about 3/4 of a cup of meat and veggies. (About half a cup of meat Protein and 1/4 cup of veggies.)

At 8 months post-op, that's still about what I'm eating.

My tummy seems to be completely cured / healed by now.

I will be 6 months out next week, I can eat a little bit more also now. Not a lot but it is more depending what the food is.

I weigh, measure and log everything still. Just my way of life now. I do have to be careful cause I have not found anything so far that I have tried that does not agree with me. I stay away from sweets as much as possible, with maybe a bite here and bite there.

The one thing I like that I have noticed these last few months is I can tell when I am full sooner than later. In the early months I would get the full feeling between my breasts and sometimes it would hurt, now I can feel the fullness in my stomach and stop. For me it's pretty easy only because I am a baby and hate being uncomfortable.

I am eating more now than I did before. You'll be surprised what 4 oz. holds...it's not a lot!

I weigh everything. 4oz is my limit. Then, get my water and vitamins in. I am hungry however but if I eat more than the 4oz I pay for it almost immediately with heartburn and stomach discomfort. Sleeved 4/13/15. Day 7 of 11 days of puréed protein only. Soft foods begin 4/27/15. Looking forward to that but I will still use my kitchen scale for every meal.

I have to weigh every meal otherwise I would eat too much and I'm only five weeks out. That scares me a lot! I don't feel much restriction at 4 oz of protein which is the limit set by my doctor. I could eat more and that is terrifying to me.

Im 7 months out and can eat about 3/4 of a cup of food. I eat my protein first then any veggies / quinoa. Some days, i dont know why this is, i just cant eat even a 1/4 cup of food for the whole day! ????. ill be seeing my surgeon in a few weeks ill ask him and see if he knows whats going on, i suspect my GERD may have something to do with this /shrug.

Wow, I feel like an odd ball... I can eat between 1.5-2.5 cups depending on the food. Is there anyone else at this level?