Too much liquid?

[els 21]

I'm 4 days post op and feel great health wise but worried I'm eating too much. I'm sticking to liquids but having 1 cup Soup (not broth) for lunch and again for dinner. 1/2 cup Protein shake for Breakfast. No problem keeping it all down. Others talk of only managing 1/2 cup Soup so am I overdoing it?

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[Djmohr 6,965]

It would help to know what surgery you had.

Having had RNY I was literally able to eat 2 to 3 tablespoons max of broth that first week. I sipped and sipped but if I was able to consume 200 calories I was lucky. I was not allowe Soup, broth only for the first week. Full liquids for the next week, puréed weeks 3 and 4 and then finally soft foods at week 5.

I progressed to 1/4 cup at one sitting until I was about 4 months post op and then quickly progressed to 1/2 cup followed by a whole cup. It also depends on what I am eating

It is different depending on the surgery you had. Even now 22 months post op, if I eat a full cup of food at one sitting I am in good shape.

If you had RNY that seems like an awful lot so you should go back to the instructions provided by your surgeon and measure and track everything.

[els 21]

Sorry was Gastric sleeve surgery. Freaking out it's too much. Everyone said you'll only be able to manage the smallest amount but I think 1 cup is too much?

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[VEGAN ME 117]

Hey don't worry about it, I am the same way and everything is fine with me, I guess some just have it easier than others! just stop when you feel full of course within reason

[els 21]

Thanks Debra. Will be interested in others thoughts too. Am I the only one managing 1 cup at a session?!

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[kmorri 1,689]

With gastric sleeve you don't really feel a lot of restriction until you start eating more solid food.....What does your plan say about how much you should be eating at this stage? it's important to only eat the amounts your instructions tell you......If you're not sure the amount you should be eating a quick call to your surgeon's office, or NUT will be able to clear it up for you...everyone's plans are different and can cause a lot of confusion in the early stages.

Good luck to you!!

[RickM 1,753]

Liquids pretty much go right on through us with little restriction. We will have some inflammation in the stomach after surgery, but that is a big variable - some will have a lot and it will be like trying to move the liquids through a pinched soda straw, while others will have little inflammation and can sip things through fairly normally. I was able to have a bowl of broth (6-8 oz?) and a half cup of juice in a sitting in the hospital while my wife could barely move anything through her stomach initially - both completely normal results from my doc's experience.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

Not everyone who gets VSG has significant internal swelling. The people you see on here who can't drink more than the tiniest sip in the early days post-op? Those are people with a lot of swelling. An unswollen sleeve offers ZERO restriction with liquids. They pass through a sleeve in a matter of seconds. So it is not possible to "fill up" on liquids and it's not possible to stretch your sleeve with liquids. It's one of the reasons it is so important not to drink your calories once you gave moved onto solid foods.

If you can get all of your Water, Soup, and Protein shakes in already, that's awesome for you! Should make your recovery much easier!

[justhere4theshow 462]

Not everyone who gets VSG has significant internal swelling. The people you see on here who can't drink more than the tiniest sip in the early days post-op? Those are people with a lot of swelling. An unswollen sleeve offers ZERO restriction with liquids. They pass through a sleeve in a matter of seconds. So it is not possible to "fill up" on liquids and it's not possible to stretch your sleeve with liquids. It's one of the reasons it is so important not to drink your calories once you gave moved onto solid foods.

If you can get all of your Water, Soup, and Protein shakes in already, that's awesome for you! Should make your recovery much easier!

I found your post to be very informative. I must still have some swelling even at 6 weeks, because I do feel restriction with fluids. I absolutely can get too "full" with Water and Protein Shakes, even when sipping. My sleeve tells me when I am done for a while. I have had a lot of difficulty getting liquids in because of it. I guess everyone is different, though.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

@ Protein is a bit more filling because you actually do some digestion of it in the stomach. Also, it's a thicker consistency, so it can stay in the stomach a bit longer. I also noticed that I feel "full" with warm Water versus cold water. I don't think it's actually sitting in my stomach any longer, it just feels "heavier" somehow.