Eating months after the surgery

[TexasMommy80 297]

Just curious, but when you are months or even years out of the surgery, will you ever be able to eat more than a few bites of food at a time? I have been reading horror stories on here lately, and it has scared me a bit. I understand, and even look forward to, only eating smaller portions. But I have seen people say that for the rest of your life, you will only be able to have a bite or two at a time. I am just curious how accurate that is, or if it more customary to just have very small meals later on in your journey?

[etc. etc. etc. 440]

I am four months out from surgery and can eat a small appetizer sized portion of food already.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

I'm two and a half weeks out. I can eat about 4 ounces at a time. Last night for dinner, I had one cluster of crab legs and two little pieces of boiled potato. Hubby had the other three clusters, the corn on the cob and the sausage in the crab boil pot. The crab meat and potatoes went down great...felt full and was comfortable in my new tummy.

I can eat most of a small tub of yogurt in one sitting.

I can eat an envelope of oatmeal in one sitting.

[Healthy_life2 8,319]

3 minutes ago, TexasMommy80 said:

Just curious, but when you are months or even years out of the surgery, will you ever be able to eat more than a few bites of food at a time? I have been reading horror stories on here lately, and it has scared me a bit. I understand, and even look forward to, only eating smaller portions. But I have seen people say that for the rest of your life, you will only be able to have a bite or two at a time. I am just curious how accurate that is, or if it more customary to just have very small meals later on in your journey?

Horror stories???? Losing weight by eating slowly and having Portion Control for life scares you? Glad you are doing your research.

What type of surgery are you considering? Once you alter your stomach with surgery you can't get it back. You will not be able to eat large amounts of food, binge, or eat fast. Changing these behaviors is going to make your weightloss successful long term.

The first few months your stomach is healing..You will only get in small amounts of food. You will progress in stages of food. (google bariatric food stages)

You will be able to eat more food volume and calories as you get further out from surgery. But, nothing like pre surgery.

I'm three years out..My day of food can look like this.

• Breakfast :Half an omelette. Filled with Tomato mushrooms and one piece bacon
• Lunch: 4 to 5oz smoked salmon cup of dole bag salad
• Snack: Quest Protein BBQ chips. 2(oz) mozzarella cheese 3 oz salsa
• dinner 4 oz chicken. 1 cup stir fry vegetables. Teriyaki sauce. Two pieces BBQ pork with hot asian mustard.
• Snacks 6 Strawberries dipped in hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup.
• If I still feel hungry before bed I might eat raw veggies and dip..or cottage cheese.

[TexasMommy80 297]

Horror stories???? Losing weight by eating slowly and having Portion Control for life scares you? Glad you are doing your research.
What type of surgery are you considering? Once you alter your stomach with surgery you can't get it back. You will not be able to eat large amounts of food, binge, or eat fast. Changing these behaviors is going to make your weightloss successful long term.
The first few months your stomach is healing..You will only get in small amounts of food. You will progress in stages of food. (google bariatric food stages)
You will be able to eat more food volume and calories as you get further out from surgery. But, nothing like pre surgery.
I'm three years out..My day of food can look like this.

• Breakfast :Half an omelette. Filled with Tomato mushrooms and one piece bacon
• Lunch: 4 to 5oz smoked salmon cup of dole bag salad
• Snack: Quest Protein BBQ chips. 2(oz) mozzarella cheese 3 oz salsa
• dinner 4 oz chicken. 1 cup stir fry vegetables. Teriyaki sauce. Two pieces BBQ pork with hot asian mustard.
• Snacks 6 Strawberries dipped in hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup.
• If I still feel hungry before bed I might eat raw veggies and dip..or cottage cheese.

Of course Portion Control doesn’t scare me, and in fact, I said in my post that I welcome it. But when I see people talking about the worst mistake of their life, only eating a bite or two years out, and talking about the sadness they feel, of course I have questions and concerns.

I would think that anyone that is considering this surgery (sleeve) would have questions and concerns, and if they don’t, they are not taking it seriously.

[TexasMommy80 297]

I'm two and a half weeks out. I can eat about 4 ounces at a time. Last night for dinner, I had one cluster of crab legs and two little pieces of boiled potato. Hubby had the other three clusters, the corn on the cob and the sausage in the crab boil pot. The crab meat and potatoes went down great...felt full and was comfortable in my new tummy.
I can eat most of a small tub of yogurt in one sitting.
I can eat an envelope of oatmeal in one sitting.

Thank you! That makes me feel better. Everything I have researched said that, but I have read a few negative posts on here lately. One woman even said she cried at every meal because she literally can only eat one bite or two at a time, and she was years out. It really scared me so I wanted to ask.

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

Those instances with eating issues years out are very rare, some people have underlying conditions that they either didn't know about (gastroparesis) or had complications (which are less than 1%), or unresolved eating disorders.

[TexasMommy80 297]

Those instances with eating issues years out are very rare, some people have underlying conditions that they either didn't know about (gastroparesis) or had complications (which are less than 1%), or unresolved eating disorders.

Thank you so much for this...I feel much better.

[shedo82773 1,236]

I'm over 4 years out and I definitely can eat more than in the beginning. NOT like I ae before my RNY by no means. I still eat small amounts. My morning I have 2 cups of black coffee and then I fix me an Espresso with added GENEPRO nonflavored Protein. ( BTW there are some that don't care for GENEPRO please check with your DR) I love it. Every blood test results have been great, but others on here are not fans. lunch I have some mixed nuts, maybe a banana or frozen grapes in the afternoon. dinner I have a half sandwich made with a little mayo 1 slice of chopped ham and 1 slice of swiss cheese or a Tamale, Chili Beans or a homemade burrito made with refried (spicy) Beans, cheese onions, and some sour cream. My the HEALTHY wholegrain bread. My burrito is made with low-fat low carb tortillas. Sometimes I have a salad with lots of veggies and tuna added. I feel bad that I can't eat too much salad and then it goes bad before I can get it ate. But sometimes I just have to eat a salad. I miss the big everything salad. LOL Actually, I eat pretty much whatever I want just in Moderation. I say everyone has to find their NEW NORMAL. Have a great one!! And Happy Holidays!!

[MowryRocks 679]

A year out, I can eat the equivalent of about 1c of food at a meal.

[KarenOR 180]

It depends on the kind of foods for me. I'm almost 3 months out. Some things aren't sitting as well, but I can definitely eat 3-4oz of Protein and a few bites of other things. Lots of people have trouble with carbs, I don't. I most certainly can eat nowhere near what I did before, obviously. But I also don't eat so minimally that people think it's weird.

[jennypenny1998 41]

I had my surgery in October and I'm able to eat 3-4 ounces. You will eventually figure out what foods are sliders for you, but don't take advantage of it! It just so happens that one of my favorite foods (jalapeno poppers) don't make me feel full. In fact, when I eat them, I feel like I haven't eaten anything. But that's where the self control part kicks in. For about the first month out of surgery, I got into a small "depression" because I couldn't eat what was "normal" for me. But in reality, being able to eat the whole $5 meal deal box at Taco Bell wasn't normal. Being able to fit a large coke, double cheeseburger, AND fries isn't really normal either. That's a lot to fit into your tummy! Don't be scared. I definitely was and even thought about opting out of surgery the night before I was going to go in. But it's very refreshing to be able to eat less. I don't feel so bleh after I've eaten (vs feeling super tired after downing that double cheeseburger) and I definitely have more energy. You'll get used to your new lifestyle and seeing the results will definitely motivate you to keep going. Best of luck

[etc. etc. etc. 440]

I don't really spend any energy looking for "sliders." I'm always about finding the foods that will let me get Protein in with the smallest possible amount of carbs and calories. Like those Starkist tuna Creations packets? Those are 70 calories and 15 grams of protein. If I have one of those for lunch and a Protein2o a bit later, I've saved an extra 200 calories and a bunch of carbs so that I can have something better for dinner and still stay on track for the day.

I have Halo Top ice cream or a glass of wine a lot of nights, because I saved room, so why not?

The other day, I realized sashimi was loaded with protein with zero carbs and minimal calories. I wish I could afford to eat that every day.

[TexasMommy80 297]

Thank you, everyone, I really appreciate your responses. You have definitely put me at ease. I have my first consultation on January 9th and then will start my 3-month supervised diet shortly after. I am a teacher but I teach Seniors, so I am going to plan to wait until late May or early June to have the surgery. I can't miss out on graduation, LoL!

For now, though, my gallbladder is my issue at hand. That little problem maker is coming out on December 29th.

[Sullie06 1,013]

I'm a week shy of 1 year out and I can eat about 6-8 ounces of food at a meal depending on what I'm eating. I've found my portion sizes to be pretty equivalent to most of my female friends so I'm satisfied with my consumption. I get about 1100-1300 calories a day, 90-100 grams of Protein and 50-100 grams of carbs.