FOOD RESTRICTIONS

[Retty 3]

Hi, I've just joined.

I had a mini gastric bypass June 27, 2018. I'm now around 11 weeks post surgery. My concern is I feel I don't have any restriction on how much I can eat. I feel I am eating more than I should after surgery. I also never have any dumping or have any foods I can't tolerate.

Is there anyone else who is the same? I'm feeling like my bypass isn't working at all.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,046]

You'll have to give an example of what foods you're eating, please. And in what amounts?

[Retty 3]

Hi Orchids&Dragons. Thanks for your response. Here's an example of what I ate yesterday. As I'm in Australia, I'm not sure if you'd be familiar with the actual brands of foods I've had.

Breakfast: 2 Weetbix with 3/4 cup low fat milk and 2 teaspoons WPI powder

1 mug (approx 350ml) coffee with low fat milk

Lunch: 2 slices Cape Seed bread (from Baker's Delight) with 95g can chicken with shredded lettuce

Late afternoon: 1 mug (approx 350ml) coffee with low fat milk

Dinner: 100g grilled chicken breast 3 tablespoons garden salad, medium jacket baked potato

Night Snack: 175g Chobani high Protein yoghurt

60g Ricci Licorice Pieces

Thanks

[Orchids&Dragons 9,046]

You're right. You don't seem to have major restriction. But you also eat a lot of slider foods that work around restriction, like Cereal, bread, potatoes. Your Breakfast, in particular, is totally slider foods so I would expect no feeling of restriction.

Are you eating out of hunger or because you need to meet your macros? (Eating out of hunger isn't bad, it just makes for a different answer.)

When you eat your meals, do you eat the Protein first or do you eat a bit of protein, a bit a bread, a bit of veggie? The protein is what tends to cause the restriction and mixing it with the other foods might dilute that effect.

If you don't have much restriction (our bodies are unique) you should not attempt to eat to "full", especially early on. If your pouch can hold 1/2 cup (per whatever your doc says), measure out 1/2 cup and eat that. Eat very slowly and after you eat the 1/2 cup, wait a bit. If you are still ravenous, eat a bit more, but always keep in mind the capacity of your stomach.

I have swallowing issues and virtually all the foods I eat are sliders. Therefore, I hardly ever feel restriction. So I know what I'm talking about here.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

btw, I googled that bread and it looks delicious!

Edited September 4, 2018 by Orchids&Dragons

[TakingABreak 2,733]

14 hours ago, Retty said:

Hi Orchids&Dragons. Thanks for your response. Here's an example of what I ate yesterday. As I'm in Australia, I'm not sure if you'd be familiar with the actual brands of foods I've had.

Breakfast: 2 Weetbix with 3/4 cup low fat milk and 2 teaspoons WPI powder

1 mug (approx 350ml) coffee with low fat milk

Lunch: 2 slices Cape Seed bread (from Baker's Delight) with 95g can chicken with shredded lettuce

Late afternoon: 1 mug (approx 350ml) coffee with low fat milk

Dinner: 100g grilled chicken breast 3 tablespoons garden salad, medium jacket baked potato

Night Snack: 175g Chobani high Protein yoghurt

60g Ricci Licorice Pieces

Thanks

Honestly, if I were you... I would cut out the bread and potatoes. They are notoriously slider foods and this may be why you aren't feeling restriction and can eat more. I would give it a week long test phase and see if you eat less with just Protein and non starchy veggies. We all tend to "normalize" our diets over time the further out we become, but sometimes we have to get back to the roots. Not to mention, you are only 3 months post op, and those foods are a slippery slope, especially at the amounts you are eating. I'm 8 months post op and can't even eat 2 pieces of bread, let alone with protein.

[Retty 3]

Thank you so much Orchids&Dragons and AshAsh. I didn't remember what slider foods were. I so appreciate you both bringing them to my attention. I've since done a lot of research and reading and realise my errors!

I will definitely be cutting out the bread and potatoes and concentrate more on protein-rich foods. One thing that really surprised me was the fact that my breakfast each morning - being healthy cereal or granola is actually a slider food. That certainly explains why I never felt satisfied after breakfast, in particular.

For the last 2 mornings I have had 2 boiled eggs and a mixed grain rye cracker with avocado on it and have felt completely sated after that for hours!

It's amazing the difference varying actual foods make as to how our bodies react.

Thanks again, ladies

P.S. Orchids&Dragons, that bread truly is absolutely delicious - either toasted or as is. But now I will limit myself and have it more as an every-now-and-then treat!

Edited September 6, 2018 by Retty

[UnderTheCaliSun 27]

That's still quite a large breakfast. I had surgery 4/27/2018 and the most I can eat for breakfast would be 1 boiled egg and a taste of avocado. I might be able to eat 1.5 boiled eggs but I think I would feel sick at this point. I'm surprised that you can eat 2 eggs AND avocado on a toast cracker especially only being 12 weeks out from surgery. For me, it would be either the eggs or avocado cracker but not both. However, I don't eat bread/crackers/cereal because they are slider foods. I don't have any problem eating them but there isn't any nutritional value to them so I avoid plus I tend to want to drink after a starch to wash it down and that just defeats the purpose of my surgery.

I would probably still eliminate the cracker part since it's basically bread which is still a slider. You mentioned you have a mug of coffee? Do you take that with your breakfast? If you are drinking with meals, even just a little bit, that could be a big reason that you aren't feeling restriction and are able to eat more.

[Retty 3]

Thanks UnderTheCaliSun for your answer.

So what do you usually have for your breakfasts?

No, I never drink with any of my meals. I wait at least 1/2 hour after a drink before I eat. I then wait at least 1/2 hour after eating before I have a coffee or any other drink at all.

I am seeing both my Dietician and my Bariatric GP this coming Tuesday. So I'm looking forward to having a talk with both of them to see if maybe I need to have my new tummy revised.

[UnderTheCaliSun 27]

I start my day with a Premier Protein drink. If I don't, I struggle to get all my Protein in. I just can't eat enough to do it. I follow that up mid-morning with a boiled egg or greek yogurt, sometimes hummus and cucumber slices. I have coffee 30 minutes after breakfast.

My pouch is like Iron. I seem to tolerate everything so my choices are limitless but I definitely feel restriction so my portions are small. I don't want to stretch my pouch out so I tend to eat 5 or 6 very small meals a day. I always eat protein first, always. If I don't, then I can eat more food which is not good. Protein fills me up to the point that I often can't eat anything I paired with it.

If I get scared that I might have stretched my pouch out then I do a liquid only day the next day and that seems to reset it and help me feel the restriction. I've only over eaten twice and felt miserable both times. Tight chest, painful stomach and felt like the food was overflowing in my stomach back up my esophagus. It was awful.

[HikeEveryMountain 112]

Hi Retty- curious how things are going for you a few months later? I’m 2 weeks post op and have all your same concerns about lack of restriction and weight loss...

[Retty 3]

Hi tawny - things seems to be going quite well actually. I've cut right back on my carbs and slider foods and I do seem to have a lot more restriction now. I have also found not to keep trying to eat Snacks, not even healthy ones, unless I actually feel really hungry. If I don't feel hungry, I won't look for anything to eat! I think I was actually eating too much throughout the days mainly because my dietician said to have 3 main meals and 2 or 3 snacks per day. I'm finding just having breakfast, a light lunch of say, high Protein yoghurt or cheese & a few crackers and a small meal at night is plenty during a day and my weight loss is consistent each week. Some days I don't even have anything for lunch except an extra cup of milky coffee (made with high protein milk).

Another thing I've found is to basically forget about the surgery and food etc. Just keep busy with other things and only eat when I feel really hungry. Of course, keeping up my fluids is still very important!

As you're only a couple of weeks out from surgery, you'd just be starting pureed foods, I'm guessing? Are you finding you don't feel much in the way of restriction? You might find that may change once you're on more solid foods.

I do hope your weight loss journey is a good one. 😊

[Frustr8 7,886]

Sounds like the Mini Bypass is working well for YOU! Congratulations!

[UnderTheCaliSun 27]

On 1/12/2019 at 5:28 AM, tawny said:

Hi Retty- curious how things are going for you a few months later? I’m 2 weeks post op and have all your same concerns about lack of restriction and weight loss...

It's pretty normal to not feel much restriction right after surgery. I freaked myself out with how much and how fast I could drink my fluids including Protein Drinks, Soups etc... at first. I didn't get much help during the pureed stage other than I went longer in between meals.

However, once I moved toward solids, the restriction was evident. Hang in there, you will find that particularly with meats, you will get full fast. At about 5 or 6 months when all the internal swelling has gone down, you will find a new level for restriction and be able to eat a little more in one setting but not a lot more. Now that I'm farther away from post op, I don't eat as often during the day. I have 3 meals and one snack plus my liquids. If I get hungry, I eat a spoon of Peanut Butter and I'm good for a few more hours.

With weight loss, I lost a lot the first week and stalled for several weeks after surgery. Everyone is different but I tend to lose for 2 or 3 weeks and stall for a week or two and repeat. I'm down almost 100 lbs so the surgery did work. You'll find your own losing pattern and it will become predictable for you, just stick with the program.

[HikeEveryMountain 112]

Thanks Retty and UndertheCalisun, I appreciate the input. I am freaking out about no restriction and ease of drinking, etc. Even soft scrambled eggs at 2.5 weeks out are uber easy for me. But it's okay, we'll just see what this brings!

[MarinaGirl 608]

Nerves are cut during surgery so you may not feel proper restriction for a few months. Because of this, it is critical to not advance your diet too soon, eat too much, or seek out a full feeling. Instead, you should weigh your food so you don’t overeat, as it could lead to post-op complications.