Post-Op Food Consumption/'Stuck' feeling

[Lost&Found 6]

I had surgery January 9th, 2019 and to date have lost a total of 138.4 lbs. It's really been an amazing transformation for me both physically and mentally. In hindsight, there have been no real negatives post-surgery, except for my most recent issue. I'm almost 6 months post-surgery, and I'm still having a really hard time eating enough food. Every time I eat, I have this really bad 'stuck' feeling, which I know can happen. I've slowed down my consumption, I don't drink liquids, etc...Basically, I'm doing everything I should be doing, but I quickly get full and/or nauseous and feel that way for about an hour after I eat. I've heard of some people being able to eat almost as much as they did pre-surgery and I'm just wondering what everyone's experience on the time frame of that. I rarely have an appetite and find myself often having to eat when I'm not hungry. Obviously, I know we're all going to have different experiences, but I'm wondering if there's anyone else who had a rough time with eating/feeling nauseous and when/if it got better?

[ms.sss 14,970]

I'm a little over 7 months post-op and I still get that fullness/pressure in my chest when I eat too fast or too much.

It takes me a really long time to eat, especially if I'm eating something dense. And when I say a long time, I'm talking maybe an hour to eat about a 1 cup (maaaybe 1.5 cup sometimes) volume of food. If I don't, I'll start to feel pain. And if I ignore it, I will eventually need to barf.

It has gotten better as time goes on, in the sense that my volume limit has (slowly) increased.

[Lost&Found 6]

3 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

I'm a little over 7 months post-op and I still get that fullness/pressure in my chest when I eat too fast or too much.

It takes me a really long time to eat, especially if I'm eating something dense. And when I say a long time, I'm talking maybe an hour to eat about a 1 cup (maaaybe 1.5 cup sometimes) volume of food. If I don't, I'll start to feel pain. And if I ignore it, I will eventually need to barf.

It has gotten better as time goes on, in the sense that my volume limit has (slowly) increased.

Thank you! That makes me feel a bit better. I guess I need to slow it WAYYY down. Maybe one day we'll be out of the woods!

[AZhiker 2,252]

4 months out and I can still only eat about 1/4 c at a time. Eating too much just hurts and is so uncomfortable - sometimes for hours. There are two issues that bother me most - I still have to rely heavily on Protein shakes/powder because I can't possibly eat all the protein I need. I thought I would be able to eat more than 2 ounces of protein at a time by now. The second issue is that I have found myself eating small amounts more frequently through the day. This basically amounts to grazing - a pre-op habit that got me into trouble. My doctor says 3 meals a day and no Snacks. That makes it hard to get enough in. But..... snacking is not a good option for long term control.

Thanks for sharing - those of you who are farther out post-op. I need to be more patient and focus on protein and fluids, and Vitamins - then my beloved veggies!

[ms.sss 14,970]

20 minutes ago, AZhiker said:

4 months out and I can still only eat about 1/4 c at a time. Eating too much just hurts and is so uncomfortable - sometimes for hours. There are two issues that bother me most - I still have to rely heavily on Protein shakes/powder because I can't possibly eat all the Protein I need. I thought I would be able to eat more than 2 ounces of protein at a time by now. The second issue is that I have found myself eating small amounts more frequently through the day. This basically amounts to grazing - a pre-op habit that got me into trouble. My doctor says 3 meals a day and no Snacks. That makes it hard to get enough in. But..... snacking is not a good option for long term control.

Thanks for sharing - those of you who are farther out post-op. I need to be more patient and focus on protein and fluids, and Vitamins - then my beloved veggies!

Me too: I still drink 1 Protein Shake a day to reach my protein quota.

I also feel the same way about grazing - in the sense that it is not a good lifestyle eating choice - but I seem to be forced to do it these days as I am trying to increase my calories and grazing is the only method I am willing to employ to be able to achieve this (I mean, I could eat cake and chips, but that's probably not a good idea).

[BigWill619 26]

Wow ,, glad to know I’m not the only one ! , I’m 2 months post op and I can hardly sit down to eat a meal because I get full sensation very quickly where I feel it in my chest and throat , but at night it seems like I can snack without any problems and that worries me because that’s how I got into trouble the first time .. gotta tell myself to stop ! Anybody know of a healthy snack 🤣 ?

[ms.sss 14,970]

9 minutes ago, BigWill619 said:

Wow ,, glad to know I’m not the only one ! , I’m 2 months post op and I can hardly sit down to eat a meal because I get full sensation very quickly where I feel it in my chest and throat , but at night it seems like I can snack without any problems and that worries me because that’s how I got into trouble the first time .. gotta tell myself to stop ! Anybody know of a healthy snack 🤣 ?

My go-to is Beef Jerky (homemade if I have on hand, but pre-packaged will do

[BigWill619 26]

On 06/03/2019 at 13:10, ms.sss said:

My go-to is Beef Jerky (homemade if I have on hand, but pre-packaged will do

I do love me some beef Jerky .. I’ll give it a try .. thanks

[GradyCat 3,693]

I only get that feeling when I eat too fast or eat something doughy like bread or a tortilla.

[TeeBeau 60]

I'm about 11 weeks out. I get that stuck feeling, particularly if I eat too fast, usually during the evening meal when I haven't eaten since noon. I guess I'm hungry those times, but I don't experience hunger like I did before surgery, so I don't recognize the new feeling of hunger. I tried a one inch piece of a pita bread and I felt the stuck feeling then too, only more misery; I stay away from bready things now. I can eat about 1/4 cup of dense things (meat), 1/2 cup of yogurt consistency or Soup consistency foods before I feel the stuck feeling. I have to have one Protein Shake a day yet in order to make my goals--I can drink about 8 oz of a thin shake fairly easily. A thicker shake is a smaller portion limit.

[renjenn 41]

Lost&found, we have the same Dr.

I'm at 10 weeks. I don't know how many times I've wanted to cry because the "stuck" feeling hurts. meats are the worst culprit. and sometimes cheese. I was looking for an answer about how long it will be that way. sounds like a long time so I'd better get used to it. Maybe its a good thing so I will learn to keep honest about the quantity I eat and the need to stay careful.

[AZhiker 2,252]

The hardest part for me is that the painful stuck sensation doesn't hit right away. It is hard to know when to stop eating, because each bit can feel perfectly fine and then all of a sudden I know I ate about 6 bites too many. Sooooo......I am trying to eat only half of what I think I can eat, and then wait 10 minutes. Sometimes I can finish the meal, but other times i know it is enough and to leave well enough alone. So hard..... especially with a lifetime of stuffing my face and never feeling full and never stopping at a reasonable place, Definitely a re-learning process, but the pain is a great detriment.

[ms.sss 14,970]

18 minutes ago, AZhiker said:

and then wait 10 minutes

yep, this is what I do (even at 7 months post op). I time 10 minutes on my watch between every 3-4 bites. It results in me taking FOREVER to finish a meal, but at least I can avoid that pressure feeling (most times, at least). On the bright side, I have learned to appreciate room-temperature food.

[AZhiker 2,252]

I've also learned that I can;t eat a meal at work for lunch. It just takes too long. So I am using Soup or a Protein Shake then.

[Briswife15 890]

Following. You guys have some great tips!

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