So, I am now on purees though I don't feel like eating much of anything. In fact, I only eat when I start to feel shaky because I know I need to eat something. What does being "full" feel like for you? I had about 1/4 cup of pureed cottage cheese this morning and started having a sensation almost like heartburn or a lump in my chest like the food didn't go down. I wouldn't say it is painful, but it is uncomfortable. I'm assuming this means I am full? Can anyone else share their experience with restriction?

Give it time. You're likely still dealing with healing and swelling. Hang in there. Restriction is just feeling full faster. To me...it's kinda like how if I eat two packets of oatmeal instead of one packet (with berries and pecans)....I feel stuffed to the gills like I used to feel after Thanksgiving dinner.

Good restriction to me means.....one pack of oatmeal with a few raspberries and pecans and I feel incredibly full, super satisfied, and really don't want to eat anything else for hours.

Good restriction to me means....you have a few bites and you're done. You don't mind throwing the rest away.

A full tank for a quarter the price:)

That makes sense. Thank you @Creekimp13!

2 hours ago, Jnfinney said:

and started having a sensation almost like heartburn or a lump in my chest like the food didn't go down

Yep, this is my feeling of full....actually its over-full. My goal is always to finish eating before I reach this point. I am successful maybe 80% of the time.

Thank you @ms.sss. It is super hard to tell how much I can eat when I just started being able to eat food!

3 minutes ago, Jnfinney said:

Thank you @ms.sss. It is super hard to tell how much I can eat when I just started being able to eat food!

Yes...it's definitely a learning curve. The first couple months I relied on measuring cups/spoons (for volume) and just served myself whatever amount I was supposed to be eating during that phase. Also, I ate ridiculously sloooooooooooow, like 1.5-2 hours slow. I used to time my bites on my watch (the fam thought I was crazy).

I'm a teacher who only gets 20 minutes for lunch... ?

20 minutes ago, Jnfinney said:

I'm a teacher who only gets 20 minutes for lunch... ?

I-yai-yai (LOL, I have no idea how to spell that! but you know what I mean)

Yeah, 20 minutes is not very long...maybe...contraband snacks in the drawer? more "bathroom" breaks? Or a protein shake IV LOL.

There must be other teachers on here who can share their ultra-short-lunchtime eating secrets....

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

Yes...it's definitely a learning curve. The first couple months I relied on measuring cups/spoons (for volume) and just served myself whatever amount I was supposed to be eating during that phase. Also, I ate ridiculously sloooooooooooow, like 1.5-2 hours slow. I used to time my bites on my watch (the fam thought I was crazy).

Wow - My nutritionist said finish eating in 30 minutes otherwise it is likely I will overeat. She said if I take too long I won't learn would full feels like because I will always be a grazer.

3 minutes ago, LoveSimcha said:

Wow - My nutritionist said finish eating in 30 minutes otherwise it is likely I will overeat. She said if I take too long I won't learn would full feels like because I will always be a grazer.

There is probably some truth to that. I'm pretty much a grazer now at 2.5+ years out.

But it would have been pretty challenging for me to finish eating a "meal" in under 30 mins back then. Even now, It takes me about 45 mins to an hour to finish a "normal" meal for me (longer if there's lots of talking). If I eat too fast, I'll barf, so its necessary for me to eat slow.

1 hour ago, Jnfinney said:

I'm a teacher who only gets 20 minutes for lunch... ?

Definitely watching the responses. I substitute and this is something I am a bit concerned about going back.
due to the hybrid learning system my district has now because of covid. Some teachers only get ten minutes (which is totally illegal and I now refuse to work if it is one of those jobs). I’m still at the liquid stage, but I will definitely be watching for ideas .

4 hours ago, Jnfinney said:

So, I am now on purees though I don't feel like eating much of anything. In fact, I only eat when I start to feel shaky because I know I need to eat something. What does being "full" feel like for you? I had about 1/4 cup of pureed cottage cheese this morning and started having a sensation almost like heartburn or a lump in my chest like the food didn't go down. I wouldn't say it is painful, but it is uncomfortable. I'm assuming this means I am full? Can anyone else share their experience with restriction?

To me I know I can eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup. It is actually more food than it sounds if eaten right. Like that much Chicken Salad is alot and filling a small Wendys Chili is filling. If I sneeze I am full and need to stop. I can tell when I am approaching full and want to stop before I get there. I have not overeaten yet.

4 hours ago, Jnfinney said:

So, I am now on purees though I don't feel like eating much of anything. In fact, I only eat when I start to feel shaky because I know I need to eat something. What does being "full" feel like for you? I had about 1/4 cup of pureed cottage cheese this morning and started having a sensation almost like heartburn or a lump in my chest like the food didn't go down. I wouldn't say it is painful, but it is uncomfortable. I'm assuming this means I am full? Can anyone else share their experience with restriction?

What was your surgery weight? Have you lost 21 lbs in 14 days or was that also pre surgery weight loss?

@Tim C my surgery weight (day of surgery) was 217.2 and as of this morning I was 204.4. I had surgery on 3/15.

In the beginning... I couldn't tell if I was hungry or full. All my signals were mixed up. I had to rely on measuring food and look for other signals. For example... if I was on the verge of getting full I would hiccup one to three times. If I ate too much I needed to burp. If you measure your food like you are supposed to, then watch for those signals and figure out what measurement of food you ate and try to eat a bite or two less next time. The restriction feeling didn't come for a couple months. It really feels like you can't stretch your stomach any bigger.

I'm a SPED para and since September been doing small group and hybrid days. I've been taking protein drinks and occasionally a small, cold snack because my breaks were 8 to15 minutes if I was lucky. I don't waste time with a microwave. Eat what you can in your break time and wait 30 min. then drink the protein to stay full and meet your macros. I'd take a cheese stick wrapped in meat, or low carb veggies, or frozen berries. Depending on your tolerance you can have some cold chicken, a hard-boiled egg, cheese chunks and nuts (allergen aware), jerky, or the old standby, a protein bar.