6oz of Food at 2 Months Post-Op - Freaking Out!

[AjaSlimtone 34]

Hey all.

I'm almost 2 months post-op and find myself easily able to eat 6oz of food in one sitting (I'm comfortably full at the end of my meals - not "stuffed" or in pain - but nose a little runny). I'm freaking out because I've read that 6-8oz is usually not possible until 1+ years post-op, and that at this stage I should only be able to eat 2-4oz. I do track everything I eat (I average 750 calories a day) and I primarily eat whole foods (fish, Beans, chicken, lentils, eggs, fruit and veggies). No dairy as I'm lactose intolerant and no breads, rice or Pasta because they're too filling and provide little value in terms of nutrients when compared to the other things I eat. Not sure any of this matters in terms of volume, but I just thought I'd put it out there for reference. My weight loss has been very slow but steady. Is anyone else like this regarding how much they can eat in one sitting? Should I be worried?

[Butterflyeffect 122]

Hi @AjaSlimtone,

I think each person is different and there are so many factors that can affect how much you can eat, for example, how much of your stomach was removed, the elasticity of your stomach, the types of foods you’re eating (soups and soft foods will likely go down a lot more easily than chunky/dense foods) and also what foods are a slider for you. I’m 8 months out and find I can eat about 5oz high Protein cottage cheese and am full but can seem to eat double that when it comes to salad as it seems to be a slider food for me. Mince is another slider food whereas I’d be lucky to get through 2 to 3oz of steak.

If you are concerned then I highly recommend speaking to your doctor or nutrition team but as long as you are sticking to your plan and only eating until you’re satisfied, I wouldn’t be too worried.

Best of luck with it all and congratulations on your progress so far

[AjaSlimtone 34]

44 minutes ago, Butterflyeffect said:

Hi @AjaSlimtone,

I think each person is different and there are so many factors that can affect how much you can eat, for example, how much of your stomach was removed, the elasticity of your stomach, the types of foods you’re eating (soups and soft foods will likely go down a lot more easily than chunky/dense foods) and also what foods are a slider for you. I’m 8 months out and find I can eat about 5oz high Protein cottage cheese and am full but can seem to eat double that when it comes to salad as it seems to be a slider food for me. Mince is another slider food whereas I’d be lucky to get through 2 to 3oz of steak.

If you are concerned then I highly recommend speaking to your doctor or nutrition team but as long as you are sticking to your plan and only eating until you’re satisfied, I wouldn’t be too worried.

Best of luck with it all and congratulations on your progress so far

Thank you! I will be meeting with my surgeon in a couple of weeks and this is definitely on my list of questions. I know liquids (including Protein drinks) and purées slide through me like Water so I stick to eating "real" food (for lack of a better term) as much as possible. I'm still losing inches so I'm probably just overreacting. lol

[lizonaplane 1,605]

My surgery center says they can't tell us how much we should be eating as each person is different and will have a different experience after surgery. I can't eat much more than 3 oz and I'm two months out, but I'm hungry all the time!

[cellbell 113]

Is the 6 oz an actual weight or is it a measurement, i.e., 3/4 of a cup? If weight, keep in mind that 6 oz of chicken takes up less room in your stomach than 6 oz of popcorn, for an extreme example.

As long as you're on track nutritionally, I wouldn't worry about being able to eat more than expected, because there's so much variation in surgical technique and individual anatomy. Just stop before you're stuffed to avoid stretching.

[AjaSlimtone 34]

45 minutes ago, cellbell said:

Is the 6 oz an actual weight or is it a measurement, i.e., 3/4 of a cup? If weight, keep in mind that 6 oz of chicken takes up less room in your stomach than 6 oz of popcorn, for an extreme example.

As long as you're on track nutritionally, I wouldn't worry about being able to eat more than expected, because there's so much variation in surgical technique and individual anatomy. Just stop before you're stuffed to avoid stretching.

6oz by volume, so 3/4 a cup. I do weigh my food though, just so I can log it properly in MyFitnessPal.

1 hour ago, lizonaplane said:

My surgery center says they can't tell us how much we should be eating as each person is different and will have a different experience after surgery. I can't eat much more than 3 oz and I'm two months out, but I'm hungry all the time!

True, I remember when I was in the hospital, just before discharge, I asked my doctor how much I should be eating at each phase and he couldn't give me a direct answer. It'll probably be the same when I see him in a couple of weeks.

Thank you all for the reassurance. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm less worried than I was earlier. I don't snack between meals and I don't eat processed food (outside of the occasional Protein Drink, which I'm really trying to get away from), so perhaps I've just been taking in too much talk on WLS social media pages.

[vikingbeast 985]

I wouldn't worry about it. I eat more than that at a sitting 2.5 months out and I've lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks.