How to tell when you’re near full

[Eshh 6]

I’m having so much trouble with noticing before hand that I’m getting full. By the time I realize I’m full I’m hurting and just feeling miserable. I’m not consuming a full 4 oz of food at times and I haven’t noticed any signs that tells me I’m full or near full other than pain. Any one having this problem or any suggestions?

[lizonaplane 1,605]

Four oz of something like meat is a lot. I can only eat about 3 oz of something like deli meat or chicken breast and I'm 7.5 months out. When I had just had surgery I could only eat a few mouthfulls of food.

For me, I get hiccups if I'm getting full. You can always eat more slowly, take a few minutes between each bite. I have to work more at that because I end up in pain sometimes too.

It definitely takes a long time to learn how to not be in pain. Hang in there!

[ShoppGirl 3,397]

I was able to eat more than expected at every given stage. I never felt full unless I ate a lot more than my plan prescribed. I had to measure out how much I was expected to eat and just stop there. It took a while to get used to that but eventually I realized i would feel satisfied after a few minutes.

[Eshh 6]

On 04/27/2022 at 15:24, lizonaplane said:

Four oz of something like meat is a lot. I can only eat about 3 oz of something like deli meat or chicken breast and I'm 7.5 months out. When I had just had surgery I could only eat a few mouthfulls of food.

For me, I get hiccups if I'm getting full. You can always eat more slowly, take a few minutes between each bite. I have to work more at that because I end up in pain sometimes too.

It definitely takes a long time to learn how to not be in pain. Hang in there!

Thank you, I’m almost 3 weeks out so maybe that’s why I can only tolerate a small amount. It’s so frustrating though.

[Eshh 6]

On 04/27/2022 at 16:18, ShoppGirl said:

I was able to eat more than expected at every given stage. I never felt full unless I ate a lot more than my plan prescribed. I had to measure out how much I was expected to eat and just stop there. It took a while to get used to that but eventually I realized i would feel satisfied after a few minutes.

After like 4 bites of food I’m hurting and about to vomit because I’m so stuffed. It really makes me want to cry at times.

[ShoppGirl 3,397]

3 minutes ago, Eshh said:

After like 4 bites of food I’m hurting and about to vomit because I’m so stuffed. It really makes me want to cry at times.

Ooh I misread what you were saying. Yea some people have a harder time early out getting more than a few bites in. Eventually most of us end up closer to a normal serving size (of course that’s just an average). If you feel like you are not getting in enough calories you can always supplement with broth or shakes until you can get more in.

[Arabesque 6,494]

You are only in the early stages. I was advised only to consume 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from purée & slowly increase as I was able. It took me to 6 months to be able to eat about a cup. That’s fine if you can eat more but being able to doesn’t mean you should. Check with your surgeon &/or dietician for your portion size recommendations.

Fluids & even purées tend to go through you more quickly so you rarely feel ‘full’ unless you eat/drink too quickly. When you get to solid foods you’ll start to feel full but full will be different to how it felt before. Being mindful when you eat & listening & looking for your physical cues will help you discover your signals. I often find it’s just a feeling not a physical signal I’ve had enough. On days I may be distracted & not as mindful about my eating I’ll start to get a heaviness in my chest. If I eat or drink too much too quickly I’ll feel my restriction (a rather painful tightness higher across the chest - i often thump my chest to try to ease it - doesn’t but …).

It’s always better to eat until you’ve had enough & not until you are full. There’s a big difference between actually needing the next bite & just wanting it. Because it takes time for the full message to get through, by the time we feel full we’re over full. It’s one of the reasons we’re advised to eat slowly. Some days you’ll discover you can eat a little more or less than others which is why you need to learn your cues.

It can take time to work it all out but you’ll get there.

[Eshh 6]

On 04/28/2022 at 00:05, Arabesque said:

You are only in the early stages. I was advised only to consume 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from purée & slowly increase as I was able. It took me to 6 months to be able to eat about a cup. That’s fine if you can eat more but being able to doesn’t mean you should. Check with your surgeon &/or dietician for your portion size recommendations.

Fluids & even purées tend to go through you more quickly so you rarely feel ‘full’ unless you eat/drink too quickly. When you get to solid foods you’ll start to feel full but full will be different to how it felt before. Being mindful when you eat & listening & looking for your physical cues will help you discover your signals. I often find it’s just a feeling not a physical signal I’ve had enough. On days I may be distracted & not as mindful about my eating I’ll start to get a heaviness in my chest. If I eat or drink too much too quickly I’ll feel my restriction (a rather painful tightness higher across the chest - i often thump my chest to try to ease it - doesn’t but …).

It’s always better to eat until you’ve had enough & not until you are full. There’s a big difference between actually needing the next bite & just wanting it. Because it takes time for the full message to get through, by the time we feel full we’re over full. It’s one of the reasons we’re advised to eat slowly. Some days you’ll discover you can eat a little more or less than others which is why you need to learn your cues.



It can take time to work it all out but you’ll get there.

Thank you so much for your advice and information I have been cutting back and just taking it slow. I set a timer for 2 minutes between bites and I’ve now noticed that I’ve had enough when I start to burp. Taking it slow really helped me.