Hey everybody! I hope some of you can relate and give me some peace of mind!

So I’ve been making some spinach/feta/egg white wraps the past couple nights for dinner and timing my bites, 1-5 minutes between nibbles, and after I’ve finished I feel so horribly full. I weigh and measure everything, I know my macros. Anyway, Im thinking I should definitely eat only half. I know for sure that last night and tonight I ate more than I should have.

Is this common for everyone when navigating the new regular diet? I’m so scared that I’m going to start stretching my pouch out early on and sabotage myself. It can’t just be me?!

I for one still don't get the concept of stretching of the pouch. You can eat as much as you can and sometimes may be little more. But you can't eat beyond a certain limit.

Let's say even if the pouch does get stretched, you're still not going beyond a certain calories threshold (unless your program is designed differently). Plus small pouch is temporary stuff. It will get stretched a little as your stomach heals. And it's a life long journey where we will have to learn how to control out instincts and majorly stay under certain limit, stretched pouch or otherwise.

That's just how my logic functions everytime I hear about pouch and stretch. I could be totally wrong but that is what I go by. End of the day I will have to control my mind for a successful life long WLS journey.

06/10/2022 12:10 AM, DaisyAndSunshine said:

I for one still don't get the concept of stretching of the pouch. You can eat as much as you can and sometimes may be little more. But you can't eat beyond a certain limit.

Let's say even if the pouch does get stretched, you're still not going beyond a certain calories threshold (unless your program is designed differently). Plus small pouch is temporary stuff. It will get stretched a little as your stomach heals. And it's a life long journey where we will have to learn how to control out instincts and majorly stay under certain limit, stretched pouch or otherwise.

That's just how my logic functions everytime I hear about pouch and stretch. I could be totally wrong but that is what I go by. End of the day I will have to control my mind for a successful life long WLS journey.

That’s a great perspective. Not a lot of guidance outside of the “allowed foods” list and macro goals and I feel like I’m never going to be able to hit my Protein marks. I’m just in constant fear of not hitting those numbers and overeating in pursuit.

Doctor gave me pretty steep weight loss goals and very little post-surgery guidance so the struggle is real!

Thank you for the feedback! Feeling much better about enjoying that wrap but definitely cutting back going forward. Learning journey!

7 minutes ago, xtielynn said:

That’s a great perspective. Not a lot of guidance outside of the “allowed foods” list and macro goals and I feel like I’m never going to be able to hit my Protein marks. I’m just in constant fear of not hitting those numbers and overeating in pursuit.

Doctor gave me pretty steep weight loss goals and very little post-surgery guidance so the struggle is real!

Thank you for the feedback! Feeling much better about enjoying that wrap ?

Though you should stay within your program's guidelines because in the beginning your stomach is healing so you don't get the full signal sometimes for weeks or months. Hence it is important to follow your diet guidelines and portions, at least initially.

Do reach out to your doctor if guidelines aren't clear or you need more guidance.

Edited June 10, 20224 yr by DaisyAndSunshine

Don't think about perfecting your portions, because one day you may be more or less hungry than the next. Just try to check in with yourself and see if you need the next bite (this is not easy - I'm 9 months out and I am either too full or hungry after eating).

Stretching your pouch is basically a myth, at least from the recent things I've seen/read/heard from experts. Your stomach naturally stretches and contracts as you eat and digest your food. Also, you are only 7 weeks out: you will be able to eat more soon.

The stomach is a muscle so yes it could be stretched but most experts say stretching your tummy is nigh on impossible. The physical restrictions of the surgery limit your ability to continually eat the copious amounts of food you’d need to consume over a long period of time to do it. Who wants to experience the discomfort/pain, the foamies or vomiting, etc.

You can only eat what you can physically eat. I still have days when I can’t eat what I could the day before. Don’t force yourself to eat all of your recommended portion size if you don’t need it or you feel you’ve had enough. Listen to your body. You should always avoid eating more but can always eat less. You just may not be ready yet to eat at the recommended portions yet. We all do this in our own time.

Remember you don’t have to eat everything on your plate. It’s why many of us often have leftovers in our fridge & freezer. Lol!

Edited June 10, 20224 yr by Arabesque

Agree with others. Only eat what you can eat comfortably. You will discover that this will vary from day to day. For example, I'm 10ish months out, and my normal breakfast is an English muffin sandwich I make myself. Most days, I can eat 3/4 to 4/5 of it. Some days, I can eat the whole thing no problem. Part of this process is learning your body's signals and using that to guide your eating. Personally, my goal to stop before I get too full or uncomfortable. Sometimes, that means spitting out what is in my mouth if I am worried it will tip me over the edge from "comfortable" to "unhappy tummy."

A challenge for me has been learning that leaving food behind and sometimes even throwing it away is okay. I'm not keeping anyone from starving by shoving that last bite in.