What Am I Missing? Why 2 oz.?

Big-D · January 4, 2008

I don't understand why we are restricted to 2 oz. per hour of food?

Is this the lap band diet?

Or is this necessary to shrink the stomach?

Or if you eat more, will it cause the upper stomach to be larger than 2 oz.?

I'm trying to understand because I just measured out 2 oz. of cheese Soup and it is hardly anything. Just enough to barely coat the bottom of the pot I'm using to heat it up. Heck, I'll probably evaporate 1/2 an oz. heating it.

so done with it all · January 4, 2008

I didn't have the same post op instructions that you have. I was allowed all the liquids I wanted for the first two weeks. They said to start out with like 1/2 cup but if I felt I needed more, I could have it. Don't forget, every clinic follows their own post op guidelines so what your clinic does will be different than many others. I say if you are still hungry, then eat more of the approved foods. They are just guidelines after all.

luluc · January 4, 2008

I don't understand why we are restricted to 2 oz. per hour of food?
Is this the lap band diet?

Or is this necessary to shrink the stomach?

Or if you eat more, will it cause the upper stomach to be larger than 2 oz.?

I'm trying to understand because I just measured out 2 oz. of cheese Soup and it is hardly anything. Just enough to barely coat the bottom of the pot I'm using to heat it up. Heck, I'll probably evaporate 1/2 an oz. heating it.

Big D, Not sure you'll get the same answer twice as I've learned every Dr has different post op instructions.

My Wks 1 & 2 was all liquid (coffee / tea / juice / broth / skim milk / SF pops) with 3 Protein shake "meals" ( I hated every thing but Atkins vanilla Shakes). Once a day you could have one of: LF yogurt / sf pudding / apple sauce or baby food fruit.< /p>

Wks 3 &4 Mushy / Soft food. Mashed potatos / cream Soups / cottage cheese / oatmeal / scrambled eggs / grtis / lf refried Beans ... you get the gist, plus 2 Protein shakes.

The first 2 wks, I could barely eat (was told that was pretty normal as I was healing )- by the middle of wk 4 I really started to get hungry and hated doing the shakes , so my surgeon moved me to solids at that point. When hungry I was still only able to eat 2-3oz of food, 3 times a day - that pretty much was 1/2cup of food. My husband got banded with me, and he's a big guy...he needed a lot more than 2/3oz & 1/2cup of food - so he was given the go ahead to consume a bit more. I'd stay in touch with your Dr and keep him posted on your hunger status, I didn't have the "head hunger" that I've read a lot about...but the hubby sure did. It was very difficult for him to get his head wrapped around the fact that he'd only be eating 1/2c of food at one sitting. Good luck to you, this IS the hardest part of this process.

twiggyinhiding · January 4, 2008

according to my dr ..he didnt expect me ..after moving to solids ..to eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food yet...he said that comes with fills...he told me if i have to eat 4 eggs do it..do whatever it takes to make you full....sometimes i can eat 3 scrambled eggs... but i'm still not filled yet.... since you dont have fills... ( i was told) ur food is going straight through if you chew it well...its not staying in the pouch yet...sometimes i feel meat stays with me...other th ings....go smoothly down... so gl gl ... call ur dr and ask questions.... you can do this...its hard.... i know ...but you'll be proud of urself.

Daisalana · January 4, 2008

I honestly didn't have exact guidelines for the post-op consumption. Later in the banding life I was told like 4oz of meat, 2oz of this, blah blah.. but for the liquids, I was just told to sip slowly.

And I ate till I was full, which really didn't take much. I was so swollen, I probably didn't have more than 3oz of anything over an hour's time.

wsb · January 5, 2008

You have a few stitches holding everything in place right now and it is important to go easy on these stithces while everything is healing. Scar tissue becomes our friend now because the scar tissue that is developing while you are healing is what is going to help hold your band in place. The small amounts are due to the healing process to help not put a lot of pressure on the stitches that are holding the band in place. If those stitches should break, it would not be pretty! This will not be for the rest of your life! Right now it may seem like an eternity, but it is for a short period of time compared to what the future will hold.

shortgal · January 5, 2008

In the first week, I was told to have one to 2 oz sips every 15mins. I think they just want you to start slowly, not chug down oz through the band at one time. They had me sip small 1 oz cups of Water in the hospital to get used to how small 1 oz is at a time. I had no appetite for the first few days anyway and getting in all my Fluid was actually hard.

By the fifth day, I was taking 2 oz slips slowly but more continuously.

I don't see how you would get all the Protein in you need in each day if the directions are 2 oz every hour.