Portion Size In "mushy" Food Phase

[Erica D 0]

I am almost two weeks post-op and going to beging my "mushy" food phase on Thursday. I was wondering what my postion size should be. I would really like to pre-measure my food before meals to avoid stretching my new tummy too much. I plan on using the small bowls I keep at my house for when my 2 year old neice visits, but would really like to pre-measure portions. It seems to help me to eat at a much slower pace when I do this. Any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated.

[waldy43 4]

I start my 'mushy' food phase on Wednesday and my nutritionist says to start with 1 - 2 oz (1/4 cup) of pureed foods and increase as tolerated to 4 oz. (1/2 cup) per meal.

I too will be measuring my foods so that I don't go over the limits. I have purchased some small bowls and plates for home (thank goodness for the appetizer frenzy of late, there are so many cute small dishes) and some small snapware containers for taking back and forth to work.

[Erica D 0]

Thank you so much for the info! My nutritionist is out of town until next week & I just didn't wan't to stretch my new tummy! I think that is my worst fear at this point!

I know, I'm loving all of the cute little plates & bowls they have now! I think it's going to make Portion Control much easier for me down the road!

[Lissa 2,631]

I bought some tiny dipping bowls at Goodwill. They are clear glass and hold about 2 ounces. Those were my bowls for foods in the mushy stage, and I still use them quite often for chicken, veggies, and Soups.

Do you have a kitchen scale? The electronic ones are really cool, and cost about $20. I set my little bowl on the scale and hit "Tare", then fill my bowl with my portion of food. Usually I'm eating about 2 to 3 ounces of food. I set that bowl on a tiny plate and then I'll add a bite or two of veggie now that I'm allowed to have them again.

I should add that I went through Goodwill for my new plates, as well. I bought an assortment of pretty little china saucers that serve as MY plates now. Just be careful if they have metal around the rims and don't put them in the microwave.

Oh, and I bought baby spoons (new) in some wild and funky colors for eating, and a couple of small forks and spoons for use when company is around. My son found me a couple of tiny pots that I use to heat or reheat things that don't do well in the microwave. Since they have lids, I also will put stuff in them and cook it in the oven while I'm doing other things. They might hold 8 ounces of food.

Good luck!!

[PdxMan 4,292]

So, first off, you cannot stretch your new tummy. But, until the stomach heals, you can stress the staple line. That said, you also have to remember your stomach is still swollen from the surgery and it will be for several more weeks. So, what will work for one, won't work for another. These are just guidlines. You must find your point of restriction and not go past that. Yes, it is a challenge at first, so you just have to take it slow. I ate pureed lentil and ham Soup. I would have a teaspoon about every minute and could eat about 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup. After about two weeks, I was up to 1/2 a cup and it was easier to detect the restriction. If you start to hickup, stop. You are full. Slimes ... stop. You are full.

[Rev Me Up! 75]

My lifesaver was tupperware-type container that was 1/2 a cup. I bought a pack of six of them, filled then halfway with food (to equal the 2 oz portion) and that was the only thing I would eat out of - FOR MONTHS! What's funny is that in the first 2 months, I would rarely finish it and it would still take me 20 minutes to get it down. Eat slow, chew A LOT, and if you feel a little weird, take a break and come back to it. Focus on nutrition, not finishing everything.

I packed mine with:

- cottage cheese

- greek yogurt

- mashed sweet potato with a little salt

- meat sauce mixed with cottage cheese

- curry sauce mixed with cottage cheese (notice the pattern)

Yes, cottage cheese was a staple for me because I tolerated it well and it was full of Protein.

I also had a daily habit of eating 2 oz of organic oatmeal with flax (for fiber). My other daily was one Trader Joes mini-brie bite that I would divide into 4 and eat on 4 multi grain pita bites (crackers). Tasted amazing, had a crunch which made me happy, and would keep me full for a while. This early out, you probably couldn't eat the whole thing, but its easy Portion Control because of the size fo the cheese.

2 oz is your limit :-)

I still use the containers, but I fill them up a little more since I am 9 months out. I still can't quite eat 1/2 a cup in one sitting, though, unless it is really soft food.< /p>

[Erica D 0]

Thank you everyone for all of the great info!

[MegInNOLA 531]

Yeah, at almost 8 months out, I still use my 1/2-cup containers! I just heated up some leftover lentils and rice, and I ate one bite too many--I had it in a "normal" bowl, and I guess my "eyeballing" skill isn't really very good. So after 15 minutes of pain (I HATE that feeling of being too full!!), I decided that I was going to have to measure, even if I'm going to serve the food in a nicer bowl--I'm just going to have to measure first, then heat it up and go from there. It's not worth the pain! Although happily, a bite or two extra of veggie food is a lot easier on my sleeve than an extra bite or two of dense Protein food (after which the pain lasts around an hour if I can keep everything down).

So yeah, I'm evidently a slow, slow learner---!! I tend to eat too fast, also, so I may take myself back to using just my small spoon and making do with that for a while longer.