Stretching Your Sleeve?

[cdscott89 11]

I'm 7 days post op and I'm on full liquids. I'm worried about stretching my pouch. I can eat a whole sf popsicle in 10 min and an 8 oz. Protein Shake in about 30 min. I stop myself with sf pudding and Soup and only allow about 4 oz. I do this because I don't feel hungry ever and I don't feel full either so I don't want to push it too far. Any suggestions on where I should be at.. my Dr said drink fluids slowly and as much as you want because they go straight thru the stomach

[caldrich001 11]

Sounds like you are doing a great job. 4 oz of Soup is plenty. That takes me about 30-40 minutes to eat. I totally feel full and woozy if I eat or drink to fast. My dr said to give 5 minutes between each sip or spoonful. 10 min between each when I get to soft/regular food. I've read on here several times that we'll be able to have more liquids than food and portion sizes may actually decrease when we eat real food.

You're doing super, just stay the course!

[enigmachik 403]

You won't stretch your pouch out by drinking liquids. Don't worry, it may seem like you are able to consume a lot right now, but once you get on solid foods you will start to feel the restriction quite quickly!

[Banned member 320]

I'm 5 days post op and it takes me almost 2 hrs to drink a whole 8oz Protein Shake. Last night I drank a 10 oz campbells cream chicken Soup and it was cold by the time I finished. It took me about 2.5 hrs to drink it all. it seems like you wont have any problems getting in your fluids

[lsereno 2,525]

You really can only stretch your tummy so much. If you eat more solid food, it will fill up quickly. At over a year out, I sitll max out at 4 oz. of solid Protein, and generally am very full with 3 oz. At first, I could only eat 1 oz. of solid Protein with nothing else. Now I can enjoy a small amount of vegtables and a starch with my protein.

For now, I think the important thing is to concentrate on making healthy food choices, getting enough protein and Fluid every day and avoiding eating so fast or so much that you feel ill.

In my opinion, the thing to watch for as time goes by is eating things that go down easy, such as chips, popcorn, candy, ice cream, cakes and Cookies, etc. Or drinking a lot of calories, such as milk shakes, coffee drinks, or sweet alcoholic drinks. For example, I was in Starbucks on vacation. I could have chose the pumpkin Spice Latte and a slice of the pumpkin bread for a total of 630 and 17 grams of protein. Instead, I got my usual Soy Latte and an oatmeal, which I ate with Splenda, saving the nuts and dried fruits for a salad another day. 270 and 12 grams of protein. (I was excited to see they had Greek Yogurt Parfait till i read the nutrition info - 6 grams of protein and 270 calories! - it pays to read the label!)

I do enjoy treats, but I pace myself. They are treats now, not everyday all I can eat extravaganzas. It's working for me. I've maintained my weight since March. Yeah Sleeve!

Lynda

[cdscott89 11]

This is comforting to hear. The first four days were hard to drink anything but that's getting a lot easier