Amount of Food and Your Mind

[Dreamingofhealth 223]

This may seem like a strange question. I am Pre-Op and I was wondering for all my Post-Op friends, How difficult is it eating 1/4C or 2oz of food at a time when you are used to eating huge quantities? Does it take a looong time for your brain to catch up with the restriction you feel in your stomach?

Also, do you miss being able to eat more? Thanks so much!

[ascooke 50]

Your stomach makes sure your brain gets the message pretty quick you do deal with "head Hunger" but for me it didnt last long.

[Squisha 99]

Sometimes it is hard to remember. I will put food on my plate and think that is not enough, and add more and then I will stand there for a minute and think about it and realize there is NO Way I could eat that much food. I usually put most of the extra i added back and even then I don't always finish. I am still amazed sometime of how little it takes to fill me up now.

[LMFAO575 112]

I'm 2 days post op, believe me your gut will know it can only take In a little at a time! You'll feel it right away if u took an extra ml of fluids.

[kczar 166]

It is a definite adjustment. I didn't bother buying special plates, bowls and spoons but just used dessert plates and cups. If you use a regular plate, you'll definitely feel frustrated and a bit sad. And things like big family dinners with a bunch of choices do make you realize your limitations.

But...it can give you a great sense of freedom. You look at a huge spread and know you're going to eat the best available Protein and a bite or two of something else if you have room. You'll slowly realize that more than a couple of spoonfuls of a food is too much. It is a process, but it's so worth it!

[gmanbat 5,889]

You adjust to it.

I concentrate on the flavors,

I linger over each bite like it's the last delicious food I will ever eat,

I let the essense of sensual fulfillment sweep over me like a wave of warm scented oil,

I Celebrate the party in my mouth and make it last as long as possible before commiting it to my small depository.

OK, a bit too dramatic.

[*Dean* 1,594]

For me I didn't find any problem in adjusting to Portion Control quickly. It was eating too quickly for me, but that's improved a lot over the last few weeks.

[Dreamingofhealth 223]

Yeah I was wondering because I'm sure a lot of usage used to eating large quantities and I'm like, how is it going from that to a few bites without being like 'this sucks!' Or 'wow that's it?!'

I'm happy to know that your brain catches up and you learn to really enjoy the food that's on your plate. And you can savor the flavors and enjoy a meal... Even if its only a few bites.

[Alabamasleever 58]

For me, I'm fine with it at home. Going to eat at familiar restaurants is when I feel a little sad. Not only because I can't eat all the yummy stuff I used to eat at that particular restaurant but also sad that I used to eat so much! It's certainly a reality check. To be honest, I sit and watch my husband stuff his face and it makes me a little disgusted! He did ask me to go to one of our all time favorites, Sticky Fingers this weekend and I told him no, I just dont think I'm ready for that yet. I do sit in amazement that I'm full after so little but the way I feel makes it all okay!

[kimbernada 190]

It wasn't hard immediately after surgery (for the first 4 months). Although now it seems like I am sometimes putting too much on my plate - which makes me irritated because I don't like wasting food at ALL. The good news is that Veronica, my sleeve, still lets me know when I am done eating.

[gmanbat 5,889]

Ya, I go to restaurants and feel a bit sad that I can't shove it in like before. Then I look down and notice the space between me and the table of the booth and that it is no longer pushing into me with half of my pot gut on top and the other half bulging underneath.

I went through a phase where normal eaters disgusted me. Was I ever such a gorging, lip smacking piggie? Sure were.

[delta_girl 931]

I got special plates and serving utensils. I got BariWare which has premeasured partitions for ounces. I have a scale.

At 3.5 months out I do not use a scale. I have never used my BariWare and I do sometimes use my cute forks and spoons.

But mostly I pay extremely close attention to my body and I try very hard to not ever feel full, just satisfied.

Yes, sometimes I miss gorging on something delicious. I can now only maybe have 2-3 bites and now know that they had better count. So if I have a tasty treat that I know I want to enjoy, I have to plan for it and really savor it when I do get it.

For example I bought a king cake for the season. It is very rich.

I had a Muscle Milk light 100 calorie for Breakfast, 2 chopped brussel sprouts and 2oz of chicken for lunch, which allows me to have a few bites of a treat. I hope it doesn't make me sick!

[rosehips 121]

Great question. I am now 5 months out w/ 70 lb's off, 50 to go and loving my new size. I mention this because part of me is thinking maybe I am loosing motivation and that is why I want more food.

I eat a 1/2 cup of food and if I try for more I am nauseous, I don't throw up but I hang over the sink thinking I might.

Up until 4 months I was fine w/ the small portion. In December I found out I can eat anything, where b4 that I was not sure if I would dump. Then I started feeling like I wanted a quanity, like my husband eats. Before that, I am now remembering, the few restraunts I went to I had 1/2 in a doggie bag, ate a quarter of the serving and left the rest. I was satisfied.

Now I want more. So I went to a support group, I always force myself to tell the truth there. As I listened to myself share I KNEW I needed to shift my thinking. Now when my head gets mad that I I ate a 1/4 tuna sandwich and that is it, I stop and remind myself I am thankful my pouch stops me because I continue to get smaller. Someone shared "as an alcoholic is new in sobriety, they think about alcohol and want to drink. As they continue to abstain & work a program the desire lessens.". It is the same for me, as I continue to work this tool I will have my success right next to me, w/ my continued exercise, exploring my food addiction and gratefulness I will deal with what comes my way.

This post is convoluted , I hope I made some kind of sense.

It sounds like I was loosing sight of my original goals. I am a work in progress.

[clk 3,519]

It's all in your head and how you relate to food.

If you're an overeater and large quantities are your weakness you're more likely to struggle with this. If you compare your food portion or even what you're eating to other's and feel deprived if you aren't matching them, this will be a struggle for you.

I started out weighing and measuring and wound up horribly frustrated because I couldn't even fit in what I thought I might be able to fit in at certain points. It took me more than a year to be able to eat more than one egg scrambled with cheese in a sitting.

So then I focused on quality of food and yes, like gmanbat - the flavors and the tastes. I focused on that mindful eating I'd always rolled my eyes at prior to surgery. I made sure that if I could only have four or five bites, they'd be five bites of awesomely tasty and healthy food.

After about month four to six, when you should start working on a more moderate and balanced diet, you'll find that those hangups about what you're not eating and that diet boredom fade away and you should be completely used to a much smaller portion of a more normal diet. It's when we go months on end not just eating minuscule portions but also deny ourselves of foods we genuinely want/need that we find a problem with deprivation or a mental hangup on food.

Good luck. Approach the surgery sanely, try to know what to expect and be prepared for your experience to be uniquely yours. Don't try to force a one-size-fits-all approach or you'll be unhappy.

~Cheri

[Dreamingofhealth 223]

Thank you everyone for posting. I have been researching VSG for over 7 months now and I KNOW this is the right direction I want to take my life. All of your stories and tips have really helped me secure my decision, and even though we are different people we share the same struggles.

I really like the idea of making food count. Because we can only take in small amount of foods we should make sure it's nutritious and worth the "5" bites we can eat of it.

That really made me think about my kids as well and what they are eating. I try to make sure they have a balanced meal, but from now on I'm going to try even harder!

Thanks so much :-)