Stretching Pouch?

[chasingchloee 58]

Help!!? I'm so scared. I'm one month post op and having a hard time with my pouch. Some days I can barely eat anything, and other days, like today, I had a full frozen chicken cordon bleu, which was 5oz with no problem. This makes me really nervous my pouch is stretched already!! What do I do??

[James Marusek 5,244]

I had RNY surgery and at 1 month the meal volume was limited to 2 ounces. So you are exceeding your meal size. Also you have one month to go before you should be eating solid foods. You should be entering the pureed food stage at this point. [i am assuming you had RNY gastric bypass. It might be that you had some other type of surgery and the requirements are different. But if you had RNY, it is important to follow the directions given by your surgeon, if you want to lose the weight and be successful.]

In the early stages after surgery, the most important requirements are meeting your Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body will convert the store fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. If you limit your meals to 2 ounces, you will not starve.

I don't think you have stretched your pouch, but if you eat solid foods too soon you may damage the surgical seams in you pouch and that can cause complications.

[SleeveandRNYchica 1,155]

Did your nutritional team set give you the stages of diet they want you to follow? I am a week out and still on liquids and will be for another week. Then mushies for 4 weeks. Every program is different. What did your program outline for you?

[goblue9280 481]

Check with your surgeon/NUT and make sure you are limiting yourself to the portion size they recommend. I've noticed everyone seems to be on slightly different plans around here.

I trust my surgeon, did my research fully and he seems to be a well respected bariatric surgeon in Houston which has one of the best medical centers in the world. Just to show you how different surgeons can be, a summary of his plan that I've followed is:

• 2-week all liquid pre-op diet with 3-5 Protein shakes per day.
• Only Clear Liquids the day before surgery.
• Stage 1: Overnight stay at hospital with Clear Liquids while in the hospital.
• Stage 2: Full liquid diet upon discharge up until 1-week post-op appt
• Stage 3: pureed diet for 1-2 weeks following 1-week post-op appt
• Stage 4: Soft foods for 1-2 weeks following pureed

For the pureed/soft foods stage I was instructed that learning Portion Control is the most important thing, and I should be getting in 600-700 calories and 60-70g of Protein. I need to avoid grazing and eat 3 small meals plus a 1-2 Snacks. I should stop eating when full up until at most a 1/2 cup of food for the first 6 months after surgery. As I get closer to a year out I can work up to 3/4 to 1 cup total per meal.

[chasingchloee 58]

I am currently in the soft foods stage, which allows solid food, such as chicken, in my program. I'm just so worried

[SleeveandRNYchica 1,155]

chicken or moist chicken like thighs. Chicken breast isn't to dry? Or a little chicken salad