Restriction Years Out From Surgery

[BAA624 24]

Hi all! I’ve been reading a few posts here and there from folks who are many years out from surgery and now I am curious too: how much of a portion in one meal are other RNYers able to eat? I’m 9 years post-op. Some days vary. Usually, I notice more that my appetite is still lower. However, I’m able to eat, say, a small turkey wrap and a small side dish, and not feel much restriction. The last time I felt stuffed was unintentional: I ate too many raw baby carrots and was miserable for hours!

So basically, have others noticed with meals that over time, the restricted feeling that was so common in the beginning, just isn’t there as much?

[catwoman7 11,214]

I probably eat about half as much as I did pre-surgery. I could do a small turkey wrap (or half a large one) and maybe a side dish for sure.

raw carrots can be hard on my stomach. In fact, I sometimes eat some of them when I'm at risk of binging on something. They tend to irritate my stomach, so it stops a binge in its tracks (usually....). Long way of saying - raw vegetables like that can still irritate our stomachs even after being years out - so that's not uncommon...

I tend to go more by calories now, since I still count them. Pre-surgery, I was probably eating 3000+. Now I eat somewhere between 1600-2000, depending on how much exercising i'm doing. On holidays I've been known to eat more than that - 2300 or so - but eating that much makes me feel like i just ate an elephant, and I feel like crap that day and the next. 2300 would have been nothing when I weighed over 300 lbs.

P.S. yes - I sometimes do feel restriction - but not like I did the first few weeks & months after surgery.

Edited September 13, 2022 by catwoman7

[DeanaNJ 25]

I am 4 1/2 years out. For me it depends on what I’m eating. Generally, I can eat more now than after surgery. My surgeon told me to eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m full. I have pretty much followed that. I’ve lost 125 lbs.

[RDC2019 17]

I have trouble eating! I do my Protein Shakes almost every day and then that's enough for me. Unfortunately when I get stressed or bored I pick up potato chips, grapes, or I do have a healthy salad. I find potato chips to be my downfall so I'm trying very hard to stay away from those. But I think my main problem is I'm not getting enough Protein in and that maybe why my weight has gone from 265 in 2019 to 170 lb April 21st of last year to now 198 lb! So I am depressed about it but I'm trying to do something about it and want to do a reset after I do this colonoscopy! Any remarks, suggestions, would be greatly appreciated as I want to get back to 170 and even below that my goal is between 140 and 150 I'm 5 ft 4 in. I'm also about to undergo another procedure for my back having a spinal cord stimulator implanted this procedure will mean I have undergone at least 12 back procedures / surgeries since 2015 so I'm in a lot of pain but implementing exercise as I can.

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[The Greater Fool 2,039]

I have about the same restriction as I did about 6 months post-op, 19 years ago.

There are meals when I can only eat a bite or three, others when I am able to eat my (small) portion completely. I rarely push the actual limits of my pouch. Rarely being vacations with some gourmet meals and even then not every time, it has to be something extraordinary.

I don't think my experience is the norm but I am happy with it, usually.

Good luck,

Tek

[ms.sss 15,662]

Edited to add: Oopsies, OP was asking about RNY…i was sleeved. My response anyway:

4 years out next month.

On average I can eat about a cup of food (solids) in volume at one sitting comfortably. More if its salad or chips, less if its meat or fluffy bread. I can drink seemingly endless amounts of liquids (so long as i dont eat anything solid before or during).

This is quite a bit more that I was able to tolerate comfortably in the first year or so (i ate very little at a time…i was a grazer by necessity…ate a few bites and i was done for a couple hours)

But compared to how much I ate pre-surgery, i would say I eat about 1/4 of what i used to eat at a sitting pre-wls.

I aim to eat to a point just before my full feeling, cuz i know from experience that reaching that full feeling is uncomfortable and i just prefer not to be.

Edited September 20, 2022 by ms.sss