ok, while I know we are all here to learn from each other and support each other, remember we are all flawed human beings. Stuff like this should be posed to your surgeons office or you nutritionist. I don't want to be a booger, but doesn't 1 Tablespoon seem crazy? Even under our circumstances?

I too ate a full SF pudding, or a full yogurt right away. My written instructions say I should have between 1/4 and 1/2 cup at a time. But in the hospital the very first food I was allowed was SF pudding and the surgeon came in and said I could eat as much of it as I wanted. It was about double the size of the Jello puddings, and I couldn't eat it all. But, I took it as it is ok to eat the whole pudding cup if I want it. I think everybody worries about stretching the pouch, but at this point on this soft food you aren't gonna stretch it. The weight will come off, maybe you shouldn't weight yourself everyday. At least that's what my dr says.

I agree, speak with oyur nutritionist about this. But know that most of us were told it's ok to eat pudding cups as it is a soft food and goes down nice and easy. I mean, check with your doc and nutritionist, but I say eat away!!! Just not the whole batch at once!

I'm pre-op, but I received a booklet of info from my doctor on day one. In it is a list of what my diet will be like for the first month (fairly specific), then suggestions for the second and third month post-op. As MaggieHorn said, it was 1/4 to 1/2 cup per meal. Also during my psychosocial eval the evaluator kept emphasizing "do you know what 1/4 cup looks like, right?"

Another piece of info I received from my doctor is that the pouch will stretch naturally from the 1 oz or so size you start out with to about 5 oz. But this will take about a year.

You have to eat the right amount of the right foods to keep your body healthy.

I'm only telling you this as a way of comparing information, though. Amelia79 is absolutely right: Follow the instructions you get from your nutritionist and your doctor. They are the experts. Any information you read elsewhere that sounds the least bit off-base should be checked out with them.

I looked at the paper i was given by the nutritionist and it said "each meal should equal 1/2 cup or 8 Tbsp with a gradual increase to 3/4 cup per meal." That is what the paper said, not me. BUT.. expert advice is important.

thank you so much everyone. i feel much better now. you all are great.

Just one more thought, one of the reasons they put us on a liquid than soft diet is so that it can moc=ve quickly through the new stomach. So just like liquids, it will probably allow more volume than solids...as long as you are not drinking with meals. For now though it is supposed to slide through. Later though they want you to drain your soups so it doesn't move right through. Also why you should not drink until 60 minutes after eating. So talk to your Doc and nutrionist but take comfort that it is to be expected

I agree that you should speak with your surgeon/nutritionist. I have learned by reading the many comments that each doctor has his own instructions to follow. I was never allowed to eat pudding cups. The only way you are going to feel completely comfortable is to check with your doctor.

Stop worrying about stretching the pouch, okay. As long as you stop when you feel full and are not throwing up because you ate too much you are okay.

The thing about semi-soft foods is that there is nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, to keep them in your pouch. You no longer have a pyloric valve to keep foods in. This is the reason you will work towards a solid protein diet with protein in first and then a bite or two of lean veggies. Be sure you are not drinking with your meals. This will make things worse.

Insofar as your pouch stretching, that is really NOT accurate. What happens is that right after surgery you have alot of swelling which limits the amount of food you can get in to it. As the swelling goes down (within the first 6 months) you will be able to eat more and more food until you are up to about a child's size portion of food.

In addition, you will find that doctors around the country have NO standards in aftercare and nutritional programs, much to our dismay. We are the guinea pigs for today.

So, best to get yourself educated and make the best possible choices for you from the get go.

Frankly, I do NOT think s.f. pudding (which is likely made with milk) is a good choice. I was on all clears for 8 full weeks and that was a long time. I drank broth, s.f. icee pops, and jello. But, I had terrible times with sliming (throwing up mucous).

I went from there to chewing my food to oblivion and alot of foods did not set right with me.

Soft foods would include things like tuna with mayo, canned chicken with mayo, cheese sticks, price's cheese spread, deviled ham, potted meat (yuk), softly scrambed eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese blended with cinnamon and splenda. Basically protein type foods.

Many wls patients are lactose intolerant after surgery so asking a wls patient to drink milk is like asking for trouble, if you ask me. . . not to mention the fact that 1 cup of milk has 12 gr. of carbs and only 8 or 9 gr.of protein. NOT a good source of protein or calcium.

I could write a book but there's not time.

If you'd like more information you can email me at higkp@satx.rr.com and I'll try to help you as much as I can.

I am a 5 year post-op with 150 cm. bypass from roux en y gastric bypass surgery. I lost a total of 276 pounds.

I am very loyal to the rules of the pouch. AND, I believe in pure whey protein shakes. If you are interested in this go to www.vitalady.com and you can order samples of different kinds of whey protein that are good for wls post-ops.

Here's to all of you that are starting out this process. It's very dismaying to find that doctors have no standards in how to keep us healthy after this surgery.

Arm yourself with knowledge.

Hugs,

gaylek11

My instructions from the doctor was to have 3 oz. of protein every hour. whether it be from yogurt to shakes or whatever pudding cups are only 4 oz. so i usually just leave 2 bites at the eat and theres my 3. also i went to a support group last night when the nurse said that we all plateau. sometime for a few days sometimes more. your body will stick at a weight that you may have been at once in your life and stay there until your body is ready to lose again. so dont worry its just a phase. like she said we didnt get heavy over night, so we all shouldnt think it will come off over night either. that helped me a lot because ive only lost 1 lb in 3 days.

WendyMO,

It's also a very good idea to take measurements and front and side view pictures. I have found that when the weight "stops" coming off is usually when I noticed the most changes in my actual body arrangement.

In fact, I came to call it the rearrangement period. I would actually drop sizes while losing no weight and not lose any sizes while dropping weight. Odd but common and oh so true.

Pictures will tell you what looking at yourself in the mirror may not. I can tell you that at times I would look in the mirror and see a fat lady and other times I'd look at my reflection and say, wow, I'm really getting there. So, depends on the mindset and the day.

hugs

gaylek11