Eating

[Dee Schimmel]

I had my vsg 2/25. My husband loves to eat out. It seems every time I try it makes me feel so yucky. That tight tummy feeling and then all the smells become nauseating. Today I had 2 shrimp and 2 bites of a spring roll and it all started. Am I trying to eat too much ? What r your experiences ?

[leilani]

I was sleeved on 3/11. I haven't been out to eat yet, but prior to that, we would eat out about 5 times a week. I think it is just that you are eating too much, even though it is so little. I'm kind of afraid to even try it yet, as I know I will definitely eat too much and then be in great distress! I can hardly eat 2 ounces of food without feeling overly stuffed and uncomfortable. I am still trying to figure out the portion sizes, it seems that no matter how little it is, it is still too much! It's still freaking me out compared to the enormous meals I used to eat.

[Sleeve Pixie]

Be careful, especially with the spring roll! Oil and fried foods can tend to make us sick. Also beware of dumping syndrome. Doctors say sleevers don't get it but we do! I dump on too much fats or oils. Just something to think about. The Symptoms of dumping may include all or some of the following:
1. Cramping or pain
2. Nausea
3. Diarrhea
4. Vomiting
5. Sweating
6. Fast Heart Rate
7. Tiredness

From the things I hear from my bypass friends... everyone experiences it differently. I get nausea, fast heart rate and tiredness.

[mike_mcginn]

First, shrimp is pretty dense. I am surprised how few shrimp will do it for me.
Rolls and bread are best avoided, especially early on.
Smells are incredible. My sense of smell has gone through some really broad cycles
since surgery. Same thing with food. One week, bbq is great, the next I can't stand
the thought. This has gone through a variety of cycles. I like yogurt with crushed
pineapple and grape nuts for breakfast. All of sudden, no yogurt for Mike. The list
gets pretty long. Grapefruit, tuna salad, even ice cream. It cycles back, point I'm
trying to make it is a work in progress and just as soon as I think ok, that's it
something else changes.
Eating out is a learned experience for me. At first I ordered way, way to much food.
Far too many take home boxes that got thrown out. I am doing better, but it is still
hard to order sometimes. Wife and I have a favorite Amish restaurant. A side order
of mashed potatoes with their wonderful beef gravy is a very satisfying choice. Yet
I always seem to order other stuff with it. grrrrr.
It is not just the food, but the social aspect of dining out. Soup allows me to fool
around with something while others have a full meal. Watching others eat while I
fight getting sick by overeating is not fun. Also my not eating seems to make some
others uncomfortable, thus soup is a good choice for me. I also order it extra hot,
makes fooling around with it easier.
/mike/

[Beautiful Momma]

I was sleeved 11/11/10. We have eaten out many times, the latest just last night. Sometimes it's been good, other times not! Sometimes I eat too much and that causes it and other times it was my food choice(too rich or heavy a food). I usually order my own meal and take home most of it to enjoy for several more meals at home. Other times, we will order an appetizer and then share a meal. Sometimes I will just get soup and that's fine too. I find it harder at a restaurant to eat a small amount because 1-they serve sooo much food 2-it tastes so darn good. So now before I have that extra bite, I put my fork down and wait a few minutes to see how I am feeling. Then I decide if I can attempt one more bite or not. All trial and error and everyone is different. Good luck

[Fiesty1]

I was sleeved 2/17/11. I try to always order soup, unless it is cream based if not soup then a vegetable side. Chew everything you try 30 times and see if that helps.
The worst is when I wait to long to eat and feel famished and then there is nothing on the menu that is a good choice, such a bummer! A couple of times I have tempted fate with a chicken strip or something heavy and then had to go get rid of it in the restroom.
A few bites of vegetable quiche without the crust has been a good one for me or a single al a carte scrambled egg.
About 3 spoonfuls of anything and I am finished eating, if I ordered a whole plate of food I am sure I would make myself sick letting it sit there in front of me. At family dinner I get a saucer instead of a dinner plate to eat off of to help visualize my portion sizes better.
It is funny to watch people eat now, the portion sizes look disgustingly huge and the bites people take are massive too.

Best of luck, it is a struggle!

[justjenr]

@ Feisty - I completely agree about how portion sizes look crazy big now! I am constantly looking at mu husbands plate and realizing how much he eats! Then, he practically loses weight just by the act of eating lol. But the portion sizes that we are or were all used to were likely 2-4 actual servings! It's amazing when I am weighing and measuring and realize I can barely finish the small portions

I haven't been out to eat but I do have to see my family eat the things I love I am almost at the point that I can eat almost anything the family eats, just immensely less. I eat less than my 5 yr old lol. I eat the protein first and then try a bite of whats left. But I do pay attention to the full factor. Had one incident that I didn't listen to myself and I ate that last bite. uggh, not worth it. I enjoy what I can eat and try to ignore the rest.