What does "full" feel like to you?

[Stacey03]

I get the elephant feeling on my chest! I am learning FAST!

[Tuesday2]

I get pressure in my sternum. It feels like nothing more will go down and I know I have to stop, even if I've only had a few small bites (I'm 7 months post op). I also get the hiccups a LOT but sometimes that's just from drinking water too fast.
I do get hungry between meals a lot. I think it's because I'm not eating much at mealtime, but the hunger isn't terrible so I can easily wait the hour until my next meal.

[FattyBoomba]

I'm about 6yrs post op. I felt full quickly, for about 6mnths post op. I felt pain if I went beyond that. I never got to my ideal weight (58kg), instead I hovered around 83kg. In the past year I got to just over 90kg and now I am back to watching my food and sometimes have optifast shakes for dinner and I am back to 86kg. I feel much better after the weight loss. Since I have been watching my diet closer the past couple of months I feel fuller quicker and just don't crave food as much as I used to. Hope that answers your question!

[Ann2]

Caveat: If you were or are obese and you didn't eat to feel full, then please ignore this post.


Gege, I haven't answered your question before now because I don't have easy words for what "full" felt like early on post-op. Honestly, my recollections of those very early days (the first month) have dimmed since I was sleeved in August 2014.

But your "what does full feel like" question may include some related issues that you and others are wondering about, like:

1. How much should I be eating?
2. I want to test my capacity and am wondering what signals my smaller capacity gives me now?
3. What kinds of foods make me feel fuller than others?
4. Is it OK to feel full after eating, or should I be using different criteria to stop eating?

Now, over three years post-op, my "full" just feels like my "full" used to feel pre-op. I just feel full. It's a comfortable feeling. It doesn't happen suddenly, but gradually. After three+ years of paying very careful attention to how my stomach feels I now do know what my capacity is, and as I approach that amount I start to feel full. I imagine that your eventual "full" will feel like this, too.

I've also learned, by practicing eating slowly (as we're all advised to do post-op), that the slower I eat the less food it takes for me to start feeling full. (BTW, I do recall clearly how that was true of my early post-op days, too.)

BTW, the definition of that other full-ish word "satiety" (DEF: "the quality or state of being fed or gratified to or beyond capacity") suggests that FULL is not just a yes/no feeling, but that there are degrees of full.

Most of our lives those of us who were overweight and obese got that way in part because we really, really wanted to eat until we felt full. In fact, FULL was pretty much the only signal we got or that we OBEYED that made us actually STOP eating. We learned (through years of eating) that the faster we ate and the lower the nutritional value of the food we ate (highly processed, low-fiber foods) the more we could eat before getting cut off by that "can't eat another bite" sensation. And for some of us (most of us?) we learned that FEELING FULL was a comforting place to live, so we maximized the extent to which and the length of time during which we felt FULL.

As a bottom-line for me on this subject, I think that it's important that we take this important post-op time to consider what FULL really means for us -- physically and emotionally. I also think that eating until we feel full shouldn't be our goal anymore as we're building and living a post-op healthier lifestyle. Of course, no one wants to feel hungry after finishing a meal. So (for me) I've identified a lot of foods that contain lots of fiber and satisfying, healthy proteins and fats. Of course, early on post-op you can't eat a lot of the foods around which you will eventually want to build a healthy, long-term lifestyle.

P.S. After editing this post several times and re-reading it just now, I'm not sure how much help this post really offers you since you're so newly sleeved. But I do think the issues you raised with your initial question are important to everyone who's hoping post-op NEVER to become overweight or obese again. Best wishes to you!

[tinman]

Hi Everyone!
i am nine days out today and I have a question.... What does your "full" feel like? I ask because my appetite hasn't really returned(yes things look good to me but I can't do more than 3 tbsp) and when I do eat I measure but I have no idea if I'm full. I stop when I feel like I don't NEED anymore but it's so much different than that full belly feeling I've had wayyy too many times in the past. I just tried some bean puree and I sneezed(i've heard of some that do that when full). I'd love to hear from everyone for my own education. Thanks!

Gege

Ok...here we go......

First off, to have a newbie ask this question absolutely makes my day. Regardless of what kind of plan you make for yourself, the absolute, rock bottom, foundation of that plan has to be to never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, overeat.....ever.

That's also the last line in my mantra.

If every newly sleeved person took an interest in what full feels like, you wouldn't have so many griping and complaining early on. Finding out what full feels like for you is so important. More important than what you eat, when you eat, or how you make your meal. You see, in my world, I eat what I want, when I want and made just the way I like it. I just plain old refuse to over eat. In reality, we just can't eat enough of the foods that used to make us gain weight. So, if you respect full, you can eat the foods you love and not gain. Does that mean my plan is fool proof. Hell no. I always gain 3-5 lbs every football season because I can't resist eating an entire bowl of popcorn with real butter and lemon pepper during the games. Popcorn is the ultimate slider food. You never get full. But....I also know that I can lose it just as fast as I gained it.

Why?

Because I purchased the WMD of portion control tools. As long as you don't abuse it, it will always work.

Oh...and what does full feel like for me? I call it the kerplop. I can literally feel the first bite of food I take hit the bottom of my sleeve. When that happens, I put my fork down and a minute or two later, here comes the rest and I am full. I respect the hell out of the kerplop. I respect it to the point that if I feel the kerplop while putting food in my mouth, I won't. Sometimes, when I eat a bite or two more after the kerplop, I'll get the runny nose thing. I hate that. For the most part, I don't put more food on my plate that I know will make me full so I get the satisfaction of eating an entire plate of food. I will also get bad hiccups if I eat to fast. I hate hiccups. Hiccups always lead to burping for me.

Burping interferes with my social agenda.

So, for GeGe, I will say this. Congrats. You have either accidently or on purpose, stumbled on the key to success with the sleeve. I love saying, sometimes we do more right by accident than on purpose.

[Gege1061]

Caveat: If you were or are obese and you didn't eat to feel full, then please ignore this post.


Gege, I haven't answered your question before now because I don't have easy words for what "full" felt like early on post-op. Honestly, my recollections of those very early days (the first month) have dimmed since I was sleeved in August 2014.

But your "what does full feel like" question may include some related issues that you and others are wondering about, like:

1. How much should I be eating?
2. I want to test my capacity and am wondering what signals my smaller capacity gives me now?
3. What kinds of foods make me feel fuller than others?
4. Is it OK to feel full after eating, or should I be using different criteria to stop eating?

Now, over three years post-op, my "full" just feels like my "full" used to feel pre-op. I just feel full. It's a comfortable feeling. It doesn't happen suddenly, but gradually. After three+ years of paying very careful attention to how my stomach feels I now do know what my capacity is, and as I approach that amount I start to feel full. I imagine that your eventual "full" will feel like this, too.





I've also learned, by practicing eating slowly (as we're all advised to do post-op), that the slower I eat the less food it takes for me to start feeling full. (BTW, I do recall clearly how that was true of my early post-op days, too.)

BTW, the definition of that other full-ish word "satiety" (DEF: "the quality or state of being fed or gratified to or beyond capacity") suggests that FULL is not just a yes/no feeling, but that there are degrees of full.

Most of our lives those of us who were overweight and obese got that way in part because we really, really wanted to eat until we felt full. In fact, FULL was pretty much the only signal we got or that we OBEYED that made us actually STOP eating. We learned (through years of eating) that the faster we ate and the lower the nutritional value of the food we ate (highly processed, low-fiber foods) the more we could eat before getting cut off by that "can't eat another bite" sensation. And for some of us (most of us?) we learned that FEELING FULL was a comforting place to live, so we maximized the extent to which and the length of time during which we felt FULL.

As a bottom-line for me on this subject, I think that it's important that we take this important post-op time to consider what FULL really means for us -- physically and emotionally. I also think that eating until we feel full shouldn't be our goal anymore as we're building and living a post-op healthier lifestyle. Of course, no one wants to feel hungry after finishing a meal. So (for me) I've identified a lot of foods that contain lots of fiber and satisfying, healthy proteins and fats. Of course, early on post-op you can't eat a lot of the foods around which you will eventually want to build a healthy, long-term lifestyle.

P.S. After editing this post several times and re-reading it just now, I'm not sure how much help this post really offers you since you're so newly sleeved. But I do think the issues you raised with your initial question are important to everyone who's hoping post-op NEVER to become overweight or obese again. Best wishes to you!

Thank you Ann2... Your response was very well thought out and as a teacher I appreciate that. So much info here! So glad i started this thread it has been a wealth of information.


Gege

[Gege1061]

Ok...here we go......

First off, to have a newbie ask this question absolutely makes my day. Regardless of what kind of plan you make for yourself, the absolute, rock bottom, foundation of that plan has to be to never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, overeat.....ever.

That's also the last line in my mantra.

If every newly sleeved person took an interest in what full feels like, you wouldn't have so many griping and complaining early on. Finding out what full feels like for you is so important. More important than what you eat, when you eat, or how you make your meal. You see, in my world, I eat what I want, when I want and made just the way I like it. I just plain old refuse to over eat. In reality, we just can't eat enough of the foods that used to make us gain weight. So, if you respect full, you can eat the foods you love and not gain. Does that mean my plan is fool proof. Hell no. I always gain 3-5 lbs every football season because I can't resist eating an entire bowl of popcorn with real butter and lemon pepper during the games. Popcorn is the ultimate slider food. You never get full. But....I also know that I can lose it just as fast as I gained it.

Why?

Because I purchased the WMD of portion control tools. As long as you don't abuse it, it will always work.

Oh...and what does full feel like for me? I call it the kerplop. I can literally feel the first bite of food I take hit the bottom of my sleeve. When that happens, I put my fork down and a minute or two later, here comes the rest and I am full. I respect the hell out of the kerplop. I respect it to the point that if I feel the kerplop while putting food in my mouth, I won't. Sometimes, when I eat a bite or two more after the kerplop, I'll get the runny nose thing. I hate that. For the most part, I don't put more food on my plate that I know will make me full so I get the satisfaction of eating an entire plate of food. I will also get bad hiccups if I eat to fast. I hate hiccups. Hiccups always lead to burping for me.

Burping interferes with my social agenda.

So, for GeGe, I will say this. Congrats. You have either accidently or on purpose, stumbled on the key to success with the sleeve. I love saying, sometimes we do more right by accident than on purpose.

Hello Tinman.... I guess I've hooked the big kahuna on this board. I have read all of your threads and posts and they never disappoint. Thank you for your very informative answer. The one thing I have learned from everything you say is exactly this, that's why I asked the question. I am a student where this is concerned and you all are my teachers. I'm so appreciative...BTW if anyone needs to know what straw size is best to sip their protein shakes, send them my way!
Thanks!


Gege

[tinman]

BTW if anyone needs to know what straw size is best to sip their protein shakes, send them my way!
Thanks!


Gege





I think I'm in love.......

[Lisa73me]

Lol!

[Truffles]

BTW if anyone needs to know what straw size is best to sip their protein shakes, send them my way!
Thanks!


Gege





I think I'm in love.......

/shakes rolling pin in the air