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Help! I can't feel my stomach

K

KarenWV

Member
I am currently easing into pureed foods after 3 weeks of full liquids (protein shakes, broth, sf popsicles, & of course 64 oz of water).

I decided to start with yogurt 1st. From everything I"ve read & been told by drs. office, I'm supposed to measure everything and stop eating before I get full.

My big problem is I can't feel my stomach, and I can't tell when I'm feeling full. I know if I drink water a little too fast, I feel a little something down there. But not with my 11 oz protein shake (I take 45 min to an hour to drink). And so far not with the yogurt.

So other than dumping (eeek), how does my brain & stomach know when to stop? Other than measuring everything, eating slowly & carefully, and trying not to put too much in?

Please help me figure this out. Thanks! ❤
 
Forget that "should." Your stomach is the size of a walnut. Eventually it will naturally stretch (but stretching is nothing to fear, extremely hard to do) to accommodate 1/2 cup, so don't put more than that into it.

However, digestion is an automatic reflex to the presence of food. There's nothing you can do about it, and shrinking is part of the myth, not science, of digestion.

As you eat or drink, your stomach exchanges masticated food with your intestinal organs, moving everything south and absorbing nutrients.

Stuffing your stomach takes a concerted effort, so measure your portions and stop eating when the food is gone. Don't put a clock on it. I'm 14 years out and I still eat tiny portions. I've overeaten a few times, but dumping and stuffing feels SOOOOOOoooo bad, my psyche won't allow them to co-exist.

Take your fears out of the equation. you'll learn over time, and biology will help you. It's really hard to regain, except the psychological obsessions that will try to make you fail.

Think of how you eat as a set of laws, like the 10 Commandments. Thou shalt not binge. Thou shalt not starve. Thou shalt not shame thyself. Honor thy body and spirit. And thy days shall be long...

You already follow laws imposed by society--civil, criminal, moral, etc. Don't throw out the law when it comes to your body.

Accept that there's some dysfunction that drives us to self-mutilation, or a version of it, by distorting our bodies via overeating. Stop doing that. It requires the same energy to fight overeating as it does to overeat.

You're not alone here.
 
Kathi_S said:
Don't have an answer for you because I haven't had my surgery yet, but what surgery did you have?

I'm curious to know what responses you get and what I might expect myself.

Good luck. Sorry I couldn't help.
Click to expand...
Oops I forgot to mention I had RnY with the little bitty stomach pouch. I forget which one you are having, just that it's on the 11th I think from a previous post.

Thank you & good luck to you too!
 
dianeseattle said:
Forget that "should." Your stomach is the size of a walnut. Eventually it will naturally stretch (but stretching is nothing to fear, extremely hard to do) to accommodate 1/2 cup, so don't put more than that into it.

However, digestion is an automatic reflex to the presence of food. There's nothing you can do about it, and shrinking is part of the myth, not science, of digestion.

As you eat or drink, your stomach exchanges masticated food with your intestinal organs, moving everything south and absorbing nutrients.

Stuffing your stomach takes a concerted effort, so measure your portions and stop eating when the food is gone. Don't put a clock on it. I'm 14 years out and I still eat tiny portions. I've overeaten a few times, but dumping and stuffing feels SOOOOOOoooo bad, my psyche won't allow them to co-exist.

Take your fears out of the equation. you'll learn over time, and biology will help you. It's really hard to regain, except the psychological obsessions that will try to make you fail.

Think of how you eat as a set of laws, like the 10 Commandments. Thou shalt not binge. Thou shalt not starve. Thou shalt not shame thyself. Honor thy body and spirit. And thy days shall be long...

You already follow laws imposed by society--civil, criminal, moral, etc. Don't throw out the law when it comes to your body.

Accept that there's some dysfunction that drives us to self-mutilation, or a version of it, by distorting our bodies via overeating. Stop doing that. It requires the same energy to fight overeating as it does to overeat.

You're not alone here.
Click to expand...
Thank you once again Diane for drawing on your experience & sharing your wisdom. I guess I'll just have to start measuring, take it slowly, and try to tune in to my gut. Sigh. This is where the harder part begins, but I think I'm up to the challenge. :oops:
 
KarenWV said:
This is where the harder part begins, but I think I'm up to the challenge. :oops:
Click to expand...
You are! And this fight is worse than any war in history. You're a hero just by signing up to fight. Outside of the world of sufferers, people have NO IDEA. But everyone here knows. We support each other in a world where so many are shamed and insulted by "normal" people.

I'm proud to stand with YOU!
 
KarenWV said:
I am currently easing into pureed foods after 3 weeks of full liquids (protein shakes, broth, sf popsicles, & of course 64 oz of water).

I decided to start with yogurt 1st. From everything I"ve read & been told by drs. office, I'm supposed to measure everything and stop eating before I get full.

My big problem is I can't feel my stomach, and I can't tell when I'm feeling full. I know if I drink water a little too fast, I feel a little something down there. But not with my 11 oz protein shake (I take 45 min to an hour to drink). And so far not with the yogurt.

So other than dumping (eeek), how does my brain & stomach know when to stop? Other than measuring everything, eating slowly & carefully, and trying not to put too much in?

Please help me figure this out. Thanks! ❤
Click to expand...
I’m 2 months post op and still never gained back my sense of fullness. However, I do notice a different sensation that I didn’t have before and that is when I’ve taken like 5 or 6 bites of food I start to feel like bricks are in my stomach (just a REALLY heavy feeling) and that’s when I stop. It’s worked well for me so far as I’ve never been sick (except once when I was 2 weeks post op and ate too fast.)
 
dianeseattle said:
Forget that "should." Your stomach is the size of a walnut. Eventually it will naturally stretch (but stretching is nothing to fear, extremely hard to do) to accommodate 1/2 cup, so don't put more than that into it.

However, digestion is an automatic reflex to the presence of food. There's nothing you can do about it, and shrinking is part of the myth, not science, of digestion.

As you eat or drink, your stomach exchanges masticated food with your intestinal organs, moving everything south and absorbing nutrients.

Stuffing your stomach takes a concerted effort, so measure your portions and stop eating when the food is gone. Don't put a clock on it. I'm 14 years out and I still eat tiny portions. I've overeaten a few times, but dumping and stuffing feels SOOOOOOoooo bad, my psyche won't allow them to co-exist.

Take your fears out of the equation. you'll learn over time, and biology will help you. It's really hard to regain, except the psychological obsessions that will try to make you fail.

Think of how you eat as a set of laws, like the 10 Commandments. Thou shalt not binge. Thou shalt not starve. Thou shalt not shame thyself. Honor thy body and spirit. And thy days shall be long...

You already follow laws imposed by society--civil, criminal, moral, etc. Don't throw out the law when it comes to your body.

Accept that there's some dysfunction that drives us to self-mutilation, or a version of it, by distorting our bodies via overeating. Stop doing that. It requires the same energy to fight overeating as it does to overeat.

You're not alone here.
Click to expand...
So we’ll spoken :)
 
Lesa Marie said:
I’m 2 months post op and still never gained back my sense of fullness. However, I do notice a different sensation that I didn’t have before and that is when I’ve taken like 5 or 6 bites of food I start to feel like bricks are in my stomach (just a REALLY heavy feeling) and that’s when I stop. It’s worked well for me so far as I’ve never been sick (except once when I was 2 weeks post op and ate too fast.)
Click to expand...
That's a good idea to figure out fullness. "Bricks in my tum tell me I'm done." Thanks!
 
Even a year later, if I notice I'm full, I've eaten too much. Because food actually settles a few minutes later and then I don't feel well. So I don't stop eating when I'm full. I stop eating when I'm not empty. It's not like I'm never going to eat again so my goal is just to get to no longer hungry.
 
What’s weird is my nose starts to run when I’m full pretty much all the time . I thought it might just be from being in air conditioned places but it happens outside too. Also my stomach will make a weird noise on my left side too kinda like a gurgling sound.

So yesterday I weighed myself and I was at 180 today I weighed myself and I’m back to 174 pounds . Brand new scale too. So I’ll see what happens when I do my weekly weigh in on Tuesday
 
Bill sperry said:
What’s weird is my nose starts to run when I’m full pretty much all the time . I thought it might just be from being in air conditioned places but it happens outside too. Also my stomach will make a weird noise on my left side too kinda like a gurgling sound.

So yesterday I weighed myself and I was at 180 today I weighed myself and I’m back to 174 pounds . Brand new scale too. So I’ll see what happens when I do my weekly weigh in on Tuesday
Click to expand...
I read it has something to do with the vegus nerve, but I’m not completely sure.
 
dianeseattle said:
Forget that "should." Your stomach is the size of a walnut. Eventually it will naturally stretch (but stretching is nothing to fear, extremely hard to do) to accommodate 1/2 cup, so don't put more than that into it.

However, digestion is an automatic reflex to the presence of food. There's nothing you can do about it, and shrinking is part of the myth, not science, of digestion.

As you eat or drink, your stomach exchanges masticated food with your intestinal organs, moving everything south and absorbing nutrients.

Stuffing your stomach takes a concerted effort, so measure your portions and stop eating when the food is gone. Don't put a clock on it. I'm 14 years out and I still eat tiny portions. I've overeaten a few times, but dumping and stuffing feels SOOOOOOoooo bad, my psyche won't allow them to co-exist.

Take your fears out of the equation. you'll learn over time, and biology will help you. It's really hard to regain, except the psychological obsessions that will try to make you fail.

Think of how you eat as a set of laws, like the 10 Commandments. Thou shalt not binge. Thou shalt not starve. Thou shalt not shame thyself. Honor thy body and spirit. And thy days shall be long...

You already follow laws imposed by society--civil, criminal, moral, etc. Don't throw out the law when it comes to your body.

Accept that there's some dysfunction that drives us to self-mutilation, or a version of it, by distorting our bodies via overeating. Stop doing that. It requires the same energy to fight overeating as it does to overeat.

You're not alone here.
Click to expand...
I love this answer. I wish I could like it a thousand times. I’m 10 days out of surgery and I too have no sensation of hungry or full but I measure everything and I think that’s why things are going very well. It’s the one thing my team stressed to me again and again and again. Measure everything, forever. I do, like it’s my new religion.
 
I love this place. I always get the most helpful advice and learn a thing or too along the way. Thank you everyone for your ideas.

I just got a can of no fat refried beans, lowfat cottage cheese, eggs, and skim milk. I have my little storage containers, and my measuring spoons & cups.

I bought some canned salmon. I'm gonna try mixing that with some cottage cheese, onion & garlic powder, paprika, pepper, chives and maybe a little parsley flakes. Put it in my mini chopper & see how it turns out. I'm hoping for a salmon dip. I'll let y'all know how it turns out. It's my first pureed foods adventure. Fingers crossed!
 
Yep, my salmon spread turned out pretty good, imho. I did put a spoonful of sour cream in it, but next time, I'll use nonfat Greek yogurt. Nonfat cottage cheese, onion & garlic powder, parsley flakes, lots of chives, paprika & pepper.

Diane, you might like this with tuna fish. Idk if it would be too strong of a flavor, but it might be worth a try.

Anyway, it's sitting well in my stomach so far. I measured out 1/4 cup, and I've eaten a little more than 1/2 of it. I'll try some more later. The rest I stored in my mini chopper.
 
I'm 3 months post op Duodinal Switch with Roux En Y. I'm in a similar boat at Lisa Marie when I start feeling full. I'm 6'7 so my surgeon left me with a larger pouch. I think it depends on what you eat. That said seafood goes down easy for me and sits well. Initially I could only eat 3 Jumbo shrimp then up to 7. I've eaten a lobster tail, 3 raw oysters and a couple shrimp, little bit of corn in a setting while other meals I can handle only a few bites of beef or chicken. To me beef and chicken are like trying to eat a small tennis ball. Swallowing and setting in the stomach just isn't as comfortable. That may change in the future I'm told. The key for me is unhooking the brain on eating "A meal" to eating to what you feel your body "needs" at the moment. I think of when I was busy and active (and Younger) and needed something to eat but was one the run and just grab something to get by on the fly until later. Fix that portion of your key protein and eat that. If you need a little something later, hit a protein drink, piece of fruit with the same thought of grabbing on the fly. This helps me with preparing to much food (for later), avoiding spoilage and keeps a variety of meal choices to keep food interesting.
 
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