Question:
How do I know how big my pouch is and if I have stretched it out

There are times that I can eat a lot and other times not, is this common and what happen if I only have the protein shakes through the day for my meals    — zydeko47 (posted on August 18, 2008)

August 18, 2008
You won't know how big your pouch is ever...There's really no reason to know...It's supposed to stretch some so you can eventually eat enough to keep you healthy...When you begin gaining weight rapidly...you can pretty much guess something is stretched. It take a A LOT of abuse to stretch your pouch...Over eating every meal...drinking with your meals. To gain weight though...that just takes calories. You can add tons of calories by drink sugary drinks, eating fatty food or rich creamy stuff... You don't even have to stretch your pouch to do it! So eat healthy lean and little if no sugar at all. Limit carbs to fruits and complex whole grains, nuts and seeds. Don't replace carbs for rotein...work out and just follow the rules. All yoou need to know is that 3500 calories is one pound of body weight...If you are gaining weight, that means you need to cut out 500 calories a day to lose one lb in a week. If you are losing but losing slowly, you may only need to cut 100 calories to kick start things in the right direction. If you are not eating enough, your body will fight you and hold weight as long as it can...sort of how it stores water and makes you retain it in your ankles and legs! Just eat right and follow the rules. Add up the calories in protein drinks and you might want to just stick with lean food!
   — .Anita R.

August 18, 2008
I had an UGI and a swallowing study recently and my doc got a good look at exactly what size my pouch and stoma are. Every meal and every day are different. Case in point... yesterday I could eat just about anything and today, I have only been able to get liquids down and just vomited after trying to eat a few tiny bites of beef stew. The important thing is that you get enough protein in whether it be in chunky foods or in protein shakes. Good luck, Dawn
   — DawnVic