Am I eating too much?

Right! I am having to set reminders to eat right now, because otherwise I wouldn't at all. I don't feel hungry ever. Maybe it will change in the future, but right now it's sort of nice for food to just not be on my mind like it used to be.

I was told to eat, but stop as soon as you felt full.  At one month out I was at 4 ounces.  

This is a horrible instruction.  You brain doesn't realize that your stomach is full for 20 minutes, so it's VERY easy to eat more than you should in those 20 minutes.  Weigh or otherwise measure everything you put on your plate and don't eat more than you portion out.  

I completely agree! And most of us became obese by not being able to recognize real fullness, so this is another reason I think this is terrible advice.

At that point I couldn't eat that much - it took me months but everyone is different.  Also, now 2.75 years out, it depends on the food - i can eat a pretty substantial bowl of oatmeal, but a few bites of pasta or rice is distressing - and dense chicken and beef fills me up quickly too, but in a more comfortable way.  On the other hand - I can't eat a sandwich, but I can eat an english muffin... I don't get it - but go with the flow, eat what is valuable and comfortable and resist the rest!

It's so funny how our bodies take things. I would have thought and English Muffin would have been much harder to get down than regular bread.

So, I'm going to put a different twist on this. Sure you CAN eat 3-4 oz. The question is that the wisest choice for you in the long run? The reason I say that is because at 1 month out your sleeve is pretty much the smallest it will ever be. Most sleeves triple or quadruple in capacity by the time they are fully healed and "mature". You are also dealing with severed nerves that are still healing, so you may not even "feel the full" at this point. I sure didn't. I didn't feel any capacity actually until I ate solid dense proteins. That's when I finally understood restriction. 

Eating 3-4 oz of a "mushy" or very soft solid is a lot different than eating 3-4 oz of dry grilled chicken. The content of your 3-4 oz is very important in this discussion. Without knowing that, it's hard to say whether you are indeed eating a lot for 4-5 weeks out.

At 5 weeks out I could manage 1-2 oz of a softer protein. I was allowed to eat very moist meat at this stage. I could eat 2-3 slices of deli turkey (Not the good stuff, but the formed stuff). I could eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of scrambled egg or a 1/4 cup serving of Shelly's Ricotta Bake. When I first introduced solid, dense protein I could eat about 2 oz without becoming uncomfortable. 

I had three major bump ups in capacity. One around 3 months, the next at 6 months and the last one sometime around a year. At five years out I can eat 3-4 oz of meat plus 3 TBS of a healthy starch and 1/4 cup of vegetables. It's about a cup by capacity and 8oz by weight - give or take depending on the content of the meal.  

My experience on this board has shown me that people who start off eating larger portions continue that trend. For me, I know I get used to eating a certain amount and to eat less than that can be a difficult adjustment. My personal advice is to eat as little as you can for now. You don't need to worry about starvation mode or not getting enough energy to sustain you. You have plenty in reserve in the form of excess fat. Let your body use that up. 

Best of luck on your journey. Clearly you are a thinker, which is a big plus. Keep seeking answers so you can find your truth in this journey. 

Thank you for your reply, it gave me a lot to think about. Your right, it is still early out. I am getting my protein in within 3 meals usually, but I think it might be better for me to split that into more meals so I am not eating as much at once. I don't know what is best for my stomach, but since I may not be able to tell what full is, it might be best to stay on the safe side of how much I can eat at once.

I am a week behind you with my VSG. I was given the ok yesterday to start with soft foods. This morning I made myself an omelet for breakfast. I used 1/4 c liquid eggs and 1Tbs cheese. I was unable to eat the whole thing, it was just to much for my new tummy. Even now to eat a 6 oz. container of yogurt, it takes me about 45 mins. I can only eat about 2 oz. at a time, wait 10-15 mins. and I can have another 2 oz. One of my biggest fears is to stretch my tummy, so I don't push anything.

I usually don't eat all of my food, so saying I can eat all 4 oz is probably incorrect. I can never finish a meal I make myself. I think I am going to cut back on how much I am preparing myself. My doctor never gave specific amounts, just to "go with what feels right" well that doesn't work for me lol. I need to know.