Hello, all. I was "sleeved" on Nov 18. I lost a lot of weight preceding the surgery (40 lbs) thanks to Phentermine. Then I lost another 15 pounds in the week around the surgery because those Protein drinks (isopure) are only 160 calories each. But once I started in on Soups in phase 2, I just stopped losing and haven't lost a pound in the last two weeks. In fact, I gained 3 pounds. I feel hungry a lot and can eat nearly 2 cups before my body says "stop" (hiccups are the warning). Is that normal? I don't want to overstress my stomach but also expect the surgery to help out in the portion control.

Since I lost so much before, I'm not too worried, but I'll be concerned if I don't start losing again soon. I suspect that the problem is that liquids aren't constrained by the size of the new stomach, so I can eat more before feeling "full." I also suspect that the weight gain is just recovery from the surgery, not a gain in body fat. But I don't know what to expect.

Anyone else able to eat more than they thought a 60ml stomach should hold? Any advice about portions and hunger management? Anyone else gain weight after surgery? How long did it take until you started losing again?

Thanks for your comments.

I live in Michigan.....8 inches of snow and 12 degrees outside right now. Not conducive for walking. I do not own a treadmill nor do I belong to a gym. I have belonged to several gyms in my past fat 23 years....even when I weighed a lot less that I do now. I never enjoyed the environment. Waste of my time and waste of lots of money. I'll be honest, I feel like I weigh less than what the scale is telling me. I avoided the scale for about 3 years prior to this....so now that I have gone through a VSG, it keeps me on track. I am following everything they are telling me. It gets frustrating sometimes when we all have different Doctor's with soooooo many different ideas. MY Nutritionist states fruit is ok.....plus some starch as long as it is measured. Like I said, I will be going back on the 23rd and I have a lot of questions to ask them. Thanks for your input.

To THINONEDAY (soon), I don't know the size bougie used on me, but it's pretty clear it was larger than the ones used on most everyone else. Either that, or my stomach had greater elasticity. I have a followup next week and I'll ask.

I do find, as TijuanaPlication suggested, that "soft foods" and liquids go down easier and may be consumed in larger quantities than solid food. Now that I eat foods like fish, I can't consume as much as before without feeling really full. I suspect the quantity tolerance also is much less for foods with lots of fat in them. My diet is really low in fat (and no breads). SO I can eat more. (The preceding doesn't explain why Dansha is challenged even by cottage cheese, though. Is it non-fat, Dansha?)

To answer the question about my diet instructions, it was basically 10 days on liquids, a week on baby foods or soups, then a week on soft foods. That 3-4 week period is supposed to take care of my regimented diet and limited exercise phase. After that, I'm supposed to just "be careful" and stop when I feel uncomfortable.

I've seen a lot of different dietary instructions for sleeve patients - much more variability than seems necessary - but I've also seen a wide range of patient tolerance, from those that are eating "normally" after little more than 2 weeks to those that are still restricted after several months.

Also, I've seen some widely different limits placed on activity. My instructions were to keep it light (except lots of walking) until 4 weeks, then proceed with more rigorous exercise, even free weights and the stairmaster, as my body permits. I follow the spirit of the instructions and just listen to my body, which has kept me out of trouble so far.

Thanks for the good comments.

My group put us on clears, full liquid, pureed, soft, and then regular food. He said they added pureed bcuz he was seeing too many people end up over doing it and leaking. So, in essence he wants the staple line to heal a little bit longer. I have no problem with that. Sure it sucks, but he's the Surgeon.

A quick postscript to the excellent comments. I had a followup with my surgeon's office. I was going too fast on my return to normal food and quantities, as everyone suspected. It just took a week or so for my "new" stomach to read me the riot act. But I'm back on track with softer foods and smaller volume. As for the weight gain, the nurse pointed out that I need to look at the big picture, not just one time period. I lost 18 pounds in the last month (including the weight gain), which is more than they really think is ideal (for me). The fact that I dropped 20 lbs the first week (right around the surgery) meant that the weight gain afterward was just re-hydration and regaining muscle tone. I was just so hungry after the week on IV and Isopure that I moved too fast.