I would like to know if a sleeve can be stretched within 7 months??? I can sometimes eat alot of soft foods , . i get full but i will wait a few minutes and I can eat again .. its so frustrating because i have not loss any weight in 37 days.....HELP!!!!

You've reached the point where all of the your sleeve can accommodate a lot more food than what it could a couple of months ago. You really can't stretch out your stomach unless the fundus (stretchy part) of the stomach was left behind, and that falls on surgical technique. I can eat a lot of slider/mushy foods, and then eat again an hour later. It's making the choice to not eat those foods, or not eat again that makes the sleeve work.

Go back to the basics, Protein first, dense foods that will stay with you longer, and avoid carbs to get the scale moving again.

Thank you so much for clearing that up . so what can I do now is start from the basics again.??? I feel bad because I really don't want any more weight gain .I have gained 3 lbs since thanksgiving. i can't drink anyy plain water w/o feeling full fast. sometimes I overeat and vomit .. Its a strong addiction to food that I have to work on . any groups you can recommend? I had surgery in April and I have lost atotal of 52 lbs but I gained 3 lbs last 2 days . It could have been cookies and cake foir the holidays .. I was eating all bad things .. now i got to get back to that basics and loose this weight .its so hard because i love to cook and I am a mother of 2 small kids that have to eat .. I have to try harder for that maximum weight loss.

Thank you so much for clearing that up . so what can I do now is start from the basics again.??? I feel bad because I really don't want any more weight gain .I have gained 3 lbs since thanksgiving. i can't drink anyy plain Water w/o feeling full fast. sometimes I overeat and vomit .. Its a strong addiction to food that I have to work on . any groups you can recommend? I had surgery in April and I have lost atotal of 52 lbs but I gained 3 lbs last 2 days . It could have been Cookies and cake foir the holidays .. I was eating all bad things .. now i got to get back to that basics and loose this weight .its so hard because i love to cook and I am a mother of 2 small kids that have to eat .. I have to try harder for that maximum weight loss.

Hello,

does your surgeon have support groups? if they do I would definately go and seek support, I would also go to your local over eaters anonymous meeting, they are in almost every city. If you work the program it can help you with your food addiction and fellow members are a great support system.

good luck!

sleeved Dec 1, 2010

My surgeon says that you can definitely stretch your sleeve out... your stomach is like a giant balloon... but I don't think you can do it in seven months.

They did tell me that it would take six months for the final size to "settle in." So you may be feeling the final, unswollen and healed size of your sleeve... which, I am told, generally holds no more than 6-OZ... which is less than one cup.

It is NOT a good idea to eat until you vomit, that is definitely a way to stretch your sleeve back out.

I agree that going to support group meetings would help, also talk to the nutritionist.

Remember, do NOT drink when you eat. That makes the food slide through the sleeve and you eat more.

Good luck!

Thank you again ... I can sometimes eat the mushy foods with ease . BUT sometimes I can't eat and i get so frustrated because i can't really enjoy food like before. Also when i had my 6 month check up with the nut , he said I was doing really good .all my blood test were excellent . especially my protein level ..They were impressed but since thanksgiving , i have fallen into a rut. I eat every 2 hrs , nothing really big but my husband says "baby , you are eating too much."" Then i log the food in fatsecret .com and i only consume around 1500-1800 cal daily. sometime my carbs are too much , my fat is good and my protein is always 90 and above. i really believe that its the carbs and my addiction to food. thank you for sharing all of your advice , i actually feel better. I know what i got to do , now I have to do it! I will join overeaters support group asap.. (like today!)

So which is it, can we stretch our tummies back out or not? Some say yes, some say no!! I do not possibly see HOW we could ever stretch it out too much....not from what is now 3 oz to what WAS like a deflated football, which they say was approx. 51 oz. I have not been hungry since I woke up from surgery, my 'new' hunger is an empty feeling occasionally, but nothing that I would call real hunger. I feel lucky, I hope it stays this way! So, which is it, does it stretch or not?!!! What do we believe??!!

My surgeon says that you can definitely stretch your sleeve out... your stomach is like a giant balloon... but I don't think you can do it in seven months.

They did tell me that it would take six months for the final size to "settle in." So you may be feeling the final, unswollen and healed size of your sleeve... which, I am told, generally holds no more than 6-OZ... which is less than one cup.

It is NOT a good idea to eat until you vomit, that is definitely a way to stretch your sleeve back out.

I agree that going to support group meetings would help, also talk to the nutritionist.

Remember, do NOT drink when you eat. That makes the food slide through the sleeve and you eat more.

Good luck!

Kymmi - your caloric intake seems very high to me if you're still in the losing stage. I reached my goal almost two months ago and my dietitian said I would need to UP my calories from my average of 675 calories a day to between 800 and 1200 calories per day to maintain. I know that some people may take in a little more per day when they are losing but you are in the honeymoon period for the first year. Do you have a dietitian that you see or can talk to? If so, what do they say about the calories? I'd have to ask, what are you eating? I had NO sweets, NONE until I reached goal. I know this is not a diet, but until I hit my goal, I was obsessive about it and everything I put into my mouth. I TREATED it as a diet I guess. Good luck!

Thank you again ... I can sometimes eat the mushy foods with ease . BUT sometimes I can't eat and i get so frustrated because i can't really enjoy food like before. Also when i had my 6 month check up with the nut , he said I was doing really good .all my blood test were excellent . especially my Protein level ..They were impressed but since thanksgiving , i have fallen into a rut. I eat every 2 hrs , nothing really big but my husband says "baby , you are eating too much."" Then i log the food in fatsecret .com and i only consume around 1500-1800 cal daily. sometime my carbs are too much , my fat is good and my protein is always 90 and above. i really believe that its the carbs and my addiction to food. thank you for sharing all of your advice , i actually feel better. I know what i got to do , now I have to do it! I will join overeaters support group asap.. (like today!)

So which is it, can we stretch our tummies back out or not? Some say yes, some say no!! I do not possibly see HOW we could ever stretch it out too much....not from what is now 3 oz to what WAS like a deflated football, which they say was approx. 51 oz. I have not been hungry since I woke up from surgery, my 'new' hunger is an empty feeling occasionally, but nothing that I would call real hunger. I feel lucky, I hope it stays this way! So, which is it, does it stretch or not?!!! What do we believe??!!

We can NOT stretch our stomachs back out to the original size only because there is NOT enough tissue left behind if the surgery is performed properly. Now, if a surgeon leaves some of the fundus (or makes BIG sleeves), then there can be a difference in capacity. Plus, our own anatomy plays a role in how much each individual stomach can hold. Taller men seems to be able to eat more than I can even though our surgeons used the same bougie.

I can definitely eat more than 6oz of food at 18 months and so can most others that are 12 months out and more. I can not eat more than 6oz of food in the prescribed 20-30 minute time frame. But, there are several ways to cheat the sleeve. Mushy foods go down super easy, but I still can not consume an entire chicken breast. I can eat 1 drumstick, and 1/2 of a chicken thigh, but that's about it for meat. So, there is minimal sleeve stretching if the surgery is performed correctly, and your surgeon uses the standard 32-40fr bougie size to guide him for making sleeves.

To get back to basics, eat Protein first, don't drink with your meals, and start tracking your calories, carbs and protein. I restricted carbs heavily during my losing phase, and it's what worked for me.

I totally agree. I know we can 'eat around' our sleeve with 'soft' food. For instance, last night we went out and I chose to eat fish instead of pork because I knew I could eat more of it, pork is so dense....of course BOTH were healty choices, but you know what I mean. I have to WORK at getting in the calories I need to right now just to maintain. If I were to over eat, I'd throw up, not stretch my tummy! Ick...I cannot imagine it really. I've eaten something a few times, usually pasta, that makes me uncomfortable, I don't know how people can do that on a regular basis. Thanks for your input Tiff.

We can NOT stretch our stomachs back out to the original size only because there is NOT enough tissue left behind if the surgery is performed properly. Now, if a surgeon leaves some of the fundus (or makes BIG sleeves), then there can be a difference in capacity. Plus, our own anatomy plays a role in how much each individual stomach can hold. Taller men seems to be able to eat more than I can even though our surgeons used the same bougie.

I can definitely eat more than 6oz of food at 18 months and so can most others that are 12 months out and more. I can not eat more than 6oz of food in the prescribed 20-30 minute time frame. But, there are several ways to cheat the sleeve. Mushy foods go down super easy, but I still can not consume an entire chicken breast. I can eat 1 drumstick, and 1/2 of a chicken thigh, but that's about it for meat. So, there is minimal sleeve stretching if the surgery is performed correctly, and your surgeon uses the standard 32-40fr bougie size to guide him for making sleeves.

To get back to basics, eat protein first, don't drink with your meals, and start tracking your calories, carbs and protein. I restricted carbs heavily during my losing phase, and it's what worked for me.

Thank you so much for clearing that up . so what can I do now is start from the basics again.??? I feel bad because I really don't want any more weight gain .I have gained 3 lbs since thanksgiving. i can't drink anyy plain Water w/o feeling full fast. sometimes I overeat and vomit .. Its a strong addiction to food that I have to work on . any groups you can recommend? I had surgery in April and I have lost atotal of 52 lbs but I gained 3 lbs last 2 days . It could have been Cookies and cake foir the holidays .. I was eating all bad things .. now i got to get back to that basics and loose this weight .its so hard because i love to cook and I am a mother of 2 small kids that have to eat .. I have to try harder for that maximum weight loss.

Fill yourself up with roast chicken or beef and you wont be able to get the bad stuff in. Protein stays in place for ages, try an Atkins regine it will work, it did for me.

Jane x

Now I feel "Normal" LOl My calories intake I think is high because i was eating all high cal foods like cakes , donuts , cookies , chips and pies. they go down very easy .Now I love chickenb and turkey and most of my meals contain some sort of protein but I never craved sweets like i do now. It takes everything in my power to NOT buy chocolates and donuts @ walmart.(grocery stores). i know that I have to work for success because I found my self thinking that all I would have to do to loose weight was to have surgery and it will just drop off, BUT thats not true .. I cannot eat anything bad. I am going to at a meeting tommorrow morning and i will post the results when i return.. Its also true that I can't eat more that 6-7 oz in 20-30- min. But i have learned to manipulate my sleeve to consume more. Ive lost 52 lbs since surgery, I have atleast 75 lbs to reach my goal of 165lb. My nut said I'm doing great but i feel that i should be smaller than I am .. Oh yeah , I stopped exercising like i was in the beginning. i have become so lazy but I know that I have to work for this success.. thank you everyone.. it really means alot to have you all understand what I am going thru mentally as well.

Now I feel "Normal" LOl My calories intake I think is high because i was eating all high cal foods like cakes , donuts , Cookies , chips and pies. they go down very easy .Now I love chickenb and turkey and most of my meals contain some sort of Protein but I never craved sweets like i do now. It takes everything in my power to NOT buy chocolates and donuts @ walmart.(grocery stores). i know that I have to work for success because I found my self thinking that all I would have to do to loose weight was to have surgery and it will just drop off, BUT thats not true .. I cannot eat anything bad. I am going to at a meeting tommorrow morning and i will post the results when i return.. Its also true that I can't eat more that 6-7 oz in 20-30- min. But i have learned to manipulate my sleeve to consume more. Ive lost 52 lbs since surgery, I have atleast 75 lbs to reach my goal of 165lb. My nut said I'm doing great but i feel that i should be smaller than I am .. Oh yeah , I stopped exercising like i was in the beginning. i have become so lazy but I know that I have to work for this success.. thank you everyone.. it really means alot to have you all understand what I am going thru mentally as well.

Have you had any recent lab work ups done? The reason I ask is because a side effect of being deficient in Vitamin D and Vit D3 is sweet cravings. If you aren't eating enough good nutrient dense foods, and taking good quality Vitamins regularly, you could be deficient.

If you have some before pictures, take a glance at them and remember how far you've come and if you want to go back there? ? ? Because eating the junk will land you right back where you were. I think that's my motivation to keep my hand out of the cookie jar.

Have you had any recent lab work ups done? The reason I ask is because a side effect of being deficient in Vitamin D and Vit D3 is sweet cravings. If you aren't eating enough good nutrient dense foods, and taking good quality Vitamins regularly, you could be deficient.

If you have some before pictures, take a glance at them and remember how far you've come and if you want to go back there? ? ? Because eating the junk will land you right back where you were. I think that's my motivation to keep my hand out of the cookie jar.

You are sooo right!!! I thank you so much for all of your comments. I really listen to your and others advice but you make so much sence. thanks !!! I know that its holidays .. I weghed myself today and i'm @ 237 again..thhats my lowest since surgery . it went up and now back down... I have had NO SWeets today and I am going through the motions...LOL I have done good! ..

You are sooo right!!! I thank you so much for all of your comments. I really listen to your and others advice but you make so much sence. thanks !!! I know that its holidays .. I weghed myself today and i'm @ 237 again..thhats my lowest since surgery . it went up and now back down... I have had NO SWeets today and I am going through the motions...LOL I have done good! .. yes I had labs in Nov and they were good , my B-12, Vit D , Everything but Iron. it was 10.5 but my Doctor was very pleased with my labs.. I'm just greedy!!! LOL..

I live in New York and my doctor told me most people in the northeast are deficient in Vitamin D. Since i started taking it even before my surgery I have felt so much better. It does help with the sweet tooth.

Good Luck,

Janine