I have surgery date ,hopefully I can get my VSG if I can convince my surgeon that RYN is not for me. My questions is for those who are post op 1 year or more.

Do you think you can eat a bit more than when you were 6 months post op? Or are you eating the same amount of food as when you were 6 months post op?

How soon do you get full,with how many oz of liquids or food? I know everybody is different so I willing to read different opinions here TIA

Liliana,

My date was 5/10/2010 so I am about 18 months out. I have lost 138lbs 347 to 209. 209 has been there for 3 or 4 months. While I'd be happy to lose say another 10lbs, I feel great at my current weight. I believe I eat about the same amount now as I did 6 months out. I'd not claim to be the 'poster boy' for vsg, but without a doubt VSG was the best choice I could have made.

For me, I believe eating habits have been the biggest adjustments I have needed to make. Not so much to please dieticians, but to understand that eating when I was no longer hungry caused problem for me. It's a psychological adjustment more than a physical one. Favorite foods still taste good even when I got full. I had to give myself permission in advance to go back 2 hours later and have a little more if I really wanted to then...no not plan to do so, but rather use that motivation to stop eating when satisfied...it's a fine line.

Today, I am confident that I will not gain back because I am able to control my appetite and I also really enjoy living an active lifestyle.

Bill Shafer

Yes, I can eat quite a bit more now than I could at 6 months. I am at 2 1/2 years post op now. I can eat more now than I could at one year. I don't think I can eat all that much though.

I would say if it's solid meat like steak, I can eat 3 oz or a little less. At 6 months, it was more like counting the bites, not counting the ounces if that makes sense.

I'm almost 14 months out and yes I can really eat more than I could at 6 months out. I don't remember the exact amounts at six months but I'd say its noticeable.

I can eat probably about 3/4 to one cup of food depending what's on my plate. The only thing that really still gets me full very fast are very dense meats. Dense meats and I won't get past 2-3 oz and maybe one bite of veggies.

I still don't feel though that my capacity is too much. I do burn tons of calories with my workouts and even though I'm not outright trying to lose "weight" I am still losing. Even if I didn't workout as much as I do, I'd still be ok with my portions.

HTH

I am 14 months out and everyday it changes for me. Some days I can actually finish a meal. Yesterday I could only take a few bites of my dinner, and it was sooooo yummy, but I had to stop, no choice. Today at lunch I had a large slice of pizza and could only have half, but other times I can literally finish the whole slice. Go figure. Sleevie really keeps me in check and I'm so thankful.

In terms people go by, I can eat most of half of a sandwich, even though I rarely eat that because I don't eat bread.

I can eat one piece of pizza and sometimes I try to eat the toppings off another, but then I am way too full, so I try not to do that.

I can eat one taco.

I can eat half of a small chicken breast, with about 1/4 c veggies.

My capacity for dense Proteins have remained the same since about 7-9 months post-op. Now sliders, breads, crackers, pretzels, junk foods, I can eat a lot more of those foods. Liquids go right on through, I can guzzle Water now, if I really gulp down a huge drink, I might burp afterward, or feel a little tightness but for the most part if I swallow liquids, they go in and out.

For reference, I can eat;

1 slice of medium pizza of thin crust pizza

1 small fajita with Beans, a little rice, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and about 4 small strips of chicken or steak

I can eat 3 inches of a meatball sub from Subway minus the top part of the bread, I can only eat the bottom part of their rolls.

Steak 4-5oz depending type of steak and how it is prepared

Chicken breast - about 1/2-3/4 depending on what I eat with it

I can eat pretty much any type of chips, Cookies, pretzels, crackers without feeling much restriction at all.

Chili type consistency stuff is about 3/4-1 cup

Yogurt or anything extremely smooth like mashed potatoes give very little restriction as well

If I stretch my meal out more than 35-45 minutes, I can eat more. If I eat Protein mixed with other foods, I can eat more. If I eat salad or starchy stuff with my meal, I can fit more in.

If I follow the rules all the time, I still have phenomenal restriction at 29 months out. For most social settings, I eat just about the same amounts as my other skinny friends. Of course, social lunches and dinners can last 1.5-2 hours so I can eat quite a bit more.

I'm almost 17 months out and I can eat quite a bit more than I did at six months. I ask my husband, "Did I eat a lot?" pretty often! I know it sounds nuts, but to ME it looks like a huge amount, but in reality it is not. I can look at other people's plates in a restaurant, and it astounds me what others consume, and to think I use to eat the same amount!! What can I eat??!!! Well, like many of the others, 1 slice of pizza. I can eat a half cup of cottage cheese and a pineapple slice, although lately, a third cup with the pineapple fills me up. I ate two scrambled eggs this morning with a quarter oz of LF cheddar.....normally I eat one with the cheese. I am really full, too full I think. I need to stick to one egg. I can eat 2.5 - 3 oz of dense protein with a bite or two of whatever veggie and I try and always add an eighth cup of cottage cheese. (great protein!) I seldom eat a sandwhich unless it is at a sandwich shop, then I eat a little of the bread and mostly just the insides. Restriction is still good....I've been maintaining for about 11 months.

Sounds like all of us past one year out can eat about exactly the same!

Yeah, great posts Tiffy and Oregondaisy! I'm 16 months out and can definitely eat more than at six months. I think the way Oregondaisy put it is exactly right - at six months I was counting bites, not ounces, because it was a real fight to eat much of anything.

I'm about the same as everyone else:

1 slice of very thin crust pizza with cheese and mushrooms

3/4 to 1 cup of Soup, unless it's very hearty like a stew or chili, then it's more like 1/2 to 3/4 cup

1 egg

2 to 3 oz of dense Protein like lamb, beef or sausage, 3 to 4 oz of soft chicken

1 hard shell taco

8-10 potato chips, 5-6 regular pretzels

1 slice of toast, if it's not too big (but I can't eat anything else if I do this, so I avoid it)

I have a huge capacity when it comes to popcorn so I have to watch it - I can eat 2 cups before I feel full

I still can't eat:

Soft tortillas, especially flour - they gum up and expand, hurting my tummy

Pasta - anything beyond one or two bites fills me up immediately

Rice - I can sometimes get a few tablespoons of rice in, but it's not easy

I'll say once you're past a year it's still easier than pre-op but it's definitely a little tougher to control what you eat. I can easily eat 1500 calories in a day if I choose to have a soda and eat carbs all day. I'd have to do it all the time to gain weight, but I have to make good choices or I'll go off track. But going back to eating half a dozen hot wings and half a pizza like pre-op just isn't going to happen!

Good luck to you!

~Cheri

Thank you so much ya all All this information is very helpful

I am three months out and was wondering the same thing. In the past two weeks my sleeve capacity has gotten bigger. I was at about 4 to 6 bites and now its a little more I notice. I couldnt eat a whole 5 oz greek yogurt and now I can finish it. I can eat about 3/4 of a taco (hard shell only) if I dont have anything else... I usually have about 3 chips and salsa broken up and then I can only eat half my taco. I dont have this often. I can eat about 2.5 ounces of Talapia.. my staple food. I eat a LOT of talapia. I love it and its easy to eat..lots of protein. I season it differently so I dont get bored. I can eat about a half a cup of chili type food if I take it slow. I love that I have a lot of restriction and I hope it stays that way. I dont push it. If i get that lump in my chest, I stop. I always tell my husband that it feels like I swallowed a small potato whole and its stuck in my chest. The feeling is uncomfortable but not really painful. I dont like it so I try to avoid it. Milk makes me extremely full very quickly and i have to pace myself to drink a cup of it. It also hurts my tummy now so I buy lactaid milk or take the little tablet lactase. I just felt like chiming in here.. hope you dont mind. I was excited to see that you dont loose much restriction at a year or so out.