Can soda really stretch you sleeve??? I dont drink it alot but I do drink it sometimes! I am a year out and I do find myself being able to eat more I was think maybe its because of the soda....

That's a really good question. I would like to know the answer to this also. I'm an x pepsi addict. But I'm really not willing to risk stretching my sleeve even a tiny bit by drinking the diet soda. I know that it did make me hungry more often in the past.

I am afraid to drink soda or beer!! My cousin started drinking beer less than 6months after WLS, she is like a barbie! how does she do it! she eats out all the time, doesn't work out! don't get it!

My surgeon said that you can't permenantly stretch your stomach after surgery, he says it's a popular misconception!

Nope, it can't and won't. Around a year your stomach matures and transit time adjusts. Essentially, the stomach starts functioning normally, mechanically working like it did before surgery.

There is zero scientific evidence to suggest that soda stretches the stomach. I've drank soda for 2 years of my nearly 3 years post-VSG with change in my capacity. My transit time has changed. food is just mushed down more efficiently and moved to the intestines faster than it did early out. It's a normal part of the equation after a partial gastrectomy.

Soda leaves the stomach just like other liquids. It doesn't sit in there brewing for hours on end. There's not enough tissue left behind to stretch back out.

My surgeon said that you can't permenantly stretch your stomach after surgery, he says it's a popular misconception!

I tried to find backing for this on the internet because I would like to believe it but could not. Can you get your surgeon to site his sources without making him mad? Sometimes docs don't like to be questioned.

I found this interesting post which tries to help guys who want their stomachs bigger, (competition eaters, etc.):

There are a few methods to stretch your stomach and make your capacity larger (again, there is a point where you hit your genetic limit and I guess for most getting there isn't necessary) Water training, basically drink as much liquid as you possibly can as fast as you can till you are at the peak of vomiting or actual vomiting. I've done this on a number of occasions, it's painful and not fun at all, even if you’re a masochist like myself...

The other way to stretch your stomach is to eat as much food as you can (if you wanna stay low calorie go with veggies, but eating tons of lettuce gets really boring and tires out your jaw) then top off with water. I've done this on a few occasions to, this is also very painful and not much fun.

So to answer your question, yes, there are ways to stretch ones stomach, but like with body building we all have our genetic limits.

I thought it was interesting in that we are told to hold off on the water 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after and take it in slowly. This guy is talking about cramming and topping off with water drunk fast to stretch it. I guess my NUT and doc had it right.

There's not enough tissue left behind to stretch back out.

That's a good point.

My surgeon told me that being able to eat more has something to do with the swelling going down in your stomach and then the nerves, tissues and that kinda stuff fully recover from the surgery about 12-18 months post op and your sensitivity to the full feeling is not as strong because the nerves and other stuff in their are not as sensitive so you are able to eat more without the full feeling! If all this makes sense to you lol, this is the best of what I can remember him saying in my own words!

Also, he said simply that drinking while you eat with the sleeve washes the food through your stomach much faster than it needs to in order to absorb all the nutrients from the food, that you are basically robbing yourself of important nutrients when you wash it down with liquid!

Carbonation causes water retention....and gas...thats why docs don't want us really drinking it. I had a beer last weekend for the first time (I'm about 3 months post op) other than lots of burps I didn't even get tipsy off it...

Mr worm... I love the picture :-)

I was just thinking I might be sending the wrong message with m&m picture lol

I tried to find backing for this on the internet because I would like to believe it but could not. Can you get your surgeon to site his sources without making him mad? Sometimes docs don't like to be questioned.

I found this interesting post which tries to help guys who want their stomachs bigger, (competition eaters, etc.):

There are a few methods to stretch your stomach and make your capacity larger (again, there is a point where you hit your genetic limit and I guess for most getting there isn't necessary) Water training, basically drink as much liquid as you possibly can as fast as you can till you are at the peak of vomiting or actual vomiting. I've done this on a number of occasions, it's painful and not fun at all, even if you’re a masochist like myself...

The other way to stretch your stomach is to eat as much food as you can (if you wanna stay low calorie go with veggies, but eating tons of lettuce gets really boring and tires out your jaw) then top off with water. I've done this on a few occasions to, this is also very painful and not much fun.

So to answer your question, yes, there are ways to stretch ones stomach, but like with body building we all have our genetic limits.

I thought it was interesting in that we are told to hold off on the water 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after and take it in slowly. This guy is talking about cramming and topping off with water drunk fast to stretch it. I guess my NUT and doc had it right.

They sure can because they have a fully intact fundus, we do not. We beat the "genetic" factor by having 85% of the stomach removed with nearly all of the fundus removed if the sleeve is performed properly. The stomach will temporarily shrink back down when they don't force feed and induce vomiting with water consumption.

Adding fluids to the stomach make the food liquified thus causing the pyloric valve to open faster and food to dump into the intestines faster.

Think of your stomach as the kitchen sink drain (or any drain say with that criss cross thing to stop food pieces from going down) :

1) Turn on the faucet fluids swirl around, go right down

2) Now dump some yogurt in the drain, it's going to slowly seep through the drain, add water the yogurt slides threw faster

3) Now dump some finely ground up beef or chicken in the drain it's not going to really go anywhere unless you shove a fork (an analogy for the stomach muscle working, mechanically mushing down the food) in the drain swirl it around to get the food to move out of the top of the drain. NOW, add a little water to that meat, it's going to move faster.

I hope that makes sense, that's the reason behind not eating and drinking simultaneously and not drinking for 30 minutes after a meal. Since I don't have a pouch, I am allowed to drink right up until my first bite of food and then nothing while I eat and I wait 30-45 minutes after eating. It definitely makes a big difference the further out we get to not eat/drink simultaneously. But, early out, I didn't have room to take even a sip with my meal, it hurt because the swelling was horrible and I didn't have space for liquids.

I am not going to drink soda EVER, not because I'm worried about stretching my stomach, but because soda us a HUGE trigger! I used to drink 4 20oz bottles of regular mt dew a day! It has been unseasonably warm here in WV the past couple days and all I've been thinking about is that delicious green goodness. But im just saying no for life! I have worked too hard to lose the first 60 pounds in the past 3 months, I refuse to cave in. Somethings are just worth it :-)

Are docs told our group that the only real way to stretch your tummy is repeated long term overeating...as described by gmanbat!!

i have recently (month or two, maybe more :-)...) added beer back into my diet...havn't noticed any adverse reactions!!

surgery date: Oct 12, 2011

My surgeon said that you can't permenantly stretch your stomach after surgery' date=' he says it's a popular misconception![/quote']

Tell that to Carnie Wilson.

Tell that to Carnie Wilson.

She had RNY with a pouch and stoma. The pouch is made from the stretchy tissue (fundus) of the stomach, and the stoma is a man-made hole so stretching of both are common with RNY. She never stuck with healthy eating and alcohol consumption was a leading factor to her regain as detailed by her husband and her self-admission of eating the wrong foods especially after the birth of her children.