I have seen multiple people on this forum say that because we don't have a pouch we are not prone to our stomach stretching. I have also seen others that say that the stretchy part of the stomach has mostly been removed. Did your docs tell you this? What did they say regarding this? Does anyone have any respectable links explaining this?

Thanks again all!

According to what my NUT told me' date=' stretching the stomach isn't as big an issue as liquid calories. She cited one patient who had not only stopped losing weight but began putting on a tremendous amount of weight. The culprit? Over 6000 calories a day in smoothies. Needless to say, I am very conscientous of my liquids.[/quote']

I only drink Water or Protein drinks shakes for this reason.. People think smoothies and juice is good... But it has lot of sugar and calories

That's very interesting. I can't wait to start seeing people 10 years out with their success stories I watched a live stream Saturday of a sleeve surgery ans this doc made a statement that he had been doing the surgery for about 11 years.

Most likely that was my doctor (I know mine did a live VSG on Saturday, not sure if other docs were doing this). Yes, he's a leading surgeon with close to 12 years in VSG surgeries. He absolutely said what most have said here -- the sleeve CAN stretch, but only to 2 or 3 times the size it's reduced to. So if you can hold 3-4oz now, then with enough overeating and time you might be able to hold 6-10oz in the future. He also stresses that this surgery is not a magical "cure" forever. It is absolutely possible to regain all of your weight back and more IF YOU CHOOSE to lapse back into your old, bad eating habits for a period of time. The smaller stomach is a TOOL to help us get to goal without fighting the hunger and enormous volume we used to be able to take in.

Doing this surgery is a lifelong commitment. One everyone should do whether they have this surgery or not. It's knowing how to eat for optimum health instead of abusing food for "sport" -- how to incorporate exercise into our lives forever. Most obese people have a hard time getting past the first few weeks or months of a diet because it's not fast enough and we become discouraged. Going to the gym hurts, and for good reason because we've got so much pressure on our knees, ankles, and backs!! The surgery is just a good friend who keeps you motivated and limits your ability to truly do more damage. But the real challenge is making changes to eat healthy, watch the nasty carbs (white flour, rice, etc.), count calories when you can, pay attention to portions, drink plenty of the RIGHT fluids (kick the soda habit FOR GOOD), and make activity and exercise an essential part of your life. There are plenty of people who have successfully held off regain for many years. Some in our group are going on 4-5 years. Just like RNY or DS, the surgery is just one step. The rest is up to you.

If anyone thinks they can have this surgery, lose the weight and then just go back to junk food, alcohol, sugar -- just in smaller portions, and not in moderation -- they are fooling themselves and will most likely regain.

There is an image on this forum showing a stomach right after surgery and then 4 years out. It is stretched but still teeny tiny

This makes me very happy. I had a very healthy diet before the surgery anyway. My main problem was eating only once a day and eating a TON of food when I did it. I mainly use the surgery to help with portion control. My one late meal really screwed up my metabolism. I find that now that I know I can't get in all my calories for a day at once, I seem to be doing really well!

You and I sound a lot alike. My weight problem really started when I was working a lot of hours. Rarely ever ate Breakfast, lived on coffee most of the day, skipped lunch regularly due to meetings, came home too tired to shop/prep/cook healthy meals. So I'd get 60-70% of my daily calories from carb heavy, easy to make dinners and eat larger portions that I should have. That plus my exercise went from daily to NO DAYS PER WEEK. Once I started to get the weight off, I tired harder by having a small breakfast, skip the coffee and soda, and eat more healthy meals. That took off about 10 pounds and then kept me from gaining any more. But it wasn't helping me get the weight OFF. I had really good habits before I gained the weight (long story, accidents, injuries) -- so I too was happy to hear that one day I'll be able to eat more "normal" portions like those dining with me. Since I know I'll be making healthier choices, like you!

Wow - you might want to find her old medical records to see if it was a cancer issue

Sent from my iPhone using VST

Unfortunately, the only people who could have done it without any family or friends knowing was the US Army. She was one of the 50% retired who lost their records to the big fire in the 80's (I think it was the 80's). It destroyed something like 20 years worth of records, which included both my parents. If I could access them I would, it would be nice to know.

You and I sound a lot alike. My weight problem really started when I was working a lot of hours. Rarely ever ate Breakfast, lived on coffee most of the day, skipped lunch regularly due to meetings, came home too tired to shop/prep/cook healthy meals. So I'd get 60-70% of my daily calories from carb heavy, easy to make dinners and eat larger portions that I should have. That plus my exercise went from daily to NO DAYS PER WEEK. Once I started to get the weight off, I tired harder by having a small breakfast, skip the coffee and soda, and eat more healthy meals. That took off about 10 pounds and then kept me from gaining any more. But it wasn't helping me get the weight OFF. I had really good habits before I gained the weight (long story, accidents, injuries) -- so I too was happy to hear that one day I'll be able to eat more "normal" portions like those dining with me. Since I know I'll be making healthier choices, like you!

Yeah, I believe you just typed my story out for me. Sounds exactly like my life just a few months ago!

The only data I will believe on vsg stretching is when a scientific study is released. The current data suggests that the sleeve will dilate naturally during the first year or two but there is no data to suggest it's from overeating and not just a natural process taking place. Other than the natural dilation I don't believe it's possible to stretch your sleeve out. To stretch the stomach there would have to be a source of pressure to expand it. Any sleever knows that if you over eat it just backs up into you esophagus. It does not create pressure in the stomach. If you put liquid in a plastic milk jug when the jug reaches it's capacity does it stretch? No... the water overflows. The majority of the part of our stomach that stretches has been removed. Sleeve dilation is a process of a natural mechanism and will happen no matter how much you stuff in your sleeve.

The only data I will believe on vsg stretching is when a scientific study is released. The current data suggests that the sleeve will dilate naturally during the first year or two but there is no data to suggest it's from overeating and not just a natural process taking place. Other than the natural dilation I don't believe it's possible to stretch your sleeve out. To stretch the stomach there would have to be a source of pressure to expand it. Any sleever knows that if you over eat it just backs up into you esophagus. It does not create pressure in the stomach. If you put liquid in a plastic milk jug when the jug reaches it's capacity does it stretch? No... the Water overflows. The majority of the part of our stomach that stretches has been removed. Sleeve dilation is a process of a natural mechanism and will happen no matter how much you stuff in your sleeve.

This is something along the lines of what I was thinking. However, I am not far enough out to be able to use my experience as an indicator.

I see the dates on some of these postings, and I hope everyone has done some more research since then. the sleeve does, does stretch. One of the most peculiar findings on my research is that a clinic in Los Angeles already offers the re-sleeving gastrectomy, that means that they do it all over again. Now, I doen't mean that they will remove another stomach like the first time, but they will cut out the portion that it has grown, and make your sleeve small again.. Any thoughts?