Stomach stretching!?!?

[nikie409 8]

I am 5 months post op and lately all I do is eat eat and eat. I know I am eating way more than I should be able to and believe me thats not an exageration!! I am eating (snacking) so often and sometimes cant figure out why I can still keep going. I battle the old demons of head hunger not physical hunger and my head always wins mostly because I miss enjoying big meals. Does anyone know if it is possible to have already stretched out my stomach in 5 months?? Sometimes I just want to go to my doc and say please xray my stomach and tell me if ive stretched it just in hopes of finding out im maybe not doing so horrible after all. Would greatly appreciate any incite!!!!! Thanks!!!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Are you tracking everything you stick in your mouth? I am pre-op so I can't fully understand where you are, but I know from WWs, when I was really doing it and doing well, I held myself very accountable to my tracker and without it, would have been lost.

[Georgia 2,908]

It's not stretched. The swelling is/has gone down and you SHOULD be able to eat more. If you are hungry all the time, it could be "silent" acid reflux. Do you take anything for stomach acid? Lots of people have said that they are much hungrier without their medication. Even an OTC cheap one works. Also, if you are eating a lot more "slider" foods - you CAN and WILL eat a LOT more and more often! Steer clear of those! Try an exercise - eat part of a chicken breast first, Protein only, and then veggies - no drinking and see how "full" you get and how quickly. I think you will find you still have lots of restriction. It may just be that you need to eat several times a day, with smaller amounts and add an acid reducer to your regimen. Good luck!

[aroundhky 1,174]

My Dr told me that at about 5-6 months, the sleeve becomes more "accommodating, like a shoe that is broken in and easier to fit ones foot into". I'm glad you posted since I went through the same thing around the same time. I'm interested in what others have to say.

[i4culosing 1]

I'm 5 months as well the one thing I have to be careful about is grazing. I can eat 5 or 6oz of meat and be happy, I come back in 10 or 15min. and eat something else. Not hungry just a bad habit!!

[erp 2,016]

I am 5 months post op and lately all I do is eat eat and eat. I know I am eating way more than I should be able to and believe me thats not an exageration!! I am eating (snacking) so often and sometimes cant figure out why I can still keep going. I battle the old demons of head hunger not physical hunger and my head always wins mostly because I miss enjoying big meals. Does anyone know if it is possible to have already stretched out my stomach in 5 months?? Sometimes I just want to go to my doc and say please xray my stomach and tell me if ive stretched it just in hopes of finding out im maybe not doing so horrible after all. Would greatly appreciate any incite!!!!! Thanks!!!

I feel that way now and I'm only two months out. I eat 800 cals a day. I find that my hydration plays a big role on my hunger (not enough Water = hungry). My last pre sleeved diet involved 1200 calories a day and I lost 65 lbs. I figure as long as I keep tracking and exercising, I can eat up to 1200 cals when I get 6 mo out and still lose weight. The rate of loss may slow down but I should still be at a deficit. Think about your last pre sleeve diet. You probably ate more than you do post sleeve and you still lost weight. Hang in there!

[makemyownluck 785]

You're the only one who can control what you're eating... agree with the previous poster that you need to track everything you're eating and also avoid slider foods. What are you snacking on? If you're eating poorly or lots of carbs/sugar, that's going to leave you feeling hungry, no matter what you eat. You could also have reflux, as suggested, but it sounds to me like you've just lost control with the constant snacking/bingeing. Start tracking your food, make healthier choices and this could also resolve the hunger pangs and the reflux (if you have it).

Schedule an appointment with your NUT, and consider doing the back to basics routine of going back on shakes for a week. Retrain yourself!

Good luck!

[newat52 1,612]

This is something I am going to have to be very careful with. As I approach 9 weeks out, I can eat a bit more now and I don't track calories and carbs, I do weigh my Proteins even though I can eyeball it easily. I don't want to get in the habit of just one more slice of turkey.

Getting sleeved was easy for me. Following post op was easy for me. Now that I am off any restrictions, the hard work began then.

Good luck to you, it is hard to stay the course.

[melody2 61]

i'm only 4 weeks out; however, at the suggestion of someone who answered a question on this forum, i began to use fitnesspal to track everything. it's a great "free" resource. also, i purchased a food scale to measure what i'm eating, keeping it between 2.5 and 3.5 ounces. i have the same fear of stretching my tummy. i can tell that eating more is easier as my tummy heals. other words of wisdom i have received:

- let the sleeve manage you vs. you managing the sleeve (i finally realized this meant staying within the recommended guidelines for quantity, Protein, Water, etc.)

- set goals that are weight related but not focused exclusively on "scale" related (i.e., what else to you want to accomplish by losing weight vs. just the number on the scale)

- failure is not a "throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of thing....failure is being human and accepting that we're still learning about the sleeve, eating habits and our body during the first year....we don't have to be perfect but just know that we can adjust

hope this helps. easy for me to say but difficult when you're living the moment. you can do it. you got this.

[ChristineR 128]

I find that I want to snack more if I am not getting adequate Water in. I am only 3 weeks out so I'm not even close to the 5 month mark. I can only do 2 oz at a time still. What helps me a lot is following the drinking rule of 15-30 mins prior and 30 mins after because I won't ever get liquid in if I keep snacking and trying to drink.

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

The sleeve will not stop us from grazing. We can graze 24/7 and never feel restriction. If you think you're over eating then it's a must to track your consumption and find out if you are. If you are, you have to train yourself with healthier habits. It's hard.. I don't even get hungry and I suddenly find myself grazing without even knowing it!

Don't ignore the serious signs of going back to bad habits. Face it now

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

Just something for all you grazers out there.. berry FLAVORED LISTERINE STRIPS... I hate chewing gum because I can't chew it lady like (I always look like a cow chewing her cud) but when I'm cooking or passing by food, I pop a listerine strip in my mouth and my palate is ruined for at least 15 minutes so I'm not tempted to pop anything into my mouth. I buy the strips in a three pack and they last a really long time and I can carry them very discretely in my pocket.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

It's a very common thing for the hunger to come back and the capacity to eat increase somewhere between 6 and 12 months out. That's why it's so important to develop those good habits in the first few months. Keep doing the right things. Your capacity to eat has and may continue to increase, but that doesn't mean you have to eat more. Eating dense Protein and following rule number one about drinking with meals helps me the most.

[MrsG 329]

I feel you. I'm almost 4 months out and the past 2-3 weeks I've gotten so lazy with my tracking. I haven't gained anything but I do notice it's easier to eat more now. So I started today, back to basics. I've been chugging my Water today, eating my yogurts and getting in my Protein. I also went back to the gym. You can do it, just have to make up your mind to. Stop the grazing, schedule your eating. I'm doing 3 meals and 2 planned Snacks. I think that's pretty important, plan it so you avoid grazing. Make sure you are feeling real hunger too and not that damn head hunger crap. You can do it! I don't think you stretched anything out, test it by eating some meat first, no veggies or bread and I'm betting you can still only eat maybe 4-5 ounces and be full. Good luck!

[Eat That Frog 53]

How much do you consume when you eat meals that are primarily Protein?