I am two years post op and have maintained my goal weight for over a year. Around 18 months out, I could suddenly eat more. Prior, I could only eat 1/4-1/3 cup of food at one time. As of 18 months I could do 1/2-1 cup, depending on the food. salad, on the other hand, I can eat 2-3 cups at a time. Am I stretching my sleeve? Wouldn't I know if I was pushing the envelope?

I know you werent asking me, but raw food took me longer to be able to eat, so for me after 12 weeks...Apple skins took a year(?!) I did eat lots of cooked veggies earlier... think pots of mixed veggie soup.... I would say try a bite or two now... not hard chunks of fiberous stuff yet (raw carrot chunks and cucumbers with the skin) but nicely diced or shreaded salad. Just eat a bite or two and wait to see how it goes.

Thank you!!! That is great advice...i just bought my first cucumber....i am looking so forward to trying it...i pray "Felipe" will agree with it :/)

Shel

Sounds to me like you're right on track! Our tummies do relax a little bit and we are able to consume more at a certain point. It's absolutely normal. And considering what you were probably able to eat in the past, you're still only eating a fraction of that.

Sounds to me like you're right on track! Our tummies do relax a little bit and we are able to consume more at a certain point. It's absolutely normal. And considering what you were probably able to eat in the past, you're still only eating a fraction of that.

true, the volume I eat and the food choices I make are FAR better than pre-sleeve. It's pretty much ONLY salad that I can eat alot of.

I noticed last week when I was ill and returned to liquids for 2 days that my sleeve seemed to shrink. Once I went back to regular foods, it seemed like I couldn't eat as much as before the two liquid days. Not a bad thing to try for a few days if you think your sleeve is stretching a tad.

That said, I can eat more salad volume wise than I thought I should, too. I agree, it shrinks down once you ingest it. It's the blue cheese crumbles, carrot bits, and other toppings that fill me up with salad.

salad is one of those "free" foods given it is a healthy salad (your salad sounds healthy). There really should be no guilt towards eating larger quantities of salad. Eat away.

Fiddleman, when is the best time to to test out eating salad? Im almost 8 weeks....i love it an miss it....also, when do most people begin eating leafy greens like cooked spinach and kale?

Thanks!

Shel

I'm not Fiddle, either, but it was 4 months for me with small amounts of raw foods. I gradually built up. Have raw veg/fruit almost daily now at 6 months. I had a horrible dumping event with a couple of raw strawberries at 10 weeks out. Made me cautious. Cooked greens I had at 3 months with no problem. I just couldn't eat a lot of it.

Edited February 11, 201412 yr by NMJG

Thank you!!! That is great advice...i just bought my first cucumber....i am looking so forward to trying it...i pray "Felipe" will agree with it :/) Shel

Try the little cukes cut in slices with the 100 cal pack of wholly guacamole as "chips!" Awesome

I am 15 months out and I still can't eat raw carrots. I tried again about 4 weeks ago and they felt like lead for over 2 hours. I do eat a small salad every day with my Protein. I have the last 17 pounds to goal and I have reverted back to a couple of shakes to increase my protein each day. I have never been able to get the amount of protein my nut wanted me to eat. I still eat protein first, then veggies religiously.

Carrots are one of those things that I rarely eat. For me, they are just one of those foods I have to chew really, really, really well in order for them to feel OK in my stomach. If you think about it, though, it makes sense. They are quite a fibrous vegetable and with 85% of my stomach removed, my stomach is going to have a more difficult time breaking them down before they can move into the small intestines.

So, I have been shredding them into my salads and I find that works a lot better. Perhaps give that a try.