Does your stomach stretch back out or not?

[momto6kids 21]

So I've been doing a ton of reading up on this on here and other websites. I'm getting conflicting answers. Does your stomach over time stretch back out or not? Some sites say no it's impossible for one medical reason or another and some say absolutely yes that it can. Just wondering what you guys have heard or learned. Thank you in advance.

[BigViffer 3,544]

You'll get the same answer here as all of the other sites you have previously mentioned. Of course it can stretch. It's impossible to stretch. Blah blah blah... However I will point out that the only people I have personally worried about it stretching are the ones that do not follow the post op diet nor do they make a lifestyle change.

In your opinion, what is more likely to happen: The pylorus (sleeve) or pouch opening (bypass) becoming weakened and letting more food through OR a surgically altered stomach with the stretchy (fundus) part removed being stretched out to previous volumes?

If that still is not convincing enough, ask your surgeon point blank for the facts and to not use lay terms. If they say that it can be stretched, live your life with that as your motivation to eat right.

[B.Annie 290]

Your question DOES have 2 answers depending on how a person reads it. Let me explain both.

To provide a few examples of the ability for a stomach to stretch out (for the 'yes' answer to your question):

My PCP was the one to refer me for bariatric surgery and at the end of the meeting, she said "this has to be a life change. It won't do anything if you don't change the way you eat. I had an officer manager who I referred the surgery for and she ended up using the surgery as an excuse to only eat mashed potatoes with extra gravy because she said it was all she could stomach. She ate right through her surgery and ended up gaining more weight instead of losing any. "That was her word of warning.

I believe we have all heard of our stomachs expanding in capacity. Most dietitians will say that you FEEL hunger more while your stomach is getting back to normal size when you first start a diet. They call it shrinking your stomach.

The show 'my 600 pound life' will explain how their surgery patients have stomachs the size of footballs because they've been stretched so much from over eating.

Surgery doesn't change the elasticity of your stomach. It just changes the size. Keep it packed full and it will stretch. Basic anatomy. Unfortunately we patients wish so hard to believe that surgery will make it impossible to overeat, we will try to convince ourselves in any way that our stomachs are not capable of stretching. There is more proof of organ elasticity than there is of inelasticity. If we don't change our habits, neither will our organs.

However, to answer 'no' to the other form of your question, our stomach will not NATURALLY stretch out without cause. It's like an elastic hair tie. It won't change shape unless you force it to. If you continue to stretch it out, it will eventually stay that way.

So yes and no. It does stretch when stretched and it will not do this on its own.

HW: 328 (02/22/17)

SW: TBD

CW: 292

[GrrlAnn 177]

A surgeon in Michigan has an awesome YouTube video about this:

[Introversion 1,876]

Yes, the tubular sleeved stomach can stretch. Yes, the stomach pouch of a gastric bypass patient can stretch. Stomachs are made up of smooth muscle, which is capable of stretching.

My sleeve definitely has a greater capacity than it did during those first few post-op months. Plainly speaking, my sleeve can accommodate more food now. However, anyone who expects tight stomach restriction by itself to prevent overeating may be engaging in unrealistic thinking.

At this point, the quality of food I place into my mouth is more important than the size of my sleeve. A person with a thumb-sized sleeve or golf ball-sized bypass pouch can and will regain all his/her weight if too many slider foods (e.g., chips, Cookies, crackers, pretzels, ice cream, popcorn, donuts, mashed potatoes) are eaten.

Slider foods do not produce a feeling of fullness or satiety. Therefore, a person who is determined to eat around the pouch or sleeve can accomplish his/her mission by overeating sliders. My personal saying is, "The road to weight regain is paved with Lays, Doritos, Ruffles, Ben & Jerry's, Fritos, Oreos, Breyers, and Chips Ahoy."

It is all about choices.

[Seraya 46]

I love that doctor's videos on YouTube. He has a bunch of great ones, including the one you linked. I really found his explanation interesting.