I know the question of whether or not a sleeve can stretch is a hotly contested and debated topic here, but I'm afraid something stretched or went wrong.

I'm 4.5 months out, and as of a couple weeks ago, I can eat a LOT more than I used to be able to. For lunch today, I had a whole boneless skinless chicken cutlet. Had to be at least 5-6 oz.! And its not like I'm cheating or forcing it down. I'm hungry a lot, and I don't get full unless I eat these large portions. Even then I'm often hungry again within an hour or two. I drink my recommended water every day so it's not just thirst.

I know I'm still eating less than I used to, obviously, but did I do something wrong? Did I stretch out my sleeve? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

I’m not sure but I’m 2 months out. I’m not hungry but I can eat a normal small meal. Meaning 4 oz protein AND a vegetable side. I’m not losing much anymore (for two weeks). I’m eating so healthfully and only until I’m full, I just thought I’d be full sooner, more like I was when I started my soft foods stage. I hope it’s just a stall and my efforts will work- I’m trying to focus on pre- portioning and stopping even if I’m not full.

I don't know about stretching. But by 6 months the swelling insude your stomach goes down which allows for a little more intake.
My post op instructions say the after 6 months and for the rest of my life, my meals should not exceed 8oz total.

1 hour ago, ToughButFair said:

I know the question of whether or not a sleeve can stretch is a hotly contested and debated topic here, but I'm afraid something stretched or went wrong.

I'm 4.5 months out, and as of a couple weeks ago, I can eat a LOT more than I used to be able to. For lunch today, I had a whole boneless skinless chicken cutlet. Had to be at least 5-6 oz.! And its not like I'm cheating or forcing it down. I'm hungry a lot, and I don't get full unless I eat these large portions. Even then I'm often hungry again within an hour or two. I drink my recommended Water every day so it's not just thirst.

I know I'm still eating less than I used to, obviously, but did I do something wrong? Did I stretch out my sleeve? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

The dreaded stretched sleeve debate..lol I'm going to copy my response and keep posting it.

What you are describing is normal for the sleeve. It's not "stretched" this is the progression out from surgery.

The restriction is still there.

After surgery your restriction is tight. The restriction will change.

• Surgery few oz Might get 600+ calories
• first few months 4 oz
• five months to a year 6 oz to 8 oz 1200+ calories
• One year out half a plate.
• five to ten years a full plate

"Grazing" is usually the cause of weight gain. You have a new point of volume and sensation of full. If you eat high calories throughout each day . (calories can be combination of good and bad food choices) It's the same effect as if you didn't have surgery. An excess of 500 calories will cause you to gain weight.

A tip that may help:

Try eating every 2 to 3 hours. Protein first and eat vegetables until the point of full. The bulk and fiber of the veggies will help with hunger.

I can eat 5 to 6 oz of protein with a cup and a half of chopped salad. takes a while to eat but, it keeps my weight down and I feel full.

Medical professional explanation to back this up below:

Dr. Matthew Weiner

Published on Mar 16, 2015

"Stomach Stretching" is the term used by many weight loss (Bariatric) surgery patients to explain the changes in their appetite and food consumption after surgery. Dr. Weiner explains what's really happening and how to prevent it.

I cannot eat a full plate @ 5 yrs out. I can eat half a plate. And a small plate at that.

4 hours ago, ToughButFair said:

I know the question of whether or not a sleeve can stretch is a hotly contested and debated topic here, but I'm afraid something stretched or went wrong.

I'm 4.5 months out, and as of a couple weeks ago, I can eat a LOT more than I used to be able to. For lunch today, I had a whole boneless skinless chicken cutlet. Had to be at least 5-6 oz.! And its not like I'm cheating or forcing it down. I'm hungry a lot, and I don't get full unless I eat these large portions. Even then I'm often hungry again within an hour or two. I drink my recommended Water every day so it's not just thirst.

I know I'm still eating less than I used to, obviously, but did I do something wrong? Did I stretch out my sleeve? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

That boneless, skinless chicken has a negligible amount of carbs. It is mostly fat and protein. Did you eat it too fast and not give your body time to detect satiety?

1 hour ago, sharonintx said:

I cannot eat a full plate @ 5 yrs out. I can eat half a plate. And a small plate at that.

Volume years out is different for each of us. The example of food progression was from Dr. weiner's video .

57 minutes ago, Mattymatt said:

That boneless, skinless chicken has a negligible amount of carbs. It is mostly fat and Protein. Did you eat it too fast and not give your body time to detect satiety?

I definitely ate it faster than I should have. But I thought the problem of eating too fast is that I get full too quickly and don't eat enough. Are you sure that eating too quickly can make me eat too much?

I am 6 months out and for sure I can eat more than I could right after surgery. After surgery I could only consume about 6 ounces of food. Now I think it is closer to 10 ounces. I have also been making some poor dieting choices. Been trying to get back on track and get back to basics but it has been hard. I am down 100 pounds in 6 months, but have hit another stall and feeling sad about it.

8 hours ago, ToughButFair said:

I know the question of whether or not a sleeve can stretch is a hotly contested and debated topic here, but I'm afraid something stretched or went wrong.

I'm 4.5 months out, and as of a couple weeks ago, I can eat a LOT more than I used to be able to. For lunch today, I had a whole boneless skinless chicken cutlet. Had to be at least 5-6 oz.! And its not like I'm cheating or forcing it down. I'm hungry a lot, and I don't get full unless I eat these large portions. Even then I'm often hungry again within an hour or two. I drink my recommended Water every day so it's not just thirst.

I know I'm still eating less than I used to, obviously, but did I do something wrong? Did I stretch out my sleeve? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

I have read so many discussions on this very thing and the only thing left to say is that everyone is different post surgery and has a different experience. I feel I get hungry more that I should but honestly doubt that my stomach has stretched. Some days Im starving and some days I’m not. I have to remember to eat slowly, eat my protein first and basically use all the tools we were given. I’m guilty of boredom eating and have made a few mistakes here and there. The important thing is to remember to use all the tools we have been given and that no one will have the same experience as you. The video @jenn1 posted is great! I saw it when she posted it on another discussion and it helped me refocus. Clearly this is something that continues to up so thanks Jenn1 for the reminder. @ToughButFair Just hang in there. We are still at the beginning of our journey. ☺️

I asked my surgeon about stretching a pouch and she laughed. She said, "I left you with so little a stomach that there isn't anything to stretch."

Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I know the question of whether or not a sleeve can stretch is a hotly contested and debated topic here, but I'm afraid something stretched or went wrong.
I'm 4.5 months out, and as of a couple weeks ago, I can eat a LOT more than I used to be able to. For [mention=216224]jenn1[/mention] posted is great! I saw it when she posted it on another discussion and it helped me refocus. Clearly this is something that continues to up so thanks Jenn1 for the reminder. [mention=328721]ToughButFair[/mention] Just hang in there. We are still at the beginning of our journey. [emoji5]

The amount you can eat will increase for the first six months to a year just from the stomach healing (the stomach relaxes) and the swelling going down. That’s normal progression and not stretching. I believe you will be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t experience that.

@Mattymatt I cannot 'like' any of your posts - have you blockede for some reason?

1 hour ago, Sosewsue61 said:

@Mattymatt I cannot 'like' any of your posts - have you blockede for some reason?

I have no idea what's going on. Do you know whom I could talk to about getting this fixed?

1 hour ago, Mattymatt said:

I have no idea what's going on. Do you know whom I could talk to about getting this fixed?

@Alex Brecher. Alex is the owner of this site and will get one of his gurus on it. I tried to find in settings if you changed your permissions--but couldn't find it. I think anybody who tries to like your posts get's the dreaded message...

Well after worrying yesterday I broke out the food scale today. Turns out that my boneless skinless chicken breasts are only 3.8 oz. so I guess it's not really so concerning that I can eat a whole one at 5 months out. I thought it was way bigger (like 6-8 oz.). That said, I do feel hungry way more often than I used to, and am losing at a much slower rate. But I guess that's just a normal part of the process.