I'm about 6 months post op and have noticed that for the past week, I feel like I have had less restriction when I eat. Has anybody else gone through this? I started replacing 2 meals with protein shakes today because I'm scared that maybe my stomach has stretched? Help!

8 minutes ago, jennypenny1998 said:

I love the veggie tray idea! I knew that around 6 months I would be able to eat more, but it just feels so weird being being able to eat a few extra bites! Definitely something I'll have to get used to after being able to eat so little for so long. I'm a grazer and trying to break that habit.

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I was told that I would be able to eat more food volume. But, I was surprised when I experience the sensation for myself. It was kind of a scary moment. My thoughts and emotions went to.....What if I gain it all back.

I miss the days of great restriction and quick weight loss. I have to have more discipline to keep in maintenance mode. I give myself a ten pound weight bounce. I do indulge in moderation. When the scale moves up. I return to weight loss mode. It's finding balance.

1 hour ago, jenn1 said:

What sleevers need to know:

After 6 months the tight restriction starts to fade. At about a year or more out you will definitely be able to hold more food. Understand your stomach is not back to full size. Only a small percentage of sleeves that need revision.

The problem is when people confuse grazing with stomach capacity/stretching. If you eat several meals with excess calories. (Can be healthy or unhealthy food choices) you will start seeing weight gain.

I can easily get in 3000 calories in a day if I graze. The sensation is as if I didn't have surgery at all.

Surgery does not take away hunger for most of us. You will feel head and real hunger. Eating sugar and carbs will make you crave them more and increase your hunger level. .

My disclaimer: low carb is not everyone's weight loss plan. (carbs may/will increase maintaining and higher fitness level. ( if you gain go back to low carb or your plan)

If you are struggling with the extra space and hunger :

Some tips to keep you full and satisfied within your calorie range. (I'm not a medical professional this is just my experience/opinion)

• increase your Protein goal.
• Add veggies. The bulk and Fiber will help fill the increased stomach volume
• Detox off carbs and sugar.
• Keep healthy sweet and salty Snacks on hand for cravings
• night snacking or head hunger - Buy a veggie tray. If you are at the end of your daily calorie allotment for weight loss mode. Eat from your veggie tray. If you try to bargain with yourself for another option then you know its head hunger.

This is some of the most valid, straight up honest advice you are likely to receive here. The VSG is great, but you have to own your part of the responsibility. Im a year out and restriction is lessened. On the weekends, im very likely to cheat and have alcohol or a food that is indulgent, but during the week i am eating small and mostly protein. Its worked for me, but i can see where it wouldnt be hard to fall off the wagon. Im currently in a 4 lb swing back and forth, but i can live with it, because Im the same weight i was when i graduated high school, 30 years ago.

1 hour ago, jaminator said:

This is some of the most valid, straight up honest advice you are likely to receive here. The VSG is great, but you have to own your part of the responsibility. Im a year out and restriction is lessened. On the weekends, im very likely to cheat and have alcohol or a food that is indulgent, but during the week i am eating small and mostly Protein. Its worked for me, but i can see where it wouldnt be hard to fall off the wagon. Im currently in a 4 lb swing back and forth, but i can live with it, because Im the same weight i was when i graduated high school, 30 years ago.

I agree, the sleeve is a great tool but it's up to how we use it! It is very hard to fall off the wagon. There always seems to be someone's birthday coming up, a holiday, etc...

That is great that you are at a great weight! I have about 36 more lbs to go before I get my goal. Was your weight loss steady over the past year or did you fluctuate?

Love the veggie tray idea! I find that snack foods like chips etc just don’t fill you up (they’re slider foods). I find keeping to a meal schedule and making the meal very filling (protein) helps a lot because even if I have head hunger I can’t eat another bite

I'm 2 years out. Once the swelling goes down and the sleeve is fully healed you do gain some capacity but not a lot. It is essentially impossible to stretch it. When you eat dense protein you should continue to feel serious restriction. But anything that breaks down right away (like simple carbs - bread, crackers, cookies,..) won't cause restriction because it breaks down and slides through. Drinking while eating also raises capacity because it pushed food out. In other words, you shouldn't need to worry about a stretched sleeve, but you do need to eat properly to get the restriction.

Not sure if I should be responding or asking a question. I was sleeved May 2016 ,I attained my goal weight within 6 months postoperative. Now feeling good about myself I feel less restriction and think I can stuff anything in my face. My weight goes up and down within 10 pounds within a week. I am hard headed and will pop 3 stool softeners or laxatives to help "cleanse" myself. I'm a moron I think, not cool to do that daily which I do sometimes for months at a time. Just need some advice I'm a snacker too ,which doesn't help. Thanks for reading

Not sure if I should be responding or asking a question. I was sleeved May 2016 ,I attained my goal weight within 6 months postoperative. Now feeling good about myself I feel less restriction and think I can stuff anything in my face. My weight goes up and down within 10 pounds within a week. I am hard headed and will pop 3 stool softeners or laxatives to help "cleanse" myself. I'm a moron I think, not cool to do that daily which I do sometimes for months at a time. Just need some advice I'm a snacker too ,which doesn't help. Thanks for reading

I Must have a variety of foods. If it's boring I won't stay with it. I am enjoying looking for recipes that will work for me. I just finished my first month post-op and have averaged a pound a day. I have two or three kinds of protein powder strictly for variety. I'm having jello and sugar free fat free Jello pudding. I make tuna egg, salad and even crawfish for my protein even though it's only one tablespoon at a time. I got really tired of green beans as a vegetable because I ate it everyday for a week twice a day. I've started cooking summer squash or broccoli and that has helped a lot. Good luck with your journey. I'm so glad I did it I have so much more energy now.

My only problem is that I live alone and it's hard to make things in the smaller quantities. I have Frozen a lot of vegetables and fruit already prepared. That should help me when I can start having more as a quantity next month. Again good luck.

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2 hours ago, ttnurse said:

Not sure if I should be responding or asking a question. I was sleeved May 2016 ,I attained my goal weight within 6 months postoperative. Now feeling good about myself I feel less restriction and think I can stuff anything in my face. My weight goes up and down within 10 pounds within a week. I am hard headed and will pop 3 stool softeners or laxatives to help "cleanse" myself. I'm a moron I think, not cool to do that daily which I do sometimes for months at a time. Just need some advice I'm a snacker too ,which doesn't help. Thanks for reading

I'm not judging or preaching to anyone.....But can laxitives/stool softeners for weight loss a sign of bulimia? https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/laxative-abuse

The goal is healthy and finding a balance.

This is what maintaining looks like for me - My weight fluctuates ten pounds. When I gain weight I go back to low carb ( my bariatric diet plan) to get it back off back off. I also put in extra time at the gym. I try not to let myself gain over the ten pound bounce range....

You can snack. If you are in weight loss mode make it healthy salty or sweet options...Keep within your plan calories and protein goals.

What sleevers need to know:
After 6 months the tight restriction starts to fade. At about a year or more out you will definitely be able to hold more food. Understand your stomach is not back to full size. Only a small percentage of sleeves that need revision.
The problem is when people confuse grazing with stomach capacity/stretching. If you eat several meals with excess calories. (Can be healthy or unhealthy food choices) you will start seeing weight gain.
I can easily get in 3000 calories in a day if I graze. The sensation is as if I didn't have surgery at all.
Surgery does not take away hunger for most of us. You will feel head and real hunger. Eating sugar and carbs will make you crave them more and increase your hunger level. .
My disclaimer: low carb is not everyone's weight loss plan. (carbs may/will increase maintaining and higher fitness level. ( if you gain go back to low carb or your plan)
If you are struggling with the extra space and hunger :
Some tips to keep you full and satisfied within your calorie range. (I'm not a medical professional this is just my experience/opinion)

• increase your protein goal.
• Add veggies. The bulk and fiber will help fill the increased stomach volume
• Detox off carbs and sugar.
• Keep healthy sweet and salty snacks on hand for cravings
• night snacking or head hunger - Buy a veggie tray. If you are at the end of your daily calorie allotment for weight loss mode. Eat from your veggie tray. If you try to bargain with yourself for another option then you know its head hunger.

Great tips


HW 270
SW 238
CW 182
VSG 11/7
[emoji146][emoji146][emoji146]

On ‎5‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 6:00 PM, ttnurse said:

Not sure if I should be responding or asking a question. I was sleeved May 2016 ,I attained my goal weight within 6 months postoperative. Now feeling good about myself I feel less restriction and think I can stuff anything in my face. My weight goes up and down within 10 pounds within a week. I am hard headed and will pop 3 stool softeners or laxatives to help "cleanse" myself. I'm a moron I think, not cool to do that daily which I do sometimes for months at a time. Just need some advice I'm a snacker too ,which doesn't help. Thanks for reading

I'm a snacker too. I've been trying different kinds of chips from Quest Nutrition. A little pricey I think, but worth the money. I've also been trying the Chobani Flip Greek Yogurts. They have a bunch of different flavors and I like that that the flip tray always has something crunchy in it. I am not sure if you are the same way, but I when I snack I always crave a "crunch". I can understand the laxatives thing, because that is what I would do to lose weight for the surgery. Just be careful and don't let worrying about losing weight make you sick. I think a cleanse is good every now and then but doing it too often can be harmful. What kinds of things do you snack on?

On 5/1/2018 at 10:04 AM, Etharia said:

I seriously don't think I have restriction anymore. I have to force myself to eat on plan, which is so hard, because if I could do that consistently, I wouldn't have needed the surgery.

I feel that way, too. I'm very underwhelmed with my sleeve's restriction at two years out. While heavy, dense foods are definitely restricted, calorie dense, slider like foods aren't. Only lost about 50 lbs of the 150 lbs or so I needed to lose to be at goal weight so I'm considering revision. I agree with your sentiment...if we could have been this conscientious about our diet before, surgery would be unnecessary if it weren't for the metabolic changes it has which greatly improves diabetes for those of us that had it.

Edited May 4, 20188 yr by Kaze