Stretching your sleeve

[rcarter76 0]

Hello everyone! And Happy New Year. I just wanted to ask a few questions.

I am almost to week 4 and have read lots of postings about eating a cookie here and there and treats around the holidays. Since I have moved to soft foods (off liquids - yay!), I have been concerned with the fact that I am able to eat more than most people seem to say they can eat on here.

I am reminded by my family and friends I am barely eating compared to pre-surgery, but I get nervous. I don't want to stretch my stomach or ruin the effects of going through this surgery.

Is it possible to stretch your stomach just 3 weeks out? How does it stretch, what foods stretch it and will it ever shrink again if you do stretch it?

I guess I just have been feeling like this is too good to be true, and getting scared that I may not continue to lose weight or be successful.

Has anyone else had these fears? Has everyone been perfectly strict since surgery or has anyone had "bad" days and then continued to lose?

I try to wake each day with a Protein Shake, since I know it is hard to get enough with my solid foods until I get in a routine. But I am doubting my diet and education, and don't want to screw this up.

Anyone else going through this or feeling this way?

I am eating the foods on the allowed list, I guess I just feel like I eat too much. I think I am rambling, but I hope you all get the picture.

Share your experiences, successes, failures and thoughts please!

Thanks,

Rachel

[rcarter76 0]

Also, has anyone had issues or trouble "training" yourself to not drink while you eat? I get thirsty and have slipped up then and again, so I get nervous my stomach won't stay small!

I would love to get together with a few of you and come up with a "plan" for what to eat, what portions and how often etc. This would help me make sure I use my "tool" to help me continue to lose!

Edited January 1, 2010 by rcarter76
added info!

[annak4 1]

Rachel - Thanks for posting this. These are some of the same questions/fears I have! I'm only 10 days out and still on full liquids, but sometimes feel I eat more than I should be able to.

Good luck to you!

[rcarter76 0]

You're welcome! I figure if we can't be honest on this forum, where can we be? I would just be back to my old habits and lying to myself! Congrats for being a new sleever! It is really exciting, isn't it?

[twobluecats 1]

Hey guys! I know where you are coming from, and I think we all have the same fears of failure or doing something wrong. When I'm not eating I sometimes wonder what's really different. That said, having moved to mushy foods, I assure you that I am quickly reminded that I can only hold a small amount. I did eat one whole scrambled egg with almost 1 ounce of cheese this morning, but it took me almost 20 minutes. dinner tonight: a little over 3/4 of a mushed up bean tamale. I had planned to have 2 tablespoons of guacamole with it, but that was just too much. It took me 30 minutes to get it down, and I'm WAY full. I'm 17 days out today.

I strongly recommend using a food tracking web site once you are actually eating soft or mushy foods. I am using myfitnesspal.com, and I really like it. Virtually every food or Protein shake I've entered has been there. It's nice to see the calorie, fat, carb, and Protein breakdown, and it helps me plan my days.

Just try to follow your doctors instructions as closely as possible, and you will succeed. I like that my doctor, Dr. Nick, and the nutritionist at Baylor have a pretty loosely structured diet plan. But, they strongly encourage protein first, veggies second, and then carb if there is room. I think I can live by that mantra and make this work!

[shutterbug 1]

Hi guys..

I am 6 weeks out and am eating much more than I did the first 4 weeks. I have to actually remind myself to chew chew chew again and try to eat slower. It is funny, some foods fill me right up, meat is a 4-5 bite thing.. but other foods like I mix cottage cheese and yogurt I can eat a cup or more and I usually eat that in 10 minutes. I understand the fear of stretching out your sleeve because from the get go I have been able to eat more than a few bites when I read on here how some people are like 4 or 5 bites of anything and they are full.

I hope to keep picking foods that actually fill me up faster for the most part.

Just remembered another example.. earlier today ate 1/2 of a Met RX (large) Protein bar.. half is about 16G Protein and 200 calories... was at a movie with a friend.. snuck it in for my "treat". About an HOUR later.. ate the rest no problem.. was full but was able to eat it. Tonight.. had about 5 bites of chicken and that was it... I have been stuffed since then and it's been 3 hours... so??? for ME definitely meat is the way to go...fills me up. Another favorite of mine is an egg with a slice of cheese.. I can eat the whole thing but am pretty satisfied.

It's funny how we feel like we are over-eating etc. I try to remind myself that in comparison.. it's NOTHING like before..

Not sure if this post helps.. hopefully some of the longer in sleevers will answer as well.

Hang in there everyone! :thumbup:

and Happy New Year!!

~Chandra/shutterbug

[annak4 1]

You are doing so well! Keep up the good work. Britany moved me to full liquids yesterday and told me to move to soft/mushy next week. The Forest Park plan is different from the Baylor one, she told me to follow the Baylor. The FP plan has you do 1 week of clear, then 2 weeks of full, then soft. I'm glad she told me that.

How's Matt?

[cajun 46]

Hi guys..

I am 6 weeks out and am eating much more than I did the first 4 weeks. I have to actually remind myself to chew chew chew again and try to eat slower. It is funny, some foods fill me right up, meat is a 4-5 bite thing.. but other foods like I mix cottage cheese and yogurt I can eat a cup or more and I usually eat that in 10 minutes. I understand the fear of stretching out your sleeve because from the get go I have been able to eat more than a few bites when I read on here how some people are like 4 or 5 bites of anything and they are full.

I hope to keep picking foods that actually fill me up faster for the most part.

Just remembered another example.. earlier today ate 1/2 of a Met RX (large) Protein bar.. half is about 16G Protein and 200 calories... was at a movie with a friend.. snuck it in for my "treat". About an HOUR later.. ate the rest no problem.. was full but was able to eat it. Tonight.. had about 5 bites of chicken and that was it... I have been stuffed since then and it's been 3 hours... so??? for ME definitely meat is the way to go...fills me up. Another favorite of mine is an egg with a slice of cheese.. I can eat the whole thing but am pretty satisfied.

It's funny how we feel like we are over-eating etc. I try to remind myself that in comparison.. it's NOTHING like before..

Not sure if this post helps.. hopefully some of the longer in sleevers will answer as well.

Hang in there everyone! :thumbup:

and Happy New Year!!

~Chandra/shutterbug

5 bites is about what I can eat...I've never been able to eat a cup or more...maybe your sleeve is bigger than mine! From what I've read the sleeve cannot stretch. If you put too much in it you just vomit. I've never had that happen right after eating but others on this forum can tell you about it. I can feel when I'm full and I stop before I reach that point.

[Tracy46545 6]

RCarter,

wet foods will go through the band much easier so you'll be able to eat more of them before you get full. To deal with thirst during a meal, instead of taking a drink, try a teaspoon of unsweetened ice cold applesauce. It will clear your palate but not Water down your pouch.

Dry foods ....(ie meats, dense proteins) "catch" better in the pouch so you'll feel full longer with them.

Measure your quantities...1/4 cup is plenty at this time. Eat it slowly, enjoy the flavors, explore the textures and most of all.....realize that you can have more LATER! stop when you're supposed to, avoid the misery of being over-full and have some later!

I hope this helps...I'm rambling too.

Happy New Year

[rcarter76 0]

Tracy,

What do you mean the band?

I have a sleeve, do you just mean the stomach?

THX for tips, but I have been able to eat more than a 1/4 cup at this time, is that bad?

R

[deedee 5]

From what I remember...our new stomachs are formed from the muscular part of the stomach and while they will stretch SOME over time as we heal, it's much harder to do, BUT not impossible. With consistent overeating, I believe I read somewhere, it is very likely. Below is a quote and link to something I read when I was having these same fears, but if you google this issue there are a variety of opinions on this matter. The best advice I can give to you is to measure your food this early out. I weighed and measured a lot in the beginning not quite relying on my ability to determine when I'd had enough. It put my mind at ease because I was following my surgeon's program of how much food to get in at one time. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge can shed more light on this issue. Good luck, and this does seem "too good to be true," but trust me, it's really true and it works!

"The tube portion of the stomach that remains after a sleeve gastrectomy is more resistant to stretching because it is formed from a very muscular portion of the stomach. This makes it less likely that chronic overeating will increase your stomach's capacity over time."

Dr. Daryl Stewart | Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery in Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas

[Stacie 1]

I just wanted to let you know that I share your fears completely. Though in dealing with my fears, I am pretty much afraid to eat anything. I am starving and very scared to get to the soft food place where I can eat food that I will eat too much. Thanks for your post. It makes me feel better to hear that I am not alone. Hugs to you!

[Tracy46545 6]

RCarter,

yep....I meant the stomach...not the band. (reflex from having the band for the last two years...sorry).

As for quantitiy, my understanding is that our new tiny stomachs hold 4-6 oz at this time. 4 oz is 1/2 cup. I try to only eat about 1/4 cup at a time of "solid" foods but I'm still on pureed/mushy foods so those are solids that have been pureed. Soups, no more than 1/3 of a cup at a meal. Again, wet, soft foods like Soups, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, applesauce, pudding etc will go through the pouch much faster and may be emptying as you take another bite.

Remember, count your calories, drink your fluids, get your Proteins, restrict your carbs, respect your portions and you'll be fine. Also, take your time eating. Give yourself time to get the signal that you're full, perhaps before your portion is gone.

I'm sure other experienced sleevesters will chime in here....I was sleeved a week after you so I am only telling you my experience.

[twobluecats 1]

Thank goodness! You will be so happy to have mushy food! I never thought I could appreciate refried Beans so much. But, us Texas girls need our Tex-Mex one way or another!

Matt is doing good. If it weren't for the sore throat from the breathing tube, I think he'd feel so much better. In time.....

You are doing so well! Keep up the good work. Britany moved me to full liquids yesterday and told me to move to soft/mushy next week. The Forest Park plan is different from the Baylor one, she told me to follow the Baylor. The FP plan has you do 1 week of clear, then 2 weeks of full, then soft. I'm glad she told me that.

How's Matt?

[loser 0]

I may be wrong here, but it seems different doctors leave stomachs of different size. Like I know if you are planning a DS they leave a bigger sleeve. I think the stomach size they plan to leave is sized by using a bougie and they come in different sizes. Again, I am not positive as this being why some can eat more than others, it is just a conclusion I have reached after reading here and other sites.

Either way I think you will be loosing weight whether you want to or not. I will be eating only 1/10 or less of what I usually eat, so how can one not loose weight.