would you consider asking your dr to use a larger size bougie?

[NY Lou 204]

ive read that many drs use a 32 frech size bougie when creating the sleeve. i also know that not much food can be held in that size stomach. i was considering asking for a larger size bougie to be used so that i can still lose weight, but i can also hold/eat a little more so that i can kind of eat a little bit of a more normal sized meal and not stand out that ive had some sort of surgery by only being able to eat a little, especially at social gatherings. am i overthinking this? is this just me stressing a bit over my fear of losing my ability to really enjoy a larger size meal like i do now? my thinking is that even if i use a larger size bougie, my stomach will still be much much smaller than it is now and ill still lose weight. i realize the weight loss might be a bit slower than if i used a smaller bougie, but i still should lose weight effectively, even if my new stomach stretches over time. then again, part of me feels im just feeling this way because of my fear over this whole sleeve thing. any opinions/comments? thanks in advance.

[Stacy160 201]

The difference in bougie sizes among the smaller ones is so minimal that it won't really make a difference in how much you can eat, especially early on with so much swelling. For the first few months, your portions are going to be noticeably small, but there are ways to disguise that... put more on your plate than you know you can eat and throw the rest away afterwards, order Soup and say you're not very hungry, etc.

If you go with a size that really makes a difference in how much you can eat... well then what's the point of having the surgery anyway? I don't have any to link to offhand, but studies do show that people who received the larger bougies (either early on when VSG was new for WLS, or in a DS procedure) lost less weight and tended to have a much higher incidence of regain. That's the reason why most surgeons are using the smaller ones--to make having the procedure worth it in the end.

I know it's impossible to believe that you really will be full and SATISFIED with 2-3 ounces of food, when you haven't experienced it yet yourself -- we've all been there -- but it's true. You'll feel as full as if you'd had the same size meal that everyone else is having, and eventually you will be able to eat more. Believe me, almost all of us had our "food funerals" when we thought we'd never be able to enjoy some things again unless we could pig out on them... but it's just as good and filling and satisfying afterwards.

Really, really think about why you want this surgery and why you'd want to allow yourself to eat more, 'cause if you're going into it half-heartedly and hoping to eat more than you should, then maybe you're not ready yet. And I say that in the gentlest way possible, but seriously, you want great results, lasting results, and you don't want to put yourself through the whole thing just to be let down in the end, you know what I mean? :001_smile:

[Tiffykins 673]

There is no way in the world that I'd allow a surgeon to use more than a 40fr on me. I have a 32fr, and honestly I can eat more than some people that have a 34-36fr. There's a lot that goes into sleeve capacity. Your stomach may be longer, I may eat slower etc etc. You really have to go into this 100%, trusting your surgeon, believing in yourself, and remembering that the sleeve is just a tool to help you achieve a goal.

The difference between a 32fr and 40fr is a mere 2.3mm. Really, it's not going to make a huge difference between these smaller sizes of bougies. If you want your stomach to stretch, regain weight, and not lose or get to goal just so you can eat a normal sized meal, then don't waste your time, money, resources, energy, and emotions on getting the sleeve. You'll only be upset with yourself later on. I can eat twice as much as I could at 2-3 months out easily. If you come out with a huge sleeve, eating what I can eat at a year out, what is that going to do for your future battle with regain? Honestly, I can lose weight like a champ. It's keeping the weight off that is so much more challenging. It's difficult to believe, it's hard to wrap your mind around it, but seriously, you'll be satisfied eating smaller portions because 1) your hunger will be severely reduced, if not removed completely 2) you'll learn that food is just fuel for your healthy body.

With the reduction of Ghrelin (the hunger hormone), honestly food just isn't a big deal anymore. It kind of sounds like your stressing out over losing your "friend", your comforter, that void filler because you know that you won't have that as a coping mechanism any longer. Find a new habit, find a new coping mechanism.

Seriously, people do not care about how much you are or aren't eating unless you make a big scene. Early out, like the first couple of months only, you will be eating tiny portions, but things I did was to make it less obvious are put food on my plate, eat what I could, and then move the food around to the edge of the plate, to make it seem as if I had eaten larger portions, ask for half servings, or Soups, if people ask tell them that you're watching your intake and trying to cut some empty calories when eating out. That's not lying, you're just not volunteering information. People just don't sit around and obsess about what we eat. Just because we obsess about food doesn't mean the rest of the world is that interested in what we throw down our throats.

In short, yes, you are over thinking all of this, and you just have to go with armed with as much information as you can, faith, and trust in your medical team.

[eriadne 6]

I'm only a week out with a 32f and I had a cup of cocoa and a 6oz cup of vanilla yogurt for Breakfast and it took me around an hour of leisurly drinking and eating to finish it, and I feel quite full. It wasn't a chore to eat or drink or have it take that long... I was watching TV and talking to my husband and it just paced out that way.

It was amazing to me, because whenever I would go on a diet and try to eat just a cup of yogurt for Breakfast, I'd be done in about 2 minutes and feeling so empty still!

If at a week out I'm already able to eat what I've always considered normal for skinny people but impossible for me, then I have no doubts by 2-3 months out let alone 1-2 years out that I'll be able to eat healthy portions that don't make my "hungry girl" mind cry and moan.

Don't be scared off by the idea of having such small portions. You can be satisfied with a 32f. No one's ever dropped dead from not being able to clean their plate at Applebee's and if your dining partners are too distressed by your leftovers or your doggie bag or whatever, let them finish it off and find out what it's like carrying around an extra 150lbs or so 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in exchange for the ability to make large quantities of food vanish :001_smile:

As a pre-op person reading the stories here, it was extemely hard to conceptualize the small portions, being satisfied, having eating and drinking take a bit longer and all that. But now that I am post-op, it really all feels quite natural, if a bit novel. I used to eat fast and for a long time and now I just eat slow and for a long time. I am sure the gee-whiz factor will wear off as I get used to my new stomach and the "limitations" turn into "just the way I am now".

[SouthernSleever 228]

As a pre-op person reading the stories here, it was extemely hard to conceptualize the small portions, being satisfied, having eating and drinking take a bit longer and all that. But now that I am post-op, it really all feels quite natural, if a bit novel. I used to eat fast and for a long time and now I just eat slow and for a long time. I am sure the gee-whiz factor will wear off as I get used to my new stomach and the "limitations" turn into "just the way I am now".

This sounds fantastic to me. I'm so used to being the first person finished taking huge bites and I would look at all my skinny friends (after scarfing down my food) who would eat small portions and eat for a long time and wish to be so dainty and cute.

[lmmore 0]

No one has noticed that I eat smaller portions, when I go out with friends. Just eat slow, which you are supposed to do anyways, and stop when you're full. The hardest thing with going out, is to stop yourself from over doing eat (trying to eat too much). Tonight I am going out for Father's Day, and we're having mexican food. i will order a chicken enchilada with Beans a rice. I will most likely eat the chicken out of the enchilada with just a few bites of the tortilla. I will eat some beans, and just a few bites of rice. When done I will order a doggy bag. It's very simple.

I have asked my friends before, if they ever noticed how little I ate, and they responded in the negative. It made me feel better knowing that I wasn't making their dinner uncomfortable.