Stretching the sleeve

[insideout629 7]

I am down 50lbs at 3 months post op and really excited about it. However I feel like I may have ate a bit too much at a party this past weekend. I didn't vomit so I might just be thinking this in my head. Can eating too much just one time stretch my sleeve?

[JamieLogical 8,727]

Nope. You have to overeat pretty consistently in order to permanently stretch your sleeve.

[KarenLoh 128]

That is such a relief to hear but I'm worried. I am only two months post-op and I can easily eat 8 ounces without any difficulty. I'm losing weight slowly but find my days run about 900-1100 calories instead of the 500-700 most people are reporting at this point. It worries me that I'm stretching my stomach eating that much.

I'll ask my NUT when I see her in November. I can't really eat much less though as I am experiencing hunger regularly if I don't eat enough.

[ShrinkingPeach 1,291]

Stretching of your sleeve will not come from quantity of calories but from volume of food. How many ounces of food are you consuming at a meal? Is it dense Protein or liquid?

[centlove8 21]

That is such a relief to hear but I'm worried. I am only two months post-op and I can easily eat 8 ounces without any difficulty. I'm losing weight slowly but find my days run about 900-1100 calories instead of the 500-700 most people are reporting at this point. It worries me that I'm stretching my stomach eating that much.

I'll ask my NUT when I see her in November. I can't really eat much less though as I am experiencing hunger regularly if I don't eat enough.[/quo

You should do a 4 day fast to get back on your diet. Like when you g ot home from hospital.

[KarenLoh 128]

ShrinkingPeach - I'm able to eat about 6 ounces (by volume, not weight) of meat. More of liquid - about 12 of liquid.

[ShrinkingPeach 1,291]

Every nutritionist is different of course but mine says I should be eating about 6 ounces or 3/4 cup at 5 weeks and forward. Do you have any guidelines from your surgeon's team? I would refer to those if you do. If not a simple phone call to their office should clear things up. Don't wait til you have an appointment.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

Over a year out now and how many ounces I can eat is still very dependent on WHAT I'm eating. If it's a solid chicken breast, I can maybe do 4-5 oz. If it's a cup of chili, I can eat the whole cup now. I can drink fluids completely unrestricted. At two months, I think 900-1100 calories is perfectly reasonable, especially if you are working out (which you should be!).

[tfarr 270]

I've always been told the stretchy part of the stomach has been take out and it won't stretch. Even though o worry about that too

[JamieLogical 8,727]

The fundus... the part of the stomach that is MADE to stretch to accommodate more food is removed with the sleeve. But the rest of the tissue of your stomach also has some stretch to it. It will contract back after food has passed through, but if you overstretch it continuously, it will lose some of that elasticity. Imagine blowing up a balloon. If you blow it up to it's full capacity over and over again... eventually it's going to be permanently stretched out. If you blow it up just a little over and over again, it continues to contract down to its initial uninflated size every time you let the air out.