Can you restretch your stomach?

[AWD12368 30]

I have been bad the past week and I'm kicking my ass back in gear. But could my stomach stretch back out to what it was? Or will it always be this size? I am in my own head and I need to know the reality of the situation.

[MzB 297]

It won't ever go back to the size it was before. However, my understanding is that it does relax and as you get further out from surgery the more you can consume. This is why getting those good habits set early is important. A lot of people assume that the super small portions they can fit right after surgery is the true size of their new stomach, when a lot of that restriction is due to swelling and your stomach getting over the major trauma. I find that at about 6-7 months I can eat a lot more than I could at months 1-3. Some of this is also the stomach relaxing a little bit and maybe a small bit of stretching but that is apparently normal. There are lots of post on this from people who are further out in their journey. Hope this helps.

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

Technically, no it can't go back to being what it was before as 80% of it has been removed and the stomach does not regenerate. However, what can happen is that with time and poor diet you can create a new sense of what "full" is by overeating. You can reverse this by going on a 5 day pouch reset or by doing your pre-op diet again.

[Eurogirl10 33]

@@Proud2BMe Did you do the pouch reset? If so, what is it?

[AWD12368 30]

Thank you! I think I need to reset in general just to get my mind back in the right head space. So starting tomorrow that is what I am going to do. Thank you!!

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

@@Proud2BMe Did you do the pouch reset? If so, what is it?

I have gone back to the pre-op diet in order to break a stall. You can google, "5 day pouch reset" for more info. In a nutshell it's just going back to pre-op diet for 5 days.

[heftyhoosier 30]

5 day ouch reset was a game changer for me. I feel like I've gone back to very early restriction levels. Give it a shot.