How do you keep from regaining weight and stretching stomach?

[ElseeG 67]

I’m looking at gastric sleeve and have been reading about regaining weight. How easy is it to regain the weight and stretch your stomach?

[KateBruin 344]

I don’t know what the 100% facts are but I’ve read several articles that your stomach stretching is a myth. It probably can eventually considering morbidly obese can have football sized stomachs but I believe the surgery removes much of the stomach that expands. I forget the scientific name.

[Done33 8]

I’m looking at gastric sleeve and have been reading about regaining weight. How easy is it to regain the weight and stretch your stomach?

Hi Elsee G,

Whilst gastric sleeve is a tool, like anything else if used the wrong way it can do damage. It is most certainly possible to stretch the pouch , by ones inability to change the habits that led them to obesity in the first place, will always have the same result. The sleeve with temporary make you drop the weight, but once your body has adapted to its new stomach, it easy to stretch it by over eating and or eating high processed and high fat foods. if the new pouch did not stretch at all, then it would really be the magic bullet but because it does stretch, doctors only describe it only as a tool that will assist you to drop the pounds. If your want the weight to stay off, then follow the instruction booklet to your tool and you’ll be fine.

Cheers

[VSG.02.05.18 23]

My surgeon told me that while you could slightly stretch it, it is physically impossible for your stomach to ever be as big as it was. It only limits you from overeating in one sitting. If you graze all day on unhealthy foods, you will regain.

[orionburn 1,024]

39 minutes ago, VSG.02.05.18 said:

My surgeon told me that while you could slightly stretch it, it is physically impossible for your stomach to ever be as big as it was. It only limits you from overeating in one sitting. If you graze all day on unhealthy foods, you will regain.

A million times this. It's actually easy to regain if you really want to. Eating slider foods and grazing all day on the wrong things makes for an easy way to take too many calories in and start gaining again. WLS is a tool that needs to be combined with a lifestyle change. Over time your sleeve will stretch somewhat (it's supposed to) but as the others said it's pretty much impossible to stretch it back to its old size.

[ElseeG 67]

Thanks Orionburn.

How many calories a day donyoubeat and eat and how do you control yourself from grazing? Was the impulse control different pre-surgery? Is it that you fill up more easily? How do you handle nervous and night eating (my issue)? How many calories do you consume daily?

sorry for all the questions. I’m just nervous about doing this if I’m just going to screw it up!

[crystal0727 39]

14 minutes ago, ElseeG said:

Thanks Orionburn.

How many calories a day donyoubeat and eat and how do you control yourself from grazing? Was the impulse control different pre-surgery? Is it that you fill up more easily? How do you handle nervous and night eating (my issue)? How many calories do you consume daily?

sorry for all the questions. I’m just nervous about doing this if I’m just going to screw it up!

I eat 700 calories a day

control grazing by 3 planned meals and a snack if needed (meal prep) so I don't have to just grab anything

I do fill up faster than before and the impulse is much easier now. I find myself eating because I have to, not because I crave something. On the few occasions I did crave something I just took a small bite and was satisfied.

If I have night cravings I eat a SF fudgepop or SF Popsicle. Drink lots of Water

[LittleLizzieLilliput 919]

My surgeon said stretching was pretty unlikely as they remove all the stretchy parts of the stomach.

I just follow my protocol of focusing on Protein first. Then I fill up on chicken or Pork, majority of my calories and nutrition are obtained because I focus on Protein, then veggies, then complex carbs.

[ElseeG 67]

Hi LittleLizzie,

And do you also stick with about 700 cals?

[LittleLizzieLilliput 919]

34 minutes ago, ElseeG said:

Hi LittleLizzie,

And do you also stick with about 700 cals?

Oh no, at this point I'm at about 1000-1200 per day. I eat too much bacon for 700 calories in a day. lol!!!!

[ElseeG 67]

Hi thanks for writing back. It sounds like caloric intake varies by person post surgery. I don’t lose any weight at all on 1200 cals...

[Losebig 508]

There's a few different things that help get and keep the weight off. The most obvious is the restriction of the new stomach, which typically will hold .5 cups post surgery and stretch to around 1 cup 6 months out or so. That makes binging in a single sitting hard (physically hurts, you'll get sick if you over do it). You also feel full earlier, so for example I just ate 3 oz of chicken and I feel like I had a thanksgiving meal and will be satisfied for hours physically.

The removal of the stomach also cuts down on the hunger hormone grehlin and for most provides a lack of hunger or at least an easily controlled notion of hunger. In my case I'm still only a couple months out so i have almost no hunger (doesn't mean I don't have cravings or head hunger).

If you choose a good program you will get the surgery as well as a bunch of dietary support post surgery to make sure you make some positive life changes. You follow up regularly with a dietitian to learn how to eat and to balance out your eating so you get the right nutrients. Programs focus on different ways to do this, but this is the gist.

Once you've done all that you'll have lost a lot of weight. You can of course put it back on easily if you make really bad decisions like eating super calorie dense or slider foods that don't fill you. Some examples would be eating large portions of peanuts (170 calories per ounce) or ice cream or sweets that just go right through. So if you try you can put the weight back on, but its harder than before. If you've gotten to the point of radical surgery to control your weight you've got a serious problem and took serious steps to correct it. Usually this means you're pretty invested in the outcome and you will try your best to do a good job. Trying is a little easier because of reduced hunger, reduced space and feeling full quickly so it's easier than pre surgery to do a good job, which is why most people are very successful long term.

Unfortunately nothing will "stop" you from gaining weight if you really want to, but this is a heck of a tool that is extremely effective. A bypass is another option with the added tool of mal-absorption (you don't absorb all calories) and dumping (feeling terrible after having too much fat / sugar).

Edited February 23, 2018 by Losebig
I can't spell

[ElseeG 67]

Hi Losebig,

This is incredibly helpful. Thanks!

[Stacy160 201]

Regaining weight is very easy, if you allow yourself to go back to your old habits and graze constantly on crappy food! You'll want to follow the rules until you get to goal. Most people find that eating "on-plan" 80-90% of the time allows them to maintain nicely. The trick is, when you do allow yourself a little treat with the kids, or pizza night, or whatever, to not let that become "Well, might as well have more, might as well go crazy and get back on it tomorrow, might as well finish out the week and get back on it next week....well, next week's [insert holiday or occasion here]...remember that from the dieting years? It's a sneaky, sneaky thing but before you're aware of it your "old" self can come for a visit and move right in.

That's not to say that you can't enjoy those things ever...you just have to be vigilant about keeping focused, and not get careless about eating whatever, whenever. And I'm preaching this all over the place: If you feel like you have a "sweet tooth" now, please do some research on sugar addiction ahead of time. It's a real, physical addiction and the ONE thing I wish I'd known about, identified in myself, and been prepared for ahead of time.

[jaminator 262]

Im at the point now where i can eat just about anything i want. But i just dont eat a lot of it. I tend to stick with Protein first, and then veg. But if i want a cheat day there is nothing stopping me from a small burger or chicken tenders or something. I just order the smallest size they have.