Sleeve stretched back to normal?
turbolinky83
Posts: 6 Member
I'm wondering if it's possible to stretch a gastric sleeve back to original stomach size?
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From what I have been told, no, however after your stomach heals post surgery you will be able to eat a bit more, and for me personally, I can consume a slightly larger quantity of soft or liquid type foods, like soup, or yogurt. I am over 5 years post surgery and I cannot eat the same amounts of food as I could prior to surgery.4
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It can if you try but its hard to do. Keep off pop and beer ( carbonated beverages) and you should be fine. I'm a few years out and have gained some weight back but can not eat like I did before.
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No. It is IMPOSSIBLE to stretch your stomach that much. It IS possible to stretch it some, but you would have to be eating yourself to sick full constantly. Depending on your surgeon, 75%-85% of your stomach was removed. The stomach is a muscle. You cannot stretch it out that much.
Now, being a muscle, your stomach has a memory of sorts. As you eat larger portions, it remembers the size and signals full there. If you start measuring, weighing and logging your foods, you will force yourself to eat much smaller portions. If you are diligent with it, and find ways to fend of the dreaded "head hunger", in a few weeks you'll notice that set point resetting.
It's so important to remember, we should NOT be eating to FULLNESS. We have to start recognizing when we are feeling SATIATED. If you are always eating to FULL, you are overeating.
If you want it to happen more quickly, start doing a liquid diet during the day, protein shakes, bones broth, herbal teas. Then have a dinner of a lean protein (about 3-4 ounces) and a small serving of a low carb veggie. DO NOT EAT IT ALL if you feel FULL, STOP.
Logging every bite and every sip, so every calorie, is so important. I'm awful at it and know I need to get better.4 -
Regardless of the answer it shouldn't really matter. Habits have to change, plain and simple.2
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Head Hunger is awful!!!!!!! I made myself a sticky note... "Drink Water. You are NOT hungry!!"
afternoons seem to want to be snacky times. I just think i'm bored, and want to eat. I must not give in!!3 -
Samquentin wrote: »Head Hunger is awful!!!!!!! I made myself a sticky note... "Drink Water. You are NOT hungry!!"
afternoons seem to want to be snacky times. I just think i'm bored, and want to eat. I must not give in!!
The snackiness sneaks up on you!!1 -
I'm 3 years post VSG and the head hunger has come back with a vengeance. I believe it's because I've been lax about measuring and eating past satisfied to full. Sometimes it feels like I have stretched my pouch, but like a previous poster said, my stomach is 'remembering' the full stop rather than the satisfied stop. I've regained about 15 pounds, so I've gone back to basics. Measuring, plenty of water, and no 'off road' foods. I'm confident that this will get me back to goal weight and get rid of the fake hunger/cravings.5
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Only my opinion on stretching (it’s rare) get it diagnosed by a surgeon. Get counseling to address over eating to the point of stretching before having a second surgery.
Grazing gets confused with stretching. It’s easy to eat around your surgery.
Grazing is eating several small meals (healthy and unhealthy choices) that total over your calories and macros for each day. You don’t feel surgery restriction eating small meals. The sensation is as if you never had surgery. You will gain weight back.
Vet’s had warned me about restriction becoming less as you progress out from surgery. It was alarming to experience it for myself. (My stomach is not back to normal size) I can hold more in food volume. Just because I can eat more does not mean I have to eat over my calories/macros. I'm five years out. I don’t need to feel deprived or starving.- I eat dense protein and foods allowed on my plan.
- I fill the extra space with as much veggies until full.
- I keep healthy sweet and salty items on hand for cravings.
- Adding sugar and extra carbs into my diet causes hunger and makes me crave them more. I’m maintaining I can indulge with in reason. If I gain weight I have to detox off them to get back on track.
The key has been logging my food.
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fit_chickx wrote: »Grazing gets confused with stretching. It’s easy to eat around your surgery.
Grazing is eating several small meals (healthy and unhealthy choices) that total over your calories and macros for each day. You don’t feel surgery restriction eating small meals. The sensation is as if you never had surgery. You will gain weight back.
This has totally been my experience. I still have the restriction, fortunately, and when I eat regular meals it's still one of my checks and balances, but the restriction isn't effective in controlling grazing (in my case). It's been a struggle I have to admit. I honestly don't get as hungry when I don't graze, and I do think I graze out of habit/head hunger. I have really had to check myself with this, and look at my eating throughout the day to make sure I am eating enough satiating foods.1 -
fit_chickx wrote: »Grazing gets confused with stretching. It’s easy to eat around your surgery.
Grazing is eating several small meals (healthy and unhealthy choices) that total over your calories and macros for each day. You don’t feel surgery restriction eating small meals. The sensation is as if you never had surgery. You will gain weight back.
This has totally been my experience. I still have the restriction, fortunately, and when I eat regular meals it's still one of my checks and balances, but the restriction isn't effective in controlling grazing (in my case). It's been a struggle I have to admit. I honestly don't get as hungry when I don't graze, and I do think I graze out of habit/head hunger. I have really had to check myself with this, and look at my eating throughout the day to make sure I am eating enough satiating foods.
I’m the same. Grazing is something I keep an eye on.
I’ve learned to eat five/six small meals a day (in my calorie/macros range) It keeps my blood sugars level and helps my hunger level. I give it up to people that can maintain with ease. It’s just not my situation.
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@Turbolinky83
It only is it POSSIBLE to Stretch your sleeve, but you will only know if your doctor orders an X-ray.
I know this because My sleeve was performed in August 2015, and stretched my sleeve so that the radiologist could only tell I had a sleeve from the surgical incisions. This was in October 2018.
Anyone who believes it can’t happen need to realize that they will begin to gain weight once it is stretched, regardless of their diet or habits. You can also stretch it to your pre-surgical size and bigger.
Fortunately I was able to have a revision to bypass and the weight I gained (40lbs) is gone and more. With the original sleeve surgery I lost 145lbs (half my original weight). After stretching my stomach I gained 40lbs. carbonated beverages were what did me in, the gas and bubbles stretch your sleeve. My eating habits and exercise regimen were never changed, I was still following my nutrition and exercise plan.
With the revision to bypass in December 2018, I’ve lost 53lbs. This brings my total weight loss to 153lbs and still going down.
Please watch your food intake, carbonated beverage intake, continue to drink the Dr recommended amount of water daily.
Very rarely can someone get a revision paid for by Insurance, so you will be stuck with a stretched pouch unless you can pay for the revision out of pocket.
Good luck. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have and good luck with your continued goal for your fitness and health.
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It’s been 17 months since I had a carbonated drink, I can’t even imagine how much that would hurt... no plans to go back to it! It’s amazing how one thing can cause so much problems1
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I do feel for anyone who has had complications of any kind.Wonderwomanvik wrote: »@Turbolinky83
It only is it POSSIBLE to Stretch your sleeve, but you will only know if your doctor orders an X-ray.
I know this because My sleeve was performed in August 2015, and stretched my sleeve so that the radiologist could only tell I had a sleeve from the surgical incisions. This was in October 2018.
Anyone who believes it can’t happen need to realize that they will begin to gain weight once it is stretched, regardless of their diet or habits. You can also stretch it to your pre-surgical size and bigger.
Fortunately I was able to have a revision to bypass and the weight I gained (40lbs) is gone and more. With the original sleeve surgery I lost 145lbs (half my original weight). After stretching my stomach I gained 40lbs. carbonated beverages were what did me in, the gas and bubbles stretch your sleeve. My eating habits and exercise regimen were never changed, I was still following my nutrition and exercise plan.
With the revision to bypass in December 2018, I’ve lost 53lbs. This brings my total weight loss to 153lbs and still going down.
Please watch your food intake, carbonated beverage intake, continue to drink the Dr recommended amount of water daily.
Very rarely can someone get a revision paid for by Insurance, so you will be stuck with a stretched pouch unless you can pay for the revision out of pocket.
Good luck. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have and good luck with your continued goal for your fitness and health.
Glad you had a revision and are doing well. Thanks for giving perspective on your experience.
My response here is not going to be popular. I have compassion for anyone with complications or struggles with weight gain. Age, sex, medical issues, complications, medications can affect your weight loss.
I’m having a hard time understanding how you “gain weight regardless of your diet and habits”
I would hate to see anyone new or contemplating having surgery think that even if they follow their plan they will gain weight. A surgery may become streched but, the only reason people gain weight is eating over their calories and macros consistently. Diet and behaviors do matter.
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I would definitely ask the original surgeon what size bougie they used on you. If your stomach was so large they couldn't tell you had VSG done, that's a problem. I'd be curious to see the photos of your stomach just after your sleeve surgery. If it was done properly, trust me, it would be physically impossible to stretch back out full size. Not to mention, that would have been a lot more than a 40lb weight gain.
To stretch your stomach out AT ALL, you would have to REPEATEDLY overeat every meal for weeks, if not months. If it's a meal here or there, you aren't doing any permanent damage. And that would be to stretch it a bit. To continue stretching it more and more, you would have to consistently be increasing your volume.
Yours is definitely a cautionary tale, good for people to keep in mind, but definitely NOT the norm.
As @fit_chickx said, if you follow a diet, without surgery or not, you are going to lose weight. It will happen, eventually. Your stomach size plays absolutely no role in your weight. None. Your weight is determined mostly by what you eat, and how much you eat. It's also affected by metabolism, other health factors, and activity level. I'm sure there may be other factors, but those are the main ones...
I wish everyone the best of luck in the journey!
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