To All Sleeve Vets: How Much Can You Eat Now?

Hey there Vets,

Went to the Dr. and he told me my sleeve was stretched to about the size of a "tennis ball."  No danger, but restriction is not great. In fact, I never lost more than 45% of my excess weight (at 8 months post surgery) and got back to only 25% of my excess weight lost within about 18 months of surgery.  It's now been five years and hasn't gotten worse.  Still at about 25% of excess weight loss.

The thing is I can eat a lot, if I want to.  Some examples:

1. A 6-inch Subway sandwich, apple and some chips

2. An entire Stouffers frozen vegetable lasagna (17 ounce box)

3. An entire Chipotle vegetarian burrito, or 3/4 of a meat burrito (takes work, but it can be done)

4. A Whopper and 1/2 bag of small fries

Items are for illustration only.  I didn't want to say a "whole sandwich" or "full plate of food" because those can range in size. Also, I don't eat that much very often as I'm more of a grazer, but I have done all of the items listed.

So... can you give me some specific, recognizable examples of how much you can eat and about how much that compares to your pre-surgery capacity?  In my case, I think my capacity has been reduced by 40% or so.

I'm a guy and 6'3" so I imagine my stomach was larger to begin with. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

Whether the surgery or I failed, doesn't matter at this point.  Either way, I feel pretty bad about this and am considering a revision to DS.

Thanks in advance for your replies...

MM

Tennis balls are really small.  Especially compared to a full size regular adult stomach!  

The fact that you know you can eat the things you've listed says to me that you're not making the best choices.  So, instead of considering revision, perhaps it would be more useful to get back to basics for a few months and see how that goes.  So many people find that, even though they think they've got no restriction, that once they start eating dense protein and tracking again, they find that their restriction never left them.  

I would suggest that you start tracking every single thing you put into your mouth with something like MyFitnessPal.  That will give you the best information as to how to proceed.  

From there, work on getting back to your basics.  Here are mine, yours might be slightly different.  

1. Prioritize protein and water
2. Deprioritize carbs, especially the refined and processed ones
3. Make the most of healthy fats
4. Eat three meals a day with no snacks
5. Avoid liquid calories (breakfast protein shake is the exception)
6. Weigh portions, log everything consumed
7. Eat mindfully and with no distractions aside from real live people
8. Move as much as possible
9. Weigh myself daily
10. Be kind to myself

I could probably eat all the things you've listed as well, since they're not dense proteins.  

FYI: the adult human stomach is about the size of a closed fist.  The "tennis ball" imagine was from an upper GI after a barium swallow on an otherwise empty stomach.  And, no, I'm obviously not making the best choices, still I'd be curious to know the kind of restriction others have been experiencing.  Thanks!

BTW, hope that didn't sound snarky.  Certainly wasn't intended that way.  I actually do walk 4 miles a day, round trip to work and I don't usually eat those kinds of meals.  As I said, I just put them there because everyone knows exactly what they look like and I was trying to avoid ambiguity.

But you must not forget that an intact human stomach has the ability to increase its size by 40 times. In essence that means you could manage to fit, in extreme cases, approximately 4 liters by volume. Most people though, begin to feel "full" eating 2-3 cups by volume.

Understood, that's why I mentioned that the "tennis ball" x-ray was made on an empty stomach (just barium) so that it would be an apples to apples comparison with the "fist" stomach.  Or close to it.

May I ask how your restriction is?

A sleeved stomach is also nowhere near as stretchy as an unsleeved one. 

You can eat around any WLS - best to get yourself on track with the one you have than to undergo another one and just eat around it as well. 

I'm a guy. Not nearly as tall as you, but after my surgery my doc did tell me I had a long stomach like a tall man. I joked with him that my torso was tall, my legs are just short (which actually is true). My surgeon decided to make my sleeve as tight as possible because of the length.

At almost 4 years out I can comfortably eat 3-4 oz of meat, 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetables. If I go with a lower amount of vegetables I can also manage about 3 TBS (1/4 cup-ish) of some starch. I'm guessing my volume that's just over a cup of food.

I can tell you that I would not be able to eat a full size Chipotle  burrito. I could manage about 1/2 if I didn't eat the tortilla. I go to a burrito place down the road that serves equivalent sized burritos as Chipotle, but will do a lower carb version for me - meat, pickled vegetables, a few beans and salsa- and that lasts me for three meals.

I don't manage pasta very well ( I don't like how it feels in my sleeve) so I can eat maybe a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of something like Lasagne, I'm guessing. I have not had more than a spoonful or two since VSG.

I can eat a 3 oz burger patty with 1 oz cheese, no bread and maybe a 1/4 apple with it.

The subway sandwich I bet I could eat.There is very little meat on it and the bread is full of air. Chips are a slider food, so I could probably eat those, too. BUT if I started with the apple, I would only be able to eat the insides of the sandwich and be done.

Pre surgery I could put anyone under the table. I was a volume eater and lived for that full feeling. I was in to having BIG meals. At a fast food place, say Jack in the Box, I could eat a large burger, two tacos, fries, and then poli**** off with a big old bowl of ice cream. 

Hope that helps. BTW, I'm 51,  have had some regain, and like you can graze to my heart's content. When I eat a VSG appropriate meal - protein first, then vegetables - I get satisfied/full.

Thanks a lot, Kairk. That was very helpful!  Sounds like you have about double my restriction. BTW, I'm 51, too. As I read the stats, virtually everyone has some regain, especially after a few years.  On top of that, have you noticed that revision surgery is getting hot?  I think that's a good cautionary tale to anyone who thinks of the VSG as a panacea.  

When people say it's a "tool" they're not kidding.  Without it, compulsive overeating is extremely difficult to overcome. With it, it's just plain hard.

I'm 7 yrs post op...never rally for the bang for the sleeve...I started at 280..lost 76 lbs but was miserable becaus pe that required 1000 cal/day and a personal trainer 3x's a week...

Fast forward after having a baby in 2011 I'm weighing 260 (at pregnancy I was 230) 

i can only eat a whole subway sandwich without too many veggies

i can only eat a burger and maybe 3-4 French fries

chipotle burrito I have to deconstruct and skip the beans...