No Straight Answers!

I had the sleeve in 2015 and it was very successful. Stress and lifestyle changes have put me in a bad place and I regained 30 pounds. I have asked over and over if a stretched stomach can be reversed by going back into the original habits. Has my stretched stomach now been permanently ruined and the surgery was useless? Has anyone ever fallen down but been able to get their stomach back to the tight, post surgery comfort to curb their portions?

I don't think anyone can really answer it: who knows? maybe? the only way you woudl know if you try,and be really committed for at least one month.

did you really stretch your sleeve or you feel like it is stretched? you may have lost the ability to recognize full vs overstuffed.

I had a pouch. My pouch can accommodate 12 oz, or 24. or 7oz. depends on what time of the day it is, what is it, and how much - and what I ate for a few days before.

The more carbs I eat - the less "full" I can feel. but - if I had a few days of a very good eating - low carbs - proteins and fat, pre-measured qty (even if I don't feel full) on day 3 -4 and after- I can "feel" full on much less food that during times when I ate more carbs.

if I get stomach virus and can't eat much for a couple of day - I may feel full after just 3-4 oz of dense proteins. And that from someone who is over 9 years post op.

I.e: I like shrimps. I can eat 6-7 shrimps (1/4 of a pound), or 3/4 lbs of the same shrimps. The first - if the shrimps are a first thing in my day, the 3/4 lbs- at the end of the day when I was too busy and just snacked on small qty of food here and there.

pre-measure the food and be really diligent for a few days. Low carbs, dense proteins, no more than 4 oz of dense proteins with a few bites of veggies. Use avocado or olives as fats. Chew well, take time to eat, at least 15 min. Eat 4-5 times a day. Wait at least 30-45 min after you finish eating to drink anything.

then after 4-5 days - see how you feel. No cheating. no carbs, not even a bite.

You can do it if you really want to.

FYI: often when we are thirsty - we think we are hungry. So if I think I am hungry, first I check what time it is, think back to the last thing I had to eat (if that was carby - I check my BS making sure I am not crashing). If there is no reason for me to be hungry - I try to drink more water /liquids. 80% of the time - nice warm mug of tea can delay my need for food until there is the time I need to eat.

What makes you think your stomach has been stretched? It's actually quite difficult to permanently stretch your sleeve.

As time goes on, our bodies heal and swelling goes down. It's completely common to be able to eat more dense protein at 1 year out (or later) than we could immediately after surgery. It's also possible to eat a much greater volume of "slider foods," like carbs, and feel like you have no restriction.

Your best bet is to get back to a high-protein, low-carb eating plan. If you eat something like plain roasted chicken, I bet you'll find that you're only able to eat 3 or 4 ounces and prove that you still have restriction!

What happens is that your body recovers from the effects of the surgery. The sleeve heals and matures and you can eat a lot more food than early out. You can lose all of the excess weight again by limiting calories.

You don't need to go back to the original habits, but you do need to eat less than you burn.

I've had my sleeve stomach (as part of my DS) for 12 years now, and YES, it stretches, but not to the point of its original size. Not even close!

My stomach started at about 2oz capacity, about the size of an egg.

Today I can eat 8-12oz in a meal - possibly around the size of a soda can. That's at least 4 times bigger than I started with, but still not a big deal, when you consider that the size of a regular stomach is about the size of a football.

I eat fairly normal portions of food so that nobody would ever question that I had wls. I can eat the "recommended portion size" that everyone looks at and says "yeah, right"...but I'm satisfied perfectly with that.

So your stretched stomach is not something to be alarmed with, since it's normal. This allows you to nourish yourself without being dependant on protein supplements. As you approach the end of your first year, this is when the "Honeymoon period" is over and you must work harder to continue losing weight. This is also normal, which is why people tell you to put all your effort you can into that first year.

The only way to REALLY know if you have stretched your stomach is to have a swallow study done.