6 months out - question for VSG's further along

I'm six months out.  I feel great and have lost 73% of my excess weight.  My surgeon is more than pleased with my results.  I'm close to goal and I know that my weight loss will be extremely slow from here (I only have about 8 lbs to go).

It seems like a "switched" was flipped last week at 6 months.....I'm able to eat more and it kinda scares me.  I'm not feeling the restriction like I used to.  I'm not worried that I've stretched the sleeve (my dr says it will loosen a bit, but doesnt' fully stretch). 

I curious if others who are further along than me feel the same restriction they once did. 

Granted I'm not able to eat a plate full of food, but I'm able to eat more than I thought.  (For example, I can eat an entire english muffin and one egg.......does that seem strange??)

Carbs go down much easier and I know I need to avoid them.  But even dense protein I can fill up more on that I could a few weeks ago.

How about you?  What is a typical meal size??

From what I understand this is normal. 

I am just at 6 months post op and I CAN eat that much but I've gone back to measuring out most meals for this very reason.  Carbs def go down easier and I can eat more of them than I should.  So I'm avoiding them.    I'm curious to see what vets have to say about this.

It's been 2 years for me this week that I got the sleeve done. Some people eat more than others. I still don't eat a lot so my body is in starvation mode and doesn't want to continue to loose weight. I have seen a nutritionist that recommends that I eat more and more often. I eat one toast and I'm full and sometime I leave a bite out of it. As long as you can feel when you are full... some people hickups when they are full, I sneeze! I know I'm weird but apparantly not the only one! You have to listen to your own body, see if you do feel full after. Maybe take a break in between to see if you will fill full. It takes 20 min for the brain to know when it's full. Good luck and congratulations to your weight lost!

Ok, this makes me laugh. I sneeze too when I've eaten too much!! Do you count calories? What is your general diet like? I'm curious because I feel guilty. I'm 6 months out and just slowed down. I'm vegetarian so my main meals are veggies and either protein or carbs depending on the day. I get my shakes in for sure but I feel guilty because I'm not crazy strict with myself. Doing the math, calorically, I'm still under. I'm anxious that I really screwed myself though. I've been fine until now.

 I can definitely eat a lot more than I ever imagined I would be able to. 

I can definitely eat an English muffin with an egg. 

Steven, the difference is that your sleeve has matured now and is no longer healing.  All of the swelling has gone done and you can now eat more or less what you should be able to eat for the rest of your life.  The stretching does seem to continue for most people, but the amount is minimal in most cases.  Somewhere around the one year mark, things seem to settle down and  more stretching is uncommon past that point.  You will always be able to eat more carbs.  They are slidders and seem to go right past the pyloric valve.  There will be a limit to how much you can eat of dense protein and fibrous veggies.  You can work with this if you need to do it. Now that I am in maintenance, I find I can eat more carbs in my diet without a problem.  But, they are the first thing that I would pull if I wanted to lose weight again.  ( I don't, I am 104 lbs. today). 

Congratulations on your weight loss and everything seems normal about what you are describing.

It depends on what I eat. The english muffin? I could probably eat the whole thing. I have yet to finish an entire egg.

Protein fills me up very fast, so I always it it first, even if I have veggies with the meat.

I just ate a hamburger (no bun) for lunch and was able to eat 1.5 ounces. I am actually a little uncomfortable/full.

The other thing I've noticed is that I can eat alot more food when I include carbs with it.

I keep my carbs low for this reason.

You are completely normal and I totally understand your being scared but know that just being scared will keep u successful. I am 4 years out and some days I can eat more than others what I have found though is the days that I eat very little are the days that the scale goes up a couple pounds for the most part I try and eat healthy but I would say one or two days a week I just eat whatever I want. For example yesterday I was so busy I didn't have time to eat all day when I got home I ate one nite of potatoe three green beans and one bite of kielbasa when I have those bad days and don't eat it is hard to eat when I do finally get around to like my tummy shrank then today the scale said I gained two pounds not possible right so today is eating day I ate a doughnut bad three Oreos worse then chicken and green beans then more chicken and green beans ill have some cottage cheese in a bit about half a cup I won't be full but trying to learn the difference between full and satisfied still a battle four years out then ill have dinner taco salad hope this gives you an idea I have not gained I lost a my weight by 8 months by a year I was below goal and have maintained below ever since sure I go up and down three pounds the key is keeping it in check weighing often don't allow more than a five pound gain best wishes to you sounds like you are doing great

Thanks everyone!!!  I appreciate it!!

Fabulous job, almost to goal, that is terrific!

Yep, six months out, I sure felt like I could eat more.  But I do know it is the carbs that go down smoother too, so I watch those and always eat my protein and veggies first.  I am gluten free, so no English muffins for me, unless they are the rice gluten free ones, but those are really dense and I can only get in half of one and have only had a couple halves since surgery.

I tried to up how much meat I eat at a meal from 2 ounces to 3 ounces, otherwise, I would start eating some carbs, since they would fit.  But 3 ounces is too much if I eat a good amount of veggies, so I should have added more veggies instead of upping the meat portion.  It sure is a balance game at times.  But you will figure it out.

But some days I feel like I could eat way more and then others I feel stuffed with the slightest bit.  Sure depends on what I am eating, that is for sure.