How much can you eat Sleevers?

Hi Everyone. I am a broken bander in process of getting a sleeve. I like to get my info straight from peeps who have been through it. I have been watching what people post that they eat. Say 1/2 of burger, 1/2 of protein bar... etc. Do you have a "full" feeling? Also,  I know in surgery they say they remove the part of stomach that travels the message to your brain that you are hungry... How is that working? Do you just eat at set times then? I will be given all this info on Wednesday at my last NUT visit but I wanted to hear it from you. 

The band was a disaster for me and overall I am an extremely healthy kind of eater... just wayyyy too much of it. I am SO HOPING to be able to be full on a small portion. Truly, be full on a cup of food? 1/2 of bar?? I sure hope so!  Thank you for sharing info with me!!

I'm only 2 weeks post op and I can only drink 2 ounces of liquid at 1 time.  Anything denser than that like applesauce I can only eat 1.5 ounces.  I do not feel hungry at all.  I just set my phone alarm to remind me to drink every 30 minutes so I don't get dehydrated. 

P.S.  The 1st week after surgery I was only able to drink a half an ounce every 30 minutes.  I drank Powerade Zero instead of water so that I wouldn't get dehydrated.   

Thank you sooooo much for this info!!!!!!   This gives me so much hope!!!!     I will be extra careful to make sure I drink enough. 

Hi

Quantity and hunger varies from person to person and stage if recovery. That being said here isy experience - I am a year out now and I do experience hunger now but nothing like I used to and I am satisfied much sooner. If I am busy with work or running around I can miss a meal if I don't pay attention to it. I still weigh or measure some portions but I know now what 3oz of meat looks like.

Here are some examples of the quantity I can eat:

- half of a thin hamburger with no bun
- one and 1/2 small slider hamburger patties with no bun
-one scrambled egg with a little sautéed onions and a sprinkle of cheese
-1/2 cup turkey chili with a sprinkle of cheese and a spoonful of sour cream
- a Greek yogurt
- two chicken satay skewers
- 3 oz meatloaf
- 3 oz rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce
- 2 cheese sticks
- if I'm still hungry I add in some veggies
- yesterday I ate off plan when going to the bagel store for my kids and I ate almost a whole mini bagel and that left me too full

I do try to eat measured amounts or portions and eat until satisfied rather than full. Initially I felt fullness in between my shoulder blades. Not as frequently there now. I drink up until I eat because liquids flow right through the stomach until food is in there. After eating I wait at least a half an hour to drink and sometimes even longer. The following visual was explained to me : you want to fill your sleeve with dense protien that you chew well to make into a dense sludge that you let "clog" you sleeve and slowly digest. I was told to think of it as a clogged sink. You don't want to drink for a while and wash the contents down the "drain".

I am very happy with my decision to have this surgery. I too pre surgery was a fairly healthy eater and ate too much quantity. So this tool has worked well for me.

Good luck.

I am ten days out very nicely explained. thank you

Thank you so much for this info! Now I am excited and hope everything works out with insurance!!  This does indeed seem perfect for me. Keep up the GREAT work!!!!  

Hi!

I am 2 yrs out- just to give you an idea- I can eat 2.5-under 4oz of meat, depending on the density and type, and fat level of it.. about the same volume I had at 6-9mo post op..

At this point, I can put away a huge salad, provided I don't have meat on it - but add an egg or some chicken and I can't, so veggies are my snacks between meals, and my nibbles after I've had my fill of protein. If I eat breads or veggies WITH my meats, I can eat more of all of it- as it makes things move along a bit faster. Add some good fat or cheese to the mix and I get full and stay satiated longer than just eating lean. Things like breads, yogurts, popcorn, anything processed- I can eat it till the cows come home (*can and want are two different things, I live a mostly starch-free life now).. but give me a tiny hamburger sans bun or some chicken thigh and I'm full on less than 3oz! The early restriction post op for "sliders" aka processed foods or carbs doesn't last- once the swelling goes down and the tissue relaxes some months later.. So one person's cup of food is not going to be the same as another, it comes down to choice of food.. apples to apples.

The surgery removes the majority of the fundus- where one of many hormones (ghrelin) that play a role in appetite/satiety/hunger is produced.. but not the only place in your body where it's produced.. and your body adapts and ghrelin production does go up elsewhere, so the complete lack of hunger is generally temporary.. nothing to do with the nerve signaling to the brain.. it's hormonal.

Most but not all do report a return of hunger some months post-op - this is NORMAL! I had some returning by 4mo out, and now if I go too long between meals I do get hungry most of the time, sometimes I just get foggy headed and realize I needed to eat something a few hours ago.. sometimes it's pretty intense normal hunger, most of the time it's a nibbly, I need to eat feeling.. but really, a life without an appetite is foreign to me, and so I wasn't too concerned with the return at all. Since I usually eat every 3-4 hrs I generally don't get the fuzzy-headed feeling often.. considering my "meals" are in the 200-300 cal range each, I have to eat more often to maintain than I did when I had a full sized stomach that could hold 600-1000cal+ at a time!

 

 

I REALLY appreciate all this information!! It is SO HELPFUL!!!!    Proteins first! Got it!!  My faves are meats & greens (and fish!)

I would love to be able to reflect on this post... is there a way to "lock it" so I can always find it? 

 

I can't thank EVERYONE enough for answering the questions I had roaming through my pea brain!!! 

I am six months out. Today I measured out 3 oz of halibut and 1.5 oz of cooked spinach and a little olive oil/lemon juice mixture that the fish baked in and about half an ounce of asian seaweed salad. That was lunch at 1 pm and I was good until 8 pm. No snack.

 one of my favorite meals and I appreciate your feedback VERY much!!!