Been a while!

**Tommy Boy** · 01-12-2015 07:52 AM

I am 1 year, 9 months post op. I have lost a total of 75 lbs and about 20 lbs from my goal. There's been ups & downs, weight-wise. Really struggling with diet, as far as finding something that will get the scale moving again. My problem is that I know that my sleeve is still working for me, because I do still get full faster, but I feel like I am eating normal again. I mainly stick to a Low carb, high protein diet, except for holidays. I normally exercise 3-4 times a week with cardio and weights. But with being hungry a lot, I feel like I have stretched my stomach. I see others still getting full off of a cup of food, 1-2 years out, and no way I am that way.

Any recommendations on getting my appetite to reduce back down? Getting stomach to shrink again? I though about going back to Low Carb Protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and maybe a Quest bar in between, then small dinner, but unsure what to do as I am at whits end and very discouraged. I feel like a failure. this is hard for me as I am usually strong and able to just put it aside and keep going. But really need some same experience advice here.

Thanks!

**Leanng** · 01-12-2015 01:27 PM

Tom, have you looked at the 5 day Pouch Test? I've added the link below. I just did this last week to break my bad habits from the holidays. I don't know that it shrinks your pouch, but it worked to give me a reset and to break the carb grazing. More than anything it got me to stop thinking about food every waking minute and get me back on track. So far so good. There is enough information on the site to do the plan without buying the download, good recipes also, but it is also pretty cheap. Just an idea, hope it works for you.

5 Day Pouch Test Plan Overview

**Tommy Boy** · 01-12-2015 02:08 PM

Thank you so much Lenng! Might be trying this come next Monday

**Leanng** · 01-12-2015 04:12 PM

Let me know how it works for you, best of luck. I'll be watching for tips from others, never hurts to have several things to try.

**jane_vsg_ayla** · 01-13-2015 07:05 PM

It really is not possible to "stretch" your stomach back out anywhere near where it was before - it will actually stretch very little since the part that is left is the muscular type tissue not the stretch bulbous part... basically the size it is after about 6 months is close to the largest it will be unless you very deliberately make an attempt to stretch it consistently over a long time (and just eating more is not going to do it). If it does stretch, the main reason is that people RELY on the restriction to tell them when to stop eating. But doing exactly that is what led you to be overweight in the first place. By the time your brain gets the signal that your stomach is "full" you have already eaten more than it can "comfortably" hold.

Usually what people think is eating more is eating "around" the sleeve... Finding ways to eat more or eat more calories with a restricted volume. That is very possible and pretty easy for those who are determined to do it (and some are).

1) If you drink while eating... Your intestines were not changed - they hold the same amount as before. picture your stomach like a test tube - you fill it up, then take a drink and gravity forces the food down into your intestines to make room for the water (like flushing a toilet!). Water leaves your stomach much faster, so you feel hungry sooner. Basically if you sat at the table and ate about 6 ounces of food, drank for a few minutes, a few minutes later you could eat almost 6 more ounces ... etc the longer you sit there and drink, the more you can eat. Your stomach didnt get bigger, you are just flushing it out and making room for more.

2) The type of food absolutely matters. Over time people stray back to more carbs and less protein. If you chew up 3 ounces of tuna and spit it out, it will look like 3 ounces of tuna. If you chew up 8 rice cakes (or 2 cups of noodles, or 2 slices of bread, etc) and spit it out, it would take up the same space as the 3 ounces of tuna.... but 8 rice cakes is 400 calories and all carbs (noodles and bread could be more), where as the tuna is only 100 calories and all protein. The carbs are all air, so you can fit way more in there than you can meet and protein. Plus if you pour coke (acid, like stomach acid) on the tuna, it will take a long time to dissolve (digest)... but the carbs will distingrate almost immediately. So carbs digest much faster and leave you able to eat more and feel hungry sooner.

3) Grazing... same as #1 basically... If you put 12 hard boiled eggs in front of you and tried to eat them all you would likely die after 2 or 3. But if you ate one every hour for 12 hours you would have no problem at all eating them all. You eat a little, probably drink a little, some leaves your stomach so room for more, you eat a little more, etc. Your stomach is basically always 1/4 to 1/2 full so you can always put more in because some is always leaving.

Some things to try
1) more protein/meat/less airy things. They take longer to digest. This includes broccoli and carrots and hard veggies - they take awhile to break down and make you feel fuller because they are volumous and you will can continue to eat "more" without more calories.
2) Dont drink while eating or if you half to (I do), sip. You should not finish more than an ounce or two during your meal - tiny sips every few bites. Wait at least 30 minutes after eating.
3) Unlike they tell you, DO drink right before eating to fill you up. They tell you not to when you are first out because they want the food to stay in your stomach longer, and your stomach to be empty when you start so you can get more in while your stomach is all swollen (because you wont be able to eat much in the beginning, need to mazimize it). But once you can get enough calories for nutrition purposes, its ok to use some tricks to feel fuller sooner.
4) Eat more in one sitting, and wait longer before eating again. The idea is to fill your stomach nearly full (not all the way!), then let it completely empty before you eat again... I got to where I was eating every hour all day... Now I make myself wait at least two hours, but try for three between eating times.
5) Do NOT rely on the restriction to tell you when to stop eating. Decide what volume you know you can reasonably eat without being "stuffed", set that volume out, eat it and STOP. Listening to your stomach and letting it decide when to stop eating is what got you here. Use your brain now. The sleeve gives you the self control to stop eating in a way you couldnt before. Use it. If you think you are still "hungry" get up and walk, brush your teeth, clean the kitchen, etc. Distract yourself for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you still think you are hungry, eat no more than one ounce of something. then distract yourself again. Next time you eat, add one ounce to your main portion. The point is to use your brain to know how much to eat, eat that and no more.

Good luck! Dont go underboard (as opposed to overboard) either! You SHOULD be eating significantly more calories than you did in the first 6 months. You should be eating closer to a "normal" person... assuming you didnt lose a lot of muscle. Use some online calculators to determine how many calories you burn in an average day and knock off 30% (15% because you are not normal and probably have lost muscle, so it will be an overestimate, and 15% to help you lose some weight). Eat that. Dont go so low. You absolutely do not need vitamins and supplements forever because of the sleeve, you should be able to eat enough variety and calories to get everything needed from food eventually.

**trexlee001** · 01-14-2015 02:56 PM

Great advice right there!

Originally Posted by jane_vsg_ayla

It really is not possible to "stretch" your stomach back out anywhere near where it was before - it will actually stretch very little since the part that is left is the muscular type tissue not the stretch bulbous part... basically the size it is after about 6 months is close to the largest it will be unless you very deliberately make an attempt to stretch it consistently over a long time (and just eating more is not going to do it). If it does stretch, the main reason is that people RELY on the restriction to tell them when to stop eating. But doing exactly that is what led you to be overweight in the first place. By the time your brain gets the signal that your stomach is "full" you have already eaten more than it can "comfortably" hold.

Usually what people think is eating more is eating "around" the sleeve... Finding ways to eat more or eat more calories with a restricted volume. That is very possible and pretty easy for those who are determined to do it (and some are).

1) If you drink while eating... Your intestines were not changed - they hold the same amount as before. picture your stomach like a test tube - you fill it up, then take a drink and gravity forces the food down into your intestines to make room for the water (like flushing a toilet!). Water leaves your stomach much faster, so you feel hungry sooner. Basically if you sat at the table and ate about 6 ounces of food, drank for a few minutes, a few minutes later you could eat almost 6 more ounces ... etc the longer you sit there and drink, the more you can eat. Your stomach didnt get bigger, you are just flushing it out and making room for more.

2) The type of food absolutely matters. Over time people stray back to more carbs and less protein. If you chew up 3 ounces of tuna and spit it out, it will look like 3 ounces of tuna. If you chew up 8 rice cakes (or 2 cups of noodles, or 2 slices of bread, etc) and spit it out, it would take up the same space as the 3 ounces of tuna.... but 8 rice cakes is 400 calories and all carbs (noodles and bread could be more), where as the tuna is only 100 calories and all protein. The carbs are all air, so you can fit way more in there than you can meet and protein. Plus if you pour coke (acid, like stomach acid) on the tuna, it will take a long time to dissolve (digest)... but the carbs will distingrate almost immediately. So carbs digest much faster and leave you able to eat more and feel hungry sooner.

3) Grazing... same as #1 basically... If you put 12 hard boiled eggs in front of you and tried to eat them all you would likely die after 2 or 3. But if you ate one every hour for 12 hours you would have no problem at all eating them all. You eat a little, probably drink a little, some leaves your stomach so room for more, you eat a little more, etc. Your stomach is basically always 1/4 to 1/2 full so you can always put more in because some is always leaving.

Some things to try
1) more protein/meat/less airy things. They take longer to digest. This includes broccoli and carrots and hard veggies - they take awhile to break down and make you feel fuller because they are volumous and you will can continue to eat "more" without more calories.
2) Dont drink while eating or if you half to (I do), sip. You should not finish more than an ounce or two during your meal - tiny sips every few bites. Wait at least 30 minutes after eating.
3) Unlike they tell you, DO drink right before eating to fill you up. They tell you not to when you are first out because they want the food to stay in your stomach longer, and your stomach to be empty when you start so you can get more in while your stomach is all swollen (because you wont be able to eat much in the beginning, need to mazimize it). But once you can get enough calories for nutrition purposes, its ok to use some tricks to feel fuller sooner.
4) Eat more in one sitting, and wait longer before eating again. The idea is to fill your stomach nearly full (not all the way!), then let it completely empty before you eat again... I got to where I was eating every hour all day... Now I make myself wait at least two hours, but try for three between eating times.
5) Do NOT rely on the restriction to tell you when to stop eating. Decide what volume you know you can reasonably eat without being "stuffed", set that volume out, eat it and STOP. Listening to your stomach and letting it decide when to stop eating is what got you here. Use your brain now. The sleeve gives you the self control to stop eating in a way you couldnt before. Use it. If you think you are still "hungry" get up and walk, brush your teeth, clean the kitchen, etc. Distract yourself for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you still think you are hungry, eat no more than one ounce of something. then distract yourself again. Next time you eat, add one ounce to your main portion. The point is to use your brain to know how much to eat, eat that and no more.

Good luck! Dont go underboard (as opposed to overboard) either! You SHOULD be eating significantly more calories than you did in the first 6 months. You should be eating closer to a "normal" person... assuming you didnt lose a lot of muscle. Use some online calculators to determine how many calories you burn in an average day and knock off 30% (15% because you are not normal and probably have lost muscle, so it will be an overestimate, and 15% to help you lose some weight). Eat that. Dont go so low. You absolutely do not need vitamins and supplements forever because of the sleeve, you should be able to eat enough variety and calories to get everything needed from food eventually.