Is my pouch stretched?

[Pam G]

GSF,

I was craving "Caldo de Pollo" today. Cut up chicken, stock, water,
boullion, lots of veggies and a half cup of rice which cooks down
and lightly thickens the soup.

Over several hours, I had 4.5 cups with a total of about 6 oz chicken.
I was full but not in pain. Vegetables were very well done. I know
my caloric intake was not that high, but is it abnormal for a sleever
to be able to consume this quantity of soup at 10 weeks post op?

This was my only food today other than double protein milk and coffee
this morning.Attachment 26217

Thanks!

This is called "eating around your sleeve". It's how WLS patients regain weight. You ate 4.5 cups over time, rather than having 1 cup, then waiting fir the next meal to have another cup. So, instead if eating 2 cups you had twice as much.

You have to have set feeding times, or you'll end up consuming way more than you should.

[Vincent Bach]

xxx

[Vincent Bach]

And now you have proven to yourself that you CAN eat OVER TIME a LOT OF FOOD that doesn''t challenge your sleeve.

Half of the people who have weight loss surgery don't maintain their weight loss over time. By doing just this.

Ann2,

You are so right. When I read your post, it was like a slap
in the face. This is why I'm logging my intake again as well
as continuing to see my Psychologist monthly.

I am determined to beat this thing. I appreciate your honesty.

Ron Rosenbaum

[JanPit]

It sounds like you did overdo it. I'm going to contradict a lot of what you read before me. At 10 weeks out I ate soup. It was the one food that I could tolerate, get protein and actually have some soft veggies. It was my favorite meal. At 10 weeks you are still in the soft food or pureed stage and there isn't many things that feel good. Soup was one of the things that I could tolerate. I did stick to three meals and 3 snacks, and I tracked. Don't be afraid of soup. I am 2 years out and I still rely on soup, especially when I am in a restaurant. Don't graze. That is one habit that got a lot of us in this position to begin with. Be kind to yourself, there isn't too many foods that are enjoyable at this stage. Eat soup!

[Vincent Bach]

Nice post, Jan. Thank you!

[Ann2]

Ron, I am so sorry. I think you're a mensch for coming back to reconsider my message -- that each of us has the power to win this war or lose it -- and to forgive my curtness.

None of us is guaranteed to be successful or unsuccessful long-term. It's a choice we make every day.

The bottom line is that Jan's advice is so correct: Don't graze. We truly can build better habits than we once had.

[Pam G]

It sounds like you did overdo it. I'm going to contradict a lot of what you read before me. At 10 weeks out I ate soup. It was the one food that I could tolerate, get protein and actually have some soft veggies. It was my favorite meal. At 10 weeks you are still in the soft food or pureed stage and there isn't many things that feel good. Soup was one of the things that I could tolerate. I did stick to three meals and 3 snacks, and I tracked. Don't be afraid of soup. I am 2 years out and I still rely on soup, especially when I am in a restaurant. Don't graze. That is one habit that got a lot of us in this position to begin with. Be kind to yourself, there isn't too many foods that are enjoyable at this stage. Eat soup!

I was eating regular foods at 10 weeks. but yeah, soups are da bomb any time!

[thinnhealthy]

Hmm my Dr said the sleeve will normally stretch over time but over eating will stretch it more but it wouldn't stretch as much as prior to being sleeved. I can definitely eat more than 2 years ago. I used to be stuffed at 1 banana and I could only eat 3 out of 6 ok peanut butter crackers (small pk). I can comfortably eat an entire banana, the entire pk of the crackers. I can also drink more water than before.

[Belinmad]

Ron, I think vsg is great for folks who cook (I used to be a cook many, many moons ago), cause you get to make things that are "tailor made" for you, your like and your eating habits. The key, in my opinion, is to be strict about measuring, have specific daily protein and calorie goals, and prepare things ahead of time (I cook for a week at a time, during weekends often). To a certain extent, I find it a fun challenge to create meals that I know I'll like and that will work with my sleeve.

I am at 5 weeks, saw my doctor last week who, based on my progress with food, suggested I just "go with what feels right to your stomach", e.g., I don't feel comfortable eating hard meats yet (steak), but I can eat half a burger and some salad if I chew well and take my time. Before I moved on to real burgers, I made a lentil-based paste, with condiments and soft veggies, that gave me protein and looked and felt like a veggie burger.

Knowing what my protein intake should be, I can plan and organize my day in a way that matches my activity and eating habits. I "graze" my shake during the morning, knowing I won't overdo it (I know exactly what's in it), and that way I am also not that hungry when I get to lunch time.

At lunch I will have some protein (chicken, fish, burger) and some salad. I've made a couple of different protein-based spreads (today I'm having home-made shrimp spread) to snack mid afternoon, and I keep dinner light, with a cup of chicken broth or gazpacho. I can add some protein if I still feel hungry, which is typically not the case, and I'm ready to go to bed.

[shalee]

Honest posts and opinions. So great to read for my newby self. Thanks for sharing!

[BAMR]

i always love reading your advice!!
Thanks!

How you describe this would be called grazing.
Instead of measuring out a portion and then being done to eat again in 3 hours, you ate over hours to get that much in. You are also male so chances are your anatomy to begin with is larger than a female and so your sleeve may hold a bit more than you are used to reading about.

So, no, you are not stretched. You did a behavior called "eating around your sleeve". Stretching is actually quite hard to do (beyond the normal give we are supposed to get over the first 18 months.)

I can eat about 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP of most things at 4 months. I can eat 3 oz of protein plus other things. I can eat/drink more than that and down 8 oz of liquid in 5 min, easy.

If you were in pain, you were past full. You are missing your full signals (or don't have them) or you are giving into old eating behaviors to keep eating because something tastes good. This is why weighing, measuring, eating by the clock and so on are so important early on.

[Vincent Bach]

Ron, I think vsg is great for folks who cook (I used to be a cook many, many moons ago), cause you get to make things that are "tailor made" for you, your like and your eating habits. The key, in my opinion, is to be strict about measuring, have specific daily protein and calorie goals, and prepare things ahead of time (I cook for a week at a time, during weekends often). To a certain extent, I find it a fun challenge to create meals that I know I'll like and that will work with my sleeve.

I am at 5 weeks, saw my doctor last week who, based on my progress with food, suggested I just "go with what feels right to your stomach", e.g., I don't feel comfortable eating hard meats yet (steak), but I can eat half a burger and some salad if I chew well and take my time. Before I moved on to real burgers, I made a lentil-based paste, with condiments and soft veggies, that gave me protein and looked and felt like a veggie burger.

Knowing what my protein intake should be, I can plan and organize my day in a way that matches my activity and eating habits. I "graze" my shake during the morning, knowing I won't overdo it (I know exactly what's in it), and that way I am also not that hungry when I get to lunch time.

At lunch I will have some protein (chicken, fish, burger) and some salad. I've made a couple of different protein-based spreads (today I'm having home-made shrimp spread) to snack mid afternoon, and I keep dinner light, with a cup of chicken broth or gazpacho. I can add some protein if I still feel hungry, which is typically not the case, and I'm ready to go to bed.

Belinmad,

Thank you for your thoughtful post. I am finally starting to get a grip on the late night grazing, eating more thoughtfully, and it looks like I'm beginning to lose weight again. I'll know for sure Monday, when I see my PCP and Psychologist.

[LindaLu]

Good reminder about grazing-I need to keep remembering that too! I still keep track of my intake most of the time to make sure I'm getting enough protein and liquids and not going overboard on my calories. We all know the habits that got us to where we were but it's good to be on this site to stay aware of the pitfalls that can take us backwards. Thanks to each of you-

[Sai187]

Soup is fine. Eating 6 oz chicken over several hours is fine too. The sleeve isn't meant to hold any liquids so the water (which is good for you as far as being hydrated) will go right through and won't stretch your pouch. Almost all doctors remove the fundus now, and sleeves don't stretch. They relax naturally through the months and years but it's not the same. Every doctor is different but my plan allows soup, especially ones that have protein and veggies. It's very healthy as long as you watch the salt. Today (over several hours) I had 3 ounces fish and 2 ounces pork, your meat intake wasn't much different. Just my two cents.

[Vincent Bach]

I saw both my PCP and my Psychologist last Monday. My PCP is pleased as punch that I'm off of 6 medications and using 1/3 the amount of insulin. My Psychologist was also extremely positive and reset my reset button for me. And oh yeah...I weighed in at 240.5, which comes to a loss of 58.5 lbs YTD. I had a very good eating week last week, and feel like I may have dropped a few more, which would put me over the 60 mark. Feeling very positive and sort of on a roll. Enjoying work as well as my time spent with my wife. Even bought a few new items of clothing. Fitting into some very nice sport jackets, shirts and trousers I've been unable to squeeze into for 15 years. On a roll. Eating a lot more vegetables. Also walking between 10,000 and 12,000 steps a day at work.

Thanks for listening,

Ron Rosenbaum