Fact or fiction?

Hello everyone!!!

Loving sleeve life and appreciate all the help from this group!

Curious since reading various other support group questions, there is a wide variety of responses to questions people post and not sure what is fact or fiction.

Ok,  these are the ones I am most curious about:

1. Weight loss stops after one year.
2. Slider foods can stretch the sleeve
3. The sleeve can stretch
4. Eating only 6-800 calories will put you into starvation mode

Thanks!!!!!

1. Weight loss stops after one year.  Weight loss stops when calories in are equal to or exceed the calories out.  It gets harder as you're further out because motivation dims and, because you weight less, you need fewer calories to maintain.
2. Slider foods can stretch the sleeve.  The whole point of sliders is that they slide right through the pyloric valve.  No stretching involved.
3. The sleeve can stretch.  The sleeve relaxes as it matures.  First, it's pretty swollen right after surgery, so your restriction is at its greatest.  Swelling goes down, the scar line where the staples are soften with time, and it will naturally stretch a little.  But the really elastic part of the stomach has been removed.
4. Eating only 6-800 calories will put you into starvation mode.  No such thing as starvation mode unless you're actually starving - like people in Ethiopia.  We have enough fat to carry us for a long, long time.

The head surgeon of the bariatric practice I used once told the group that people often come back claiming their stomach has stretched.  He goes down and takes a look, and that in 95% of the cases, everything is absolutely fine.  Folks have just gone off plan.

Thank you so much for your clear response! I had 7 years with the band so knew how slider foods affected it but the sleeve is still kind of new. With the band a handful of nuts filled me up with the sleeve major slider so those are no longer allowed lol! 

1. Absolutely not.
2. No.
3. Every stomach gets larger over the first year.
4. No such thing as starvation mode

Thanks Grim, for the response!!!

1. Weight loss stops after one year.

False- Weight loss stops when intake calories equal what you burn. The truth, most people run out of commitment and compliance before one year. Also 1000-1200 calorie plans "tend" to put a lot of people into maintenance (caloric balance) at around the 6 month mark.

2- Slider foods can stretch the sleeve.

Just the opposite, slider foods do not close the pyloric valve and you can eat a lot more and that a lot more tends to be carbs, sugar or higher fat foods.

3- The sleeve can stretch.

YES, a sleeve that starts out at around 2oz. will mature to about 4-5oz. The larger the initial sleeve, the more stretch can occur. Not all sleeves are created equal, it is a non-standardized procedure and results tend to reflect that and be all over the place. Eventual sleeve capacity can range from around 3oz. to well over 16oz. that is a huge range. Smaller sleeves seem to be much more effective in both WL and maintenance. Smaller sleeves are harder to make correctly and have a higher complication rate and that is a big reason surgeons tend to make larger sleeves.

Constant over eating is about the only way stretch a sleeve. And small sleeves do not guaranty success as you can still eat plenty of wrong foods, it does give you a higher percentage chance as you have a smaller capacity.

4- Starvation mode is bunk

frisco

Frisco! Thanks for the response, I appreciate it! Oh for your pyloric valve lesson also, invaluable!

what are slider foods?

Slider foods are usually processed carbs that do not close off the pyloric valve, like high protein foods do.  For most of us, slider foods are things like; popcorn, chips, cookies, candy, ice cream and cake.  It varies from person to person, so try to stay with your nutritionists recommendations.  Slider foods can keep you from losing weight.

Thanks everyone for clear, straightforward and concise responses! Oh and everyone agrees, something that doesn't happen on the facebook page that prompted me to ask the questions here lol!!!! There is so much differing and misinformation out there, this forum rocks!!!