What Size Is Your Sleeve?

My appetite and how much food I can put in my pouch depends on what food it is. And what I drink.

With some carbs, my capacity seams to be almost limitless. I can eat and eat and eat. I also noticed that drinking alcohol relax my pouch and my intestines. I discovered that because I have IBS and one thing that almost always helped with severe cramps was ..booze. even when I had hernia, and twisted intestine, alcohol helped food to go through the twist. That or made that area of my small intestine less sensitive to pain.

I don't recommend drinking alcohol, and now I seldom drink. I plan either not drink at all, or reserve that to a very special time, like vacation. Or..i.e having a sip of champagne when we celebrate New year ....maybe...

Beside alcohol - sweets or simple carbs also make my pouch and intestine rather insensitive to "full signals". I am not sure if sugar or insulin affects the lining of my pouch or intestine.

Sometimes internal yeast infection - Candida overgrowth - can contribute to cravings for simple carbohydrates. Google "Candida overgrowth". When our internal bio-flora is not balanced properly, yeast and bacteria in our intestine can get out of proper balance and we may crave sweets and simple carbs. I often experience very intense cravings after an antibiotics treatment, or after I recover from food poisoning/stomach flu.

Bougie size does not completely determine the size of your sleeve. A surgeon can use a 36 and stitch tight to the guide, or use a 32 and go a bit looser, and both sleeves would effectively have the same capacity.

Realistically, the difference between a 34 and a 36, volume-wise, is about one bite.

Size doesn't matter.