Is this possible??

I had VSG in Dec of 2014 starting weight of 240. I lost down to 140. After going thru life changes, going back to old habits... I have regained 40 lbs. I am getting back on track but I have a question??

Is it possible to stretch your stomach size? (I have gained a lot around my waist) If it is possible, is it possible

to get my stomach back to original size of when I had my VSG surgery?

It is possible to stretch your sleeve, but it is very difficult.

Measure out a portion of 4 - 5 oz lean, dense protein (like chicken breast). See if you are able to finish the entire portion. I'm willing to bet you can't!

I had surgery 9 months prior to you and I'm still able to easily lose weight when I eat correctly (i.e., when I stick to dense protein and don't eat other stuff). I gained about 20 pounds in 2016 immediately before and after my dad's death. It's slower going for me now, but that's because I'm less vigilant - but it's still going which, to me, is the important part.

Gwen.... so sorry to hear about your dad. I lost my dad 4 months ago and that threw me off track even more so. I am losing my vision and had to quit my job... that started my depression which led to eating wrong things. I'm glad you are still losing! Your post encouraged me to keep going and to get back to the basics. Thanks!

Your stomach will naturally increase in capacity some over the months after surgery, typcially to maybe twice its original size - not really stretching but some growth and adaptation the body goes through to counter the insult (surgery) that happened to it. If the sleeve was poorly done there can be too much of the stretchy fundus left at the top or bottom of the stomach that can allow some unwanted stretch, and other possible issues, but that seems to be fairly rare. An endoscopy or imagining such as a barium swallow can evaluate this.

In addition to a bit of growth and adaptation, our diets normally become more varied including more sliderish foods, the worst being, of course, a lot of the junk foods commonly associated with being "sliders" (chips, twinkies, cookies, etc.) but also many healthy foods like fruits, some veg, nuts and legumes that can fall somewhere in between.

This doc is one of the few who discussed the topic of how our sleeves and pouches evolve, and offers a prescription for countering, or at least living with, this effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_aahPETzH0&t=613s

One may or may not be amenable to his solution, but it does have some merit and is worth considering in crafting your own solution to regain and long term weight control. I don't buy into everything he professes, but I have evolved into a more veg heavy (along with meat) diet than many do, and it does make some sense as veg tends to be fairly bulky and low calorie.

It's not really possible to get your stomach back to your immediate post op size, though doing something to induce some inflammation in the stomach, as we often have post op, will yield that effect temporarily (like getting an overly aggressive EGD!) Reputedly, reducing the overall average meal size may help the stomach adapt to smaller portions again, to some degree (YMMV) and some report gaining more restriction after plastic surgery that tightens up the ab muscles in the area - so something of an indirect shrinkage, by way of the room available for the stomach to expand - but this seems to be a fairly transient effect.

I just wanted to thank you for the link above. I watched several of his videos and think his thoughts on calorie counting and food portions in relation to what KINDS of calories and amounts (for WLmaintenence) are something to consider. I am working on increasing my intake of vegetable carbs (not so much on the fruits- they can be sliders for me). The trick seems to be in the preparation of said -good for you foods that quickly become bad for you foods when you dress them up (think of what can be done to the lowly eggplant!). Anyways, thanks again. Bonnie.

I do think you can stretch your stomach, but I think you really haven't done much stretching unless you have been gorging on food all day over the years. If you're not eating until you pop and waiting 2-3 hours between larger meals you're probably okay!

Well, I have to confess I have been eating the wrong foods and grazing thru out the day but not to the

point of stuffing myself. I am trying now to just eat smaller portions hoping this will

strink my stomach size. Maybe I need to get my stomach use to holding smaller portions??

I know it is not the same size as it was post surgery.... just didn't want it back to its original as before surgery.

I just want this tool to still work for me. Hoping i have not done too much damage to it in the last year.

Thank you all for your response.... today was day 1 of getting this regain weight back off.

I pray all goes well for you. Especially concerning your eyes.

Many blessings.

Your old stomach was the size of a football. The new one the size of a Sharpie marker. Even if it doubled in size it will never get back to the size it was.