How long for new DS stomach to stretch?

To be honest, a lot of times 3 or 4 bites STILL fill me up, and I'm approaching my two year surgiversary in a few months.  The only way I can get in all of the protein I need is to also drink protein shakes.  Find a brand you like - Vitalady carries tons of samples, so order some and start experimenting.  The only way I like protein shakes is to mix them with my coffee - I like them so much, I drink like three or four of them each day.  This way, I know I am covering my protein needs and the food I eat is just icing on the cake.

I know it can be frustrating only being able to eat so little (I just complained about this very thing a couple of days ago on another DS forum I belong to).  It's a hard adjustment in the beginning because you are not yet mentally used to your new normal.  For me, I thought by now that I'd be able to eat a bit more than I can, but my surgeon is notorious for making very small sleeves.  When I think about it logically, it really is a good thing...but it's still irritating when something tastes good and I can only take a few bites.  The other thing to consider, and some others have already alluded to this:  it all is dependent upon what you eat.  For whatever reason, some things just seem to "set" better in my stomach and that allows me to eat more of them than other things.  For instance, last night I ate about 3 to 4 oz. of pork sirloin plus 3/4 of a baked potato loaded with cheese, bacon, and sour cream for dinner.  No problems fitting it all in, no feeling absolutely "stuffed."  Three nights ago at work, I made myself some nachos loaded up with tons of cheese and bacon, ate three chips, and couldn't fit another one in.  It varies depending on the day, what I'm eating, and how much/what I've eaten prior to that meal.  If I let myself go too long between eating, it seems like I can't get that much down, even if I'm "starving."

Take things slowly - you're only three weeks out.  At your stage, I was just figuring out what I could handle eating.  Two or three bites would always fill me up, no matter what it was.  It takes time and patience.

Like what everyone else, when it's suppose to.

I agree that it was a shock to finally feel what it felt like. It wasn't nice like I thought it was going to be, it was a bit miserable. However...it gets better and you'll enjoy food again. For now, it's just a lot of healing and adjusting. If I wasn't so completely grossed out by smells and tastes early on, I think it would have been a bit mournful to watch others eat and enjoy it.

It  won't be long before you can enjoy a little more.  I found that custard was much easier to eat than a straight egg, and I could eat a lot.  I also made pudding out of ricotta cheese (aka Ricotta Fluff).  These items packed lots of protein in a small amount, and satisfied my sweet tooth.

Lisa, I'm 6 weeks out from my DS today. I've had a similar experience. At three and four weeks out I could barely eat anything. I could drink water and chicken broth but even a few bites of soft food would send me into a fit of foaming at the mouth and barfing up mucous. I couldn't figure out why everyone else seemed to be able to eat small meals (like a single scrambled egg) as early as 10 days out and I still couldn't.

Now at 6 weeks it's getting better. The protein shakes and water are going down way easier than they did 3 weeks ago. I'm able to get all my protein in just doing the shakes for breakfast/lunch. It's still hit and miss with the soft/solid food but I am starting to find stuff that my stomach can tolerate. I think it just takes some of us longer than others. Hang in there.

Ooo- this sounds eerily like my crapband experiences... I hope it all gets better for you. It is amazing how different this experience is for everyone, isn't it?

It takes about a yea for the newly reduced stomach to go through what the surgeonscall "maturation" takes about a year. 

If you got an eating plan from your surgeon or hospital program, you'll notice that refeeding is slow.  Mine added more food about every two or three months.  I'm nearly three years out, and depending on the density (texture) of the food, I can hold 8-10 ounces at a sitting.  A salad plate is now a dinner plate for me.  But...I do eat frequent small meals instead of large ones.  I can't handle the sight of a large plate of food, It fills me up before I can even eat much of it, so I generally order appetizers at restaurants, or I ask the waitstaff to serve me small portions on a saladplate, and box the rest to go.  I do explain to the why, in case they're resitant. 

If it's any cosolation, my stomach had a 2.8 oz capacity right out of surgery.

I'm 11.5 years out and I have zero restriction.  This has been true for some years now.  But my malabsorption works like a charm.

Sorry you lost your restriction.  I can eat more than I could immediately post-op, but *nothing* like I could pre-op. Glad it's still working for you, though!

Perhaps restriction simply goes away after several years?  I see you're more than a decade out.

Why are you sorry? I maintain my weight easily.

Not trying to start any fights with you, nyb.  Personally, I need my whole DS. Everybody's different. 

I'm happy for you that you can work with just having the malabsorption intact. 

I'm sure the restriction has saved me many a time when emotional eating took over; if I overfill and /or eat too fast (they usually go hand in hand) I upchuck. Anything.

Restriction is great for me, and yes, I'm doing work on emotional eating issues.

Definitely *not* judging you