Question:
Can you stretch your pouch out after surgery?

I have heard that it is possible to stretch our your new little pouch stomach after a while and your back in the same boat you were in before surgery is that true?    — William I. (posted on May 13, 2003)

May 13, 2003
Yes, the pouch will stretch eventually - more so if you constantly overeat. But you are talking a 1-2 oz pouch stretching out to maybe 6-8 oz. A normal stomach has a 1-2 <b>quart</b> capacity - that's 32-64 oz.
   — John Rushton

May 13, 2003
i'd love to see some responses to your question, i know my pouch has streched out quite a bit because i can eat a whole 8/9oz lean cusine. i can also eat most of a whopper cheese burger from burger king along with 4 or 5 fries. when i asked my surgeons assistant he said not to worry about how much i can eat that it wasn't to much then at support group there was a sergeon there and i asked him and he said i can eat to much that i need to tell my surgeon and have a G.I. done and see if my pouch is streched if my stoma is large or what so i don't know what to think. i'm still loseing though so that's a good thing, but i have 70lbs to go to reach goal. help. kimberly open distal rny 11/12/02 -95lbs
   — kimberly T.

May 13, 2003
Your pouch is supposed to stretch some. And I understand taht it is possible to stretch it out so that you can regain some of the weight. However, the way most people regain is by grazing - by out eating the surgery. If you eat, then wait 30 or 40 minutes, you can eat again. If you keep this up. you take in way too many calories and yes, you will gain. But I understand that it takes a lot of effort to "stretch" the pouch to the point that you ruin the tool.
   — Patty_Butler

May 13, 2003
A MOs stomach pre op is about the size of their head. My surgeon says stomach stretching is overated and very rare. High calorie liquids, grazing and sweets can cause regain.
   — bob-haller

May 13, 2003
In response to Kimberly, bare in mind that a whopper is largely bread and veggies that mush up when you chew them well...with a thinnish meat patty. I can eat most of a Big-N-Tasty (McD's) minus 1/2 the bun plus 4 or 5 french fries as well. I can also eat most of a lean cuisine (again pasta and veggies with not a lot of meat) now that I'm 9 + months out. If you were to drop the burger or the meal into a blender and whiz it up, you'd see that in reality it's really not that much volume. But it IS a lot of calories! I can't complain though - preop I'd eat 2 big-n-tasty's, a super-sized fry, a milk shake and sometimes a cheeseburger to fill that last lil space in my stomach. So now if I really want a burger, I have one, ditch part of the bun and enjoy it. But that's the whole meal and I don't usually eat again for 3 or 4 hours. Sorry - a bit off topic.
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 13, 2003
I think I remember reading, in Pouch Rules for Dummies, that on average a pouch will stretch to hold 6-10 ounces...and that is to be expected and considered 'normal'.
   — eaamc

May 14, 2003
Your pouch will stretch out over time and it is supposed to. Post-ops start with anywhere from 1/2 ounce to 3 or 4 ounce pouches and end up with an average 6-10 oz pouch after a year or two years. As the others have said, you can abnormally stretch the pouch but it is difficult to do so-people that overstuff their pouchs constantly may end up doing abnormal stretching. The way most regain is to graze on high calorie items-small amounts all day long-especially the liquid calories like milkshakes will put the weight right back on. Its still a game of calories in = calories out. Obesity is a disease that we all have-the pouch is a wonderful tool to help us control it, but if we don't do our part in eating right, controlling the calories and taking care of ourselves, we can regain some or all of the lost weight.
   — Cindy R.