Question:
Is it true that you can stretch your pouch?

with in the past 6 months I have not lost anything, I have lost almost 200lbs. but my weight is stuck at 230 and no matter what I am doing it will not move. Yes, i exercize, I try very hard not to eat bad things, I have started to smoke again, I am sick of being this way I want more weight off. My surgery was 10/30/03 I feel lost and all alone again but i know im not alone. any one PLEASE HELP ME!! I cannot take this.. Thnk you Wendy    — Wendy W. (posted on July 13, 2005)

July 13, 2005
I am in the same boat as you. I have been about 3 months without losing much. I can eat a lot more which tells me the pouch can be stretched. But I know it can be filled with water and you can feel just as full. Hard to do when you want to keep eating foods you can tolerate. but we just need to remember what got us here in the first place. and, no matter what, we wouldn't want to ever go back to square one. It's a different life and we need to adjust our lifestyles to fit. Hang in there!
   — ANGELA G.

July 13, 2005
Hi, This is just a plateau. Your body is just making an adjustment. Stay off the scales for awhile. Keep eating right and exercising. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict how long this plataeu will last. This is very normal normal normal. Go out and have some fun! Paula
   — shoutjoy

July 13, 2005
I am 18 months post-op and have stopped losing weight too. However, I'm down to my normal size (the size I was as a kid). But I really didn't have that much to lose. I wouldn't mind losing another size or two though. I'm afraid that I've become addicted to the 'losing' part. I just loved stepping on the scales every morning and seeing the weight go down. I think that we stop losing weight when our bodies say that it is time. Have you talked to your doctor? Maybe he would suggest going back to the protien drinks and such just to start the losing process over again. Maybe it just needs jump starting. I'm sorry that I'm not much help but I didn't want you to think that you were alone in this. Also, eating every few hours is very important. I know that I've gotten more lax about that myself and have to force myself to concentrate on eating small amounts all the time as opposed to eating 3 normal meals a day. That makes a big difference. Cindy Heath
   — cindyheath

July 13, 2005
As time goes on your pouch matures and the size it ends up at is larger than the intial size. This is normal. The mature pouch ends up at about 6 to 10 oz after starting out at about 1 oz. After the first 12 to 18 months, it does become harder to lose. It's like our extra little boost that makes the weight fall off is gone. We CAN still lost though, just like a normal person. Try reviewing the pouch rules for any bad habits that may have crept back, and buy the South Beach Diet book. That's a great program. I did find I had to be extra careful after the first year or two in order to continue losing.
   — mom2jtx3

July 13, 2005
Could it be that you are not taking in enough "good" calories? If you are not consuming enough calories, your body begins to think it is 'starving' it will change your metabolism rate and will start to keep all the fat you currently have in your body, it will even try to turn any extra calories it can into fat. It's the old "you got to eat to lose" adage. It becomes true in certain circumstances. This is why even bulemics will become frustrated and other dieters, because they begin to lose and lose and think they have the answer, then they plateau and the body says 'no more'. But I would cotact your surgeon as well as any dietician if you have been working with. Good Luck, Riain Op Date: 05 Aug 05
   — Riain B.

July 13, 2005
Your pouch is supposed to stretch a little over time, this is part of the reason why the first two years of compliance is so important. However; it is more likely that you would experience a SLD or an enlarged stoma at 1.5 years out. It was explained to me that it would take years of grossly over stuffing yourself to stretch your pouch to the point where it would cause gain on that aspect alone. My suggestion would be to completely evaluate your eating or check with your surgeon to see if something is mechanically wrong with the pouch.
   — RebeccaP

July 14, 2005
You are not alone for sure. I have not lost anything in 4 months. I get frustrated cause I feel like I have failed at this to. I eat between 800 and 1000 calories a day and have gotten to the pint where if I eat sugar or greasy foods I dump or get very loose stool. I used to stay constipated all the time. I retain fluid also cause I drink between 100 and 128 ozs of fluids a day. The nutritionist said I was washing out any and all the nutrients that I really need and that doing just the required amounts of fluids and protein awas good to do. I also exercise everyday for 2 hours off and on. But this week I have started every other day for an hour. I started out my journey at 352 lbs and day of surgery I was 326 lbs. I am now 213.5 lbs as of last wednesday. I was sick with the flu in January this year and got down to 194 lbs due to not eating and just drinking for a week and I wish I was back there again, but it is hard to do now that i am 16 months out.
   — mspisces

July 14, 2005
Hi, I have been told you can stretch your pouch over time. However, I am 7 years out and can eat more than I use too, if I eat often. I still can not finish a kids meal. This is what I do to get back on track. You will need a timer. Make a chart, I can email you mine if you email me directly. [email protected] / 7am coffee, 8am protein shake, 9am protein food, 10am water, 11am protein shake, 12pm protein food, 1pm water, 2pm protein shake, 3pm food, 4pm water, 5pm protein shake....etc...water,protein shake, meat protein food..nothing else!!!! repeat the rountine untill you are ready for bed. It gives you no time to eat junk or be hungry, you are filling your body with the needed protein and will lose weight. Do not loose your timer it is very important. Sometimes I would not be hungry or thirsty when the timer went off just set the timer for an 1/2 hour later and create what works for you. Good luck, Shana
   — shana1569

July 14, 2005
Hi Wendy, Just reviewed your profile and one of your most recent posts said you eat mostly TACO BELL tacos, cannot eat chicken or meat. I'm wondering if you are slowing down how you eat and really chewing what's in your mouth until it is puree'd (= mush!) before swallowing it. That is the best way to get protein AND fil up your pouch so you won't get hungry soon. IF that is how you are eating and you still can't hold down chicken, consult with your bariatric surgeon about the possibility that your stoma has scarred over, making the opening too small to tolerate coarse, dense protein sources.This condition can be confirmed and then corrected in one endoscopy outpatient procedure. Regardless, I cannot imagine that Taco Bell taco's have the best ratio of protein-to-calories, no saturated fats, and hi fiber complex carbs that we need to continue to lose weight! When you say you exercise, exactly what level of activity are you operating at? The only way, THE ONLY way, THE ONLY WAY to lose weight is to consume less calories than you burn up in activity. With our surgery, we are set up to consume 1200-1500 calories daily IF we also get 30min. cardio work out daily. A cardio workout should leave you sweaty and huffin' along, able to talk in short phrases. Nutritionally, most of the calories we consume should have a lot of protein, some fat and some complex carbs. You CAN do it!! All the best, Lauralyn 5'9.5" : Lap RNY 2/13/03, size 3x/ 8.
   — EmbodySuccess

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