Have you noticed a change in restriction?

[roseselene]

Hi! I'm currently six months post op. For the first two months, I had completely insane restriction to the point where I could barely eat anything. I had some pretty bad swelling and my post op period was fairly difficult. Once that settled in, I have a very nice restriction that hasn't seemed to change much over the last few months. I'm very happy with that. I'm just wondering for those who are farther out -- have you noticed that your restriction has changed to where you can eat more? If so when did that happen for you?
Amy

[Deleted]

I'm not much further out- but mine has remained fairly constant since the swelling went down. I'm still at about 2oz meat most days.. I did ask this a while back of some folks who were a few years out on the maint board, and most said they noted small increases somewhere in the 6-18mo out range, most reported something along 4-6oz of dense protein in the end, some more depending.. I'm not there yet!

[roseselene]

I'm glad it hasn't increased for me yet. I still cannot eat 2 ounces of meat. I'm around 1.6 ounces of meat and feel FULL. I'm sure it will change eventually, but I hope it stays like this for a while. I started out so restricted in the beginning I could barely get adequate fluids in.
Amy

[Joanne]

Hi,
I have the DS but noticed this post in Recent Posts, so I thought I'd pop in and tell you about my experience with my sleeve. My surgeon made my sleeve with a 38f bougie. At first, I had pretty tight restriction, like you're describing. I'd say that lasted all of the first year - to the point where if I ate out in restaurants (frequent business traveler here), I was always having to make excuses because it was totally obvious I barely touched my meals.

My stomach capacity continued to expand until I was at least 18-24 months out. I'm about 26 months out now. I think it's leveled off, but I have heard of others continuing to stretch. Right now I still have plenty of restriction, and eat small meals. It's not at the point, though, where it appears there's something wrong in restaurants, just that I'm a "light" eater, if that makes sense.

[Deleted]

I had such restriction I needed to mostly have protein drinks to get all my protein in the first 4 months at least. I think my capacity went up until about a year and a half.

should have kept track, I really forget.

now, I can eat TONS depending one what it is.

dense protein? not sure. more than 2 oz, though. maybe 4?

[Marie M.]

I had very tight restriction initially. However, at 3 1/2 months out I can eat 3 oz. of dense protein but will feel VERY full for hours afterward. Also my hunger seems to be gradually returning.

[Deleted]

for what I understand you can expect to get more capacity until much further out. I think I was still getting more until 1 1/2 years!
I don't think this is my stomach stretching, I think it takes that long for all the swelling post op to go away. well, I might be wrong but the VSG is one big ass surgery for your stomach. I know, I saw them on youtube!

[Deleted]

Jan 4, 2012 11:05:48 GMT -5 Marie M. said:

I had very tight restriction initially. However, at 3 1/2 months out I can eat 3 oz. of dense protein but will feel VERY full for hours afterward. Also my hunger seems to be gradually returning.

You may want to eat slightly less so you're not chasing that very full feeling.. If you're anything like me, it's not a really comfy feeling, and it was a habit to constantly pursue that full-tiger belly feeling that got me here.. now I could eat maybe 2.5oz if I pushed it, but I'd feel icky for a long while, so I start slowing down and stop when I feel satisfied/slightly full, but not stuffed.

I started getting some physical hunger back at 4mo post-op, and it's leveled off now where I have some nibbly/slightly hungry days but most are still "not really hungry" days.. I have a good appetite and never lost my appreciation for food though! I occasionally wake up hungry, but my morning protein coffee takes care of that..

[mom4jazz]

I'm 8 1/2 months with not much change since 3 months. I've seen several vets say they got a little more capacity later out and I'd looove to get a little more. I can't eat 2 oz and seem to have no slider foods so far (I've avoided most starches and simple carbs).

I don't necessarily think it'll stay this way forever, but I'm not expecting it to be huge.

[bb212]

My stomach still hasn't loosened up very much over the course of a year. My experience was similar to multiplepetmom's where I relied on shakes a lot to get my protein because my stomach wasn't allowing me to eat very much. Around month 5-6 I was able to eat 1/3 of a cup and now that I'm a year out it's at 1/2 cup at a sitting at 1 year out.

However, if I have quality, soft protein and I eat slow with lots of breaks, I can really pack it away (it just takes time).

Two months ago I ate a half rack of ribs with a side of beans and slaw, took me almost 1.5 hours but I did it.

[Carolyn H.]

At 11 months postop, my capacity for dense protein is still about 2-2.5oz, generally around 2.25. I don't push it, but I often can't eat 2.25oz. For soft things like cottage cheese, I eat 4oz, measured, but I sometimes can't finish it. Within my first 3 months post-op, I was at 1-1.5oz.

[felinemommy]

I'm a bit over 2 years out. I too, had a lot of restriction until about 1.5 years, then noticed I could eat more. While I still have good restriction with dense protein, I can eat what seems to be a LOT of salad! (And sadly slider foods.) Fortunately, I made the most of my first two years and have learned to be accountable for balancing intake and expenditure, so the change in restriction hasn't been an issue.

For those early out, DON'T just rely on your restriction to carry you through maintenance! It's kind of scary when you first notice you can eat more than early post-op because you actually get used to the minuscule portions!

It's crazy how the head trip continues, first you have to get used to eating so little, then it feels like you can eat SO MUCH, but in reality, it's more like normal portions!

[princess10]

I am 8 months out, and I can eat about 2-3 ounces of dense protein. I can eat about 1/2 cup of vegetables along with the protein. I can eat a lot of carbs, junk, etc.., but I just stay away from it. I try to stick by the rules, protein first, no drinking with meals. So far so good.

[Happy966]

I am 4 months out, and my surgeon used a 34f bougie but doesn't oversew, so not super tight. I never felt like I had any swelling at all, I could drink 8 oz of water in 20 minutes days after surgery. I normally eat 1.5 to 2.5 ounces of dense protein, and maybe 1-2 ounces of veggies on top of that. Or 4 ounces of cottage cheese. I am not "full" but satisfied. I know I could probably eat more if I pushed it (I admit I've overeaten a time or two, but not dense protein) and I can eat a lot more soup or chili or things like that (maybe 8 ounces if on the brothy side). I am very interested in how my restriction will evolve. Not so much because I want to rely on it to stop me from eating, but I do think it is related to hunger and satiety.

[laurak]

I am 3 years out with a 32f bougie. I still have no hunger and quite a bit of restriction. I am limited to 2 to 3 ounces of dense protein and a few bites of other things along with it. 1/2 cup of cottage cheese is still my max. I have to have a protein shake every day to reach 100 grams.

[move2lose]

I will be three years out in April and still have good restriction. I can almost eat a sandwhich (say lunch meat and salad) and just under a cup of dense protein. I can eat more than a cup of slider foods, so have to be careful of that, but even with junk food there is a limit to how much I can consume in a day.

[loulou7]

I'm a little over two years out, and I can eat more than I could my first year, but still pretty good restriction. I can eat around a cup of food, usually combining dense protein and a veggie (for some reason meat goes doesn easier when combined with a veggie). I can pack away white carbs and slider foods, so I have to avoid those or they trigger grazing for me.

I also notice that my restriction changes with the TOM. The week before my period I crave carbs and can eat a lot more. Then as soon as I start my period, I don't want to eat for two or three days - just drink hot liquids.

Still drink a protein drink every morning, but I just mix the powder in my milk and stir it into my morning cups of coffee for a mocha latte thing.

[sniffles]

I'm 22 months out from surgery. If I eat dense protein first at each meal, I have a lot of restriction. I can eat about 4-6 oz of chicken, steak, pork, fish, etc. But I don't want to eat ANYTHING else because I'm SO FULL. However, if I don't eat protein first and instead eat things throughout the day like cheese puffs, cookies, crackers, sliced white bread, mashed potatoes, chocolate, etc. - I can eat much, much more. These are also known as your slider foods. You won't experience much restriction with slider foods. So be careful with them.

[mizdel]

I am almost 4 years out and I can eat 4-6 oz of dense protein, maybe a little more for fish.

If I eat softer foods, I can eat much more. I never had super strict restriction because I was a revision. Part of the restriction of a new surgery has to do with your esophagus getting used to the smaller stomach. My esophagus was already conditioned for that. I was on soft solids within a week. I never have had to drink protein drinks and it is a good thing because they nauseate me.

I can eat a normal plate of food. I need to limit cabs and stay away from junk food or I will not lose.