Your stomach is a marvel. It works on your behalf 24-7, turning food into energy. When it’s out of sorts, you feel it immediately. Whether it’s burning, bloating or that queasy feeling you get when a virus hits, there’s no ignoring tummy trouble.
Most people don’t know how the digestive system works, and that is one reason why stomach issues are so hard to cope with.
After weight loss surgery, your gastrointestinal system works differently. Your stomach is smaller than before. You may be more sensitive to sugars, fats, raw fruits and vegetables. But, eventually, sometimes within weeks, your body adapts.
The more you know about how your digestion works, the better you’ll be able to take care of yourself after weight loss surgery.
4 Facts About Your Stomach
Fact #1: Exercise doesn’t change the size of the stomach.
No amount of crunches or sit-ups will shrink the size of your stomach. Exercise burns fat throughout the body, but there’s no such thing as spot reduction. Working the muscles will change the measurement of your waist and abdomen, making it smaller as the muscles get stronger.
Fact #2: The size of the stomach is not associated with weight.
Thin people don’t have correspondingly smaller stomachs than overweight people. A slender person’s stomach may be larger than that of an obese person.
Fact #3: You can’t shrink your stomach by cutting down how much food you eat.
Your stomach will remain the same size once you have reached adulthood. The only way to shrink your stomach is by getting weight loss surgery. Eating less won’t make your stomach shrivel up and shrink. It can, however, change the hunger signals of the body. That can help you eat less. You may have the sensation of a shrunken stomach after fasting or eating less. That feeling is temporary and disappears as soon as you return to eating.
Fact #4: Eating before bed won’t make you fat.
Weight gain isn’t based on the clock. People gain weight when they take in more calories than they spend in a given time. That said, some experts recommend avoiding late-evening snacks and meals. Eating at night can disrupt hormones and interfere with sleep. Missed sleep increases stress, starting a cycle of fatigue and impulse eating.
Weight loss surgery changes the size of your stomach. Some procedures, such as sleeve gastrectomy, also affect the hormones that spur hunger. Shrinking the stomach through surgery can help the severely obese permanently lose weight and improve weight-related diseases.
Our caring, experienced team members will help you start down the path to a healthier life. If you’re concerned about your weight and want to change your body for the better, contact WeightWise.
