Can a gastric sleeve stretch? And if so, is it something to be concerned about?
Gastric sleeve surgery is one of the most popular weight loss procedures available. It is highly effective. During the surgery, the doctor will reduce the stomach size by at least half, which will alter the digestion process, which causes you to eat less.
Once the surgery is done, the stomach will only hold a few ounces of food at one time, which means you will feel full quicker. However, if you overeat, you could cause your new smaller stomach to stretch.
The good news is that you can help avoid the stretch after gastric sleeve surgery.
How to Avoid Gastric Sleeve Stretch
Don’t eat and drink together: It is better to drink fluids an hour or so after the meal but not with your meal. This allows fluids to digest and it won’t increase the amount of gas that can build in the stomach and limit the amount of space for nutrient-rich food.
Avoid certain foods: When you undergo this kind of surgery, it’s important to avoid foods that are high in sugar, carbs, and saturated fats. These can leave the stomach pouch quickly and cause it to dump into the small intestine, which can be alarming and uncomfortable.
Identify first signs of fullness or satisfaction: Eat slowly and take small bites. If you eat too fast or bites are too big, you will feel uncomfortable and get full very quickly. But if you allow yourself 20 minutes to 30 minutes to eat, you will fill your small pouch appropriately and stay full longer, which will cut down on snacking and grazing. (Remember, snacking often makes drinking your fluids difficult because you cannot eat and drink together).
Get support: Undergoing weight loss surgery is a radical transformation in your life and how your body processes food. There is no shame in asking for help and support as you walk this new journey toward healthier living. Surround yourself with friends and family that will help encourage you and keep you accountable. Our team at WeightWise is ready to support your new lifestyle, too!
WeightWise
When you have bariatric surgery, whether it’s a sleeve gastrectomy, a gastric bypass, or another bariatric procedure, your body will undergo changes. Our goal at WeightWise will always be to support you for the long term.
We want you not only to lose weight (and avoid weight gain) but to also learn to modify your behavior when it comes to eating habits so that you can continue to live a life that’s focused on health, wellness, and wellbeing.
For many obese patients, hunger and full signals have been ignored during food intake. For some, the only siren call they can hear is the hunger hormones ghrelin.
That’s where we come in. WeightWise is here to help you get a good start on the road to weight loss and wellbeing. It’s OK to feel concerned or worried about one’s stomach stretching after gastric sleeve surgery or otherwise permanently stretching and causing health problems down the line.
But as we’ve tried to document in this blog post, there are ways to limit gastric-sleeve stretch. Best of all, these methods are part of a process of health and wellbeing, anyway!
Thousands of people have taken advantage of the new lease on life that bariatric surgery can provide for them. These surgeries are overwhelmingly successful at helping people lose weight.
Process
But there’s more to the process than just the surgery. As multiple studies and our own experience here at WeightWise have shown, follow-up care is at least as important as the weight loss surgery itself.
Not sure if gastric sleeve surgery is right for you? Attend one of our seminars or watch one online to see how we can help you.
We also encourage you to look through our website. We have lots more blogs on topics of interest, and we’ve recently revamped our online store. There you’ll find all the foods you need to help you stay on track to your health and fitness goals. We have vitamins, protein bars, protein shakes, bariatric foods, bundles, and more.
In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We know that people often have a lot of questions before embarking on their personal fitness journeys. (Especially when it comes to weight loss surgery.)
So please do get in touch with us. We are here to serve you and to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed choice — the choice that’s best for you and your specific situation.
Contact our team at WeightWise for information on getting your weight loss journey started!
We updated this post on Jan. 17, 2022.