It should be remembered that maintaining overeating behavior after surgery can expand your stomach. If you eat too much for any reason, your stomach will stretch, and if you take excessive food, your stomach will stretch after gastric sleeve surgery.
However, it is important to understand that stretching the stomach regularly can lead to a permanent increase in the size of the stomach, which in turn can lead to weight gain.
At this point, if you don’t pay enough attention to your nutrition after surgery and don’t listen to the diet or suggestions that your doctor applies to you, unfortunately, you may see an expansion in your stomach again. Although this situation does not happen most of the time, it is one of the issues that is likely to happen.
The basic structure of the stomach is made in such a way that it flexes when food and drink enter it. When the stomach reaches its limit capacity, it warns your body that it is full, so you will stop eating. When a person overeats, the stomach is stretched even more to accommodate the extra food.
If this is a rare case, the stomach simply shrinks to its previous size. If overeating happens regularly, the stomach can grow permanently.
In addition, the body may notice when the stomach is full and therefore may not signal you to stop eating. In addition, your stomach can activate the feeling of hunger when your stomach is still half full.
As a result, you can gain weight even after gastric sleeve surgery. This condition should not be perceived as a condition related to the success or failure of the operation.
Even if the operation is perfectly efficient and fully successful, the unconscious actions that the patient will take after the stomach reduction operation may be a harbinger of this disease and stomach enlargement again.
One of the important things to remember is that the stomach can stretch a small amount. The stomach is stretched, and this is very normal. But you should be careful not to overeat routinely, otherwise weight gain may occur.
By following the instructions of the team or surgeon you are treating for obesity and following the post-treatment program, you can develop healthy eating habits and increase the likelihood of long-term weight loss success.
The main way to achieve success in losing weight, with or without any operation, is directly related to this aforementioned conscious eating habit. When you fully understand the structure of your stomach and how calories return to you as weight, you have had one of the biggest gains in weight loss.
At this point, instead of doing diets that are completely strict and will keep you away from the foods you want, if you eat a balanced diet and keep a calendar of what you eat, you won’t have to worry about whether your stomach will expand again after gastric sleeve surgery.
At this point, you can take into account the warnings of doctors, dietitian doctors and obesity teams connected to the health facility or clinic where you are being treated, stay away from dangerous food groups and create a periodic nutrition system for yourself in this context.
Although it is an easy step for you to have stomach reduction surgery to lose weight, the main success will be to keep this privilege you have with your conscious actions.
Table of Contents
Things to consider for stomach stretching
After the gastric sleeve surgery, the patient can consume only liquid foods for the first two weeks. Then, liquid and solid foods should be consumed together in the transition to solid food in puree form. Decongestant foods should be consumed in a combination of liquid and solid foods.
Carbonated drinks are prohibited for life. In the nutrition plan consisting of natural and healthy foods, foods rich in minerals, vitamins and protein should be consumed. In the nutrition plan created under the control of a dietitian, vitamins, etc. are used as supplements if the patient needs them.
Doing these things will also prevent the stomach from stretching. Gastric sleeve surgery is an operation aimed at losing weight by reducing the stomach. If it is necessary to evaluate all the methods of bariatric surgery, on average, the loss of 50-75% of excess weight is a successful and possible goal.
This goal is approached at the end of 1 year. But the speed of weight loss and the process of its continuation are usually very much related to the patient’s age, gender, concomitant diseases, eating habits. Being able to manage the postoperative process and make lifestyle changes will help you achieve success.
How Long Does the Stomach Stretch After Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
During the recovery process, you will experience stretching of the stomach. This is a normal reaction, as the stomach naturally stretches to accommodate the volume of food you eat at a time.
To minimize this process, you should eat only until you are completely satisfied. However, it is important to avoid stretching the stomach too much after gastric sleeve.
As your new stomach is reshaped, you will experience some stretching, but it will eventually deflate. While the stretching is normal, it’s important to avoid comparing the size of your stomach to what it was before the procedure.
Eating too much can result in weight gain after gastric sleeve surgery. After your procedure, you should stick to your doctor’s nutrition plan and calorie intake until the tissue has healed.
Although it’s natural to experience some stretching after gastric sleeve surgery, it is not common. Your new stomach is 85% smaller than it was before the procedure, and it will eventually stretch back to its original size.
This process can take months or even years, and it is perfectly normal. And, while it may feel uncomfortable, it is usually not severe enough to cause problems.
If you are concerned about your weight, you should be aware that it will continue to stretch for several months after your gastric sleeve procedure.
However, you can reduce the size of your stomach pouch and resume eating smaller meals. If your weight has decreased and you haven’t lost enough weight, you can have a second sleeve. You can also consider an endoscopic procedure to shrink the size of your stomach pouch.
Can You Fix a Stretched Gastric Sleeve?
A stretched gastric sleeve can happen if the stomach expands after surgery beyond its usual limits. This might occur if the patient starts consuming larger portions or resumes previous eating patterns. Surgery can be used to repair the stretched sleeve, but it’s also crucial to change the ingrained habits that led to the stretching by working with a dietitian or therapist. It’s also crucial to make the necessary adjustments and adhere to the post-operative instructions given by the surgeon.
References:
https://bariatricjournal.com/will-your-stomach-stretch-after-gastric-sleeve-surgery/
https://www.bariatricfoodcoach.com/fact-or-crap-you-can-stretch-your-post-op-pouch/
