is there a happy medium?

I'm just wondering if there is a happy medium between the overeating  that got us to be obese and the restriction I hear about...I am looking to loose about 80 lbs and it doesnt have to be at lightening speed...i'm just wonderingg if anyone has ever heard of maybe making the sleeve a little "looser"...to where you can just eat maybe a quarter of what you ate before..1 piece of pizza instead of 4? it just sounds like everyone is so restricted...is there a happy medium?

I wanted my sleeve as tight as possible -- I asked my surgeon for it.  I do not feel overly restricted.  I could probably eat a small piece of pizza if I wanted to.  I am 4.5 months out and can eat about a cup of food.  I expect when all is said and done I will be able to eat 2 cups of food.  I am tall, so my stomach is longer and therefore my capacity is likely bigger than most.  

I think you read a lot about people when they are very early out they are super restricted, but as you move further out the swelling goes down and it isn't bad.  

I would not want to go through the hassle of surgery and recovery for a larger sleeve.  It is still work to loose the weight, and the tightness of the sleeve is the tool that helps.  

Just my opinion.  

I'm 18 months out and eat one slice of pizza. Took about a year to build up tho that, and I lost 100 lbs.  I wonder if no matter how big or little your stomach is in the end, there's a good six months or more of reduced appetite and tiny portions because your stomach got chopped up and is swollen. From what I have learned, I can eventually eat an entire pizza if I choose to. What I'm saying is I dont think the size of the stomach makes us eat the tiny portions, it's the surgery. The lap band however just gives you a smaller stomach without the surgery and subsequent swelling amd recovery. Lots of problems with the lap band tho, including the fact that it doesn't reduce your appetite so you are hungry but can't eat.

Not sure what you are looking for? The sleeve surgery does exactly what you are wanting, at least for me, right now.

I feel like its more than a happy medium. I wanted my stomach as small as possible. You can still eat and feel satisfied without worrying that you cant eat a whole slice of something. I personally can eat half a banana with a small tbsp of natural peanut butter and be full, satisfied, and refreshed. I only put on my plate what i know i can eat that way im not looking at it like *well dang... i need to finish this...* Pizza is my 100% absolute fav food - I love gluten free pizza with spinach. Since ive had sugery I have made that pizza for my family more than once and not even wanted a bite of it. why take a bite and tempt yourself then crave it after that? I need to lose 150 lbs. I wont lose that weight if i take a bite of everything i enjoyed presurgery. I want the most out of this surgery.I may not be making any sense sorry. Dontt worry about not feeling satisfied after eating just because you know what you use to eat. After you eat what youre suppose to- you get that same fullness you got pre surgery with 4 slices.

I agree.  The sleeve allows you to eat a small portion and yet feel the satisfaction that you used to feel from eating huge portions before surgery. I am only 6 months out and I know that as time goes on the amount of food will increase, but for now I can eat a small portion and not feel deprived that I can't have more.  Instead I am satisfied and happy with the fact that I don't want to just keep eating like I did before surgery. 

I have found that, at 10 months out, I am at that happy medium now. I can eat a slice of pizza if I want. It takes time for scar tissue to loosen and for swelling to go down, but restriction increases for everyone over time. I started out able to eat maybe 5 bites (SMALL bites) when I was on solid food and have gradually increased quantity as my sleeve matured. Don't get me wrong, I haven't done anything to stretch my sleeve - no consistent eating to over-fullness or anything. It's just part of the process. That's why it's so difficult to continue losing the farther out you get. For this reason, I wouldn't want to go with an intentionally huge sleeve. In the end, it would likely mature to a size comparable to a pre op stomach.

Some people's plans (whether from their doctor or of their own creation) are very restrictive and specific with respect to calories, protein, carbs, and types of food eaten - others have a more moderate approach that focuses less on the numbers and more on living life while eating much smaller portions.  There are guidelines, but some plans aren't as specifically restricted.

As someone who LOVES food, loves to cook, eat, try new things - the physical restriction doesn't prevent me from enjoying food, but it has helped me make smarter choices, eat less, and still be satisfied - for me - that is the happy medium.  I don't need to eat a whole slice (or 4 slices) of pizza to feel satisfied, 2 bites of the yummy sausage and mushrooms from the pizza are satisfying right now - and the pounds are coming off. 

If you aren't sure that this is the way you want to go - perhaps working with a nutritionist or trying a non-surgical plan that encourages monitoring portion sizes (like WW) would be a way to start - to see if you can make some changes and evaluate if you would like to take the leap and have surgery.

Typically, you need a BMI over 35 with comorbidities like diabetes or high blood pressure...or a BMI over 40 if you are otherwise healthy - to be qualified for surgery.  With 80 pounds to lose, you may not be over these thresholds.

I have heard of doctors using larger sleeve sizes in the past - or for people doing the 2-part DS - but even then we are only talking maybe 6-10 millimeters bigger than the usual VSG bougie size.

Good Luck making your decisions.

Just my opinion here (the last person didn't like hearing it), but this is an example of "pre-sleeve thinking".

Right now your relationship with food is why you're posing the question.  There is nothing wrong with the question, it's perfectly understandable.  But what it doesn't consider is that, done correctly, this process breaks all connections you have to food and then reassembles them back in a better way.

For example: "1 piece of pizza instead of 4" when you might not be eating pizza at all.  First of all, it's mostly bread which is pretty much a banned substance, and the part that isn't bread isn't good for you nutritionally either.  You won't have room in your day for stuff that doesn't provide the right nutrition.

In full disclosure, I asked the EXACT same question of my surgeon and (more or less) got back the answer I just gave you.

All I can say is that I don't eat like anything at like I used to eat.  Everything has changed, and it's as much mental as physical.

My typical day started with fast food for breakfast, progressed to the higher-end fast food options for lunch, then high fat snacks in the afternoon, followed by a large restaurant meal for dinner, and finished with chips and soda before bed.  I don't think I made one healthy choice the entire day and I did this for DECADES.  Now, the worst part of of my diet are the three ritz crackers I have with dinner.  The rest is fresh meat, veggies and fruit, two of which I never touched before getting the sleeve.

The good news is getting a sleeve helps you make the mental adjustment; you won't have to rely totally on just your own mental discipline (which is why past diets probably failed).  While it won't cure obesity, it can help set the stage for taking the next steps.

Right on G5x5 you are really an inspiration to me. Im new here and have 105 pounds to loose. Thank you for the post.

Robin in California

I agree.  You have to stop thinking about eating the things that made you fat, like pizza.  

WLS is just one part of the whole picture.  It's more about changing your lifestyle, food choices and exercise.  Based on what you need to eat to sustain your nutritional levels, foods with heavy breads (like pizza) should never again become a part of your regular food choices.

After surgery, you need to focus on protein, and dense protein at that. I know how tempting it is to think that the surgery will solve all your eating disorders, but the reasons why you are fat are much more related to what's going on in your head than going into your stomach.  Dealing with these issues now will help keep the weight off later.  Otherwise, you're heading for the return of the dreaded weight.