Gastric sleeve surgery is one of several different types of weight loss surgeries.
During a gastric sleeve procedure, the surgeon uses staples to close off most of the stomach, effectively reducing its size.
The new smaller-sized stomach helps you feel full faster so you don’t overeat. This reduced food intake results in significant weight loss in a relatively short time.
Unfortunately, many people who are overweight because of overeating, find it difficult to shake off this habit after their gastric sleeve surgery.
They manage to stay motivated and eat smaller portions for the first few weeks or even months but eventually, they return to their old eating habits. This can have several adverse effects.
Here are some of the things that can happen if you keep overeating after your gastric sleeve surgery.
Severe Discomfort After Overeating
Your stomach size would have shrunk considerably after a gastric sleeve procedure. This new smaller-sized stomach cannot handle the same amount of food as your pre-procedure stomach. If you continue to eat as much as you did before you are in effect forcing your stomach to handle more food than it can.
Not surprisingly, over-stuffing the stomach will cause severe discomfort. Most commonly, this will be in the form of adnominal cramping and pain. Sometimes, it can also cause heartburn and indigestion.
Indigestion – Vomiting or Diarrhea
Vomiting and diarrhea are common side effects of overeating after gastric sleeve surgery and it’s not surprising. When more food enters the stomach than it can hold, the stomach feels stressed and looks for the fastest ways to get rid of what it cannot hold. Vomiting and diarrhea are the fastest ways for the stomach to void its contents. You may experience one or both if you overeat.
Stretching of the Stomach
In addition to the pain, cramping, and indigestion, filling your new smaller stomach with more food than it handles, will also cause the stomach to start stretching. The more you overeat, the more the stomach will stretch. The point of doing a gastric sleeve surgery is to shrink the size of the stomach.
Continuing to overeat will undo the effect of the procedure and your stomach will revert to its pre-procedure size.
Worse still, there could be other complications if the staples or stitches that the surgeon used to shrink the stomach become displaced. This could cause internal bleeding and other complications.
Staying Committed is the Key to Long-Term Weight Loss
Staying committed to eating smaller amounts is the key to successful long-term weight loss, but this is easier said than done. It’s often all too easy to slowly slip into old habits of overeating, especially when you don’t have the right support. This is where Dr. Choi can help.
Dr. Choi is as committed to your weight loss success as you are. He also understands the challenges that many people encounter on the way. That is why he and his team are always on hand to offer individual help, guidance, and support so you stay on track after your gastric sleeve procedure.
