What the hell...... will I be able to eat that much?!?!

So it was my son's birthday this weekend he's 3 ^_^. I was so excited because my cousin who had an RNY 3 years ago was gonna come and even though I'm getting a VSG I wanted to observe her behavior and ask question. Well on her Facebook she looks really slim however there's a noticeable weight gain from the last time I saw her. She still looked gorgeous and I figured she had maybe started grazing. Well it seems like she can just eat way to much, how is this even possible! I decided to let her serve her own plate because I didn't know how much a person with weight loss surgery can eat and I was being a weird little stalker cause I'm just so interested. I mean I'm gonna get a  weight loss tool myself. My god I wasn't ready, she got 2 hot dogs and a small bag of chips and I thought plowed through them, then about 20 minutes later when the carne asada was out she got about 3 pieces of brisket, sausage bread and boracho beans! Well I got less than her and was really satisfied I didn't even eat hot dogs. Towards the end of the night we talked and she said that maybe the VSG was not enough for me because its less invasive and she can obviously eat more now and she thinks with the VSG I would also be able to eat way more than her. She says she doesn't regret her decision but that she thought she would be able to eat less, she also said that in the beginning 3 spoonfuls would make her feel full. I'm so confused?!?! Why is she able to eat this much, will I eventually be able to eat that much? I also wanna post this on the RNY forum but I don't want to offend or scare anyone. I don't want to spend money and risk my life if I will be able to eat how I used to since my biggest problem is that I'm a volume eater. Any people years out that still cannot eat much at one sitting? 

You can eat around any surgery.  

But how is it possible that she could eat that much at one sitting? 

She must be ignoring her body's signals telling her that she's full.  My boyfriend's mother had the RNY 4 years ago and if she eats half a sandwich she tells me that she feels sick from eating too much.  Remember WLS is a tool and in order for it to work you need to use it properly.

I'm not an expert, but I believe that the stomach stretches and so if a person consistently over eats even after WLS their pouch will stretch and stretch until they can keep eating like your cousin.  I'm only 2 weeks out, so I don't have any experience, but my guess is that if you eat until you are a little beyond full over and over that eventually you can fit more and more in.  That is why maintenance is so much work.

I'm certainly not an expert on RNY, or even VSG, but your capacity WILL increase over time - but by how much is partly up to you. One great piece of advice I got from this forum is to undereat your sleeve (search for Frisco's pyloric valve 101 post). I plan on keeping my capacity as tight as possible for as long as possible. Just because you can eat more doesn't mean you should and I weigh and measure everything so that I don't have to worry that I'm overeating or trust eyeballing things. (As of right now, I'm about 4.5 months out and eat 2-2.5 oz depending on what it is. No plans to increase that until I absolutely need more.)

Grazing and not following the rules of dense protein first will also let you eat a lot more, but that's a head issue more than a stomach one.

Not a RNY expert, just a girl who is going through the process of having the surgery done. I agreee, you can fail any weight loss surgery. It is not magic, it is a tool. And what you choose to do with that tool after the honeymoon stage is over, is up to you. You can stretch your stomach. I have read a lot on how about after two years, you will see a lot of those who have had the surgery either sustain their weight loss, or start to gain. The more you keep grazing, the quality of foods you eat, the more you push the boundries and test out the tool by going against the proper doctors recommendations, the more likely you are to end up putting on weight.

I feel bad for her, I hope she is honest with herself, and remembers the place she came from, and how she felt before she had the surgery, and snaps back into it and gets back on track. I am by no means saying she is going to fail, but just that she can consume that much food, clearly shows she has stretched out her pouch.

Best wishes!

I had a similar experience I met a friend of a friend out at a bar who had an RNY. She was encouraging me to have another drink. I just straight up told her I was trying to not drink much because I was thinking about WLS and didn't want to get into the habit of having a drink in my hand all night. She preceded to tell my about how she recommends the RNY because it made her more susceptible to getting sick when she at things she shouldn't. She then spent the entire evening picking at a cup and a half of rice. Which she ate all of on pinch at a time dipped in peanut sauce. I looked at this three drink, cigarette in her hand, rice grazing chick and thought well I'm thinking of the VSG not the RNY and I'll certainly use it better than you. I'm not saying I'll never eat rice, my grandmother is Korean, rice will happen eventually. But I've got no problems eating my proteins first. 

As time goes by, you will be able to eat more than the small amount you can immediately post surgery. It would be really difficult to go through life only eating a couple of teaspoons at a time

Just because you can eat something doesn't make it a good idea, though. I can eat more than I do eat. I will be three years out next month, and I typically eat about a cup of food. That means protein forward meals, not carbtastic meals, of which I could probably eat much more.

I don't know if your cousin typically eats in volume or what is going on. This is an ongoing battle, though. At first it is really easy to adhere to the eating plan, the weight is falling off, and everything is peachy. It can be hard to stay motivated. This is why so many long term folks (by which I mean five or more years) who have successfully maintained will tell you that this has to be a lifestyle change and not a diet. Once you hit goal, if you go back to eating in your preop manner, regain will likely find you. This is not a 'set it and forget it' process. If I don't stay aware and be honest with myself, I could go off the rails and eat all manner and volume of things I shouldn't. The consequence of that will be regain. I'm not saying I never deviate from my plan, but I work hard to recognize when I am making justifications and when I am not being honest with myself about my reasons for eating and the amount and quality of my food.

Should have mentioned straight off that I have an RnY.