Laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy is also known as gastric sleeve or the sleeve. During this procedure, a surgeon removes about 2/3s to 3/4s of the stomach. Having a smaller stomach reduces the amount of food you can eat. Patients feel fuller with much less food, thereby consuming fewer calories. This procedure does not reroute or bypass any intestine. The surgeon divides the stomach using surgical staplers and removes the larger stomach portion from the body. The remaining part of the stomach is tubular shaped, about the size and shape of a banana, and is resistant to stretching.