DS is not an "eat anything you want" surgery

 OMG!  It really is you!  I remember the struggles you endured to fight to get your DS.  I'm so pleased to see you on the other side!!!  Amen to what you said and then some!  The DS is not a magic pill you can take and forget it.  It requires responsibility and accountability.  Wow, Anne, I'm so psyched I read this and found you here today!!

It's GREAT to see you, too, Denise.

Yes, it took THREE YEARS to get under the knife, but it was well worth it.

At the end of July, it will be TWO YEARS since surgery.

I love the DS. I do. I do. I do.

:-)

Love that us oldies but goodies are still out here...hang around more often, k? (Yeah, like I have any room to talk! lol)

I agree that it's not a free ticket, but I'm not about deprivation either.  In my history, deprivation creates desperation, which leads to binges.  Through my life, when I finally threw in the towel of yet another extreme diet that yielded no results, I would seal the deal with a bingefest for a day or two.  Nothing to the point of vomiting or getting sick, but just enjoying shamelessly everything that I'd deprived myself of for so long.  

 As a DSer, I had little tidbits of carbs regularly as long as I got in enough protein.  Tidbits is like 2 bites my first year.  Since I ate my protein first, it left me full and satisfied altogether, and not once did I have any inclination to binge on anything, and could often pass things by without any sense of angst.  I never felt MORE in contol. 

Today, I eat a lot more, and I still eat the same way, only I can eat more than a few bites.  Sometimes, I feel the cravings for simple carbs being stronger than I like, so I induce my own detox regimen, still maintaining my control.  There is a sense of responsibility that comes with the DS as any wls, and while it's so much more liberal, there still needs to be some form of control. 

Val - I know this approach worked for you (and you look GREAT)!  For me (and a lot of folks like me with addictive personalities) it's easier to not have any of a certain food than to stop at 2 bites.  2 bites easily becomes 12 bites, which becomes 'who needs protein just this once'.  It would be the slippery slope I'd fall right down.  It's what brought me to this WLS dance to begin with -- the inability to eat things I should have only sparingly, sparingly.

As soon as I look at all food as something that is there for me -- I will start rationalizing why it's OK to have x, y, and z.

I've often heard the old heads say "the DS fixes our bodies not our minds" is key.  Until I can work through the necessary changes my head needs -- my body is staying away from sugar!

Deb H.

That's the point of ALWAYS eating the protein first before you do it.  You only have room for two bites.  Any more and you'll just burst, so you're satisfied.  That's how I maintained control.  My grandfather is rolling in his grave, but I'm back to eating one thing at a time for the most part, the last item being the carbs, to make sure I don't go butt-wild, for I'm human like everybody else.

You're right though, everyone is different, and as long as the end result is success, then that approach works just fine. 

Val,

I also eat one thing at a time.  I used to start with potato's (pre DS) but now it's protein first then the veggies and then any starches.   Most people think I am weird to eat one thing at a time - glad to see someone else do it also. 

Kathy

That's what I do, too. I have to break up meat with some veggie or something, but I still try to adhere to the concept as closely as possible. (Unless, of course, it's treat night and I'm having pizza or pasta or whatever. Those are the days that I toss in an extra protein supplement.)

Val, thanks for posting this.  I too am of the mind that deprivation creates desperation and as long as I can (every once in a while) have what I am craving (a bite of cheeesecake, a bite of a  bagel) this DS will be something I can live WITH and not live with in spite of.

Being a revision, I have learned with my RNY that I can have that one bite, but when it turned to 5, 6 or the entire thing, that is when I dump.  I can honestly say that I will MISS dumping.  It was like biofeedback for me.  I knew when I crossed the line and it was a lesson that I remembered the next time I was up against whatever food it was that caused it the first time.

My progress has been pretty much the same as Val. I never once and have yet to count a carb. My first goal was always protein first, always. IF I still felt like I wanted something AFTER my protein requirements were met, then I would allow myself carbs or sugar or whatever it was that I was craving. I always seem to crave a Snicker bar around 3pm, and a Mt. Dew. I don't know why.

As far as the "eat anything you want" thing goes, I should add that the things that I want are a lot different now than they were pre-op. I'd say about 95% of what I crave is animal protein. Where somenoe pre-op might be jonesing for a handful of Hershey kisses, I'm salivating over thoughts of my next chicken leg. I do like my sweets (aka Snicker bar), but it's not something that is an overwhelming urge like chicken is.

Anne-

Perhaps you meant my posts are as clear as mud?

First, I am not advocating eating anythng you want with a DS.  When I posted in Karen's thread, I had "eat anything you want" in quotaton marks, which means the exact opposite of condoning such behavior!

I also replied to you in Karen's thread that compared to other WLS types, DSer's have a broader variety of foods to choose from, which compared to the others, we *can* eat anything we want!

My program limits me to 50 g of complex carbs daily, which I've just begun to add more of to my diet, because I've lost 91 pounds in three months.  My labs are within normal limits, but my PCP and I agree that the weight loss needs to slow down a little.  I'm sure that my surgeon will as well when I see her next month.

I'm going to go catch some of this beautiful Indiana sunshine, but please newbies, new post-ops, pre-ops, potential revisions, ANYONE who is getting the wrong idea from me -

The DS is a TOOL - you are stil responsible for following the rules, which means, do what your doctor tells you,follow your eating plan, and use common sense!

-edit-

by the way, everyone if you'd like to see my "eat anything you want" comment  *in context*,  go to this thread http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/3945826/I-made-a-mistak e-but-you-live-and-learn-had-a-no-no-to-eat/