9 year Switchiversary!

Congrats on your 9 near anniversary!  I'm getting to have my DS next week and I'm terribly nervous. Do you have any words of wisdom for a newbie?  Any advice as far as food, vitamins..anything. Would love to hear about your experience.

Nervous is about as normal as it gets, so you're on your way.

Vets have more understanding and knowledge about day-to-day post-DS life than even most medical staff. HOWEVER, everyone has an opinion and it can be confusing. Take you need and leave the rest insofar as advice but don't pick and choose so that the advice you take is what you want to hear. The proof is in the results. Sure, people will tell you they can eat 3000 calories or more a day at two or more years out without exercising much, etc ... But are they maintaining their weight loss well or do such comments come intermingled with their complaints that they've gained 20 lbs or more? My only weight gains have been hormone related (I'm 58 y/o) and yes, I had to be extremely diligent to take off the weight gained.

Protein FIRST ... ALWAYS. Take your vitamins and supplements no matter how good/lousy you feel. This will be harder in the first few months (first three months usually suck ass, no matter the surgery), so opt for liquid vits-supplements initially to make it easier to get 'em down. On occasion you will have to take something vital for you and it won't be all that palatable. Suck it up, your long-term health will thank you.

Just because you CAN eat certain things, doesn't mean you should. My stomach still can't contain anything more than 12 oz in one sitting because I never increased the size of my banana belly. That, to me, is vital to the surgery's success. I can now do all the things people tell you that you should do to be healthy: 5 small meals a day (and one or more of those meals is usually an apple or half a cup of nuts or yogurt with fresh fruit), shop the perimeter of the supermarket, minimum of processed foods (if at all).

Wishing you great success... M