To Absorb o tr Not To Absorb

To absorb or not to absorb, that is the question.  I am confused abougt the absorbtion of fats after having the BPD/DS. The nutritionist at the surgeons office told me before surgery that I would only absorb 25% of ANYTHING I eat.  4 month post surgery visit and only 16 lbs down, the surgeon tells me "No, you absorb 100% of the carbohydrates you eat.  That's why you have to stay on a diet."

I'm really confused. I felt as if I were misled before the surgery.  I have lost a total of 30 lbs, you can tell in my lower abdomen and behind area but the upper part of my abdomen stays large, firm, bloated and I have really, realllllly stinky poo and poots!  Can someone please help me to find the truth about the absorbtion because I really want to get down to at least 180 because of knee and back pain? 

Thanks a bunch! :)   ~~~ AngelD n' TN

With the DS you absorb about 20-30% of fat you eat, 100% simple carbs (sugar) and 60% or more on complex carbs and 70% of protien. So watch your carbs, stay as low as you can, stick to whole grans, I do under 80 carbs a day and you can eat full fat, jus****ch how it effects your bowls, and keep your proteen high for woman I think it is around 120 grams a day and for men about 150 or more. Check out dsfacts dot com and vitalady dot com.

Nutritionists just don't understand the DS, and in this case doesn't understand that different components of your diet (protein vs carb vs fat) are absorbed in different areas of the digestive tract. You might want to let the surgeon know that she needs to be re-educated and gave you inaccurate information. Chris got it right so I won't repeat it here, but the bottom line is that your weight loss is being held up by the carbs, and  in all liklihood the bloating and gas and all are also carb related. It's also possible that, because you are eating too much carbs, you are not eating enough protein.

Cut out the carbs as much as possible, and increase your protein. If fat comes along with the protein, that's ok, you will absorb only about 20% of it. Protein is essential to your health, fat won't hurt you, and carbs WILL hurt you.

Larra

They are both correct we absorb all or most of the carbs we eat so it is very important to eat high protein and low carb. I stay under 50 carbs per day. Once I got use to it I didn't miss the carbs as much. I love me some carbs, but the trade is worth it to get the most out of my DS weight loss window.

I started cutting carbs about a month ago. But for the last week I've gone Cheetos & Ritz Crackers crazy.I'm going to get back on track, but got discouraged when I wasn't losing weight by omitting the carbs. After about two weeks I'd only lost 2lbs. How low do I need to go? I upped my protein a lot. Baked or broiled fish, chicken, beef or pork chops.

Eve, do you track what you eat? If you have some totals or sample days eating someone might see a way to help. It takes a little time for the low carb to kick in but carbs can sneak in pretty easily. When you say you upped your protein do you have any numbers on protein consumption and liquid totals? That might help. Your pretty far out from your DS and you may be absorbing more.

I stay under 50 carbs a day with an average of about 30.

The numbers pn malabsorption can be a little iffy. Fats are the only ones that seem to have been tested. Here is what I pulled off DSFacts.com.

The most commonly quoted absorption percentages following DS are approximately 20% of fats, 60% of protein, 60% of complex carbohydrates but 100% of simple carbohydrates. The 2005 study by Gagner et al. [68] demonstrated that DS surgery decreased fat absorption by 81%. 

You end up eating a somewhat modified Atkins diet while you are losing. Low carbs, NOT low fat. I just avoid low fat foods. Some people track their fats and shoot for a goal. I've seen 100 grams a couple of times. I do around 150 grams of protein and try for 100 oz of liquids. I try to avoid carbs. Mostly I get carbs when I snack on cream cheese and crackers.

You might start posting your eating in MajorMom's vites and bites so people can give you some advice based on your actual eating habits. 

About the stinky poo - some is unavoidable but many carbs can make it much worse. 

Good point made on the stinky poo.  It comes with the territory.  All of us have it.  Some of us much worse than others.  And eating carbs, complex or simple, just compounds the issue.  Both in volume and smell, from my experience.  I don't eat carbs unless I am home alone, and don't plan on leaving the house for the day.