Help

I have been driving myself crazy reading everything I can find on DS surgery. I am still a little confused. Can you all help me out.

What is the diet after DS? I have heard no white flour and lots of protien. What about dairy, fruits & vegetables.?

Will I lose the weight and keep it off? What will it take on my part? I don't want to ulter my body only to gain it back? Anyone know the percent of people that keep it off? I have heard that about 2 years after surgery your body will adjust to your new weight. Will I have lost enough by then? Dr S told me that after this time even with diet and exercise I would not lose anymore.

I am so afraid of not reaching goal weight and of gaining weight back.

I have finally got rid of the 30 diet books, box of diets, websites and pills I had around the house. Feels so good ! I think that most obese people know more about nutrition then anyone, our problem is living it.

Thanks for your help
Kim

have been driving myself crazy reading everything I can find on DS surgery. I am still a little confused. Can you all help me out.

I suggest that as I am the only DSer in NB...you really spend alot of time surfing the DS forum. Ask a question there and you will get a ton of input...not just mine.  But...here goes 

What is the diet after DS?
At the beginning you will only be able to eat small amounts.  I remember for the first year I could eat one hotdog (no bun) and be full.  Or the patty out of a McDonalds burger, bacon and cheese (of course) but would be full.  At 2.5 years I can eat a pretty normal size meal. 

I need to eat about 100 grams of protein a day.  This is a lot!  So, I drink alot of milk, and eat mainly protein.  2 to 4 eggs for breakfast, bacon, that sort of thing.  A yogurt or 3 throughout the day, a chicken breast, steak, piece of fish for my dinner.  For the first year, I could almost never add much else to this, because to be honest...I was too full to pack in much other food...and protein was the most important.   Anything with sauce or gravy was easier to eat.  Pork seemed to be a bit harder to eat then say lamb.  Some things were easy to eat, and some days I was more restricted then others.  IT is often said the DS has a mind of its own.

I have heard no white flour and lots of protein. What about dairy, fruits & vegetables.? 
You can eat white flour...you can eat ANYTHING...sugar is the only thing that actually could cause a gain.  But if you eat carbs you could get gas pains or flatulence...so you choose at the time if you feel like a flour product.    Things like pasta just take up too much space.  I will put a meaty spaghetti sauce on rice as I can eat more rice then pasta.  Or even just eat the sauce. 

Dairy is awesome...eat it all...milk, cheese till the cows come home in each and every way you can think of.  Add cheddar melted on everything.  Drink tons of milk...it all has great protein and you don't get the calories.  For fruit and vegetables I get the nutrients for these from my vitamins mainly.  I eat a bit, but Fruit takes alot o space I find..so for the first year I hardly ate any.   Maybe some juice.  And for veggies...I do eat some and pile on the butter and sour cream to make them worth while...but basically...you get the vitamins that you used to get from fruit and veggies from vitamins.  After a year or 2 you can eat more fruit and veg.  I eat more now. 

Will I lose the weight and keep it off?
Statistically the generally loss is 80% of the ewl.  I was about 100% and I don't know of any who have come in under the 80.  Actually losing is not the problem...staying healthy and eating enough is more of a challenge I find.

You will keep it off if you don't eat sugar.  You can eat all the fat you want, and about anything else...but sugar is the one thing you absorb.  Mind you I eat tons of chocolate for the first couple of years and it is only now after 2.5 years I am thinking of cutting out my almost daily chocolate peanut butter cups .



What will it take on my part?
You need to be totally dedicated to staying healthy.  You need to stop dieting now and for ever.  You need to forget about calories all together.  Stop eating fat free, stop thinking diet.  Start thinking protein protein protein...and vitamins, vitamins, vitamins.

I don't want to alter my body only to gain it back? Anyone know the percent of people that keep it off?
This surgery has been for about 20 years I believe.  And regains are much lower then with any surgery.   Statistically it has the best results.


I have heard that about 2 years after surgery your body will adjust to your new weight. Will I have lost enough by then? Dr S told me that after this time even with diet and exercise I would not lose anymore.


you need to make sure you loose as much as you can in the 2 years.  You can not control really the loosing by your food intake...because you will be living the food "good life" and eating what ever you want, and focusing on protein, but you can not really bring about loss.  So, what you can do is alot of exercise to boost your loss in the 2 year window. 

I was loosing so fast and furious...I never bothered to exercise. I don't recommend this approach.  I lost each and every month til I was about 20 months out...and then it just stopped .. right in its tracks.  After that I still eat the same way....maybe a bit more these last few months...but I neither loose or gain.  So..the DS does have a mind of its own.

I am so afraid of not reaching goal weight and of gaining weight back.

I was too...and this is why I choose a DS.  I could of had a free RNY...and I just found after months of research ... I would pay the 15,000 dollars...for 5 years (bank loan) so that I could have the best chance of loss and the best quality of eating.  So..I hear ya!

I have finally got rid of the 30 diet books, box of diets, websites and pills I had around the house. Feels so good ! I think that most obese people know more about nutrition then anyone, our problem is living it.

This sounds easy...and you need to really take this on and really think about it if you have a DS.  It hurts DSers to think diet.  We absolutely can not count calories...or we are in trouble.  So..you may think this is a snap...but some struggle with this.  They are so used to dieting...that to not diet...and to eat all the juicy fat items is something they don't do as much as they should.  And I know people reading this are saying "oh pleasssssssssssse" but I kid you not...some DSers hang on to very unhealthy diet ideas...and for a DSer....any salad type, low calerie diet is really unhealthy for them.

Thanks for your help
Kim

I hope it helps Kim....I am in Mactaquac...I would welcome at any time to meet with you and/or your concerned family members  in December to talk about my experience.   I am not here in Jan.

I love my DS...I think it is the easiest surgery to live with and I have been blessed with great health...but no one is an anal as I am regarding protein. 



ps.  and I firmly believe this surgery is not for everyone...it is a very invasive surgery...you need to read all you can find.  I think it is very wise people who choose the surgery which is best for them, for all of their reasons.   The band is right for bandsters, the RNY for some others, and the DS is right for some too.  So...figure out what is really right...and run with it!

Hi Kim

You are on the right track with doing lots of reading and research - plus tossing out all of your "diet" stuff as the DS way of life is much different. 

I am still pre-op but from reading and speaking with Catherine (who may pop in later with her words of wisdom) know that our focus will be protein, water, vitamins, protein, water and vitamins, etc.  Since we malabsorb so much our focus is primarily on protein when it comes to eating.  With that being said - many dairy products (milk, cheese, yougurt) are very good for us as high in protein.  If you have eaten your protein and still have room then fit a little veggies if you want - but most of our vitamins and minerals will be from the supplements we must take to be healthy.

The thing that we do absorb is sugar so to continue losing weight it is advised to really watch your sugar/carbs intake during the 2 year window (and after too).  Keep with the high fiber complex carbs and calculate the "net". 

If you follow the protein, water, vitamins you will lose weight!  Plus fat can be our friend so no longer need to use the low fat options of food - enjoy the real butter, cream, sour cheam, cheese etc!

Hope to meet you next time.

Thank you  Thank you Thank you.

I feel much better now. I am one million percent sure DS is the right surgery for me. Now I am too excited again.    How am I going to make it threw months of waiting !!!!!!