Eating with a DS, PART 2: Another Day in the Life (pics!)

Lithia, sorry to hear about your issues around fat and dumping.  Just wondering if you've had any luck with coconut oil/coconut milk? This is something I have incorporated recently because I know it is a healthy fat. Just thought I'd mention it in case you hadn't tried it. There are lots of ways to use it, and to me, it seems lighter and less heavy than some other fats out there.

I keep being encouraged to try the coconut milk.... but I never think of it while at the store. I'll buy some and give it a try. it seems incredibly pricey (the one time I saw it)...at about $3 for a pint. I'll see if there is a larger selection other than the one endcap display..... give it a shot anyway. I usually cook with EVOO, and never skimp. But that's when I cook (rarely)

Heya Chili. I'm just copying and pasting my reply above rather than type it twice.

Part of the reason I eat as much fat as I do is that I get constipated if I don't. I think this is largely due to my calcium and iron intake. Pre-op, I was so worried about diarrhea, but now I actually have to consciously eat fat and take stool softeners to keep from getting backed up.

My system has gotten into the groove of "going" once a day. It is always first thing in the morning. 

I won't lie, the quantity is EPIC. It is amazing, but I guess it nice to know that the malabsorption is working. I have to allow myself about 15-20 minutes for everything to clear out. I just "budget" the time in my morning ritual. It's a good time to get caught up on my paperback novels.

So, once in the morning, and I'm usually done for the day. Sometimes, if I eat a LOT of simple carbs (e.g cake + ice cream at a birthday party or something), I'll have a "bonus poo" before bedtime. LOL!

haha...I love it!!!  I just responded to Renee...see above  

I love when you do these "day in the life of" posts...they are great!

I took Xenica (Ally) pre-op and with that you malabsorb JUST fat.  There is a lot of anal leakage,diarrhea, farts you can NEVER trust and all that with Xenical, as anyone knows that has ever taken it.

With the DS, I'm theorizing, that because there are other things malabsorbed as well (protein, and some carbs), that I don't have NEARLY the same side effects with the DS as I had with Xenical.  It's no comparison.  There is definitely undigested fat in the stool, but not JUST undigested fat.  No orangey oil slicks and skid marked panties.  

If you were to take and drop a glop of mayo in a bowl of water, there would be a thin film of oil radiating off of it into the water.  That's what DS poop is like.  TMI.  hehe.

I think this was a well worded, well documented and well-balanced message. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you. I really wanted to share the information without being inflammatory, so I'm glad it came across that way.

Thanks for sharing this information, Jenna Lynn. It's helpful to me to understand how a DS'er can eat these foods and still lose weight, stay healthy and have a functional excretory system.

I've been very happy with my VSG, but  "bathroom experiences" have been challenging, mainly due to the lack of bulk in my diet and the small amount I'm able to eat. By the time I get in my proteins and a couple bites of veggies, I'm done with a meal. I love that you can eat these fats and keep the train moving along the track, so to speak.

And I really appreciate that we can have this discussion without getting defensive and pissy about our different surgery choices.

I'm really glad to hear the information is helpful, so thanks for that feedback.

So glad you are loving your VSG. Honestly, I think adjusting bathroom experiences seems to be one of the most challenging aspects of all these surgeries. I don't know if this might be helpful to you, but I love Benefiber. It is truly flavorless and not at all gritty. It dissolves completely in my beverages and I don't know it's there.

Just thought I'd throw that out there, from an "adding bulk" perspective. 

This is another excellent post, Jenna. Thank you for taking the time to do this and to share the information. It's excellent information for newbies trying to decide on which surgery might be best for them. All I can say is, I want to hang out with you and eat like you do! It looks so yummy! You must be an excellent cook!