Is she telling the truth?

I wonder how far out she is from surgery. There is a period of time in which most of us don't have a strong desire for sweets and treats, but surgery itself doesn't remove cravings and head hunger. It does help substantially in limiting the amount of anything we can eat.

What makes you think you would not be able to enjoy a sweet again if you had RnY? Only about 30% of RnYers dump, so odds are against you dumping. You could eat sweets. I am not encouraging you to, but the surgery is not an automatic bar.

I still cook everything I did before surgery; the difference is that some things I simply don't eat. I gave up bread, rice, and pasta, but I still cook those foods for others. I still bake sweet treats as well, and once in awhile I will eat a bit.

What I think you might consider is the long term considerations. For example, NSAIDS are okay after a sleeve, but not after RnY. Those are considerations that are important as well as diet modification.

Which form of WLS did she have?

Everyone's different. All I can really tell you is MY experience. I'm 10.5 years post-op from the Duodenal Switch. The DS has the same stomach as the VSG/Sleeve, plus an intestinal bypass similar to, but more effective than, that of the RNY/gastric bypass. Unlike the RNY, the DS provides permanent malabsorption of a significant per centage of the calories I eat, especially calories from fat.

Pre-op, I was hungry ALL THE TIME. Post-op, I started experiencing hunger right way---but it was SO very different from pre-op hunger. Now I have what I think of as 'normal' hunger---I eat a reasonable amount, get full and satisfied, then get hungry again a few hours later.

I still crave things, but what I crave has changed. I crave things like pickles, cole slaw, deviled eggs, tomato juice, bacon, shrimp. And yes, occasionally I crave sweets or chips, and when I do---i eat themOne big thing my DS has given me is the ability to actually eat in moderation.

In all truth, I eat anything I truly want. And I pretty much eat as much of it as I want, but how much I want is very different than it was pre-op. I still have restriction, in that I can't begin to eat like I did pre-op, but I CAN eat as much as my stomach really wants. (Except for watermelon. That fills me up waaay too fast!)

I'm maintaining a loss of 170 pounds without really trying. Oh, I'm mindful of how many carbs I eat a day, but I don't 'diet'. I eat 3000+ calories a day, but due to my DS I only absorb about half that many. I drink about a gallon of iced tea every day, sweetened with Splenda. Splenda's the only artificial sweetener I use, and only in my tea. When I eat sweets, I eat the real thing---sugar alcohols HURT me.

Research ALL your options, and choose the one that gives you the post-op life that YOU can live happily with forever. Visit the Revision board as well as all the various surgical boards. Talk with people who are several years post-op and find out what they like, what they don't like. And again, decide based on what will make YOU happy.

Why do you not try to lose more weight? 170 pounds is awesome, but from what you have posted, your BMI is still in the obese range. It seems like you would lose more if you cut back below 3000 calories a day.

Seriously???

WTF!

She's now healthy, and living how she wants. So she isn't OK enough for you?

Why don't you suggest she get her saggy boobs hoisted with some plastics, or style her hair differently. Oy, and make up. If only she would wear some.

I think it is a legitimate question.  

First of all, if her weight/BMI still puts her in the obese category, she probably isn't "healthy". 

Secondly, asking someone on a weight loss surgery board who is a number of years post-op if there is a reason that they eat more calories than most people who have that surgery when they still have a significant amount of excess weight is not at all the same thing as asking someone why they don't get a breast lift or do something else to their hair!  It is relevant; those other things are not.  

It drive me absolutely crazy when people on these boards put forth an attitude that people are only "successful" if they get down to a certain BMI or a certain clothing size, so I am not IN ANY WAY implying that she "should" lose more or is not a "success" because she is not some arbitrary size (how could someone who has lost over 150 pounds, and maintained that loss, NOT be considered a "success", after all?).  Nor did Laura say anything about her not being "ok enough". She merely asked the question.  You read the judgment into her question.

Finally, since MsBatt is a strong proponent of the DS -- which I have absolutely NO problem with... people should know all of the surgical options and many people have not heard of the DS just because the surgeon they are considering doesn't do it -- it is a little disconcerting to have her telling people that they should consider the DS because she is maintaining a 170 pound loss while eating 3000 calories per day but she is NOT also telling them that she still has a significant amount of excess weight.  Without that piece of information, the "sales pitch" is a bit disingenuous because it implies that they could drop down to, and maintain, a low weight while still eating 3000 calories a day.

Lora

Laura's post did indeed come off as judgey.

Ms Batt is someone I consider a success. She has lost her co-morbs. She does not still live under the "diet mentality" and gets to enjoy what she eats. I'm not sure of her age, but I'm 49, and these things contribute to my quality of life far more than losing another BMI point. 

I want to eat BBQ with my friends and not be the one that forever is needing special foods accommodations. Eating 3000 calories does not require a trough, it just means I no longer watch fats (I know you understand this, but many here don't). I want to be mobile enough to ski or work in my garden.

It took me decades to learn that looking like barbie is not the goal, but living a good life, in which I'm healthy, enjoying myself, and accepting myself is what matters. I suspect MsBatt could easily get to a lower BMI, and I KNOW I easily could, if I cared to, but it's just that the BMI thing is missing the point when, at my age, it's these other things that contribute to my quality of life. 

It is a legitimate question. If you are going to promote a surgery because you can eat 3000 calories a day (when the normal caloric intake for an average person is 2000 calories a day) you should share all of your stats. Having a BMI of 42 is not healthy. We should all be striving to get to at least 30.

I am sure Ms. Batt will not reply but good for you other DSers for standing up for her.

IF I eat less than 3000 (and most of my calories come from fat), I get constipated and GAIN weight.

DSMath...

A DS'er only absorbs about 20% of the fat eaten. Fat is calorie dense at 9 calories per gram. A NORMAL person needs a MINIMUM of 30 grams of fat per day for brain/skin health. Low fat is implicated in dementia. So you eat 30 grams and stay okay. That 30 grams equals 270 calories for you. HOWEVER if a DS'er eats just 30 grams of fat, 25 grams head straight to the toilet bowl and is NOT absorbed. What is not absorbed can NOT hurt you (and the proof is in our cholesterol tests). SO to get the SAME effect of your 30 grams of fat, a DS'er needs to eat about 150 grams of fat (or 1350 calories of JUST fat). So that would leave ONLY 750 calories (using your 2000) for protein and carbs.

Btw, I eat close to 3000 calories myself...most of it fat and protein. I have to eat about 180 grams of fat to stay regular and keep my skin from drying out. BUT I only had 68 excess lbs so I am maintaining a normal BMI...but what is more important is my genetically HIGH (requiring medication) cholesterol is now staying in the 170 range without ANY meds at all. And my PCP is very pleased with my numbers.

You are using RNY thinking for a DS'er...completely different surgeries.

A very personal question such as this is not only not legitimate, it is rude.  Just because this is a WLS surgery board does not make it OK.

Apparently judging people is something you like to do...

MsBatt is a success. What you do not know is her age, HOW LONG she was morbidly obese, how much weight she had to lose, how tall she is. And according to ASMBS, any patient who loses just 50% of their excess weight is a SUCCESS. But I guess believing in the BMI is best??? Even tho it's been proven to be VERY flawed.

And do some reading on the malabsoprtion of the DS...while the RNY starts reabsorbing calories at 18-36 months out, the DS does NOT. OUR malabsorption of calories is permanent,