i'm considering getting the DS

and this.... seems a little counter-intuitive to leave in the parts that absorb the gain-weight carbs and sugars and take out the parts that absorb the keep you healthy meats..... wtf?

Our bodies are complex machines, and there isn't just one part that absorbs A and another part that absorbs B. Simple carbs begin being absorbed in the MOUTH, and are absorbed throughout the entire digestive tract. Certain things are absorbed more completely in certain regions of the small intestine, but there's just no way to tailor our guts to absorb protein but not sugar.

Pre-op, I lived on pasta! Post-op, I still eat it, but I find it less attractive than I used to, and when I eat it, I eat it with a LOT of meat and cheese. Potatoes don't bother me at all, and I eat them frrequently---but again, I eat them with lots of meat and/or cheese.

The really wonderful thing about the DS is how little FAT we absorb. This makes it much, much easier to eat large quantities of protein, since we don't worry about fat intake.

so much will depend on your individual experiences. All surgeries require restrictions to consumption during the weight loss period - often a year plus/minus. WIth the restriction component of all surgeries, you will eat much less than prior to surgery. The prime real estate you have left must be devoted to getting the protein and nutrients you need to stay healthy. The malabsorption portion of the DS will help you keep the weight off once you are at goal

As I approach 5 years post op, I eat pretty normal. Breads, pastas, potatoes are all part of my diet, although at lower volumes than pre-op. Unless you develop individual intolerances (some have lactose issues), you may be able to enjoy your favourites to some extent. But you will have to introduce them carefully to test how your system and your tastes respond. Many find their tastes are altered and develop new favourites in place of the old. And the carbs may cause some stomach and bathroom issues which you would want to discover on your own. I personally find that smothering the carbs in lots of fat helps it speed through the system with less impact, so I slather butter on breads, and heavy cream sauces on pasta, sour cream and butter on eggs, for example

 DS eating is more like Meat and veggies, then maybe a bite or two of pasta or potatoes.

Regular pasta gives me horrible gas, so I eat very little of it..  Dreamfields brand pasta yields a tiny actual serving, which is more than a bite or two I might enjoy of the other.

I went through the last 7 yrs not depriivng myself anything.  I would eat my meat first > then veggies > then whatever I wanted with the last couple of bites left

" If you're not willing to change your eating habits, no WLS will work. Sorry, but that's the truth. Your statement that the DS will change your eating habits the least makes me wonder if you are truly serious about making the life change that WLS requires. You need to reassess what you think WLS will do and why you want it. "

the above is full of a lot of assumptions.

i dont stuff my face silly with pounds of potatos and pasta. i do eat mostly meat but my preference is usually to have a single, small, red potato as my side dish, with a tiny bit of butter, and on days that i dont eat meat, i'll usually have some kind of pasta dish.

in the past year+ i HAVE changed my LIFESTYLE drasticly. i cut soda and juices out completely and i only drink water. i do not eat any junk foods. i do not eat any pasteries or cakes. i do not eat enormous portions. instead of having a 1 pound steak with another pound of potatos and 2 sticks of butter 3 times a day, i have a quarter pound of meat with a potato that's maybe 1/4 the size of my fist as my breakfast meal and then i may or may not eat something later on. when i'm paying attention i eat a banana or an orange if it's been too many hours since i last ate (but i'm still not hungry enough for a meal).

i walk between one and a half and 4 miles every day. i count calories. i see a nutritionist. yet i still have not lost any weight. i lose and gain back a 4 pound range. and this has been going on for years now. that's the only reason i'm even considering getting surgery, because everything else has already failed me.

i dont know what i think WLS will do for me. that's why i am here asking questions. i'm trying to do research so i can make an informed decision and be prepared and know what to expect if i decide to take this route.

thank you all for the info you have provided thus far. i had come back here today with intention to ask some more questions, but that paragraph i quoted above just soured the entire process for me completely.

 If you're not willing to change your eating habits, no WLS will work.  Sorry, but that's the truth.  Your statement that the DS will change your eating habits the least makes me wonder if you are truly serious about making the life change that WLS requires.  You need to reassess what you think WLS will do and why you want it.  "

Oncetwice:  This is precisely why I chose the DS; it would alter my eating habits the least.  I did not want to take bites the size of a pencil eraser and chew them to mush.  I have no idea when my schedule will let me eat so avoiding liquids for a half hour before eating was a negative.  So while I have altered my eating, the DS seemed to be the most attractive for me.  Four years later with no re-gain and excellent labs, it's working.

This is my experience and my opinion, just the author of the highlighted paragraph has her opinion.  Everyone has the right to post their opinion even if it's something we'd rather not hear or is not based in reality for everybody.

If something you read sours you, ignore it.  Ask all the questions you want.  This is a great place for anecdotal "evidence".  When I first posted after my DS, no one had ever heard of my surgeon.  Some were even appalled that I would let him do his first DS on me.  Some told me I was stupid and others called me crazy.  I am neither.  Many of those people now recommend my surgeon.  If I had let them chase me away, I'd have lost out on a lot of good information.

This is just my unsolicited advice on how to use this forum...

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

Henry David Thoreau

Hey, one big reason *I* chose the DS was because it would change *my* eating habits the least. There's nothing wrong with wanting that.

At 8.5 years post-DS, an average restaurant meal for me is an 8-ounce steak, a small salad (with lots of ham and cheese!), a few bites of a baked potato (with LOTS of butter and sour cream!), a yeast roll, a couple of glasses of iced tea, and a few bites of dessert. Or if we're at a family-style buffet, I'll have that same small salad, a fried chicken wing, some meatloaf, maybe some Salisbury steak or whatever yummy meat they have, a few bites of mac and cheese or mashed potatoes, tea, and dessert.

What you say about walking, counting calories, and seeing a nutritionist yet still being unable to lose weight tells me that you need the sort of metabolic help only the DS can give you, long-term.

Please, feel free to ask any questions you want! Just don't get your feelings hurt if someone smarts off at you---we tend to be a smart-mouthed group. (*grin*)

Oncetwice: It sounds like you already have made some awesome changes!!! For me, cutting out soda and junk is the hardest part! I have had a little bit of pasta and potatoes and I tolerate them fine. I guess the thing is that like others have said, you can indulge but as kind of a special treat. I know sometimes people on here can sound presumptuous and judgmental but I think most people are really trying to help. Weight loss surgery isn't for everyone and there is NOTHING wrong with that at all! You are doing the right thing at trying to ask questions and get the information on it. Whatever you decide...I wish you luck!!

"what kind of foods will i have to avoid if i were to have this surgery? please be specific. i read in one post something vague about not being able to eat white bread and not being able to have sugar. is that true?"

That is NOT true.

The DS is the surgery that allows you to eat most closely to normal post op.  There are no foods that are off limits for the surgery itself.

Each individual person experiences the surgery differently.  Some have trouble with white flour; some with sugar; some with some sugar substitutes.  No one knows what types of food issues they will have post-op, or for how long, but most people can adjust very easily to them.

I am two years out, and I eat everything.  I had some food problems earlier out (like with tomatoes and salsa), but these have completely resolved.  I do focus on protein, and take in about 120-150g per day.  I eat way too much junk food, and I love potatoes!  I am under goal at 5' 7.5" and 135ish lbs and a size 2-4.

(I'm not saying this to encourage anyone to follow my lead:  I'm just sharing my own  experience.)

Hope this helps.