Hello, newbie in the house!
I researched WLS for a year. Started the RNY process because that's what the surgeons around me knew how to do. Then I woke up, realized what life style fit me best (the DS), and pursued getting that done above all else. And this meant I had to pay for it myself - and I did. It was the best purchase I ever made. I wish I had done it 10 years earlier.
I do use shakes for my protein. It’s a way for me to eat yogurt every day (yes, in my shakes – I hate yogurt), and I really like the taste. They make getting in my protein so easy – because now I’m really busy living life and I’m on the go a lot. Hard to eat ribs while driving or backpacking.
Not everyone is lacto intolerant. Many are at the beginning, but as time goes by the lactose intolerance subsides. I can drink milk with no problems. I eat a ton of dairy (which is what made me fat in the first place) now.
I can eat gluten. I’m going to get a little gas later from the flour products, but that is better than before. Before surgery, if I walked past a loaf of bread, the calories would jump onto my thighs – skipping my lips all together! I do bake with almond meal and coconut flour, and there is nothing harmful about them. I think any time you buy a ‘sugar free’, ‘fat free’, ‘light’, ‘gluten free’ product at the grocery store, you will find they have substituted other equally bad stuff in there. It’s like that with everything you buy. The good thing about my DS is I buy full fat everything. No ‘lights’, no ‘fat free’ products any more. And I was already buying ‘sugar free’ before the surgery – so no change there.
I am not taking any more pills now than I was before the surgery. I've swapped out my prescription meds for vitamins. But I noticed that I have more energy, less allergies, and I've not gotten sick (cold or flu) with everyone around me coming down with it. Injuries/cuts seem to heal faster - but then I'm no longer diabetic (thanks to my DS).
I eat three times as many calories now – and at full fat! – than I did before surgery. And yet I continue to lose weight.
Good luck in making your decision.
