Any Vegetarian DS'ers?

Yup, itty bitty legs, no ass, arms that are still waving 10 minutes after I stop, and a gut the size of lower Manhattan.  That's me!

Patty, I am a big fan of the DS and urge people to consider it all the time, especially those with more than 150 pounds to lose or those with diabetes. But, for a variety of reasons, it is not for everyone, myself included. As someone who is more than 6 years out from the VSG and maintaining a normal weight, I do have to disagree with a couple of things you said. I eat closer to 1500-2000 calories a day and I will be 60 years old in a few months. I am not alone in being able to eat this many calories. I am careful about what I eat, avoiding processed carbs most of the time, but I most certainly do not feel like I am on a lifelong diet. DSers malabsorb fat and protein, and for the record, I eat all the protein and fat that I want. (If the DS gave malabsorbtion of carbs, I would have jumped on THAT bandwagon for sure!) When I had surgery, I was pre-diabetic and insulin resistant. My metabolism WAS challenged and I was unable to lose weight. Those problems have completely resolved themselves. I DO exercise 5 days a week, yoga and some step aerobics, but this is for my heart health and flexibility.

Just wanted to clear up a couple of misconceptions about long term life with the VSG!

Lizanne

There was a woman on the other board who suffered from loose stools and foul-smelling gas. Someone recommended she eat more meat. She did not eat meat for religious reasons.

Which (again, my opinion), brings up another reason for not having the DS if you are a vegetarian. You may get your protein, but you have to rely on protein sources that wont produce gas. And fruits and vegetables have roughage that can really annoy a DSer. At two years out, I approach a salad with caution, and will only eat it as a meal if it is loaded with meat.

Many of us become lactose intolerant for a short time after surgery. It tends to last a couple months and then resolves itself.

As far as the sleeve vs DS, choices for the surgery also have to take into consideration how much you have to lose and any comorbids you have. There are many many (too many) revisions from the rny to the DS and the lapband to the DS. There are fewer sleeve patients who get resleeved and revised to the DS. They definitely exist, but not nearly as often as the rny or crapband revisions.

I was a lightweight with 100 pounds to lose. I have lost about 110. I have many times wished I would have opted for the sleeve. My dad had the DS 7 years ago. He eats non-stop. By watching him eat, you would never know he had WLS. He ate this way before surgery as well. I, on the other hand, was never a huge volume eater. I could be content with a Lean Cuisine for lunch. Now, I have to force myself to eat and keep my protein levels up. I am comitted, yes, but I think the DS is an absolute necessity for volume eaters. If you aren't a volume eater, then you should look into the successes and failures of the sleeve. Check out the sleeve forum and see what people have to say. Good luck.

I wouldn't recommend it.  Dairy makes up a lot of my eating, but as a major part of protein intake, I don't know.  What if you come up on the other side lactose intolerant, like some do?  You'd be totally screwed.  The hormonal implications trying to make up for it with soy is a whole new set of problems too. 

For you, I'd suggest you continue on with the sleeve.  The DS could be potentially dangerous for you, or lead you to compromise your preferences here.

many become lactose intolerant post-op.  This could be problematic if dairy was your only protein source, regardless of the WLS you have.

Wow, Thank you guys all so much for each and every one of your responses. I have decided to stick with the sleeve just in case I do develop lactose intolerance or something similar. I am absolutely not willing to eat meat whatsoever, so should any problems arise, it could have a devastating impact to my health. If uiwere not a vegetarian or if I knew 100% that I would not develop lactose intolerance, I wouldn't think twice about getting the DS. Best of luck to you all and congratulations on your success!