Multiple Questions (Please see if you can answer any of them) - Thanks in Advance!

1- Not a 2 parter but I eat high protein, high fat, low carb (when I'm being good)

2- My life is fairly normal. If I eat too many carbs, I get gassy (and I've always been a bit gassy). I honestly don't pay attention to what I eat very much, so I know I could control it more if it bothered me. I wear a size 8 pants and a size medium top. I am a "normal" mom sized person, and I LOVE being average!!

3- I eat everything! I have to be careful with meat, especially chicken and pork to make sure that it's not too dry. I do better if it has a lot of sauce. I can only eat one piece of pizza before I start pulling off the toppings, and I can only eat a few bites of a sandwich before I just scoop out the insides. The only things that have ever made me sick was fake sugar which gives me a horrible headache and Dreamfield pasta. Only real stuff for me. Every once in a while I eat too much and get sick- my body will definitely reject things if I don't listen to it.

4- My body stopped losing on its own. I hover in the low 130s. My goal was 175, then 150, and then I just hung on for the ride before my body decided I was done at 130.

5- NO, no regrets!

6- I buy vitalady's DS regimen. I know I could probably do it cheaper, but it's easy for me.

7- Starting 297, this morning 131. I think my lowest ever was 126, but I pretty much stay around 130.

8- Protein coffee every morning without fail, sometimes an extra one in the afternoon. Focus on protein in meals (eggs, cheese, meat).

9- It so depends. Sometimes I have tiny tummy days where I can only eat a few bites. Sometimes I can finish a restaurant portion (at least of the protein part, I hardly ever finish the veg/carb part of the meal). If I don't finish a meal, I bring home leftovers and I usually finish those in the next few hours.

Good luck... I'm 3 1/2 years out and life is good!

Thanks for sharing. I am nervous. I am bad about taking medicine and KNOW I can't skip on anything with the DS. I think there is a small part of me that is scared to be a "healthy" weight. I have always been big. I am glad to get such a positive review.

#2- How is your everyday life since having the DS?

It was an adjustment but I feel pretty normal now. As long as I eat correctly I do not have the side effects that people complain about such as stinkiness, farting, diarrhea or hemorrhoids. It really is about how you eat and follow the plan. 

#3- What can and can't you eat? 

I can eat anything this far out but do I? No. I have three shakes a day, eat lots of chicken, fish, pork, dairy, yogurt, FAT and veggies. I eat good carbs such as veggies but a couple times a week I splurge on bread (in small amounts). Prolly once a week I may take a bite of something sweet. I do this to keep from falling back into sugar and carb binging and this method works for me. 

#4- Do you think you lost "too" much, how can you STOP losing?

I do not think I have lost too much yet but sometimes I do get nervous that it will not stop. I eat a lot and still lose. It is unwarranted fear I know because there is a honeymoon phase. I just put the fear out of my head and I will deal with the problem if it arrises. 

#5- Do you ever regret it?

I  HAVE NEVER REGRETTED IT! Not even when I had horrible hemmorrhoids. (I gave them to myself by eating bad, live and learn)

#6- How much do your vitamins cost you on a monthly basis, what all do you have to take?

I take two bariatric multi-vitamins a day and calcium three times a day and one vitamin A a day. I do not have insurance so I have not been able to get my labs yet. I may need to increase something. I feel fine for now. 

#7- What was your starting weight before DS, where are you at now?

I was 340 and I am now at 225. I went from a 5x pant and shirt to a 1x shirt and 18 pant (almost in a 16 pant)

#8- How do you get your protein in? I cannot eat eggs or dairy AND I have never been able to tolerate protein shakes and drinks. What do you do for your protein? What other options are there out there?

I get my protein in with my shakes so I do not have to count it in food. I drink Syntrax Nectar Cappuccino Late and Chocolate Truffle in a hot chocolate drink. So all my protein drinks are hot. I enjoy them that way. They feel like a treat. I drink three a day and then just eat what I want in between, such as veggies, fat, cheese, yogurt, meat, fruit and on occasion bread or pizza if it is a treat day. I eat pretty healthy about 95% of the time. 

#9-How much can you eat at a sitting?

This is something that I miss...eating... I eat small amounts. It really depends on what I eat though. I can eat an entire salad from a restaurant. I can eat a whole apple. When it comes to things like bulk foods, meat, broccoli etc I can eat very little like 4-6 ounces. It depends on the food. Some foods break down into less than they appear after being chewed. SO I can actually purchase a 1/4 pound of chicken breast and a salad from a restaurant and eat the whole salad and about a third of the chicken and be comfortable or I can just eat half the chicken with no salad and be full. It is really weird. 

Thank you for the response. I will have to look into hot protein drinks as an option.

More answers for you!

#1 - If you had the surgery in two steps, VSG and then DS later, did you have to make a lot of changes between the two in regards to your diet?

N/A

#2- How is your everyday life since having the DS?

I felt completely back to normal at 8 weeks out. The only thing different is the type of food I eat and the amount I eat. Plus all the vitamins I have to take. I can also do so many things now that I wasn't able to before like bend over to pick things up, drive in my car without my tummy hitting the steering wheel, buy clothes in a "normal" store, etc. etc. etc. And I'm only 5 months out!!!

#3- What can and can't you eat?

Not sure because I haven't really tried everything yet. I've been pretty good about staying low carb, but I have eaten a few carbs since surgery. I have found that if I eat a small amount, nothing happens. But if I eat too many simple carbs, I get gassy. For example, on a plane ride, I didn't like the meal they served. The only thing I liked was the dinner roll. So I had mine and my boyfriend's rolls. Result: very bad gas. But at least it didn't start until well after we got off the plane! HAHA

#4- Do you think you lost "too" much, how can you STOP losing?

Not there yet. I have thought about the possibility. But from what I've read, your body will just stop losing as you reach a normal BMI. If that doesn't happen to me, I plan to increase my calories (both fat and carbs****il I find my acceptable range for maintenance.

#5- Do you ever regret it?

Not for a second!

#6- How much do your vitamins cost you on a monthly basis, what all do you have to take?

I pay about $100 per month. As of right now, I take about 36 pills per day:

Zinc (100 mg)
Probiotic
Acid Reducer
Calcium Citrate (2,500 mg)
K1 (1,000 mcg)
K2 (1,000 mcg)
Multivitamin
Vitamin B1 (100 mg)
Biotin (5,000 mcg)
Vitamin A (100,000 IU)
Copper (5 mg)
Vitamin D3 (50,000 IU)
Vitamin B9 (1,200 mcg)
Magnesium Citrate (250 mg)
B-Complex 55
Vitamin E (800 IU)
Iron (300 mg)
Vitamin C (2,000 mg)

#7- What was your starting weight before DS, where are you at now?

Starting weight: 231
Current weight: 166 (65 pounds lost in 5 months)
Goal weight: 119

#8- How do you get your protein in? I cannot eat eggs or dairy AND I have never been able to tolerate protein shakes and drinks. What do you do for your protein? What other options are there out there?

My protein usually comes from:

Protein shake (1 per day)
Eggs
Bacon
Hamburger patties
Steak-Umms
Chicken
Cheese

#9-How much can you eat at a sitting?

Not a whole lot. About 3 ounces of beef is enough for me. For breakfast, 2 scrambled eggs and 4 slices of bacon is way too much for me.

Oh my word! 36 pills a day????? I am not sure if I can commit to that many pills a day. Is that a pain for you?

10 of those are Calcium Citrate and 5 of them are iron.

It's not that big of a deal, really. I take them in 6 batches throughout the day about 2-4 hours apart.  The only pain is remembering to bring them with me everywhere I go. But I bought this awesome pill organizer from amazon. I fill it up once a month and then just take each daily container with me in my purse.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DU7BMQ/ref=oh_details_o 02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1) Had DS in one step.

2) Everyday life is pretty awesome, I haven't been on the board in a while because I am too busy living.

3) I eat most everything, some things still bother me.  Wheat bread is the number one culprit.

4) I lost all the way to 135 I stand about 6ft now and that was to much, I gained back up to 147 and that is a great weight for me and I am happy hear.

5) Hell no.

6) MultiVit, A, K1, Zinc, Calcium, D3, K2.  Sometimes I can go more than a month on vits it depends on the size bottle, I would say $50 a month.

7) 306 day of surgery I have been heavier though.  This morning 146

8) Eggs, meat, cheese.  1 protein shake a day.  Nuts, turkey hotdogs for snacks.  Different things.

9) This differs.  Put a steak in front of me I can eat 10-12oz but only a regular size chicken breast.  Also I am out almost 4 years.

 

The DS was the best thing that ever happened to me, besides getting married to my husband.

I wish you the best of luck.

#1 - If you had the surgery in two steps, VSG and then DS later, did you have to make a lot of changes between the two in regards to your diet?
with the DS, the diet will require you to consume more fat and protein.

#2- How is your everyday life since having the DS?
I live a perfectly healthy and active life.

#3- What can and can't you eat?
I cannot handle most pasta more than a couple bites without suffering horrible gas.  I've also cut out anything heavy in onions.  The rest is trial and error.

#4- Do you think you lost "too" much, how can you STOP losing?
I was told I looked like a scarecrow, however I was in perfect range of my height.

#5- Do you ever regret it?
Not in a million years

#6- How much do your vitamins cost you on a monthly basis, what all do you have to take?
I take advantage of BOGO sales and stock up.  I'd say I spend around $40/month.

#7- What was your starting weight before DS, where are you at now?
I started at 286, and weight around 160, give or take these days.

#8- How do you get your protein in? I cannot eat eggs or dairy AND I have never been able to tolerate protein shakes and drinks. What do you do for your protein? What other options are there out there?
Is all dairy off the list?  I, for instance, cannot drink straight milk, but am fine with cooked milk and cheese and yogurt.  Other than that, all that's left is meat, and that's going to get old fast. 

#9-How much can you eat at a sitting?  I'm 8 years out from my DS, and I eat pretty normal sized portions, probably 6-8oz

 

I has a VSG in 8/11 and the DS in 1/13.   I was a 2-step because I was 500+ with DM2 and CHF, and thought that this was the best conservative approach.  I had lost 160 between the two.

My diet hasn't changed that much in terms of variety, but I do have to eat a lot more protein.  I was 60-80 gm/day on the VSG, and although I average 100+ now with the DS, my albumin levels are low.  My weakness has always been baked goods, and it's been a real learning process as to how much I can stand without too much in the way of massive gas and BMs.

No, I have not lost too much, and in fact my weight loss slowed to a crawl about 3 months post-op.  I do have a thyroid that is off the charts, and am not good about exercise.  I could be better about making better food choices, so I'm putting the majority of the fault on my head.  But I haven't gained anything, beyond the daily fluctuation.

Yes, I have regretting the DS at times.  They warn you about the gas and the poop issues, and since I live alone, I thought it wouldn't matter.  Well, no amount of warning ever really prepared me for the truly massive gas and the noxious smell of it all.  It's quite distinctive.  Of course, my bowel habits have gone through massive changes and various stages in the last year.  As your body heals and adjusts (and this process is much more gradual that the adjustment after the VSG) it does get better.  In the first 6-9 months it was not uncommon to go to the bathroom 10+ times a day, and it is often sudden and urgent.  No****ery diarrhea but because the fat content is higher, things tend to slip much more easily.  At one point I had oily gas.  Now, I work from home, so I was lucky in that respect in that I didn't have to be concerned about gassing my co-workers or being disruptive because I had to go to the bathroom so often.  If I had to go out for the evening, I'd plan to not eat 4-5 hours beforehand so I wasn't gassy or needing the move my bowels, but just in case I always had some Poo-Pourri and a travel Febreze/Lysol.  But it DOES get better.  I'm pretty regular now, and I still lay off the carbs before a night out, but it was a learning process.

That being said, I don't regret getting the DS.  I believe that after years of yo-yo dieting, I'll never regain like I did.  And that's enough reason for me.

I spend about $150 for a 2-3 month supply of vitamins. mostly from Drugstore.com.  They've got 21st Century Calcium Citrate + D for $15/400 pills, and you can't beat that, especially since I'm taking 8/day.  2 x multivitamins, allergy A & D (so it's a capsule instead of a softgel), biotin, B12, another Super B Complex, zinc, magnesium, more D3, acidophilus.  But everyone's labs are different, so ymmv.  It's a lot of pills to take.  But in terms of money, it's the protein that I find expensive.  I'd never reach 100/gm/day of protein without shakes.  If I had to replace that all with meat and diary, that'd be just as expensive, if not more.  I feel for you that you can't do eggs or dairy, because they're great, cheap sources of protein.  What protein shakes have you tried?  There are a lot I can't stand, and have good success with Muscle Milk (contains whey but no milk) and Syntrax Nectar (some of their flavors are weird, but I've found mixing Lemon Iced Tea and Fuzzy Navel makes for a great Peach Iced Tea, and you'd be hard pressed to know it was a protein shake.  

I can eat a lot in one sitting.  More than my 86 year-old mother can eat at a meal, but less than the rest of my obese family members.  I biggest difference I noticed when I'm with friends eating is that I eat much more slowly than they do.  And probably another reason why I'm not losing faster.  But there's no difference between amount that I could eat before the DS and after—the big change in volume was after the VSG.