Exercise after getting the DS

Formal exercise bores me, so I did none of that.  What I can offer is that I was much more active as I lost the weight.

I was in Vegas last weekend for PS consults.  We had an assortment of WLS - RNY, Band, Sleeve and DS.  Everyone disliked the DS folks as we pretty much eat what we want and often.  The RNY folks mostly dump with very little sugar - no desserts or fruit for them.  The Sleeve folks counted calories to stay around 800 to maintain.  DS - me and a couple of others, ate what food we wanted, included a few cookies and candies, plus all our protein. 

I will say with the DS, I lost my weight w/o exercise.  I do extreme sports - skydiving, scuba, ziplines, indoor skydiving, walked all over the Strip. 

I do bring Vanilla Body Spray for the bathroom, the smell can be overwhelming.  Probiotics can help, but my body doesn't like them. 

I had the DS due to my insulin dependent diabetes.  It's gone, my high bp is normal and cholesterol too.  I do have to take a prescription for potassium now.  I take 28-30 vitamins daily.  But, my body like vitamins better than it did with all my previous prescriptions.

Many hear may yell at me for saying this but if I could change anything about my DS I would have asked the surgeon to make my common channel around 100 rather than at 75-80. The smaller the common channel the more bathroom issues you have. I would still have lost the weight with a 100 common channel with less pottie issues. If I can ever have it lengthened I will. I know the smaller the common channel the easier it is to lose the weight. I still would go for the mid-range channel. 

Thanks, we will keep that in mind.  Turns out Dr. Kane prefers to handle the DS in two steps. First we'll get the sleeve and if we're not able to get to our goal, he'll perform the switch step.  We just found out yesterday that our insurance requires 3 months of medically supervised weight loss first before approval for surgery -- so we're getting started right away, that would put us toward Nov/Dec timeframe for surgery with my husband going first.

Please do a lot of research.  Do not have the switch in 2 surgeries unless there is some overwhelming medical reason to do so.  Just for example, a real DS surgeon can do the whole surgery in one op on people who weigh 600 to 800 lbs.  And these are really sick individuals with many comorbidities.  And several of these surgeons can even do it LAP.  If your surgeon can't then you need a different surgeon.  And BTW, I have never heard of your surgeon and that says a lot.  Why 1 OP over 2?  First of all you should only have to PAY for 1 OP and have 1 recovery!  And getting insurance to cover that second OP can be a real bear.  But most important, there is a synergy to having the whole thing done at once.  Some of the 2 parters have been successful but overall they tend to lose less and lose slower.  This should not be about what your Doc prefers.  It is supposed to be about what's best for you.  At the very least have a consult/2nd opinion with a real DS surgeon.

Here's the straight scoop on weight loss surgery.  If you have the DS, you will lose the weight and keep it off.  Plus or minus 10% for bounceback.  Your diet is high protein, high fat, and low carb(sugar is the devil).  Protein and fat are free foods.  6 months to a year postop you will be able to eat a small normal meal.  You will have stinky poop and farts.  Most can control these issues by learning over time what causes them.  You will have 'pudding poop' for the rest of your life.  You will have to take a handful of supplements every day, forever.  If you have type 2 diabetes, there is over a 90% chance that it will be gone after surgery.  The DS is the best WLS available today.

Let's talk about the rest of them.  They are pretty much just restrictive.  I am even counting in the proximal RNY because the body adapts and after 2 years or so the malabsorbtion is gone.  If you will be happy living on a 600 to 800 calorie per day(pretty much starvation), then these are the surgeries for you.  Seriously, if we could stick to a 600 cal diet forever, would any of us ever need surgery?  Postop life is low cal, low fat, and low sugar.  Don't believe what I am saying.  Visit the revision boards and read all the posts.  So many suffer so much only to gain back all the weight, plus, and then have to suffer a second more complex surgery down the road.  Think twice, cut once.  Get the OP that's right for you.  I know if you have gotten this far, you have been on a diet.  How did that work for you long term?

Since that diet didn't work for you, think long and hard about why you are heavy.  If you just overeat, there's a chance any of these surgeries could work.  But if there's more to it than that and you believe you are metabolically challenged, there is only a very slim chance that restriction alone will work for you long term.  You need malabsorbtion to be successful.

You know you better than anyone else does.  Especially the doc who spends 10 minutes with you and tells you what surgery to have.  Question everything.  Be assertive, well informed, and stand up for what you want.  Refuse to settle.  This is your body and your life.  Follow the money.  Many if not most docs will sell you the surgery they do because.....they want your money.  Just like the Nissan Dealer is NOT going to tell you about the new Toyota that's perfect for you!  Always follow the money!

Good luck to both of you!