Does Probiotic = Weight Gain

Hi guys,

I always taken a probiotic since the DS (On the extremely lower range) , however, I heard that if I take the higher dosage it will help with the odor, which has cut significantly.  However, Since I been taking the probiotic I feel extremely heavy and have gained weight.  Not much difference in my diet, but I feel heavy and the scale is scary. Yet on a positive I don't use the bathroom as much and my stool is solid instead of watery.   Does anyone have any recommendation to what to modify or have a similar story share?

Please advise

With this newfound normalcy, have you gotten a little free with the carbs with lessened effects?  

Hi Valerie, I'm trying to understand the question.  Are you implying I should not be eating as much carbs because of my new lifestyle, or I should be able to tolerate more carbs now. 

Well I still eat my carbs, however, without the probotics I can eat the same and stabilize my weight, but when I tried to eat the same here i gained four pounds.

The real question is about the interaction between your diet and the flora added by the probiotics.

My own thoughts on this are that you have less gas and more solid BM's because your intestines and
stomach are working more efficiently with the help of the probiotics.

If that is the case you might be paying a bigger price for the same kind of eating that you were doing before
and you might need to make some adjustments. It might also be the case that your body is just working to adjust
and after a while your weight goes back to whatever "normal" might be for you.

That said it is also true that I've never seen anyone complain that probiotics caused weight gain and/or water 
retention which brings us back to Valeries comment.

You said not much difference in your diet but are you tracking? Maybe not having the consequences that you had
before has led you towards more carbs or perhaps different carbs. Just a question not a criticism - stuff sneaks up on 
me and sometimes it is the bathroom that reminds me I've strayed from my regular diet.

Pete

Hi Pete, and thanks for your input you gave me some things to think about.  Well I did not take my probiotic yesterday and the scale is still up.  My BM is not as often, but I really do not eat as much.

Also after sending this message out I read that probiotics can affect people differently and some may lose or gain, however, I need to give my body some time to adjust.  It says at least 3 - 7 days or I could be having a reaction towards the D-lactic acidosis. 

This surgery has left my body very tempermental, it does not take much to change and it always changing or easily effected.  Right now I feel fat, and heavy so, I need a break...I know they said up to 7 days, but this is a miserable feeling...I miss the skinny feeling.  So far, since I had the surgery I have gained 15 pounds from my desired weight.  So I desperately need to get on the ball.

Yes I do eat carbs, like cookies and doritos are my favorite but the DS WAS or is more forgiving, I thought.  Yes I do have a sandwich during the week for lunch, perhaps it that because I use to not eat the bread...who knows.

Part of the article; http://www.mommypotamus.com/popular-probiotic-strain-may-ind uce-neurotoxicity/

Basically, the idea is that it’s normal for some people to temporarily feel bad when introducing probiotics – the body working hard to clear a lot of junk out all at once! But what if that’s not what’s happening? Acidosis and die-off can have very similar symptoms so they could be easily confused. “Die-off” typically lasts 3-7 days according to some experts, so if it’s lasting longer than that it might be worth considering acidosis or another factor.

FYI - I did not take it today, and I noticed I released a lot of fluid...so not sure what is going on

The DS isn't really forgiving with carbs. None of the surgeries are. The DS is slightly forgiving with complex carbs, but you should still try to keep the carb count down. Cookies and doritos are not the kinds of carbs that the malabsorbtion will help. Those would be simple carbs.

These whole plant foods are great sources of complex carbohydrates:

• Green vegetables
• Whole grains and foods made from them, such as oatmeal, pasta, and whole-grain breads
• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin
• Beans, lentils, and peas

Well for me personally as i have IBS AND COLITUS i have notice since last octorber i started taking this probiotic  10 million a day i have gained weight and i crave salt really bad and also sugar ,  before on the  probitotics i did have a desire for sugar , but not like this .i have more of  tummy fat and i have handles now , i walk every day , i have  high vegetable diet and i eat chicken or fish and turkey and pork the odd time but i try to stay away from breads as they make me want to eat more , ,,, so know i am going off this probiotic,, i still ahve the same symptoms from my  ibs and colitus and infact have more white stuff coming from my bowels, ,,,,, i think that some people will have a different reaction , my older sister takes it and she is skinny , so i think this has to genetic gifting

Sunshine-

What Lisenros said!

The DS *is* more forgiving, but at the same time, it is not a free card to eat Doritos, cookies, or anything else that might fall into the category of junk food. The goal is to get more nutrition in, especially protein, and to eat better, since every bite you eat counts where nutrition is concerned.
Also, as your DS matures (gets older), your bathroom habits usually become more regulated and less liquid.

Remember, this surgery is highly malabsorptive, and that means quality needs to be the first consideration for anything you eat.

Sure, we take a gazillion vitamin and mineral supplements (or should!) to make up for the nutrients we miss from malabsorption which is what the "switch" part of your DS does, but vitamin and mineral pills can't do it *all*.

My common channel is only 75 centimeters, and that's the only place where nutrients are released from the food into the body, and at that point, the food is on the way -out- as waste.  The common channel is the only place n the DS anatomy that nutrients can be extrapolated from the food, because that's the only place the biliopancreatic juices are able to mix with the food to break it down into nutrients that can be absorbed. Your common channel may be longer, but it's probably not any shorter than mine, unless you measured out that way when you were switched.  That's highly unlikely, because of the average length of the small intestine.  Unless there is a very good reason, most vetted DS surgeons no longer do short common channels, 50 cm and under.  Those were done in the early days of the BPD/DS, and many of them were revised because the patients became severely malnourished.

Most vetted surgeons use the Hess Method to determine the lengths for the BP channel , food channel,and common channel,  and still others give everyone the same length.  The Hess Method customizes the surgery somewhat, measuring the lengths according to the individual's anatomy, and therefore, making the common channel a length suited to that individual's specific reconfiguration.

Your surgeon will probably be more than happy to give you a copy of your surgical report, or, at your next visit, just ask how long your common channel is, and ask for an explanation of what that means in terms of weight loss for you.  The mechanics of the DS are usually covered in pre-op class/classes, and there is a lot of information on the development of the DS on the web, and amongst those here who are a bit further out.  I'm only five years out, so I'm deferring to those who were switched before me.  The basic rule with the DS is the shorter the common channel, the more bathroom issues, so the trick is to make sure it's long enough to prevent a lot of unpleasantness and severe malnutrition, but short enough to get the job done when it comes to weight loss.  That's the reason you want a vetted DS surgeon, and not someone who took a class on a cruise somewhere! 

Some doctors actually do that to learn new procedures, and I have a sneaking suspicion that on more than one occasion, some have done exactly that for the DS, from some of the stories I've seen!

Hope that helps.

Hi Jazz,

Its been a while since we spoke, hope all is well, and thanks for sharing your thoughts.  My issues with the feeling of feeling bloated, over weight, gaining weight, and feeling constipated because my BM is less is when I change my probiotics.  I have a lower dose of probiotic that does not cause me these effects, but I decided to increase my probiotics because I thought prehaps it could improve the smell of my BM.  Yes, they did improve, but I become tooo normal, less BM and my BM becomes extremely solid, and I feel constipated...too much like my old self before I had the surgery. 

This weekend I decided to go off them, slowly but surely I am starting to feel a little better, but every time I take them I feel my DS works less and less efficient. Since I started taking the New (Higher bacteria, like in the billions) probiotics my weight has sky rocketed up to 15 pounds since last year.  Earlier in the year I was good with my weight but since taking the new BM, all high carbs effects me too bad.  I can even eat less and I still feel an effect. 

Like I said, I cannot stand feeling this way, so I got off them, and I am praying that my weight will go down, however, the smell will be the same.

Right now I am trying to figure out this right now...and majority of it is because of the offensive smell my BM can be. 

Right thing first is for my to get this weight off, without taking my probiotics, and stop eating real food like meals after 5.  If I stop at a certain time I will not have to use the bathroom until I get home. 

Sounds like you've got a plan! 

One suggestion:  If you use pasta, try using only 100% whole wheat, if you're not already. Same for bread and pastries.