How much do you eat?

I'm 15 months post op and pretty much eat a normal dose of calories each day, maybe even a little high in the 2,200 to 2,800k range. At about 9 months post op I had lost more than I wanted too and started stuffing calories down my throat including 150 to 225 grams of carbs, lots of sugar & fat etc. This was my attempt to prevent further weight loss. My bowl movements are more frequent now in year 2 than they were in yr 1 but generally not as traumatic. I'm still a very low weight although I have regained about 8 lbs. I can add another 30 without any issue although I would then worry about it becoming another 100 in a few years. 

I see from others peoples postings (mostly women) that it doesn't appear people eat very much. Can people chime in about eating habits and bowl movement changes over time?

Thanks

fyi - I'm 6'1 male 15 month post op, about 19 bmi (although I don't personally believe in bmi as an indicator.

 

 

Looks to me like you can eat as you please just as long as you get your protein.  For now!  I think you are in the best possible place.  You are going into maintenance weighing a bit less than you want to.  Best scenario!

I had to stop tracking my food because I couldn't stop obsessing over carbs.  But a typical day for me at 1.5 years maintenance mode:

 

• Half of a steak and egg burrito or half a breakfast egg/sausage/cheese sandwich or 1/2 bagel with lox. 
• A small bowl of broth soup and half a meat sandwich or maybe a smoothie.  This is not my fav meal. 
• A "normal" dinner (meat + starch + veggie).  (I eat half my plate, wait 30 minutes, and then have second dinner -- i.e. the rest of it.)
• "Normal" sized Desert (Generally something with nuts but if I've gotten my protein in, it is fruit pie and ice cream time!)

 

I generally snack on nuts or jerky during the day.  I try to eat as much food as I can because more food = more protein (for the most part).  Also, I get in half and half every time I can.  Full fat whipped cream makes me a little nauseous, so I had to move to half and half.  I will have half a glass of the stuff with my meals.   Right now I'm avoiding protein shakes because they make me sick.

I also try to add butter to just about everything I can stomach it on.  I'm thinking about making some bacon bits to spread on everything as well. 

I have noticed that if I'm eating a steak, I can eat a LOT, more than my husband.  If I'm eating something like pasta, I have to stop after 4 or 5 forks. 

 

Is this about what you eat?? 

 

Thanks.

I also add butter and fat to almost everything I eat but have to limit pasta and sugar. I eat both but I get a really upset digestive system if I eat more than a serving of either.

One question I have relates to my expectation that we can all eat more than normal people due to the mal absorption. I use the example of a friend and I each eating a pint of Hagen Daz every day. I would expect my friend to be fat as a house after a few months and I would gain little from malabsorption, but spend a ton of time on the toilet.

Am I thinking about that correctly?

I can eat almost anything without issue.   Captain Crunch gives me the bloats but I haven't tried to fix that. 

 

Vegans can not go back to meat cold turkey without some digestive upset.  In general, if anybody stops eating something, like meat or gluten, and then say a year later eats it again, they will feel sick because the body doesn't have the ecoli to process it.  So, they tell people that are doing things like coming off a gluten free diet to have a bite of bread a day for a few weeks and then they should be fine. 

 

First time I ate ice cream or pasta or bread or all the things that I didn't eat during the honeymoon period I typically felt sick if I had more than a tiny bit.  But with time, they are all good now.  Maybe I did something in a past life and received some really good karma or something, but I can even eat sugar alcohols now.  Those did take a long time to build up and I still wouldn't want to eat more than the equivalent of say 3 sugar free candies.

 

Ok, now to your question, as I understand it.  (Not being a veteran and all...)

 

Probably your friend would gain weight, but just like some of us couldn't smell food without gaining weight, she might be one of those whose body would deal with that influx of fat and calories without adding a pound.

 

I would be fine and probably have really good protein and calcium numbers on my blood work.  A different DS'er might just feel bloated in about six hours, but be fine after a doozy of a fart.  A different DS'er might not make it to the pot and have the dreaded oil slick problem in the middle of the night.  I don't know what makes the difference between these reactions, other than perhaps the stomach bacteria issue I mentioned above.  I saw one veteran talking about how different surgeons tend to have people that are in one camp or the other, but is that because of the surgery details or the follow up? 

 

Not enough research to really know.   

 

You just have to try it. 

 

 

I'm at 11 years out, BMI normal still.  No one would ever know I had surgery from how I eat.  (Portion size)

 

I still would say I tend toward lower carb, high protein for sure. I don't eat much bread.  

 

Things that bug my system...eating too much processed food, ie chips, white bread.  These will give me hella gas.

 

Basically, this far out, I have a weight range.  If I get to the high number, I cut down the carbs for a week or two, and I'm back where I need to be.  The tool still works, this far out.  DS is such a beautiful thing!  Congrats everyone on your success and choosing this wonderful surgery!

 

Thanks - I'm glad to hear the tool still works years later. I would be very disappointed if it didn't.