Interested in having the DS

I just wanted to ask how much weight have you lost in the first year?

What foods do I have to stay away from?

What is dumping syndrome in DS patients?

I lost somewhere around 250 lbs the first year (maybe a bit more).

I do not drink sugary drinks- but eat anything I want (generally)

We do not have dumping- BUT we can get symptoms of a blood sugar spike. If you are eating very low carb (i.e when you just have surgery)- and then eat sugar...you will get the sweats, feel light headed, etc. It's not technically dumping, but it does feel like it. With that said, when I'm eating normally, I do not get those symptoms.

Dumping is a nasty side effect that some (not all) people with gastric bypass have. For some people it happens with sugars, for others with fat, for some it's very unpredictable and can even occur with healthy foods. It's NOT a weight loss tool, just a very unpleasant side effect. There is no way to predict in advance who will have it and who won't.

Dumping is very rare with the DS because we have a normal functioning stomach, just smaller, with normal emptying through the pyloric valve.

Larra

The first year or so, you eat high protein and very low carb. Once you reach goal weight, you eat more carbs until you find your balance. I lost the 146lbs I needed to lose in 14 months. I'm 12.5 years out now, and I have gained back 20 lbs, give or take, that I"m not at all concerned about. I eat whatever I want, but I am mindful not to go crazy on bad carbs, like bread and sugar.

Hello - I lost 100 pounds in the first 5 months, then the next 50 pounds in the next 5 months, and the final 25 pounds over about another 5 months. I was within goal in a little over a year. Started at 320.

It's not necessarily staying away - it's all about choices. Protein is the #1 food. During the weight loss phase, keeping low carb will help with the weight loss. Remember that with the DS you have malabsorption of everything EXCEPT sugar. All carbs turn into sugar. Foods I avoid - I do not eat/drink citrus - just simply too high in carbs. Other than that I heat anything I want. However, I still measure pasta (even after 14 years).

Dumping really isn't the right word for DSers - as someone pointed out we still have pyloris value and with gastric bypass, the pyloris valve is bypassed so the food "dumps" directly into your intestines. With the DS and speaking specifically about my experiences, if I eat too fast or too much I will start getting this feeling of fullness. If I continue to eat, the very first trigger for me is sneezing. I will sneeze uncontrollably. If I don't pay attention and continue to eat, I will start salivating and then, well you know what happens next. This is a learning process. You have to pay attention. This tends to happen if I'm not paying attention.

Also, everyone is different.

My only recommendation is to do your research. This is a very complicated surgery and not every surgeon can perform it. Usually when a doctor tries to talk you out of the DS it's because they aren't experienced enough to perform it. The other thing to understand with the DS is the lifetime commitment to vitamins, getting your labs done yearly (first couple of years labs are done twice a year), and eating high amounts of protein.