Eat Normal Foods

Let's be honest. "Normal" portions and food, really isn't all that normal anymore. Are chips, pizza, cookies, and other similar stuff normal? Only in the last 50yrs

Hell to the YES!

When losing, most stick to very low carb diets, but once reaching goal, start introducing them back within reason, still eating protein-forward for the most part.

Hi,

The long term answer is yes but I've found that things are easier as time goes on. I just passed 6 years and there are plenty of things that I can eat now that I found inadvisable to eat my first year. Much more prone to gas and quick BM's from sugary and high fat foods the first year. While some of that never went away the urgency is mostly gone.

I was reluctant to stray too far the first year but surgery in April and by Thanksgiving / Christmas I was OK to have a taste of a sweet potatoes and a small bit of pie, or a cookie at Christmas.

I do watch closely now and move back to a mostly protein regimen if I see I've gained a little. I'm currently hovering around 220 from a surgery weigh of 464 so maintenance is going OK for me.

Pete

Hello.....I'm scheduled for surgery 7/9/19, and wanted to get some feedback. The good, bad, and ugly. What kind of advice could you give me? How was your recovery? Where you able to go back to work within 2 weeks

Personally I think two weeks is too short. If you're having the full DS, you are having MAJOR surgery (even if its done lap). It will take the first week just to get all the anesthesia out of your system.

I took 4 weeks off - I probably could have gone back to work after the 3rd week. When I did go back, I went back part time for two weeks. I realized it was exhausting just getting up, dressed and ready for work.

With the DS you're re-learning how to eat - what you can eat, what you can't. Getting your water in. Learning how to introduce your vitamins, making sure you're getting enough protein.

IMHO the first couple of months are a true learning experience.

But worth it all!

If you have an office job it is usually doable. I worked at a desk and I could have gone back in 2 weeks but had the luxury of not having to do that because I could do some work from home.

At 2 weeks I still got twinges of pain from my stomach when I stood up or sat down. Not continuous but about half way through the process. Kind of like I did a 1000 situps. As long as I was prepared it was OK. I still got really tired by about 2 or 2:30 but it was something I could power through. You will probably need to nap pretty quick when you get home.

A little harder to keep hydrated but while I was going through the liquids, pureed, soft foods cycles on my way to "regular food" I didn't have any BM issues so your probably ahead of the game to start and watching what you eat that early on is easy because you can't eat much. ;)

Take a pillow to hold against your stomach on the way home from the hospital. I swear every pot hole felt like my stomach would split.

I started to really notice that things were getting better about a month out. They had been getting better all along but it was hard to judge from one day to the next. Really, for me, there was the normal pain I would associate with any major kind of stomach surgery. Nothing worse with the DS. The first couple of weeks are the time it may run through your mind that you had to be crazy to do this voluntarily but that doesn't last.

Best decision I ever made and I'll always be grateful that I backed out of my 2 prior starts to getting an RnY.

Pete