"Dieting" after DS

I have read a lot about how the DS offers the most balanced and normal diet of all the WLSurgies out there. But then I also am reading about how people are dieting again (to lose some regains) and making sure they are tracking carbs and not snacking etc. We all know this is a tool and lifestyle changes are forever, but can you tell me what dieting after DS is like vs before? Do you feel hungry and deprived like I do now when I try to diet by eating low carb, not snacking, smaller meals etc. It's pure hell.

Appreciate you all!

Jen

It's nothing like before. To get my protein in and to lose my minor regain (10lbs) I still eat every 3 hours and I'm normally never hungry. I can still eat some carbs, it's just a lot less and mine mostly come from veggie and berries. Pasta still doesn't go down well, bread is a treat and I'm not big on potatoes. Found low carb wraps that I love and can use for pizza too! eating correctly now is a breeze compared to before.

I don't call it dieting. I call it making better food choices. I do not experience the misery that I did when I was dieting before DS, constant hunger, brain fog, headache, craving, etc. What's different? I can eat whenever I want, respond immediately to hunger by grabbing real food, not just a carrot and celery, and I don't have to worry about fat calories. A ham and cheese roll-up, a taco without the shell, a handful of cashews, a chicken thigh, these are all snacks I have had in the last few days. I don't formally count carb calories, but I know the portion I can eat. I still eat them when the family has rice or potatoes, just about one third of what they do. I am not attacking my bounce-back weight (15 pounds after 13.5 years), but if I see a few additional pounds hanging around after vacation or a holiday, I can just make better food choices. No uncontrolled hunger needed. If only there was a surgery that would allow unlimited consumption of candy!

Neither do it. I haven't "dieted" in 17 years. I eat the way I eat for the DS, and if I need to make adjustments periodically, so be it. It's usually cutting back on carbs (or making better carb choices - complex vs simple) for a while until things get back to normal.

I still diet pretty much constantly. I can gain weight. The DS makes it manageable. Much easier than it was before. Much!

I think everyone's experience is specific to them based on your biome, gender, exercise etc.

I eat anything I want anytime I want. About 300 to 400 grams of carbs a day and lots of treats. I'm skinny as a rail but I do exercise now which I hadn't done for many years presurgery. I also make sure my vitamins and nutrition meet minimum standards or better everyday.

If I had to diet or couldn't eat normally, I would not have had the wls.

wow! I assume you are/were a virgin DS...? I am having a revision to a DS from a sleeve. I hope I have results even half as good as yours. I am sooo sick of agonizing over every bite I take.

Expect some regain of your weight lost to the tune of 15-20%. Lose as much as you can the first year to have some buffer for that.

I am 13.5 years out and hover around 15% regain effortlessly and I don't diet. Every year, I usually do a detox of sorts when I find myself actually craving carbs. With that, I cut back simple carbs for a few weeks, focusing on meat veggies and cheese.

I diet but not like before. My dirty little secret is some lifestyle changes don't stick. My habits and tastes are very different than pre-op but I can still, at 6 years out, fall into some of the eating traps from my pre-op days.

I did reset the first year and a half and changed a lot but I'm 61 and I spent more years making bad habits than I have living a healthy lifestyle. :)

So, I diet in the sense that I watch my food choices and track but I can't say I ever feel hungry. I cut carbs, I lower portions a little mainly by doing more protein shakes, protein becomes my first choice, and I try and exercise more.

I'm 6:1 and hovered around 230 (surgery weight of 464) for 3 years or so. In the last year I have gotten to routinely weigh in around 220 with an eventual goal of onederland but I don't obsess over it like I used to. I just lean into the DS more when I am tracking than other wise.

I wouldn't ever use the word deprived for my feelings anymore. Not since the surgery but do I feel a little disappointed and happy that I know not to have that second piece of birthday cake or skip the ice cream. Just a little but knowing I can do 15 miles on my bike now makes it a good trade off.

I even go with my nephew to WW. The latest iteration is closer to the DS diet with emphasis on protein I just don't follow the whole low fat portion and I like the group dynamics. It's mostly to support my nephew but I gain too so it is a win-win. I just remember my needs are a little different than what they think the requirements are.

Pete

Thank you for the advice, that sounds reasonable!