1.  Buy (and wear) $1 panty hose "one size fits most" !!  Sometimes they are too big now... ha ha ha!

2.  Go to a baseball game at Wrigley Field... not have to worry about walking from the parking lot or fitting in the seats.  In fact, the seats are so "big" I can put my purse along side me in the seat! 

3.  Chase my nephew all over the house and yard without tiring out (too much, 2 year olds have a lot of energy!)

4.  Put my shoes on while sitting in the front seat of my car facing foward.  There is room to put my feet up on my seat and tie my shoe.... the fact that I can even get my feet up on the seat while I'm sitting on it is remarkable!

5.  Park in the back of the parking lot and enjoy walking as far as possible into a store - knowing that it won't tire me out!

6.  Wear the free t-shirts they give you at charity events or for promotions knowing they will fit. I love free t-shirts now!  (never could wear them before - the largest they'd go was 2x and I was wearing a 5x-6x)

7.   Ride roller coasters!!  I spent last summer at Six Flags riding all the rides I hadn't fit on since highschool.  What fun!

8.  Eat in public without worrying that people are staring at me and thinking "Wow, that fatty shouldn't be eating that ____" 

9.  Not worry about how well the furniture is built (because it might break) or if the chairs will have arms on them that will get in my way.  I know whereever I go now I can be comfortable - even if that means sitting on the floor!

10.  Not drip sweat or get out of breath from walking to get the mail on a hot day. 

There are many more benefits of being "normal" weight.... email me and I'd be happy to share more!

Why I chose the duodenal switch weight loss surgery over the more poplular RNY Gastric Bypass:

1.  The DS procedure keeps the pyloric valve intact. This eliminates the possibility of dumping syndrome, marginal ulcers, stoma closures and blockages, all of which can occur after other gastric bypass procedures.   This means I can eat steak, raw veggies, etc without fear of blocking up my "stoma" and getting sick!

2.  The DS procedure keeps a portion of the duodenum in the food stream. The preservation of the pylorus/duodenum pathway means that food is digested normally (to an optimally absorbable consistency) in the stomach before being excreted by the pylorus into the small intestine. As a result, the DS procedure enables more-normal absorption of many nutrients (including protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12) than is seen after other gastric bypass procedures.  This means no living on protein shakes and vitamin B shots like some RNYers have to!

3.  DS offers more normal eating after the body has adjusted.  Once the body is healed DSers are able to eat "normal" sized meals.  No one has to know you've had Weight Loss Surgery. 

4.  Long term research shows patients are better able to keep off weight with DS than with RNY gastric bypass and tend to lose closer to goal as well. 

For more information on the differences visit:

http://www.duodenalswitch.com/procedure/ds_vs__rny/ds_vs__rny.html

Or for more general information on duodenal switch visit:

http://www.duodenalswitch.com/