Question:
WEIGHT GAIN WORRIES AFTER SURGERY

I WILL BE A SELF PAID PATIENT, WHICH HAS ME GOING TO MEXICO FOR MY WLS. I WAS SET ON THE RNY UNTIL MY REGULAR PHYSICIAN SUGGESTED I CHECK INTO THE DS, SO NOW I AM TOTALLY CONFUSED. I HAVE OVER 100LBS TO LOOSE AND I AM TERRIFIED OF HAVING THE SURGERY AND RE-GAINING THE WEIGHT. I AM DEDICATED TO THE LIFE STYLE CHANGE, BUT IF WE ARE HONEST WITH OUR SELF....WE WOULD NOT BE IN THE SITITUATION TO NEED WLS IF WE WERE ABLE TO STAY ON A DIET. MY QUESTIONS IS....HOW CAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE RNY DONE STRETCH THEIR POUCH ENOUGH TO GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK? AND WHY IS IT THE DS PEOPLE'S STOMACH DOESN'T STRECH TO ALSO GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK?    — Lisa L. (posted on January 22, 2010)

January 22, 2010
I had the RNY back on Feb. 9,2004. From that time until now, I am one of the many people out there who tested which foods would hurt and come back up and which ones were fine. Ice cream hurts and I still stay away from it to this day but I have no problem eating 12 donuts in a row, which I havent' done but it's been tempting. I started at 257 and got down to around 172-174 I believe. I am now on another diet and have recently lost 10.5 lbs from 213.5. I am 5'7". You really need to stay focused on plant based foods and stay away from fat and sugar. No more than 5-7 grams per serving of sugar is what I recall and have read. I'm trying to follow the saying, "if it doesn't have a momma or come from the ground then it's not good for you!". I hope this helps a little.
   — Sharon B.

January 22, 2010
It isn't so much about "stretching" the pouch, it really more about eating around it. If you tried really hard, you could force food down again and again until you stretched the pouch. In reality, the weight gain comes from not following the rules and getting to a point where you can eat more caloies, because even though we have malabsorption, our intestines learn how to absorb more calories and therefore, we can gain weight. How you do that is to drink your calories (high sugar drinks like fruit juices, milk shakes -not calorie controlled protein shakes), drink with your meal and flush the food through so there's always room for more, graze on food continuously rather than eat planned meals, and ignore the exercise. I can't answer anything much about the DS other than the malabsorption is more significant. Hope I've at least helped a little- and by the way, this isn't a diet anymore. It's a lifestyle of choice. You can change your attitude from deprivation to choice and there is a better cance that you will stay in control. Scootermedic
   — scootermedic