My surgery weight was about 320 (I'm 5'3"). I was 45 when I had my surgery. It took me about 16 months to reach my goal weight (150) and this morning my weight was 149. I did have plastic surgery about 3 years post-op - I had a breast lift and a tummy tuck (TT was paid for by insurance).

Protein is personal. At the start the general rule of thumb was 30 grams of protein by 30-days post-op 60 grams by 60 days, and ultimately 90 grams by 90 days post-op. When I was in my weight loss phase and working out (I worked out anywhere from 3-4 times a week once my surgeon cleared me) I would aim for at least 125 grams of protein. Now I always exceed 100 grams of protein - my goal is always a minimum of 25 grams of protein per meal. I also snack on protein which gets more >100.

Carbs give me gas and bloating, period. Some carbs are easier to eat than others. High fiber foods also don't work for me. I try to get more complex carbs in (complex carbs are natural carbs - potatoes, veggies, etc.). I do eat simple carbs - bread, sweets, etc. No idea how many carbs I eat. Carbs are what makes me lose or gain weight. If I notice the scale creeping up, I simply cut back on the simple carbs. It has worked for me.

Make the commitment to change everything - your eating habits (don't ever say you're on a diet), how you look at food (I love food - cooking it and eating it), how food affects your body. Read labels - learn what you're eating. I tend to eat more organic foods - I shop at the local farmers market.

What was your starting weight, if I may ask? I am seeing a trend with the 15-20 year post ops and all of you have a plethora of information to share, so forgive me if I poke for a bit more! is the standard grams of protein 100 for everyone? ow do you feel when you eat carbs?d

Because it works better than anything else out there and it gives you the most normal postop life. It also never quits working. When you read studies and look at results, concentrate on long term, not short term. Surgery of any kind is traumatic and most people lose weight. Pretty much guaranteed. What matters is where these people are 10 years down the road.

I will be coming up on 20 years postop pretty soon and I can tell you how I see it. The sleeve...works for some but you can't get around the fact that it is just another diet with a smaller stomach. RNY. In my opinion it is very cruel. You have to live with things like dumping/throwing up for the rest of your life. The amount of small bowel bypassed is very small and by the 2 year mark your body has adapted. This is when many patients begin the regain. LAP Band. It doesn't work. Long term results are dismal and the puking never goes away. Also cruel. I have been around the WLS community for decades and I firmly believe that restriction helps you lose weight but malabsorbtion lets you keep it off. The DS works because you get both and so much is bypassed that your body can never completely adapt.

Going back to about 2000, I worked in an office full of fat women. I was one of them. Our insurance covered WLS so 10 of us had surgery. 1 lap band and she never lost a pound. 8 RNY(easiest surgery to get). And 1 DS. That was me. Fast forward almost 20 years and I look like a normal old woman. So does ONE of the RNY people. The other 7 of the RNY women are all heavier now than when they had the surgery.

A couple years ago the successful RNY person was visiting my city and we decided to go out to lunch. I met her at a restaurant. She was looking good. Not skinny, not fat, just normal. Anyway the first thing she did was go find the restroom in case she had to throw up. At 15+ years postop she told me she still throws up several times a week. Yikes! No thanks!

I know me. I knew I needed more than just a diet to lose weight and keep it off. I could lose weight on my own but I could never keep it off. I also knew that I was very metabolically challenged and to lose weight I had to be too restrictive. I could gain weight on a regular low calorie diet. To lose weight I had to go down to 5 or 600 calories a day. So I knew I also needed malabsorbtion. Fat and diabetes both ran in my family and the DS often cures type 2. So the DS was the best choice for me. Do I wish I had picked one of the others? No. I picked the best one for me.

Yup, I still diet. I live pretty much low carb. How many women do you know who are not trying to lose weight? Probably none! I do take my supplements every day. A small handful of pills in the morning and another at night. It's a habit and I have no problems with it. I took vitamins before I had surgery. I do give myself cheat days where I eat as I please. For me, it's holidays and out of town vacations. Sometimes I have a list of things I want to eat. I know me well enough to say I can't cope with neverending deprivation. The cheat days allow me to eat right the rest of the time while still having something to look forward to!

Medical issues. I have none and take no prescription meds. Considering I am old, that really means something. Most people my age are on multiple prescription drugs. I can still run. I can still walk forever. Move a rock pile and wrangle palm trees. I am extremely healthy and I can't even remember the last time I had a cold or the flu(knock on wood). I take good care of myself and I have been lucky.

Now it is your turn to choose. Listen to your doctor and other people. BUT remember this. You are the one who has to live with the choice. They don't. And the surgeons... Take them with a grain of salt because they are trying to make money. Always follow the money! You know you better than anyone else does!

After making this post, I have received a lot of the same feedback about this which is why I have already crossed the lap band off my short list of possibilities. Definitely would be a negative experience!

I would never consider the lap band and hope you research that well. Too too TOO many ppl have had terrible experiences with it and many insurers are going to one bariatric surgery per lifetime.

many have developed irreversible complications from the band. It was originally designed to only stay in for 10 years , not a lifetime. Many surgeons refuse to even do them anymore.