Thank you for your response. The diet for life I have been given indicates that you should avoid fatty foods. Based on what I have been reading and seeing from those who have undergone this surgery it would appear that isn't necessarily the case. I am a planner and my frustration comes when mixed messages interfere with my planning. I know this may seem somewhat anal but planning helps me feel like I am being proactive, at the same time it helps to relieve stress. Oddly enough I am a stress eater and the biggest cause of stress in my life these days is this surgery along with moderating my eating.

Currently I am running at about 15% carbs, 25% protein and 60% fats. I am a big carb fan so I have replaced my carbs with fat. So it looks like I need to move my fat number way down and get my protein up. My fat mostly comes from salad dressing, mayo and Greek yogurt. Still lots of work to do but I have at least 4 months until surgery so there is still time.

A couple of observations. Did the diet you got from the Doctor's office really say that this is your diet for the rest of your life or is it the diet they would like you to follow once you are healed enough to be on solid foods? In the early stages they might be quite similar. (Still not an exact match but close)

Not that Surgeons or WLS practices generally are great in the practical terms of living with your DS.

Protein first is a valuable mantra, especially so in the first 12 to 18 months. Meeting protein goals is something that will become 2nd nature after a while because it is your health you are looking out for..

With the DS you will be able to add back foods over time to have more "regular" meals. For me, the meals I have today are much more varied at 7 years out than they were the first 2 years and are much healthier than I ate pre-op.

It's natural to think your surgeon needs to supply you with all he answers. I wanted that first from my surgeon and then as time went on I wanted certainty from the vets. Life is a little more complicated and you have to see what will work best for you.

Of course you would never follow a plan that actually hurts your health by losing too much. Everything needs to be customized as time and cir****tances change.

For instance, I am a lot more active now. It lets me eat more than I could if wasn't and I can see the difference when I don't get to exercise but I know he adjustments I have to make.

SO just a few things on the overall eating changes.

Always get in your protein (and VITAMINS) to stay healthy. Eating protein feeds into the strengths of the changes you will have made to your body.

Never eat low fat again unless there is no alternative or you just like it. You will have plenty of time to figure out how much fat is actually good for you - opinions vary quite a bit. I've never gone out of my way to add fat to my diet but don't avoid it like they sometimes tell you either.

The first 6 months especially, tastes and reactions to food can change dramatically from week to week. There was a period I didn't really care to eat at all and had to schedule my meals to make sure I got my protein ( a fairly short period of time but it worried me at the time ). Also, some tastes change permanently and even though my mind may tell me to have something I used to like as a treat now when I actually have it the taste isn't the same. In my case this was a good thing for things like sweets and chips.

Also, sometimes people start out lactose intolerant. I started that way. It took me a while to figure out that the dry milk my surgeon had in his plan as a protein booster caused me trouble but after a year of lactaid and frozen yogurt that went away. Luckily it wasn't ever so bad I couldn't have cheese. :)

Not sure I really answered your question. Today I don't forbid myself any food but I severely limit the quantities based on how I know my body will react. Things change over time. A slice of birthday cake sent me on a quick trip to the bathroom the first year but now I can have a slice without that worry. I just don't have the urge any more to have more than a slice.

Pete

I am assuming you are having a standard DS. 2 anastomosis.

Doctors frequently give everyone the same information, no matter what the surgery. They are lazy. Most of the long term successful DSers have learned how to eat and stay healthy from their peers. Back when I had my surgery a lot of doctors were telling us to take 2 Flintstones every day and we would be fine. Bottom line, surgeons are cutters. They know how to do the operation. They don't actually know much about nutrition or supplementation.

A healthy lifestyle for a DSer does not look like a standard diet. And then, all DSers are not the same either. The results of the DS are a Bell Curve. Some people get to live the dream and eat protein plus whatever for the rest of their lives. Some still have to be careful or they will gain weight. No one can tell you where you will be on the curve. If you are having the DS it's a pretty good bet you already know you are metabolically challenged and diets do not work for you. And if they do the weight loss is not sustainable long term. There is no surgery out there that works better than the DS but it is still work!

I think living with the DS is easy. But in the beginning, it sort of takes over your life. You will move forward and it will become automatic. Protein first will be for the rest of your life. Period. Some people need more than 100gr per day. And sometimes it changes when you are years postop and you lose some of your malabsorbtion. I started at 80gr per day, moved up to 100, and now I am back at around 80. Everything is all about performance over time. You won't get sick and die if you miss a dose now and then or fail to get your protein every day. But you will get sick if you screw up all the time!

After you heal you are in your fast loss phase and that is what you need to do. Lose weight. Every carb you don't eat is a personal victory. You won't have room for much besides protein. You eat protein plus low carb veggies. You can probably fit in your meat plus a couple bites of something like green beans. Breakfast will be eggs with cheese. In the beginning many don't tolerate a lot of fat but keep trying. Butter, cream, and cheese make our standard diet easier to live with. Fat is sort of like free food. Take advantage of it. So, high protein, low carb/sugar, and moderate to high fat. You no longer need to worry about cholesterol either. A lot of us have LOW cholesterol.

After you lose the weight... Go 10% under your goal. Why? Because almost all of us have some regain or Bounceback when we are done with the fast weightloss. So here you sit after losing all your weight plus 10% more for good measure. What now. Eat your protein, low carb veggies, and start adding in a few carbs. Have a piece of fruit or some oatmeal. Weigh every day and if you are over your magic number for 3 days in a row you go back to strict low carb till it's gone. If you are still losing, add in a few more carbs. Have toast with your eggs. It will take some time to figure out how many carbs YOU can eat!

Best of luck to you!

Hi Sandra!

I'm ten years out, and calcium seems to be the bugaboo for me this far out. I usually pull myself back on track with the vites - liquid calcium works wonders- and maintain my weight between 135 and 145 still within chart weight for me.

My doctor really wants me to hang on to a little extra, as I have had sudden drops in the past, so it's within range for me.

Hi there,

7 years out. First on cost, While I do citrical max (6 pills a day) when I need to get more calcium and there haven't been any BOGO at the local CVS or Walgreens they always have their house brands on sale and those worked OK for me too. The dose is slightly higher for the citrical but around 1500 mg split into 3 doses works for me.

I get my A, D, E, and K from amazon, dry versions (no gel caps) from biotech. The D will be the most expensive (I do 50k once a day and another 50k every other day).

I only started the E after 6 years out and I sometimes wonder about needing the K but better safe than to let it get out of hand.

I started a low dose of Zinc / copper about 2 years in.

"One a day" ( 2 per day) multi vitamin (sales, sales, sales). I switched from Centrum and Kirkland multi's (best price per tablet for me is kirkland from Amazon) but I switched because I needed one without potassium (go too high).

I take Vit C and K2 but I consider those expendable if finances are really tight.

I think for A, E, and K you might find veggie caps and some lower doses cheaper than biotech. Just keep an eye on the labs. (palmitate as the source for the vitamin A)

I hope that helps. Reach out with any other questions. No experience with Medicaid but while I haven't found a way to get insurance to pay for my vits if you can get a doc to write a prescription they migh cover the costs. ??

{ete