2nd guessing VSG...maybe I should have gone with DS

I know I'll be beat-up for this post and that it's my fault, but I'm having a horrible time NOT losing weight!  I can't seem to get my protein in and I'm struggling with carb addiction.  When I eat carbs which are quick and easy, I feel NO restriction and therefore, I find myself mindlessly grazing.  I think maybe I should have done with the DS. 

I'm asking questions, not judging.

Why can't you get your protein in?

What carbs are you eating?

What specifically have you done to fight your carb addiction?

You can't eat excess carbs on any WLS.  DSers absorb 100% of refined carbs.  The DS might punish you if you eat them though.

I'll start with if you had the DS and couldn't get your protein in and struggle with carb then that surgery would have you in a WORSE position because you need almost 1 1/2 times as much protein and eating carbs can get FUNKY...

The DS gives you gas with carbs (but they still go down easy...in fact ALL the surgeries, carbs go down easy), but I guess if you stunk up the joint you would be more likely to NOT eat them.

With all that said protein can be quick and easy too so WHY are you choosing carbs?  How can we help you?  You can either work with what you have or eat yourself back up to "maybe" qualify for the DS and if you still have the HEAD issues it's still going to be a struggle.

Ms Shell

HAHA! Ms. Shell, you crack me up. And I was thinking the same thing.  I researched DS before I got my sleeve and I decided against it. For me, I just didn't think I could handle the bathroom issues and didn't want the malabsorption.  I hear carbs make you extremely gassy and smelly and I hear that BMs are very smelly and oily.  They have to eat extremely high fat and take vitamins about 3 to 4 times a day.  It's also a much more complex surgery and recovery time is longer. It seems like a wonderful surgery for some but I know myself and I didn't think it was right for me.

If you think you have a carb addiction, the best course of action would be to go cold turkey and stop eating them all together.  Try to use the tool you have instead of wondering if there is something else out there that would work better. Good luck!!

I am not judging you. I feel compassion for you. How would the DS help your situation? You have pointed out the problems yourself and you can fix these things. You would still have these same issues with DS, in fact, the malabsorption would make getting protein even more vital. I hope you will do what is necessary to get a handle on your carb addiction and lack of compliance with intake. Do you go to a support group? Do you have a therapist? You should also talk with your dietitian about this if he or she has credibility with bariatric surgery patients.

You can DO this!

You may have to eat nothing but meat for awhile, but you have to de-carb.  You will never feel restriction with carbs.  You will also get pretty malnourished and lose your muscles if you don't face facts and eat your protein.

I too have wished sometimes that I'd chosen a malabsorption procedure, but this is what I have and what I have to work with.  I have lost pretty slowly since my surgery (lost 37 pounds preop, but only around 63 since surgery).  I struggle with carbs that seem to jump into my mouth some days.  But as soon as I realize what I'm doing, I put on my BIG GIRL PANTIES and start eating meat again.

So, go to the store, buy all your favorite meats for the next couple of days, and get ready to WOMAN UP!  You and I can DO this!

Girl, I have the carb addiction big time too but I finally came to terms that if I want to lose weight, I need to get OFF them.  Now, I still work carbs into my plan each day but my first goal is to keep the grams under 50 with the ultimate goal of keeping them under 40.  Most days, I easily achieve this.  YOU CAN TOO!  I'm on myfitnesspal with the same username danixbanani if you want to take a look at my menus to get ideas.  I know that carbs are quick and easy but if you dedicate ONE DAY a week to meal planning, it is easy. 

Also, are you having problems with stomach acid perhaps?  Are feeling hungry often and that is what you mean by restriction?  Having had a band previously, I have a hard time with figuring out "restriction" with the sleeve sometimes too.  With the band, restriction meant food was not gonna go down but with the sleeve restriction, to me, means food will go down but when will I be satiated?  The best thing to do?  Measure your food.  You only NEED a certain amount, stick to that amount.  Head hunger can get the best of us sometimes but hang in there, make some changes and you will be successful!

I have the big time carb addiction too,  and just staying completely away made me want to binge on them.   I've learned from past mistakes that I can't have an "I can never have this again" mentality or I freak.   So I do allow myself some carbs,  I try to eat it with protein,  and I ONLY allow it after i've eaten 60+ grams of protein for the day,  and I limit it to 100 calories.   So it's either cheese and crackers,    or crackers with tuna salad etc.   I save them for the end of the day, and they haven't seemed to hinder my weight loss.    I do absolutely have to measure and portion it out though because I could easily go overboard with them.

I too suffer from carb addiction and carb resistance.  I can't have any simple carbs as they lead to hunger and more carbs and the cycle goes rampant.  If I allow any carbs other than veggies into my diet I'm lost.  I have worked this thru with my therapist and she believes I have to not allow simple carbs into my diet at all.  The NUT finally admitted there are carb resistant people.

Oh and my older sister has the DS.  I can't stand to use the bathroom after her.  On a cruise she finally found the closet public RR as my girlfriend and I couldn't be in the cabin unless she aired it out first.  Even with the Fre-breeze we brought.  We had to find a close one as she can't control it more than a few minutes after waking.

Try working with what you have.  Work on your head.  The sleeve is the first part of the DS if you do revise you have the right surgery.