disco stu

Woot!

...for instance.... I lost 7 lbs 3 weeks ago after I quit drinking and started Intermittent fasting. I was excited by results, and doubled down. If anything, I have been eating even cleaner and been more aggressive in my fasts. Last two weeks? Zilch. Nada. No movement. In fact, the harder I tried, it would seem the scale would mock me and move UP a lb or two. ack!!!! (NOTE: I did drop a belt hole during this period.) .. then this morning, down three lbs in one night. And I fully expect to see another 3 to 4 drop by the end of the week. Just the way this seems to work...

Woot! You're in for a wild journey, but the payoff is worth it

I highly recommend looking into B-12 injections. Has made a huge difference for me.

My surgeon said I could go to town the night before surgery; have any kind of "last meal" i wanted. It wasn't going to make a bit a difference. The reason they put you on such a strict diet pre-surgery is to shrink your liver so they have more room to move around in there. But your last meal isn't going to enough time to change things one way or the other, so don't worry about it.

I agree that six months seems aggressive. That may be true for Sleeve, but SIPS should me more like a full year before things slow down. You story seems pretty extreme...11 lbs in a week?.... but in general, yes, weight loss seems to come in spurts followed by frustrating lulls. Just keep working the program and have faith. You'll get there.

I haven't made any big announcements, but when someone comes up to me to congratulate me on all the weight i've lost and asks, "how did you do it?" hoping that have some kind of amazing dieting tip in my back pocket, I usually tell them straight out. It just feels wrong to lie. I also make sure to point out that it's not all free and easy. It takes work, huge lifestyle changes, and there are nasty side effects. I've had a couple of big guys want to grab coffee afterward to get more details. You can tell it's something that they considered, so they're excited to talk to someone who's done it and had success.

Six month anniversary. Down 45lbs. only 25 away from my goal weight. Weight loss has sped up quite a bit the last few weeks since I quit drinking, started Intermittent Fasting, and working out in the AM in a fasted state. Hoping to keep it going!

SIPS is a less invasive procedure, therefore *should* result in fewer surgery complications and fewer long term side effect, while delivery the same results as full DS. Sounds really good on paper, right? But it's new, so there's not as much evidence to support it. For those who believe, Full DS is an outdated procedure and you should count yourself lucky to have the modern technique. For those that don't, you're a guinea pig.

I had the SIPS procedure (a.k.a.single-anastomosis duodenal switch), which is the new kid on the block. Similar to DS, but a simpler procedure which - in theory - means less risk of complications, and fewer side effects. For instance, because the channel is in the 250-300cm range, there are fewer vitamin deficiency issues than traditional DS. Quote: Patients report experiencing significantly less malabsorptive symptoms compared to a standard duodenal switch because the common channel length is almost twice that of a standard DS. But as noted in my earlier post, there are people on forums who will say SIPS is still "experimental" or at the very least, has not been around long enough to support the above claims. The single-anastomosis duodenal switch, also called stomach intestinal pylorus sparing surgery (SIPS), or the single loop DS, is very similar to the standard duodenal switchoperation, except that the small intestine is only transected at one point instead of two. With this operation, the majority of the most stretchable portion of the stomach is permanently removed (as in a sleeve gastrectomy) but basic stomach function remains the same. In addition, roughly half of the upper small intestine is bypassed, resulting in a moderate decrease in calorie absorption. Weight loss is achieved both through restriction of food consumption and malabsorption, which results in very good long-term weight loss maintenance. http://www.centerforweightlosssurgery.com/service/weight-loss-surgery/single-anastomosis-duodenal-switch

I've been using this post to "blog" my "journey." As far as how it's going, "Slow but steady"

Interesting. My common channel is 280cm. According to my surgeon, he would normally go 250cm for higher BMI than I started with (another way getting a sleeve first screwed me! hahaha) . So the obvious questions is, "why is Strivingforbetter's 'typical' number a full 100cm different than mine?" That seems like a huge discrepancy. I imagine it's probably something to do with traditional DS vs SIPs; SIPS are 100cm longer in general? Also, it's possible it has something to do with male vs female, but that seems less likely....

Yup. Agreed with your concerns. (NOTE: You take much fewer vitamins with SIPS than DS, so +1 in SIPS column for that.) I didn't write what I wrote to scare you off. I just want don't want anyone headed down the primrose path only to feel tricked or betrayed later. Just know what you're trading. That being said.....despite a few rough moments for me, I'm glad I got the SIPS and would do it again. Let's face it, being fat sucks, and has plenty of embarrassments, inconveniences and even physical pain on it's own (ex: bending over to tie a shoe) . Those thing are behind me and good riddance. Also note that many of the bathroom issues can be curbed or at least significantly lessened simply by being careful with carbs. THe issues I've had are mostly my own, lazy, fault.

I'm Sleeve to Sips revision, little more than 4 months out. I honestly didn't do enough research on Full DS before going with SIpS...I just believed my Dr, who called SIPS the "bazooka" of WL surgery while having the least side effects. Sounded pretty good so I went for it. There are some SIPS haters on internet forums who say that SIPS is still experimental and unproven. Also, if you dig you'll find a single study that kinda' sorta' implies that SIPS becomes less effective vs DS after a year, (but I've also read a pretty compelling refutation of that same article so..... who really knows with anything you find on internet? Something to ask your surgeon about, I suppose.) I can report that all that my post op experiences seem to match pretty well with the stories I read full from "full DS'ers". I can't tell the difference. My weight loss has been slow but consistent. Keep in mind that I'm a revision, and revisions are never as fast\effective as "virgin" procedures, so I'm reasonably happy. My #1 piece of advice comes in the form of a warning: These procedures work, but there's a cost. It's almost Faustian......There's no such thing as something for nothing. There have been multiple occasions where I questioned my decision and even times I wished I hadn't done it. For one, my restroom visits will never be the same, which is embarrassing and uncomfortable. Also, I feel either nauseous or constipated almost constantly, which has significantly affected my sex drive.... It's hard to feel romantic when I'm constantly farting and my stomach is twisted in knots. ...there's a cost. Be prepared

Good luck. Check out the posts then ask away. More than happy to pass on any info we can

Welcome to DS. I'm about 4 months out and still experience explosive, speckle-the-bowl, diarrhea four to ten times a day (and night). It's my new normal and I've just had to get used to it.

Update: 20 weeks. Down approx 36lbs. Overall, I'm pleased. Slow and steady wins the race, and so far - knock on wood - things just keep headed in the correct direction; i.e. no re-lapse. I admit that it could be even better if I cleaned up some habits. I still eat fast food on the regular, and I was drinking A LOT of beer. I'm in the process of trying to cut back on the alcohol, so am excited to see what happens without an extra 1000 empty calories a day....

It's a little weird, but I've discovered that I love the taste of distilled water over any other brand of bottled, including the expensive fancy stuff.

Put a bottle of "poo-pourri" and a pack of flushable wet-wipes in your purse and in every restroom in your home.

I'm not sure I qualify as having hyperhidrosis, in that I don't sweat too much while inactive , but I have always sweated more than the average guy when playing sports or working out. Currently, I'm the guitarist in a cover band, and after two or three songs, my shirt is drenched. I'm about 3 months out from DS - down 30lb or so - and no change....I'm still a sweaty beast on stage. YMMV

Update: 12.5 weeks. Down approx 25lbs. For 3 or 4 week I was pretty much in a giant stall. Weighing myself every day, the scale never moved. Completely stuck. I chalked it up to getting a little lazy. I had started to eat things like double cheezy burgers and Chicken wings, with the justification of, "It's protein. I can eat all I want." I knuckled down for a week, including the use of some Intermittent Fasting techniques. And? The scale didn't move. Arg. Frustration. Plus, my GI issues seemed to be improving, which, while more comfortable, made me start to wonder if my SIPs was past the "honeymoon." Gotta be kidding me! So then I got depressed and kinda gave up and stopped looking at the scale, but continued to eat reasonably smart. Protein first. No more chicken wings...etc. Been a couple of weeks, and I finally got on the scale this AM expecting to be the same or probably a pound or two higher. Instead I was down 4lbs. huh. Emotionally, I'm liking this. Gonna stay the course another 2 to 3 weeks before jumping on scale again and see if I hit the jackpot again. ...until next time. - Your pal, Disco Stu.

Ack!!!. Had a horrible bloat\gas attack last night and I'm racking my brain to figure out what triggered it. I had a simple grilled chicken Caesar salad with dressing on the side for dinner.... a dish I eat at least twice a week with no issues. I also picked at my wife's avocado salad, in particular I had two or three large avocado slices. Could that be it? Does anyone else have issues with Avo? Otherwise, I'm completely at a loss....

To quote the comedian John Mulaney, "Adult life is already so God damn weird."

I did not know that. But I think raisins are one of the things that make me fart..... The Googles did let me know bananas are kinda middle of the road for potassium compared to their reputation. The food that out shines them all is white beans, and since I'm a "go big or go home" kinda guy, that's my strategy. They taste okay.... kinda salty and bland at the same time. What can you say? They're beans. I'm gonna mix some chopped bacon with them tonight for dinner and make it a party.

I got my first round of labs back the other day. I was surprised that almost everything came back within range, seeing as how I'm only taking a non-bariatric multi-vitamin once a day. Especially surprised I didn't have low calcium. I was a little low on iron, but not anemic. The only thing that came in low was potassium, which kinda makes sense because of the frequent diarrhea. I've stocked up on white beans and PowerAid Zero, and they are gonna re-test in a week. Regardless, they spooked me enough that I went ahead and picked up the Bariatric Advantage multi (with Iron), and some calcium citrate. Will try to take doses both day and night, although they said something about taking the calcium two hours after the multi, which is gonna be difficult.