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Many people are under the assumption that every time you eat after the DS procedure, you run to the bathroom. This is a huge misconception. The majority of people "go" once or twice a day. The key to weight loss with DS is watching the carb intake and resisting eating in between meals. The reduced size of your stomach keeps you from eating a lot and the intestinal manipulation keeps you from absorbing all the calories you take in. What are other peoples' experiences with eating with the DS? Liz

I am new to this forum, but not new to the experiences. I had gatric band in 2006 and have had huge success (140lb loss and size 26 to 8/10). I am now the smallest weight and size I have ever been since the age of 12! I had a upper arm lift and vertical thigh lift in 2015. Thrilled with the arm lift, not as please with my thighs. I was less than thrilled with the aftercare from my previous surgery, so I will not return to him. I'm 48 yo and I've never had kids and I am ready to have my breasts done (and possibly tummy tuck). I had a consult with a surgeon in my area and didn't really have a connection with her. She determined a breast lift and implant is needed to acheive the look I am wanting, which I pretty much knew. I'm looking for 2 things... (1) Surgeon reccomendations (I'm willing to travel to Florida or throughout New England)/NorthEast). I've been looking on RealSelf, but I cannot seem to filter by breast lift, weightloss, and fat transfer to find a surgeon. (2) Input/experience from those who either went with a small implant (275cc) or have fat transfer, or just a lift. Im currently a 36C and would like to stay a C cup following the lift. Thank you in advance! It's so great to read from so many willing to share their experiences. I am happy to share mine as well.

It really did! I think I was on the waiting list for Tier 3 for about 2 years. I don't know how they think they are helping those who desperately need help with their weight, by making them wait years and years without any support. I completely empathise with that, although there are a lot of freedoms with being self-employed, it does make some things more difficult. I am glad they have reacted quickly to the complaint - I so hope they take it as seriously as they should and the woman who initially caused stress is actually held accountable. I have my fingers crossed for you! ❤️ Here if you need a friend x

Great advice above. Dr Matthew Weiner is a great resource (you tube videos, books, podcast, website). He does encourage a plant based eating style but you can use it as a guide & for ideas especially around increasing vegetable consumption, ingredient alternatives, etc. I didn’t exercise while losing & still don’t as people define exercise. I do 4 x 5 minute sessions of stretching & resistance bands through out the day. Easier to find 5 minute blocks of time throughout the day versus say an hour + at the gym. It’s called exercise snacking. Though as other have said you probably do a lot of running about with your little ones as it is. And yes, stop using the word diet. It’s so filled with negative connotations like restriction & failure. I started saying I’m not on a diet, I just changed the way I eat from when people started noticing my weight loss. (The usual reaction: Oh, you’ve lost weight. What diet are you on?) It’s does contribute to changing your thinking about food & eating. Go back to the basics when you were losing. Meet your protein & fluid goals. Watch your portions. Protein first, then vegetables & then carbs if you’re able. You can start slow & incorporate one or two changes every couple of weeks. Much easier to adopt than jumping in with both feet. Don’t be afraid to touch base with your dietician, surgeon or therapist if only for support & remind you of anything you may have forgotten or missed. All the best.

I've been hanging out here for probably nine years. I would say most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first MONTH, so your loss seems pretty normal to me. Of course you will find people who lose more or less than that, but they tend to be outliers - or start off at very high BMI's (like the people on "My 600 lb Life"). there are so many factors that influence your rate of weight loss that you really have little to no control over - like age, gender, metabolic rate, what percentage of your body weight is muscle, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, genetics, etc, that it's sort of pointless to worry about it. The two factors you definitely have a lot of control over are how closely you stick to your clinic's plan and how active you are, so if you're good with those, the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. as you can see on my profile, I started off at 373 lbs, and I lost 16 lbs the first month - yet I ended up losing over 200 lbs. I was a "slow loser" the whole time, but I really stuck to my plan. so long way of saying, just follow your plan and don't worry about your rate of weight loss, since you don't have a whole lot of control over that. If you do what you're supposed to be doing, the weight WILL come off.

Yeah, you should have been given either macro goals, or a calorie goal, or ideally, both with the sleeve surgery. It isn't odd to not be able to digest heavy carbs like noodles, pasta, breads, and rice. And they really aren't the best things to be eating in the weight loss phase anyway. Pork can be quite dense, my stomach doesn't like it too much and it hates chicken breast. LOL When you eat things that your stomach is fine with, do you keep it down easily or does it cause vomiting and nausea? If you drink fluids other than water (like milk or a protein shake), does it cause the spitting, or is it just with plain water?

*raises hand* 5+ year tracker, here. been logging my food intake since day one. im not as anal/precise about it as i was in the beginning, when i weighed and measured EVERYTHING. even spices and items with single digit calorie counts. now i kinda eyeball my food to determine portion size and sometimes just log a guesstimated calorie amount for an entire sandwich instead of breaking down the ingredients. i don't log when im on vacay anymore. but i DO still log. (oh and i still weigh myself every single morning- if i have access to a scale) for what its worth, personally i believe my tracking habits in the earlier years contributed to my successful weight loss and maintenance...if my weight started going in a direction i didn't like, i would know (because of my daily weighing) and i would generally also know why (because of my daily food tracking and activity monitoring), and be able to take appropriate action before it got out of hand, you know? at this point though, for me its more of a habit/hobby. i sorta feel like i'm pot-committed...i have all this data from the past 5 years and i feel like i should just keep going cuz it would be kinda cool to have like 10, 20, 30 years of data someday? i dunno. maybe i am still anal. in any case, i reached goal in 7months, and maintained below that goal weight this entire time. I am 5+ yrs post op i realize this M.O. is not for everyone and for some (most?) this level of effort would be more detrimental than helpful. bottom line: you know yourself best. do what works, don't what doesn't. good luck! ❤️ p.s. sorry this was so long

Ohhh I hear you. Even at my lowest and highest weight, heat has always drained me. All I want is ice water and to munch cold grapes and for everything else to recede. My boss is the sweetest older Korean man. I speak a little Korean, he speaks a bit more English -- so we have language barriers but over the years we've found ways to understand each other pretty well. But the week I came back to work, I ended up having to take a sick day near the end of the week. I had eaten something that caused my first bout of dumping syndrome and it caused my healing body a fair amount of muscle / tissue / inner pain for the next couple days. When I came back I made the mistake of telling him that I'd eaten something that didn't agree with m, whether because it was to dry or I ate too much too fast. Well he heard "ate too much" and now everytime I'm not feeling my best / looking high-energied -- or he catches me having a shake for lunch because I'm feeling nauseated at the idea of food -- he starts questioning me if I've been eating too much. In his case I know he means it from a place of caring and concern, but it roughs up the ragged edges of my old eating-disorders in my psyche. I immediately feel judged for being overweight to begin with, and like I'm being watched/judged now, etc. And I know they're my issues, but I could certainly do with not being reminded of them so often.

I was considered obese because i couldnt exercise with the pain i was dealing with for 13 yrs, including regurgitating and vomiting if i jumped around. My food intake is ok it was just a question i asked to GERD patients. If doctors would have repaired my hiatial hernia when i asked them to find out why i was in so much pain i wouldn't have needed WLS. I am not worried about losing weight at all, I eat what i can as a GERD patient and exercise 4-5x a week. My belly is my only issue but i'm also going through perimenpause for the past 5 yrs. I am happy i can eat again and do things that i couldnt do because of the pain. I never had diabetes, high blood pressure only high cholesterol only because of my perimenopause, but i kept that down without medication because i've already been on meds for 14 yrs due to my GERD. I dont compare myself to others but i can't understand how people say they lost so much weight after 6 months sounds like starvation to me. my doctor or nutrionist have no issues with my food or exercise; i was just asking if it was true for GERD patients to lose weight more slowly than normal obese patients.

totally normal. Also, your weight loss so far is totally normal. I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations because of shows like "My 600 lb Life" - but you need to remember that those people start out MUCH heavier than the average WLS patient. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month. Of course, you'll always find people who lose more or less than that, but most of us seem to fall somewhere in that range. So you're fine. And also, yes, most of us also experience our first stall sometime during the first month or so of surgery. So again, normal.

Hello All- i posted for the first time just about three years ago with some anxieties as a spouse with my wife prepping to undergo the gastric sleeve. I originally noted being concerned about our lifestyle changes, relationship impacts (I had heard all the horror stories) and most of all health concerns into the future. The community was incredibly supportive and I had learned tips and useful knowledge that helped me coach and support my wife through it. I am happy to say we are better than we ever have been and her self confidence is through the roof. However the MAIN reason the surgery ever was even considered was to get her diabetes that started while she was pregnant with our first child and got very concerning bad with our fourth has still stuck around and caused issues….. First- this is Life changing not just for the partner getting the surgery, but the spouse too. We used to be foodies and that all had to go out the door. Same with alcohol. Two bites and you are full, a pint and you are drunk. So activities, dates, etc. and new hobbies should all be prepared for well in advance. Luckily we are both athletes and coaches and this allowed to have an outlet that wasn’t our prior foodies and beer/ brewery culture pastime. Two- Relationship, anyone who tells you that this leads to automatic divorce/ break up is paranoid or lying. Out of her support group offered by our health network, I think only 1 or 2 of about fifteen women ended up separating and that was from the other spouse cheating. I have to say that in many ways, after four kids and all our activities, youth sports and coaching- it created a second honeymoon period for us and really strengthened our romance and relationship because we both focused on our health again jointly and the magnetism increased dramatically. Third- It might not fix the problem…. We did not jointly go into the surgery for cosmetic or weight loss reasons. It was the diabetes and the doctors said it was a solid shot to cure or mitigate the disease. It was for a while, but it keeps back up. despite healthy eating, despite exercise and coaching, despite the surgery- medications came back into the picture and so did the celebrity weight loss drug (which is really supposed to be for diabetes…) This has been keeping everything under control but is a case of the cure being as bad as the sickness. The side effects are brutal and definitely have a quality of life impact, but we both want to live to see grandkids someday….. Fourth- dysmorphia is VERY really. We are both naturally larger people. I was a lineman in high school and college and she was a softball catcher in high school and college and ended up also playing women’s rugby there as well. Even with the surgery she went from an XL to L but she got her college/ high school figure back and as such her confidence went through the roof and started dressing like she hadn’t in years. With the medication though??? Her figure, face shape, everything changed. Down to a Small or Medium. For almost a year and a half she hasn’t recognized herself in the mirror. It’s a double wham with the surgery and the medication. Between her best friends and myself (we have all been in the same friend/ team group since college) the support was to have fun with it and go with the flow. Instead of worrying about it (the dysmorphia) it was embrace the change. All new clothes she could never wear before, she’s been a redhead now and then blonde and still is. Cut her hair shorter, started wearing makeup (never really did)- all just to try and put a positive spin on it. I’ve been the spoiled recipient of having a brand new girl (don’t think I haven’t romanced and spoiled the you-know-what out of her), but at the end of the day it’s been mitigation of all the life changes. The last part has been the most detailed because it’s the most recent and to me has been the most impactful- NOT having the surgery do its intended purpose and the dysmorphia we’re both very difficult given the efforts and life changes made. We’ve done everything we can to make lemonade out of those lemons though. We had an anniversary vacation better than our honeymoon this past summer (she has always been way out of my league and these days it’s very much over the top- I feel incredibly spoiled) and we have made time to ride our bikes together with our oldest babysitting the kids and we come to each others games when we coach. I would tell any spouse; husband or wife of someone who is going to have the surgery and then or also do all the meds: 1. Support. It’s a huge deal and you need to show up. 2. Don’t get insecure about your relationship because of the surgery. If you are worried it means you might not have a great relationship to start with…. 3. You will need to change your life too. Because of my size and my weight lifting, I need a lot of protein and calories. I will never look like a Hollywood star (like she now does) and always an NFL lineman- BUT- if I bring a cannoli, pie or a full growler into the house in addition to steak/ salmon, etc it’s teasing and not fair. You will need to learn self control to support your spouse… 4. Inspire and come up with ideas for positive re-enforcement. If the dysmorphia or depression sets in, you need to find fun things to do, supportive steps to take and positive angles to keep things going. 5. If you are doing all this as a spouse, what about YOU??? Are you going to die a martyr? Take care of YOURSELF too. I go lifting 3 times a week, go fishing in season. And for my 40th birthday when she asked what I wanted?? I got us a long weekend on the Cape, bought her some dresses I wanted to see her in and sent her to get her hair, nails, toes, eyelashes, etc.. done. Said I wanted a long weekend with my movie star wife. It was a great time, kid free and continued to strengthen our marriage. Anyways- why am I writing this? Posterity? Self reflection? Not really…. I just want to give Spouses a roadmap. It’s a huge change and you need to navigate the waters well. If you do you will benefit as much as your loved one. Good luck.

Hello Christine and congratulations on your retirement. Nice to run into fellow traveler that had the full cut, though my team called it 'open.' For me the full cut / open surgery with accompanying staples were the worst part of the whole process. Once the staples came out I was a happy camper. Since we're in Rants and Raves, I'll dip my toe into rants... I somewhat agree with your frustration with the changes in nutrition and supplements over the years. So much of what we're told more and more is pulled out of thin air, or from studies taken out of context, or study results that are exaggerated beyond reason, or just conflicting information that people just didn't think through. We're bombarded with all this 'new', 'critical' information that is neither new or critical. It's just the same old stuff packed in a way that will get clicks. People are still looking the buy or sell a new magic bullet to solve their weight and other problems they didn't know they had. It's the same old mundane nothing that does not match up to the hype. First world problems. Good luck on your repairs. Tek

Yes, make it clear to the doctor this revision is for treatment of your GERD and Tricare should go along with it. Reflux coming up your throat that far puts you at risk of aspirating it. I ended up in the ER with severe asthma attacks from that and got pneumonitis several times from acid burns in my lungs. It is NOT fun. This wouldn't be a second weight loss surgery, this would be a revision due to a medical problem that the surgery will treat. So it won't conflict with their "once per lifetime" clause.

I worked with a therapist beginning about a month and a half before surgery, until I was over a year out. I just recently stopped seeing him. I'm still struggling with this. At my initial consultation, my surgeon told me that obesity likes to come back. That a lot of patients end up needing to go on medications, after the surgery, due to weight regain. For some of us, this is going to be a lifelong struggle, I'm afraid.

Not exactly the same but yesterday I was told by my (well intentioned I guess) boss that he was concerned I wasn't eating enough as I looked a bit unwell and didn't seem to have much energy yesterday! Sorry but it was 30c / 86f in our office, no air con, no air circulating and I HATE the heat so I felt exhausted plus I hadn't had great sleeps the last few nights. I wasn't the only one struggling in the office yet he seemed to put my struggle down to the fact that he said he didn't think I was getting in enough calories and he had been watching how little I eat! I just said I was suffering from the heat and he had nothing to worry about on the food/calorie intake side of things as I am eating the right portion amounts, was hitting my protein goals most days, had good blood results and if anything I was probably snacking a bit too much on nuts! Then when I repeated this conversation to my Mum last night she then became concerned I wasn't eating enough and that I should look at maybe starting to try to maintain now or even put on a lb or two. Seriously, I have not even got to the goal weight my surgeon set for me (70kg , well it had been 75kg but then when I reached that he brought it to 70kg) and I am still off what I want (66kg). For my Mum though I know her concern comes from me living overseas and not seeing me a lot so she based her comments on the fear (to her) of what my boss said.

Sorry to hear what you have gone through and are still going through. I know exactly how you feel about wondering if the surgery has been worth it, I wondered the same for many months after mine but I can now say 10 months later that I see the light and know I could not have lost the weight I have done so far without the surgery and I can now finally feel the benefits. I have posted about it before on the forum but a recap to show you how s**t things can go..... I had my surgery 4th July 2023 and suffered severe pancreatitis brought on by the surgery (iatrogenic according to the medical reports) which resulted in me having a drainage tube fitted to my belly area and being hospitalised for one month. Three days after being released I collapsed at home and had to return to hospital via ambulance. There it was discovered that I had a leak in the stomach where the sutures hadn't sealed. I spent a further two weeks in hospital where I had to get clips put in to close the hole/leak. I then lasted 13 days at home before becoming ill again. I went in for a gastroscopy to check on the clips and turned out the clips did not do their job and I had leak back plus two abscesses (1 on stomach, 1 on pancreas). Spent a further three weeks in hospital on a feeding tube before getting all clear to go home after another round of clips were put in and passed their tests. Next time I lasted 15 days at home before having to be readmitted for another month! I never felt fully better but wasn't sure if that was just me recovering from all the trauma or still symptoms. I had a blood test one morning and that afternoon got a call to say I was to come back to the hospital immediately as my CRP was 180. Turned out the hole had opened again and I had an infection. Was put on a feeding tube again for the month and had a drainage tube fitted to my back, had so many different medications, a transfusion, tests etc it was exhausting. I was then sent to a hospital in Belgium to have a tube/coil like thing inserted in my stomach help the hole heal. I was finally released from hospital November 1st 2023. Like you I couldn't do things, I couldn't even stand at the kitchen counter to chop veg without feeling like I was going to collapse. The effort of having a shower and getting dressed some days was too much for me and it took me many months to get to my energy up to more than being able to something small each day. It is really only since mid-February that I can say my energy improved. My weight loss was also slow when in hospital as they were pumping me full of nutrition (via the feeding tubes) but it sped up once I was at home. I had the tube in my stomach removed three weeks ago and had another round of tests to make sure that the hole had healed and I have passed with flying colours. So far so good, no pain or discomfort which is such an improvement. The only thing I suffer with now is a bit of reflux and occasional terrible exhaustion. I was out for dinner on Sunday night and almost collapsed at the table the exhaustion came on so suddenly but I was ok a while later. I don't let it stop me, I have so much more energy than pre-op but I just know I have to pace myself and rest when I can. Basically, I just want to let you know that after all of the above that I have been through I now feel the relief of the surgery and the weight loss. I am now at the weight target the surgeon set for me, 75kg, though I will aim for a bit more and I no longer cry myself to sleep with pain or stress or the fear to make plans for the future. It has taken 10 months for me to get here, I am at the stage now that probably those who have a successful surgery would have been at months ago with their recovery from the op and getting back to a 'normal' life. I am going to see a psychologist through my hospital service for the medical trauma which has helped me as well. Do make sure that you go to the hospital if your symptoms worsen, or don't improve, and ask the doctors to check your levels just to be sure that there is no infection still there etc. Rest when you can, I don't know your situation but if you don't have to get up and go out during the day for work/kids/shopping etc. then don't, just take the time to heal and recover. Also ask for help if and when you need it and also say no to things that you may not want to do if you don't feel up for it - being a control freak these are things I am trying to learn to do.

Thank you!!! It's been QUITE the journey lol But I wouldn't change a thing. I honestly never thought I would get this close to my goal weight. And while the last 30 pounds have really been fighting me, I'm DETERMINED to get where I want to be. Even if I go up 5 pounds or so (which I know is normal) once I hit my goal, I just want to get there, see myself in ONEderland, and know that I really did it. I find myself changing things up periodically to "confuse" my body, an when I do, I drop another 2 or 3 pounds. So i know it's working. It's just annoying that it goes so slow at the end LOL

I'm on a bra fitting FB group and this complaint gets posted ALL THE TIME!! Usually by post nursing moms and weight loss patients. I too am really surprised no one has targeted this market with a cutlet thing that helps fill in that space and can be transferred from bra to bra! The prosthetics don't work because they are for a totally different breast issue. And push up bras can only do so much and sometimes make it look worse!!

Hi! Happy to answer this. I am 10 months post op. Had my first glass of champagne 6 weeks out. Sipped it for hours. You will get hit by the alcohol quickly. Alcohol will get you twice as drunk for the same amount due to starvation / not drinking for ages. i am a social weekend drinker and attend lots of events. I can say since then I will have a drink or two every weekend. Without shame or issue. I simply count my alcohol calories. I have lost 30% of my body weight and weigh in the low 60s now. You have to live your life - I’m not into banning foods and rules. This is the beginning of the rest of your life. You have to have fun and enjoy it. Say you drink a bit and it takes you an extra month to reach your target? Who cares. At least it’s sustainable. Don’t feel ashamed for having a drink or two if that’s what you want to do. Just remember you will barely drink anything and feel the full effects. Lol. Best of luck!

Thanks so much for responding. I spoke with the nutritionists as well which she made me feel so much better too. She told me not to worry about what I did bc everyone in the beginning is learning as it is a brand new way of life we're adjusting to so I did feel better about that. It's been a week now and I been on track. So I am looking at your weight loss tracker. You started around the same weight as me and as of now you're 228 lbs, is that right? That's amazing! That gives me hope. ❤️

Hello everyone, I was sleeved on Jan 10th. For the past two weeks I have to have chinese takeout in my fridge. I am a college student so I don’t have access to a stove just a microwave (an air fryer really) and fridge. I am pretty content with how much weight i’ve lost. I’m just mourning the loss of my butt. I know it isn’t ideal to always eat chinese food nearly every day but I guess it works for me. I wanted to know if anyone else can relate to being hyper-fixed to a food. My order is usually chicken and broccoli with light sauce and rice or vegetable/chicken lo mein. That’s all I get but because I can eat such small portions, 1 order can last me about a week and a half.

Thank you so much for your reply, I appreciate it. I think both of your suggestions are worth taking into consideration and I've decided that if I'm still feeling this bad by the upcoming Friday then I will contact my clinic and ask for recommendations. I think once I see the first week's weight loss that will also give me a boost! I need something to make it feel like it's worth it and I'm sure that will help. Also, I'm just trying to stay positive in general, writing things down and talking to my partner about things to look forward to. Thanks! 🙂

Im 5’1. Weighed 195 day of surgery. My bmi was right at 35. I was what one might call a “smaller” heavy person- but my frame was not built to carry that weight. My joints hurt, was struggling with high A1C1 and starting to have trouble sleeping, etc. It was time- and most people wouldn’t have even considered surgery— but it was the best decision for me. The yo-yo dieting and struggles were not working. The surgery gave me my life back. My advice— Think through your whys- and dont let fear of change keep you from moving forward— whatever you choose.

My highest recorded weight was 341 pounds, but I lost about 70 pounds before surgery. I'm almost 3.5 years out and I'm in the mid-130s now. I didn't expect to lose this much; I wasn't really hung up on a specific number, but I think my original goal weight (based on average WLS data) was about 180. It was initially fairly easy to lose weight after surgery (the "honeymoon period" when my restriction was very strong and my hunger was almost nonexistent), but it took a lot of effort to get to where I am and maintain it. I've completely changed my diet and eating habits and I work out a lot (at least 90 minutes every day). A lot of my life revolves around diet and exercise to maintain my weight, but I still enjoy food and eating at least as much as before, and I have discovered a love for a lot of healthy foods. After losing over 200 pounds, I do have excess skin, and I don't currently have any plans to have plastic surgery. I have a flabby belly and sagging thighs. I have a little arm flab but not as bad as I expected. My butt and chest are quite deflated. I'm never going to have a bikini-ready body and I accept that. A shaping cami works wonders to hold in the belly, and flattering clothing can hide the rest well enough that no one would guess that I used to weigh more than twice as much. I care much more about the non-scale victories than the number on the scale, and for someone who started at a super morbidly obese weight, getting to my current size is a whole new world. My health has improved in so many ways -- my blood pressure is normal, lipid panel is good, and my doctor undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. I used to have a hard time finding clothing in my size, as I was too big for even "plus size" clothing at some stores (I used to wear size 26/28), and now I can find my size almost anywhere (I am now size 6/8 or medium/large). I used to struggle to walk short distances or a couple of flights of stairs, and now I can walk miles without breaking a sweat and glide up 10 flights of stairs without stopping. It's amazing how much easier it is to get around when I'm not carrying the weight of a whole extra person. I used to be hyper-aware of people judging me for my weight, and I dreaded meeting people face to face, knowing that they would think less of me when they saw my size. It is hard to describe the emotional burden that has been lifted by not having to worry about people making negative assumptions about me based on my weight. I have not had any direct complications from the surgery, but because of the rapid weight loss, I developed bradycardia (slow heart rate) and had to get a pacemaker. That's been rough, but overall, I am far better off having had the surgery and losing the weight.