More questions about life post op DS and pregnancy

Hi ladies!

Are you sick of me yet?

I have a few more questions about diet and lifestyle changes post op as well as pregnancy. 

1. I know post op- diet is low carb. How many grams of carbs can you safely eat in a day without stalling weight loss? 

Do you count fruit and milk as carbs like diabetics do? 

2. How early out were you able to start exercising? Were there any restrictions?

3. Anyone become pregnant after DS? Were there any issues related to your DS? What changes did you have to make in your diet during your pregnancy?

4. In order to educate PCP's and other specialists who have no clue about DS? Did you use a hand out? What kind of response did you get from them?

5. I am still soul searching about what is going to fit in best with my life. I decided I can give up my absolute favorite foods most of the time but would like to be able to incorporate those into my diet at least once in a while at some point again in my life.

Will I ever be able to eat a slice of pizza again (even just once)?

Or a hotdog at a baseball game (even just half)? Or a rare handful of chips? or a small slice of birthday cake? Or as the previous poster noted, a handful of popcorn at the movies? If so, how often is safe, versus when do you see your weight loss stall because of it?

Obviously, I know I need to make a sacrifice in order to lose weight and maximize my weight loss. And I am willing to do that. I am just curious what this sacrifice looks like in real life. I really don't want to go in naively. I just seen another poster mention that she is terrified of gaining weight back, and I am right there with her. I want to make sure I am mentally ready. 

Ok- here is my daily funny. I spent the weekend at a cottage with my inlaws (which could be a whole separate thread! Trust me!) My very drunk sister in law who is a size zero says to me (You don't want to have surgery because you are diabetic, you want to have surgery because you are tired of being so fat!!)

WTF!!!! Who says stuff like that??? It did make me think. Its true. I don't want to be morbidly obese. But that in the past hadn't been enough to make me even consider WLS until I became diabetic and realized that  even though I was doing a good job controlling it, because I am so young, there WILL be a time when that becomes difficult. (I work in a doctors office as an educator. I do all of the initial diabetes education, heart failure education, and follow the patients who have it long term.) So, I guess I have to aknowledge that even though my primay goal is to get rid of the diabetes, I sure would like to be a normal BMI. 

Hugs to everyone....

Sonya

PS. Last appt with NUT 7/3 then they will submit to insurance!! Yay!!  Their financial person said my insurance company is not one who gives them problems and usually approves the same day. She said once they get the approval they can usually get me on the schedule in two weeks, assuming I can start the liquid diet right away. I'm getting closer!

 

1. I eat no more than 50 carbs a day but at times it goes over. That keeps the burn going. Yes all carbs count but you can subtract dietary fiber from carbs. 

2. I would have been able to excersize two weeks out a little if my back were not screwed up but you should be walking daily not to long after surgery. They have you walk in the hospital and you can continue after. YOu will have a lift limit for a few weeks. 

3. No more kids for me. 

5. There are ways to have your favorite foods and still watch your carbs. There are low carb pizza recipes. Or you can just eat the topping and it is just as satisfying. Once you get off of carbs you will find you crave them less over time and can live without them.  There are a few peeps that eat slices of pizza I have noticed but for maximum weight loss with ketosis burn I would not go over 50 g of carbs a day for the first year at least or until your goal weight. It will take you out of ketosis burn if you start eating carbs and you will have to start the carb purge all over again. I eat pizza. Low carb made with squash or just the toppings. I have yet to eat a hotdog but I am sure there are low carb buns out there.  Do your research and become artisitic in your food prep. 

That is just my advice. I am sure some will argue with me. I have been reading the forums for awhile. I have noticed that those that munch on carbs to much usually also are the ones who gripe about not being able to reach goal. 

ask away....

how you will adjust to your ds configuration will be very specific to you but there will be some generalities

stalling weight loss  carb consumption has nothing to do with the ds, simple carbs are absorbed at 100% so stay away from them....complex are absorbed at about 50%....for continued weight loss 50 gm/day  that is true for everyone

a carb is a carb no matter where it comes from (milk, fruits etc)

i was exercising days later....but the ds revision was easy for me, but i have had 6 abdominal surgeries....

the educate the dr thing i was big on that years ago, now i am just sick of the crap as my state is anti-ds and i am the only one in the state with a ds

reading posts on here i am very unusal i can eat anything....yes that is true of course that is not good?  i have tested my ds to see what i can eat without getting sick.....a lot and a lot of carbs, i dont get bathroom issues....gas yes  LOL but not diarrhea, i have never had an oil slick either, ever  weight loss stall oh yes.....we are all terrified to gain the weight back....

who give a crap about your sil?  so what who wants to be MO anyway?

the ds is your best surgery to get you to where you need to be you will do great

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm glad you're doing so much research before your surgery.  The more knowledge you have the better your recovery and post-op experience will be.

Like most of the others, I strive for 50 grams or less of carbs a day (minus fiber).  Most days I make that; some days I don't.   That needs to be your goal, but don't beat yourself up if you go over once in a while.  But wait as long as you can to add those simple carbs back into your diet.  I made it about 4 months before I started to try a few things.  I actually don't get sick with anything, but I can definitely tell with my energy level and cravings if I eat crap.  Some dairy will give me just a little tummy upset, and too much bread/sugar will make be bloated.  You will definitely lose faster the more you're able to stick with the low carb/complex carbs, but you'll probably be okay eating a slice of pizza once in a while or a hot dog.  But just one, and just once in a while, and much later in your post-op journey.

I'm six months out and I'm consciously making a choice - I exercise every day and I occasionally treat myself to a few bites of cake or a small bag of potato chips or a burger with some of the bun still on it.  The mind set that you HAVE to train yourself to maintain is that a few bites of these things are enough.  A taste, not a binge.  My weight loss is perhaps not as dramatically fast as some others, but that's my decision.  The vast majority of the time I eat low carb, but I don't choose to live the rest of my life without some of these foods.  Many on this site will undoubtedly say you should weight until you reach goal to indulge at all, but I know me, and I had to be realistic to how long I could hold out.

That being said, it's VERY easy to get back into the overindulgence habit.  I had a couple of weeks in May that it got out of hand.  I've never gained any weight back, but I know the weight loss was slower for a while.  I do not weigh every week - just once a month to keep a record of weight loss.  I count my successes in my health, energy level, and continual change in clothing sizes.  The constant fluctuation of the scale was making me crazy, and I realized that the number on the scale was not the reason I was doing this.

It really stops being a sacrifice after a while and becomes a healthy lifestyle.  Yes, you're going to turn down a lot of "treats" that you probably would have happily enjoyed before, but you realize that all that junk is just not worth it.  Rare and special treats - you'll make decisions on what's worth it; most things are NOT.  You really will be satisfied with less of those indulgences.  That's how all of the "normal" skinny people do it.  Moderation; smart choices every day, every meal, every bite.

I began walking the day after surgery and slowly built up my strength.  My advice is to take it slow and be careful in the weeks following surgery.  They're going to rearrange a lot of your insides, and you don't want to complicate things by trying to work out too soon.  My surgeon released me for all activities after six weeks.  You need that long for your body to fully recover after all of the trauma it goes through in the surgery.  Those weeks are your opportunity to pamper yourself and rest, drink water, and take long slow walks to get your strength back.

Once you're released, start the exercise slowly, but keep it up daily if possible.  It will really help your weight loss and overall health so much (as if you didn't already know that!).  As you lose weight, the exercise is so much easier.  

Best of luck to you!  It really is a process, and you'll make mistakes along the way.  Just be sure to learn from them.  You'll be an old hand at this in no time!

Once you get healed it's on to weightloss and honestly the only good carb is one you don't eat.  Stay as low as possible till the weight is gone.  If you are really serious about losing all the weight forget carbs till you are 10% under goal.  And yes that includes fruit and milk.  Many of us use heavy cream because it has no carbs.  And forget fruit.  You need the stomach space for protein.  You will work hard at first to eat enough protein and get your vites in.

It's easiest to lose weight right after surgery.  Lose as fast as possible in the beginning.  You can worry about adding in carbs when you reach your goal.  The weightloss phase is like a heavy protein version of Atkins Induction.  Read the book!

Huh?  What's this stuff about giving up your favorite foods?  Chips, hotdogs, cake, pizza...  I can eat every single one of those things  Should I...no.  But can I...sure any time.  I CAN eat absolutely anything.  I've never thrown up yet either.  Where did you get the idea that we had to give up our favorite foods?  Maybe you are thinking about the RNY and dumping?  I think the best thing about the DS is that we can and do eventually eat like a normal person.  In the beginning it's hard to eat enough protein, drink and fit in your supplements. It gets easier over time.  I was 7 months out when I realized I could eat a normal meal.  Always eat protein first, that's important.  The DS is not miserable postop.  I guarantee you it's better than many diets you have tried.  If I want to eat the hot dogs, pizza, cake, etc, I just make sure I cut back on other carbs for a few days.

Fat is your friend.  Popcorn drenched with butter is not a terrible snack for those further out from surgery.  Forget about your cholesterol.  Postop, you will be normal or low.  Like bacon and ribeye steak?  It's protein, free food, eat as much as you want.  Cheese is a great food for us.  Real butter and cream are yummy.  I guess what I'm trying to say is forget the I need to suffer to be thin mentality.  The DS takes the misery out of it and I found it very freeing.

No DS babies here but plenty of other people have had babies postop.  They will be along to address those issues.

Last, here's what I ate today.  The good the bad and the ugly.

Breakfast

Coffee with cream

Vitamins/Supplements

2 eggs with cheese and salsa, 4 pieces of bacon

Snack 

Iced tea unsweetened

Lunch

Taco salad.  No shell, double portion of taco meat, a little lettuce, cheese, black olives, garbanzo beans, and salsa.

Snack

2 berry blast oreos(bad)

More tea

Dinner

3 grilled chicken thighs and cole slaw made with Ranch(less sugar) and more tea.

Snack

SF cherry cola

More tea

vitamins/supplements

I f I stay up late, I will eat something else.  Just not sure what...  All in all, not a terrible day and I am over my 100 gr protein.  I worked today so the only actual exercise I will get might be a swim later.  My job is physical so I don't work out on working days.  If I had run today, I might have eaten a few more carbs.  But it was too hot anyway.

As my siggy line indicates, I've had 2 post DS babies.  Click the link that will take you to some more info about pregnancy post DS.  Everyone else has given you great information on the rest of your questions.  My pregnancies were AWESOME and I had two births with no epidurals and I breastfed both of my babies as long as possible and dropped the slight gains I had during pregnancy.  My advice though, is to take full advantage of the weight loss phase and get as much off as possible and get your lab levels stable and weight stable, BEFORE even thinking about getting pregnant.  I'm dealing with some bounce back (starting creeping on about a year after my last baby) weight now and wished that I would've concentrated more on working out in the losing phase.  4 plus years later, I'm working out every day and going as low carb as possible to kick the 15 pounds off. 

Hi, what is PCOS?

 

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Thank you!  Well, I guess I won't have to worry about that, I already had it.  I had a total hysterectomy in 2011.  Onwards and upwards.  Hoping to be a DS'r soon. 

Just read it ! Sounds like you had great pregnancies!