Milk - 1% vs Skim vs Soy

 Let me preface this by admitting tomorrow is my follow-up with the surgeon, and if all goes well we will be submitting for insurance approval tomorrow with a target surgery date before Christmas - plus I had to stop my birth control last week, which I'm using more for hormone control than anything, so I'm a little irrational and nervous so if this seems rambling and tangential, I apologize. 

I've had 2 NUT appointments in the last month - one for the medically supervised WL program (since my PCP chose not to sign off on that part of it, feeling it would be better for me post-op to go with a program with more bariatric experience than he has), and one with a dietician. I grew up drinking 2% milk, switched to skim in college, and switched to 1% in grad school when I discovered skim milk tastes HORRIBLE in coffee and I was adding way too many calories with half and half. I've been drinking 1% ever since, but in the last 2 months, I've gone from drinking a gallon of 1% per week (I love milk) to a half gallon in about 8-9 days. Both NUTs that I saw recommended that I switch back to skim milk, and learn to drink black coffee. Both times, I asked why - and both times I got the answer that skim contained less milk fat and carbs and I wanted to make healthier choices. I then explained to both that I've cut back on how much milk I drink, and if I'm using milk as an occasional protein, and getting more of my dairy-protein (not a technical term) from unflavored Greek Yogurt and Laughing Cow cheeses, why does such a minimal amount of difference in 1% milk matter? I didn't get a straight answer out of either one. 

I've read labels at the grocery store. The 1% has about 20 more calories, 2g more fat, but 1g fewer carbs than the skim. Protein was the same. I used to drink only skim, but now I've got an aversion to it. I'm not sure why the NUTs were thinking I was irrational to want to hold onto my 1% milk with such a minimal label difference, and the fact that I'm *not* drinking a gallon a week anymore, cooking with it less, and have cut out coffee all together (because by the time I get done doctoring my coffee, it's beyond unhealthy). In fact, I'm going to be buying whatever size that teeny little skinny container is - quarts? - on the next trip to the grocery store. 

I've also read on here a lot about lactose intolerance after VSG. Does switching from one to the other - or even from cow milk to soy milk - help with that? 

 I use Hood Simply Smart fat free milk.  It claims it tastes the same as 2% and it does.  I am with you.  I would just as soon drink water as skim milk.  It is nasty!  There are a couple of other similar products.  I think one is Smart Beat or something like that and Lactaid makes one too.  They come in the half gallon cartons.  But I prefer the Hood over all, mainly because it is lower in carbs and higher in proteing.  Another plus is that the shelf life is amazing!  You will find that especially after surgery, you will not be able to consume milk before it goes bad, but this stuff keeps an amazingly long time.  I can only drink 4-6 ounces in one sitting of this milk, so it is good that it keeps well.  I have never had any to go bad on me, but have thrown away tons of regular milk.  I use it in my coffee along with sugar free/fat free flavored coffeemate powder and one splenda.  The Hazelnut coffeemate is awesome.  I can only drink 4-6 ounces of the Hood milk in one sitting, so it is good that it keeps well.

I dont really see why you should switch if you absolutely hate skim milk. I dont think theres much of a difference to justify it.

Eating/drinking things I hated on prior diets was one reason those diets never worked...got tired of it and couldnt sustain it for a life time.

I drink coffee and allow myself the indulgence of a 1 tbs or 2 of 1/2 but use primarily skim milk.

 Thank you, ladies! I will have to look for the Hood fat free milk and give it a go. And I *would* keep drinking coffee, but I need to healthy it up a bit. My coffee is about a half-mug of coffee, a half-mug of 1% milk, and about 2 tsp sugar (down from 4)  - lonnnnng way to go to make that sucker healthy! LOL

Id not go for either, me i like unsweetened almond milk, 40 calories per cup and only 1g of carbs,
might have more fat than skim milk but its a healthy fat...  but i really dont like skim milk lol...

Like one of the other posters touched on, using healthy habits that can last a lifetime is key. Cutting out things we like that are pretty healthy is no way to live, in my opinion. This isnt a punishment. This is a lifestyle.

I personally use skim or 1%, i dont notice much of a difference, but also sometimes use half milk/half unsweetened almond milk or 1/2 soy milk to make my protein shakes. Its a pretty good mix.

Some people avoid cow's milk because of the carbs but I personally feel it is a healthy item in my diet and refuse to cut it out and make shakes with water. Yuck! Its a personal choice.


Some people report becoming lactose intolerant post op, at least for a little while. Which means milk, whey protein, and casein protein make them feel ill.

This doesnt happen for many of us, though. You wont know until after you have your VSG.

I was drinking 2% milk and my NUT wanted me to switch to 1%, which taste wise there isn't much of a difference. However I started doing my two week pre-op liquid diet and drinking 8 glasses of milk found that I am more lactose intolerant then what I thought....I was making my protein shakes with 8oz of 1% milk each time. So the NUT told me to switch to lactaid milk since it is still milk and the taste difference isn't too far off from regular milk. Also lactaid makes a 2%, fat free which is 1% and whole milk. So if you do become lactose intolerant you could always switch to that, but I don't see why it is such an issue for you to just stick with using 1%...I would!!

 Thank you all! I will try all the different milks the NUTs recommended (and look for almond milk...never heard of such a thing), just so I can be thorough... I just wondered if I was being irrational in wanting to stick with the 1% milk. Like y'all said - this is a lifestyle change, and it's not like I'm arguing that vanilla ice cream should be used in place of skim milk or something.