Weight Loss Surgery Forums

 

This month we wanted to let you know about an OH Group that focuses on clean eating and whole foods. Jackie, aka MultiplePetMom, shares her personal philosophy with us about why her OH Group is so important to her and its members. Check out; Clean Eating, Whole Foods & all that jazz!

 

Member Newsletter Team: Why did you create your Clean Eating OH Group?

MultiplePetMom: 
I created the group because I didn't see one and I had a lot of questions, still do. I have an interest in clean eating but don't know very much about it. The group is excellent for my needs because a lot of people with varying interests are in one place. Even if they don't post, I can send them PMs with my questions. It hasn't evolved into a community where people "hang out" but a spot where people who may (like me) be on other OH forums for socializing but suddenly wonder what about how healthy those spray oils are, PAM, for example. We can go post about it and within a day or two, somebody usually answers with what they know or have read. It's easier than just searching on the subject.

The group is also a place to collect links, there is a lot of them. The links are such a wide variety that sometimes they will contradict each other. That's fine, IMO, because it's useful to see the variety of options out there. Vegan, carnivore - my years on OH have taught me not everybody is the same. Our bodies may have all been overweight but people are very different - that's why some need malabsorption and some don't, some want to eat meat, some don't. I consider myself an omnivore. There are people who believe they feel best when they are eating meat that is pasture raised and dairy that is raw and unpasteurized. Others may have the idea that factory farming is not only unhealthy but inhumane.  I certainly see it that way. So while I eat meat, I don't want to support the system of factory farming.

Member Newsletter Team: What is clean eating and why are you so passionate about it?

MultiplePetMom: 
The easiest definition of clean eating is food that is as little processed as possible. There is a whole list of issues that may interest group members that are on my OH Group’s Welcome page. (Clean Eating: Organic, Whole Foods, Pasture Raised, Grass Fed Beef, Vegetarian, Vegan, Slow Foods, Real Foods, Raw Foods, Plant based diet, Local foods, Sustainable Farming.) I am old enough to remember people being called health food "nuts" and then Whole Foods became the phrase. Lately, I have seen people claim the way to eat is raw or local. I am using Clean Eating as a catch-all. If you have a problem with SAD, the Standard American Diet, (and you should)  there are a lot of ways you can go, different routes, but everyone should be concerned about what the SAD has become.

 

I posted a thread that is a sticky post at the top of the Discussion Board on my OH Group about Pink Slime. Nobody should be able to read that and say, “What's the problem, nothing wrong with eating this stuff as long as you keep your carbs low!? Same with people who read the books (or watch the movies) like Food, Inc. or Fast Food Nation. You have to realize something is very wrong with our country's food industry. They do much better in Europe, according to OH peeps I know who live there.

On a personal note, I was in a major grocery chain today looking at salad dressings. A huge number of so-called "choices" but all had sugar or (usually) high fructose corn syrup, most had a lot. The supposedly healthy choices called themselves low-fat or fat-free, but had even more sugar. I am basically lazy, but I'm going to have to start making my own dressing. I recently joined CSA. (Community Supported Agriculture.) The link to find one is in my OH Group and every Friday, I get a bag of organic, locally grown produce. Why pour junk on top of my daily salad? I have posted in my OH Group about salad dressings. I hopefully will get an easy, healthy recipe without having to work too much!

 

Now, WLS - at last, huh? I didn't start the group until I was at goal and, frankly, I see it as a place for people further out and maybe even at goal like I am. I don't have a problem with people who are pre-op or otherwise are still actively losing. I just think it is harder. Immediately post-op, for instance, you are all about counting the protein grams and so on. It's going to vary a lot but, for me, my restriction was so extreme for the first six months I wouldn't have had room for salad, seriously.

 

I see Clean Eating as something I always meant to head for - as a goal - and WLS turned out to be a step in that direction. As a pre-op, I could and did eat a salad but then I was still so hungry that I might follow it up with a pizza and, no, I don't mean a slice or two. That isn't true anymore! Now I often have a salad for supper and don't go out of my way to add much protein because I already had an egg and cheese for breakfast and maybe a protein drink for a snack. I am full enough that all I need is maybe some yogurt with fruit a hour or two later. Now, clean eating is a lot more satisfying because I get full. Also, after surgery I really find I can't tolerate so many sweets anymore. I hope to keep that! If I am going to eat sweets, now I prefer to have grapes rather than a donut, it just tastes better, besides not sitting in my stomach like a brick.

 

There is one member of the group who never had surgery and instead ,lost weight using the program of a Doctor McDougall. Check out my OH Group Discussion Board for her posts. This member has been a great source of information. I think most members are further out. Sometimes people tell me they are hoping to get WLS, or just did, and I wish them well, but usually it is people that are not early-out post-ops. It's kind of a natural progression. You have surgery to get healthier and at some point, you want to go further. You want to do everything you can to be as healthy as possible.

Member Newsletter Team: Anything else you’d like to share with our newsletter readers?

MultiplePetMom: 
I invite any OH members to join my OH Group. Members can feel free to post any questions on the Discussion Board. There are many links on my OH Group that provide a lot of information. 

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If you have an ObesityHelp.com group that you would like us to feature, please write to [email protected] with a link to your group and tell us a little about your group. For those of you that would like to start a new group, it is really easy! Just visit our group page and click the “Start Group" button on the right hand side. You can also search the current groups, or look through them by category.