Who are You listening to

I had an appoinment with my nut today and the surgeon stuck her head in to see how i'm doing and they are super happy with how everything is going.

Today they told me though not to worry about drinking the protien shakes anymore that i can get enough protien in my diet through food and it doesnt need to be the focus like its been, to add whole grains, more fruit and veggies  and maybe even a few more calories.  When i started with them in my 6 month presurgery program they are very big on this isnt a diet but a life style and they dont believe in the atkins aproach like many seem to follow on this board. So i am wondering who here doesnt do the high protien low carb but does a more blended/balanced diet? How has that aproach worked out?

So who do you listen to most Your doctor/nut? or people on the board/internet?

I am the same way my nut and surgeon want it to be a lifestyle change that you can live with and stick to.  So for me I read what the boards say and I listen to my nut, but I live my life eating as normal a diet as I can.  I am not really low carb (if you count before surgery then yea it's very low carb) I do get 60 to 100g of protein and I don't use protein shakes daily.  When I know I am going to be very low on protein I will have a shake but my protein I get is from my food.  I get anywhere from 74 to 140g of carbs depending on the day and what I am doing that number can be lower or higher.  What I LISTEN to is myself.  This is my life and I have to do this in a way I can stick to for life, and giving up a certain food forever is the first thing I would cheat with if told I could never have it again.  So instead of that I have been learning moderation.  Moderation for me is that I can have it if I want but most days I choose that I don't want that junk food or that carb.  So I make better choices.  I have lost 90 lbs. in less than 6 months and I won't be changing anything till weight loss stops then I will tweak whatever I am doing to get the weight moving again :) Good luck to you.

I am 3-1/2 years out, so I guess I can qualify as a vet.  I can tell you what I do, and it has worked for me, but it's not what everyone does or recommends.  We are all different.

When I decided on my surgery, I was a lightweight and I wanted to be able to continue being social, going out several times a week, enjoying my glass of wine, but help control my portions so that I could lose and keep my weight off.  My surgeon does not push low carb diets.  The hospital that runs the bariatric program does though.  He cleared me for salads and fruits around 2 months out, and said that if I had no acid problems, that I could have a small glass of wine.  I have never counted carbs or sugars, but I do focus on proteins, and avoid white or processed carbs.  I rarely eat bread, but I will when the mood strikes.  I rarely have pasta, but will if I'm making it for dinner at home or if hubby orders it when we go out.  I never order my own meal, so I pretty much have what he's having.  I rarely buy sweets to keep in the house, but I will share a dessert when out with hubby and friends.  I guess you would consider my eating as "paleo" or "clean", but not always.  I do LOVE chocolate, but cannot have it in the house or else it becomes a lovefest.  If I want some, I will buy some at a drugstore, have some, and be done with it.

I think I eat very normally.  I do watch and track my food during the week, and the weekends are completely a free for all.  I have learned by watching my thin friends and family that they normally watch what they eat as well.  If they are gaining, they cut back.  That is how they maintain, and that is how I'm maintaining.  When I see my scale bounce up more than a couple of pounds, I go back to basics and watch the snacking and white carbs.  The protein is a must for me.  My hair started falling out again this summer.  I added more vitamins but it didn't help.  Then I started the protein in my morning coffee again, and my hair is good again!  So I will continue with the protein for my hair's well being. 

So, I wish you well on your progress and I hope my experience gives you a glimpse as how life can be for you down the road!

Best of luck!
Adele

I listen to myself. 

I know best what my food tolerances and intolerances are.  And I need a "diet" that I can live with long term.

My official plan only stresses getting your protein in, eating protein first, and not drinking with meals.  That's it.  No carb counting, no calorie counting.

What works for me is to watch my carbs and stay away from the refined carbs.  The carbs I get in these days are from veggies and dairy.  Once I had detoxed from the refined carbs and realized how bad they made me feel, it was an easy decision to stay away from them.

I journal my food.  For some reason, knowing I have to write it down makes me think about what I'm putting in my mouth.

I try to stay around 1000 calories a day.  It seems to be my comfort point for getting enough chewing to keep me happy and getting all my nutrients in.

But that's ME.  You need to figure out what works for YOU.  Take your nut's advice and what's worked for people on the board and make it into a plan that you can live with, 'cause you're in this for the long haul.

I think it is wise to listen to all sources, but with a grain of salt.  Try to understand the "why" rather than just the "what" to eat.  I would guess that most of the forum feedback will be a blend of what their doctor or his nutritionist has prepared for them along with what is actually working or not for them. 

Take time to talk to you family doctor or PCP about nutrition, too!  My  PCP supported my decision to have VSG, but he would have really like me to give a "whole plant based diet" a chance.  I did, sort of, in the 6 months I had to wait for insurance approval.   A good start on understanding this diet is to watch the documentary "Forks over Knives".  You can get it on Netflix or iTunes.  

This problem now is that I've had surgery, I don't think it is possible to get the volume of plant based food, due to the restriction of the VSG. 

I'm working on a modified approach for when I'm off liquids.  That approach will consist of a lot of fresh juice, high in leafy greens.   This should go down easily and I can take in a lot of nutrition and enzymes this way.  For standard meals I'll try to focus on eggs, lean meats, and fiber. 
I will be all but eliminating dairy (with the exceptions of any whey supplements). 

I read everyone's point of view here on the internet with interest, but really I mostly stuck to my surgeon's guidelines which seemed reasonable and balanced...I didn't have to count calories or carbs. The main gist was to eat protein first always and to not eat and drink at the same time.
It also said to limit sugars, but I really didn't follow that as much, since I don't like many sugar free products.

I have had great success without being Atkins like...my carbs were frequently over 100 grams daily. Usually my daily fats/protein/carb ratios are pretty evenly split, with carbs being a bit more.

Now, with that said, due to everyone's advice, if my weight loss was slow or I was having addiction issues, I would have limited carbs, if I needed to...so it is good to have everyone's input so we can tweak someti

Who you listen to is a very personal but important question.  I chose my surgeon partly based on his terrific stats, so for me, it was a no brainer.  I listened to him about everything having to do with weight-loss because I wanted the same success as his other patients had achieved.  In maintenance, I find that I still follow his basic maintenance guide but that I had to come up with some of my own personal strategies to help me.  In addition, I have always believed in listening to those people that have been successful. I always learn something form their experience, I might use it or might just file it away to look at later. 

Personally, listening to myself is what got me into this mess in the first place. "I DESERVE that 3rd piece of pie." etc. So, while I work on changing my thoughts and internal editer toward food, I mostly listen to my doc's plan with a few caveats. I will drink coffee for the rest of my life - one a day. I need more than 70 grams of protein to be successful, not just 60. I need less than 30 grams of carbs, not less than 40.

I have an awesome surgeon and his NUT is great - she is all about the diet being a guideline. She's fine with changes that help me be more successful. My doc LOVES people that can think through things and change something - as long as it's a change for the better.

The NUT would like me to get more whole grains, veggies and fruits, but she understands that those things, for me anyway, are better added when I get to maintenance.

When my thoughts are healthier I will listen to them.

First and foremost I listen to MY body because it KNOWS...well it knows ME.

Secondly many doctors/nutritionist know ONE aspect of nutrition etc BUT in a room of say 100 people really just ONE way?

My body is carb sensitive...yours may not be.  I was eating SOME whole grains and it caused MASSIVE cravings for things...so ultimately in this journey it's YOUR body and YOUR relationship with food.

Not every obese person abused food and/or used food in the same way...so you can't treat us all the same.

Ms Shell