Ketosis - 9 mo post op

Like I posted above - that is not the requirements of my surgeon.
I drink to isopures - 80g of protein everyday.
I can NOT imagine having to eat that much to get 80+ g of protein in... I am not that creative for food choices.

But thank you for your response.

I will be sure to not go over 50g and see if there is any difference in my loss.

Thanks for the reply

You can do it...a chic breast is 20 and greek yogurt is 20 some eggs...food is better...but it is up to you!!!  Cut those carbs down low low...below 50 for a day or 2 to get you back into Ketosis..and then bring it up to 50..

One goal after this surgery should be for us to have a functional relationship with food - to learn how to eat and be healthy.

Living on protein drinks or supplements with food as a snack is not socially functional - and I honestly can't see how it can be sustained for the rest of your life!!!! How many non-WLS'ers do you know, that do not have a medical condition, that live off protein supplements rather than food? I've never met one.

This honeymoon period is an excellent opportunity for you to lose weight and then try to build up your metabolism - chosing and preparing good nutritional food to sustain your health.

I never drank a protein shake after my liquid phase and have NEVER eaten a protein bar - I lost 120lbs in less than 7 months. I have never had a protein deficiency. It is wholly possible for us to make this journey and eat food and I attribute my success at 7.5 years down the road to what I learned about food and my health all those years ago and living it every day now and for the rest of my life.

I would certainly be questioning your surgeon's rationale for your long term maintenance because if you don't eat your protein - you may well end up filling up on carbs instead! I know that having to eat my protein means that I can't physically eat many carbs.

Ok, am I the only one who thinks long-term low carb diets are a BAD idea?

No, wait, I'm not. The chief nutritionist at Bariatric Advantage also thinks so. She said in a lecture I attended that healthy human bodies need about 130g carbs per day to maintain optimal health.

I'm in this to be healthy, not necessarily to be a size 6. You do what you feel is best, but I'd like to go on record for saying your body NEEDS carbs. Not refined ones. But you do need carbs.

That is all.

But not all carbs are equal, are they, Nik? I eat what would be considered low carb for a non-WLS'er (because I don't load my plate with helpings of potatoes, pasta, rice etc) but I think it is my choice to eat complex and brown carbs is what makes the difference. I certainly couldn't exist on 50g of carbs per day

I don't eat cakes, cookies, candy regularly - but I do eat a huge amount of vegetables along with my protein (which I never supplement) - it's not uncommon for me to have at least 3 or 4 different veggies with my protein.

Part of my food choices are for my weight maintenance and partly to keep my type II diabetes under control.

Certainly not! That's why I made the distinction about refined carbs.

But your body even needs simple carbs like milk sugar and fructose. And of course there are many benefits to more complex carbs and there are nutrients in whole grains that you can't get in other foods. SO...it would stand to reason that for optimal health, you need to eat carbs.

Cutting back on carbs to kickstart your weight loss is fine, but even Atkins and South Beach recognize you NEED to put carbs into your overall plan. Their initial abstinence of carbs is to wean dieters off of refined carbs, mostly

I did a BF series on carbs if anyone is interested:

http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/03/bf-basics-carb-c onfusion.html

Thank you Nik and others for the posts. I appreciate it greatly. It has really made me re-think my whole way of choosing what is going to be goin in my mouth.

Who would have thought all this talk would have me rethinking my over all diet.
Just for clarification... I do not eat any rice, very minimal potatoesand noodles, even less bread. None of the above sits well in my pouch. So that does help. However, I do like chips/crackers once in awhile.
I do eat most fruit n veggies. Not a lot of meats sit well w me either. But I have been sampling a little more - chicken is getting much better and ground beef and turkey has been about it.

Anyway, thank you all again!!!
~Jamie~

My intention wasn't to tell her to cut back permanently...I said 2 or 3 days...get into ketosis..and slowly start to reintroduce.  I said 50 to move back towards as a goal...not the finish line.  I eat carbs, but she is still relatively early out...she could limit her carbs to optimize her weight loss during the period. 

Oh no I didn't think you did necessarily but it seemed like that was the thought process. I think folks get confused about carbs. But when you eat fruits, veggies, drink milk (milk has 50% more carbs than protein!) you are getting carbs. They are nearly impossible to avoid. That's what started that thought, when the OP said should she go zero carb. I actually don't think that's possible. Even if you only eat meat, if you eat meat that was FED carbs while it was alive, you are going to get SOME carbs.