Don't people read their surgeon's meal plan?

I find it really odd that they insist that people eat eggs and dairy.  I know not that many people are vegan and many people have the idea that it would be very hard or impossible to get enough protein without eating animal products, but I would have thought a doctor or dietician would realize that vegans can get all the nutrients they need, they just have to pay a bit more attention to what they are eating.

At my clinic, we have group sessions at each stage of our diet.  We did the liquid diet session prior to surgery.  We met at 3 weeks and will meet again at 3 months.  The nutritionists gives us a packet, goes over what to do and not to do.  She also answers all questions and corrects all the misinformation that we've picked up. 

  i was given a list of 3-4 examples of foods for each stage that is all. :( 
and in bold letters it says 
" ALWAYS do protein first, veggies second and IF you are Still hungry then starch/carbs."
When i asked my NUT for more information ALL i got was "use your common sense eat low fat, high protein foods according to your stage" so for me if i ask its really because i DO NOT KNOW but i would never ask a really obvious thing like "can i have a bowl of ice cream?" :P or am i allowed fried chicken ;P but so far it really is common sense :) 

I can never understand the docs that give that kind of advice. While this might not be you, it would seem to me that it's a bit of a no-brainer that a good proportion of individuals with weight problems probably don't quite have it together when it comes to food.

If I had surgery the day I started looking into it, without looking into it, my idea of sensible would have been  so totally backwards, I would have been vomiting and dumping, and doing everything wrong.

It is only because I hung out here and got a LOT of nutrition stuff straight that I absolutely was clueless about (and didn't KNOW I was clueless, which is more dangerous) .... I would have done okay on your surgeon's "plan" but it's not a plan.

I think if I was in your shoes, I'd say post a message here and say for the subject: Anyone's surgical meal plan on the 'net? 

Then in the body of the message, i'd explain my lack of guidance, and ask for online plans and perhaps choose one from post-ops who seemed to be having the least issues, or whatever seemed the best plan (not necessarily the one that allows pizza soonest, if you know what I mean)

It's not right to alter up a good digestive system without guidelines, and I hope my "snark" above didn't make you feel bad, because I certainly only was aiming it at people who had decent plans and shopped around for one that allowed a big-mac three-minutes postop . Mine was good, it was just lousy for grammar, and since I got it while I was also being paid as an editor of a mainstream publication (one of the "dummies" books? or perhaps it was a Cliff's Notes Test Prep).... so all the typos and godawful word usage just grated, but beyond that it was a good resource and very well put.

you didn't upset me at all. and that's actually a fantastic idea. so far my diet consists of 1-2oz portions of what ever im eating its all i can handle. i normally have tuna, chicken, beans, soft cooked veggies and eggs, yogurt and soups low fat milk. and last but not least protein shakes. NO breads (not on that stage anyways) and i make sure everything that goes in my mouth now is low in carbs and sugar. :) only reason its common sense to me is i had to do this pre-op. thank goodness. only thing i had to change was portion size. only being able to eat 1/4 of a cup of food at 3 weeks bothers me because my Nut wants me eating 1/2 cup at 4 weeks? anyways off topic. i wish i would have gotten a Full list of DO NOT EAT and ALLOWED TO EAT because then i feel it would have given me more different options you know? 

ANYWAYS lol i try very hard to pay attention to the posts where people ask for tips on what to eat and portion sizes it really helps me. the book i was going to buy ended up Not happening because of some money problems that came up :( iv been asking stage to stage so that i dont forget the tips :) 

I think telling morbidly obese people to just use their common sense about what to eat is probably not the best idea.  If we were good at figure out what we should eat, at least some of us would not have gotten so overweight in the first place.  Plus, many people really don't know a lot about nutrition.  And some things that people think they know are not always correct.

 i agree. i was slightly offended by my nutritionists comment. but with it i took it as I needed to do my own research finding the best high protein foods and staying away from all the bad ones for now :) AND ONE DAY i will have that slice of pizza ;P but for now i am completely contented with the thought of losing weight in the most healthy way possible But i wont lie. i would feel SO LOST with out you and everyone on here. :) 

See, I think doing your own research is a great idea.  But I don't think that means the nutritionist shouldn't be doing her job and helping to educate you about your food choices, at the same time.

Pizza is one example of a food that some people might think is a bad food and other people might think is OK.  Our "common sense" might tell us that pizza is a bad choice if we've always eaten a LOT of pizza at one time, and ordered it with extra cheese, lots of fatty meats, and it was really greasy, etc.  But at the same time, one slice of thin crust pizza with some veggies and cheese is not really a bad choice.  Especially if we don't eat all the crust.

And there is so much conflicting information in the media about what foods are healthy and what foods aren't that I just think telling people to use their common sense is not very helpful.  I'm guessing it is common sense that cheesecake and Doritos aren't a very good choice, but with lots of foods, I don't think it's that simple.

my favorite is whole wheat crust with lite cheese and loaded with veggies ;) 

and yeah i agree :) most of my research is looking up foods with the highest protein content. and then trying to figure out what ones would do best in my new pouch. i know to always go for lean meats, and healthy fats if any. :) only complex carbs. so that much i got from support groups, my nut and here. i think im headed in the right direction. :) thank you so much for helping me out!! :) 

My "nutrition" understanding was that FAT = BAD and Carbs = Nothing to worry about

It's not at all surprising to me that I got enormous "dieting" under that paradigm.

Some people ask "Do you regret having surgery" and a common response is "I regret not doing it sooner".... What I regret is "Not knowing decent nutrition at 18 years of age" because when I TRIED to diet at 18, the above Paradigm was what I learned, and I was frustrated until I gave up (and no wonder, given the paradigm!) .... if I had been given just these basics of nutrition, I don't think I would have ever remained obese  (probably overweight, but not obese or morbidly obese): 

1. Dont' drink with meals or half an hour after .... when I did this pre-op, I was full longer
2. A serving size IS a serving size
3. Carbs aren't good, white carbs are bad, and simple carbs are bad. If you gotta carb, complex carb. (or in short, none of the whites: white flour, sugar, rice, potatoes)
4. Protein forward -- fills you faster every time, even with a normal stomach... protein shakes are good for breakfast .... though when I was 18 I doubt I could have stomached them
5. Good fats are good (in moderation) and bad fats should be avoided.
6. Treats are only treats if they are rare and few and far between (if you have it every day, it's NOT a treat)