Please dont fuss me out...just wondering about something
I'm definately a work in progess, but so far have balanced protein, fruits, and veggies. Processed foods, chocolate, cakes, all the yummy stuff, plus kids, and all that got me into this position.
Getting the minimum is important and protein is my primary goal right now... Just nice to see a different perspection for the long term!
I'm not a NUT, but I feel like I've researched this a fair amount, and come up with the following bullet points, based on the comments of others in the forums and on my own reading. So "Why the protein?" The following points relate mainly to the Fast Weight Loss Phase of sleeve process:
1. 60g protein is the minimum (roughly) required to prevent/minimize muscle wasting while on an extreme low calorie diet - if you start doing resistance training (weights) you'd probably need to up this amount. If you read lots of comments on these forums you'll see a lot of people who are struggling. The advice given to them is nearly always to get back on their protein and water. So one answer is "it works," but that's not a very satisfying answer... so digging deeper....
2. High-Protein coupled with low carb intake causes body to switch from carb burning to Ketone energy system which aids in fat reduction. A High-fat, near zero carbs version of this type of diet is used for long periods of time for kids with epilepsy. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutepilepsy/treatment/ke togenicdiet/index.cfm?gclid=CPi3xZ7qhLACFWwDQAodljS0lw - for this to happen reliable we'd want to be around 30-60g net carbs. You can even buy little "pee" sticks at the pharmacy to see if you're in Ketosis or not. Many weightlifters use a higher calorie version of such a diet to lose fat, while maintaining muscle mass. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cyclical_ketogenic_diet.htm
3. Pyloric valve - see Frisco's excellent post (http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/4458217/The-Pyloric-Va lve-How-it-works-with-the-VSG/) on Pyloric valve response to protein and it's affect on feeling satisfied. He also mentions another satiety "switch" that is turned on by fats. There's no such switch (that I know of) for carbs - which is why so many of us can eat so many of them and never feel sated. Protein has a big satiety factor, so it helps us stay on the very restrictive diet. Carbs don't seem to have the same effect, so carbs you eat don't make you feel as full as protein because of this. Since we eat so little we need to get the maximum satiety feelings out of what we do eat, or it will be more difficult to stay on plan. Of course it's a complex system, but protein and fats are important in the satiety system. http://www.endotext.org/obesity/obesity7.3/obesity7-3.html
4. I would be much less worried about fat and more worried about carbs - especially during the weight loss phase. You can also differentiate between "bad" fats and "good" fats. Also getting protein requires no fat intake whatsoever if you stick to lean proteins like fish, chicken, etc. Protein is often associated (in our normal world) with fried or fatty meats, but it certainly doesn't have to be the case. See "Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill" by Udo Erasmus, for a book length treatment on the subject.
So basically, the doctors have taken all the above info and boiled it down to "get your protein in - 60-80g (depending on the doc) as a first priority." It does a lot of good things for us during the weight loss phase.
Hope that helps!
