Question:
Which is better Protein Diets or Balanced Diets?
I am almost 7 months postop- down 130lbs. At my 6 month appt., my doctor recommended adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet. He also said to stop counting calories and just try to eat a normal, well balanced diet. I still have a lot of weight to lose (about 150 more pounds) I would appreciate feedback on this topic. Also what amounts of food did you guys eat at 7months? Did your weight loss slow down? Thanks for your help! — rpoepke (posted on September 30, 2003)
September 30, 2003
I don't really count calories, I just keep an eye on the types of foods I
chose. If you have fruit keep to low-sugar fruits (berries, cantaloupe,
tart apples)...great veggies to add without adding a bunch of calories and
carbs are broccoli, leaf lettuce salads with a bit of cuke and tomatoes,
cauliflowers, bell peppers, brussel sprouts, and avocadoes (high in good
fat for good skin and hair) - just don't eat a lot of the avocadoes :>)
— [Deactivated Member]
September 30, 2003
I am within 10 pounds of my pre tummy tuck goal weight and I am still very
careful with the carbs. I think that we all have to find the
"diet" that works for us, keeps us losing and makes us feel
comfortable with the way we are eating and how it makes us feel. i have a
very strong reaction to carbs even now and doubt that they will ever play a
big role in my diet if I am to keep this weight off and feel sane. I have
added some fruits but stick with the fruits that Atkins has okayed like
berries and melons. I do eat veggies but not corn or peas or potatoes. I
have really learned to enjoy eating without pasta or bread. I have also
found the things that help me over the rough patches like when I have PMS.
I tend to count the calories less and less but am now very aware of what i
am eating anyway and rarely make it much over a thousand calories. I am
trying now to learn to be comfortable maintaining or just losing a couple
of pounds a month. If you are comfortable with th way that you are eating
and you are still losing then I would say to stick with what works. I have
heard many people say that I should stop supplementing my protein with
shakes but they are the one thing that really keeps me on track so I doubt
I ever will. It is all about finding what you can live with for whatever
phase of weight loss you are in. Good luck and if you have a nutritionist
available to you I would suggest talking it over with her/him.
— Carol S.
October 1, 2003
I am almost 2 years post-op and my surgeon has always stressed the need for
fruits and vegetables in our diet. But, we are still supposed to get about
80% of our calories from protein rich foods. My doctor suggests one
protein supplement a day, as a snack, not a meal replacement. I've
followed this routine since I was 10 weeks post-op and have lost 180 pounds
and have been at my surgeon's goal for over 8 months.
— Patty_Butler
October 1, 2003
Depends on what you call a balanced diet. The food pyramid? That's what
made America even fatter. You can be high protein AND balanced. It's not
adding veggies that makes you fat, or low glycemic index fruits like
berries. It's all those products w/ refined sugar and white flour. So if
you mean balanced as in protein, fruits and veggies, then go for it (if the
fruit doesn't cause cravings), but avoid white sugar and white flour like
the plague.
— mom2jtx3
October 1, 2003
You do need a balanced diet. Protein is very important, and you should
stick to the protein first rule to be sure to get your required amount of
protein in each day. However, the rule is protein FIRST, not protein ONLY.
Your body does need the nutrients and fiber contained in vegetables, whole
grains and fruits. Your brain, heart and lungs prefer these foods as their
fuel source, and operate best when these kinds of carbohydrates are
available. I do recommend that you not add back many of the refined
carbohydrates (anything made with white flour (including white bread and
pasta) or sugar, rice, potatoes, junk food snacks). These foods do have a
negative impact on the way your body stores and uses fat, and can lead to
cravings for more. If you are eating protein, and then veggies, whole
grains and fruits, you shouldn't have much room for refined carbohydrates,
anyway. I am six months out today, and eat about a half cup of food per
meal, less if it's dense, more if it's light. For example, today I will
have two cups of Rocomojo soy-bean "coffee" (26 grams of protein)
when I get up, two thin slices of deli roast beef rolled up with one slice
of Muenster cheese for breakfast, 1/2 cup of hamburger stroganoff (ground
beef, onions, mushrooms, spices and sour cream) and five pineapple chunks
for lunch, two one-ounce cheese sticks for a late afternoon snack, and 1/2
cup of low-sugar home made barbequed beans and onions with 1/2 of an
Oh-so-Low brand low carb dinner roll. If I feel the need for more food
before bed, I'll have a handful of cashews. That's a pretty typical day
for me. My weight loss has been gradually slowing down since surgery, but
that's normal, and not a function of what I eat.
— Vespa R.
October 1, 2003
My nutritionist recommends 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats. Everyone is
different, i think.
— mrsmyranow
October 1, 2003
I have to ask, if it ain't broke, why fix it? It seems like you're doing
really very well so far, and you have a was to go but you're totally
focused on a plan that's working for you, so why tinker with that NOW, at
seven months, when your eating capacity is probably increasing? Oh, dear,
I'm afraid this advice makes me nervous, and I'm not even *you*. It just
sounds too much like a "blank check" in terms of eating, and I,
for one, cannot handle a blank check when it comes to food, WLS or
not.<P> Everybody deals with carbs differently -- some limit them to
20 grams a day, some don't count them at all, many are in-between. For me,
while I was in "losing" mode, I always kept my daily protein gram
intake ahead of my carb gram intake (and I had to use protein shakes to do
that), but other than that, I didn't limit carbs. But that approach taught
me to think, "When's the last time you had protein?" every time I
reached for food, which was the habit I wanted to be sure to learn, and I
think I did (so far, anyway). But everybody's got a different approach to
finding the right "balanced diet" for them.<P>If you've
been counting calories so far, and you're only seven months post-op, I just
can't see the wisdom to ignoring calorie counting right now. I felt that
it was the most critical for me to count calories at a time like that, when
I could sense my eating capacity increasing. You don't say how many carbs
you allow yourself; maybe your doc feels there are too few in your diet?
You could try adding a little bit more and see how it goes; if it slows
your weight loss, you could cut back and tell your doc it just didn't work
for you, and it if doesn't slow your loss, wonderful ... but everytime you
make a change in your diet to add more food, or more types of food, it
makes good sense to count calories for awhile to be sure you're not
sabotaging your efforts. Good luck@
— Suzy C.
October 2, 2003
This is one of those 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other questions. I
think it boils down to doing what works for YOU!! I didn't eat any raw
veggies or ANY fruit until 6 months out. The Dr. didn't tell me to avoid
these, but I was afraid to try them before that point. I feel better now
than ever. Now I eat healthy (low carb is better for me, because it makes
me feel satisfied longer), I have never counted my calories on a daily
basis, but I do go on fitday.com every now and then to see where I am. I
have found that experimenting with recipes to make them work for me has
been fun. I don't ever want this to feel like a diet, just a healthy,
nutritious eating plan (and that does included dessert now and then). My
weightloss did slow down some at 6 months out - (I lost 101 lbs. the first
6 months) I am down a total of 144 lbs. Now stopping the weightloss (or at
least slowing it way down) has been more of a challange for me. What a
blessing this surgery is. Overall, do what is right for you and what you
can stick to for a lifetime. What point is it in getting down to XXX goal
if you can't maintain it? My focus this whole time was to get to a weight
I felt good at AND could maintain without feeling overly deprived.
— Dana B.
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