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Are you unknowingly following some of your old dieting habits? After decades of dieting it can be hard to let go of old beliefs and behaviors. But be careful, some of those old rules and tricks are downright dangerous after WLS.


Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson unveils 5 common but Dangerous Diet Myths.
Today, myth #2--low calorie food don't count.
Let’s start with pure, innocent popcorn.
Popcorn is a great, high volume, low calorie, whole grain snack-- if prepared in a healthful way.
Dieters love air-popped popcorn! It provides a BIG feeling of fullness for very few calories. It can be a great tool for managing late night snacking when you’re watching your weight …
if you aren’t a bariatric surgery patient.
For weight loss surgery patients, it’s that feeling of fullness that’s the concern. After WLS, you’ve got to be very careful about high volume foods—even if they’re ‘healthy’ or low calorie.
Those neat little bags of baby carrots are a classic example.
In many diet plans, these low calorie veggies are the perfect ‘free food’ because they’re high in nutrition. I’ve had many clients tell me this is their go-to snack because ‘they really don’t count.’
Don’t get me wrong, we all need vegetables and carrots ARE super healthy. But WLS surgery intentionally left you with precious little capacity in your pouch or sleeve.
For the very best and most healthy weight loss/maintenance, you need to fill that tiny space very strategically. Protein, vegetables, whole grains—in that order.
Be careful not to override your surgical tool with very low calorie vegetables or…popcorn. Yes, they’re healthy but standard dieting advice is just one more of things that don’t fit after WLS.
Tomorrow dangerous diet tip #3: Fooling Your Stomach with Fluid.

Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson didn't exactly love school but she has an odd fondness for it now as September approaches and she's had a great deal of quality time with her teenager!
Find out what she learned in all those nutrition science classes as she answers some common WLS questions in Protein 101.


Which foods have protein?
Protein is found in meat, fish and chicken. For vegetarians and those less keen on meat, there’s protein in cottage cheese, eggs, Greek yogurt, tofu, cheese sticks all the beans you might put in chili—except green beans.
There’s also protein in meat alternatives like products from Morningstar Farms and Boca. You can usually find these products in the frozen food section. Protein amounts vary so check the labels.
How much protein do I need?
I tell my clients aim for 60-80 grams per day. Anyone with kidney issues might need to be much lower so it’s important to work with a dietitian specializing in bariatrics and kidney disease to get the protein prescription right for you.
Can you get too much protein?
If you’re drinking more than a two protein drinks per day along with multiple servings of protein, it’s easy to get up to 90 grams per day or more.
There IS such a thing as too much protein and greater than 95-100 grams per day is starting to push healthy levels.
p.s. Did you know the body simply cannot absorb more than 30 grams of protein per meal? If any of your protein drinks or bars are promising more than this per serving, don’t be fooled into thinking you are giving your body that full amount.
Is protein really that important, anyway?
Oh yes my friends, it is. Here’s why. Your body needs protein for its daily operations—cell building, transportation and repair work-- just to name a few.
If you don’t feed it enough protein it will use the protein it has in storage (your muscles!!!) while stopping all fat burning activity. It does this because it senses that this is a crisis situation and perhaps a famine is ahead. Any body fat on hand has become more precious than a winning Powerball ticket and will be protected appropriately.
It’s a common myth that after WLS you can eat whatever you want because you can’t ‘overeat.’ My advice? For optimal weight loss, that you can sustain, pull a Goldilocks and strive to get the amount that’s not too low and not too high but just right.