Well my surgeon and nurse told me for two weeks I can eat unlimited lean meat, cheese, and eggs. I should lose weight before surgery (April 22) and lose liver fat. Does anyone know how eating meat, cheese, and eggs for two weeks cuts down on fat? I'm confused!

I guess he's trying to get you on no carb. I think the body uses carbs first for energy then turns to fat stores for energy. I could be totally wrong on the science of it. It's kind of like how the Atkins diet works (I think). Before anyone jumps on me to defend Atkins - I am not saying this meal plan is Atkins - Atkins allows carbs.

high Protein, Low Calorie will do it.

Well my surgeon and nurse told me for two weeks I can eat unlimited lean meat, cheese, and eggs. I should lose weight before surgery (April 22) and lose liver fat. Does anyone know how eating meat, cheese, and eggs for two weeks cuts down on fat? I'm confused!

high Protein and low carbs

When you stay off carbs you lose weight because....the body will run off of sugar for the energy it needs. Carbs when processed by the body are just like sugar. If your body has no sugar to get energy from it will use fat for energy instead and that will burn the fat off. That is the simplistic explanation.

One other important factor when doing low carb.....drink Water water water.

Carbs give calories a kick, and really get them going "Jump start" But keep them low.

Protein is not high in calories at all, But it's like Gas in the Tank. It makes you go.

So high Protein, Some Carb. = Low Calories. This will, and does work.

Well my surgeon and nurse told me for two weeks I can eat unlimited lean meat, cheese, and eggs. I should lose weight before surgery (April 22) and lose liver fat. Does anyone know how eating meat, cheese, and eggs for two weeks cuts down on fat? I'm confused!

They're not suggesting that eating these things will cut down on fat. They're saying you will lose weight. Sounds like they're basing this on the belief that the body doesn't store excess Protein. The problem with this theory is that if someone has a metabolic disorder (e.g. hypoglycemia, diabetes), excess protein will act like carbs in creating a glucogenic response which affects their insulin resistance which will actually slow down their weight loss. That's the problem with taking bits and pieces of information from the low carb diets like Atkins without really understanding how they work.

First, what you're doing is basically Atkins induction except you aren't getting your 2 cups of salad per day, he's limiting you to lean meat only and is allowing you 'unlimited' cheese. Even Atkins, a diet that is high fat only allows you to have 4 oz of hard cheese per day because if you eat excess fat you will not lose weight. In fact, many people gain when they allow unlimited cheese. Excess cheese also tends to constipate many people.

The idea of unlimited lean meat and eggs is a bit misleading as well. Even Atkins does not suggest you can eat unlimited amounts of protein and still lose weight. He just made the assumption that when people got the carbs out of their system (usually takes 2 weeks), the appetite suppressing effects of ketosis would set in and they would naturally choose to eat less. This would offset the excess calories they tended to eat during induction (as a result of carb withdrawal and physical cravings).

You can improve on what your doctor gave you *and* improve your nutritional intake just by limiting your cheese to 4 oz of hard cheese per day and adding in 2 cups of low carb vegies (salad and any 'green' non-starchy vegie)...and will most likely lose more weight. I eat like this all the time - 2 scrambled eggs for Breakfast, 3-4 oz protein and 1 cup cooked vegies for lunch and dinner.

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Well my surgeon and nurse told me for two weeks I can eat unlimited lean meat, cheese, and eggs. I should lose weight before surgery (April 22) and lose liver fat. Does anyone know how eating meat, cheese, and eggs for two weeks cuts down on fat? I'm confused!

I did this Atkins type pre-op diet as well. It works great, so just go with it. It sure was no hardship compared to the liquid pre-op diets.

Thank you everyone! I guess I can't eat *unlimited* but still count calories and no carbs. Thank you!

Good luck on your banding! I wish I would have had your preop diet instead of just liquids. But every doctor follows their own ideas. And in the long run they both seem to work pretty well.

the low carbs are going to drop you quick!

Excess calories is excess calories no matter how you try to dress it up - if you eat unlimited meat, cheese and eggs, you will get and/or stay fat - becuase they're calorie dense foods and should be eaten in reasonable moderation. Same as if you eat excess chocolate. Also, that's a lot of saturated fat - despite what some studies say about low carb and blood chemistry, you're really risking your cardiovascular healthy if you go all out on these foods. But it sounds like you feel somewhat cautious about it, which is good.

Its not that these foods are bad for you or that eating more of them and less carbs isnt good - its the "unlimited" that's the worry. If you want to lose weight, you have to limit food, period.

You'll also drop a lot of weight quick -but because carbs in the body bind to Water molecules, most of it will be water. Its simple, deplete your body's carbohydrate stores and shed a sh*tload of water with it. So that quick, gratifying drop is all smoke and mirrors. Now, if you can stick to this diet for months on end, you will shed fat eventually - like any diet. Overnight results are never genuine.

Its not that he wants you to lose weight as much as he wants you to shrink your liver. Thats why the cheese and all is unlimited.

A strict low carb diet prior to surgery helps to burn off the glycogen stored in the liver, which shrinks it considerably. Fasting also does the same thing (though is considerably more uncomfortable ).

ETA: Fully depleting the glycogen stores can reduce the size of the liver by about 10%.

I'm pretty sure it's because of the no carbs.