So I'm day 9 post-op and on full liquids. On the list, it says I can have SF pudding. However, here are the stats on SF vs. Fat Free:

Calories - SF 60 FF 80

Fat - SF 3g FF 0

Protein - SF 0 FF 2

Sugar - SF 0 FF 15gr

There seems to be WAY fewer chemicals in the FF. Again I'm perplexed...should I be focusing more on protein, sugar, calories...? I'm torn between being strictly sugar free, vs. eating healthier more chemically reduced foods - not that I'm really eating anything at this point, but you know what I mean.

Jennypenny,

I was told to do SF also....guess there isn't a big concern SF vs FF amongst the doctors.... I was also told to try to add Protein powder to my SF pudding and Jello, then add to applesauce, etc. once I get on mushies....

Good luck!!

kristi

So I'm day 9 post-op and on full liquids. On the list, it says I can have SF pudding. However, here are the stats on SF vs. Fat Free:

Calories - SF 60 FF 80

Fat - SF 3g FF 0

Protein - SF 0 FF 2

Sugar - SF 0 FF 15gr

There seems to be WAY fewer chemicals in the FF. Again I'm perplexed...should I be focusing more on protein, sugar, calories...? I'm torn between being strictly sugar free, vs. eating healthier more chemically reduced foods - not that I'm really eating anything at this point, but you know what I mean.

I find it weird that we can have pudding during full liquid phase but not say applesauce. Also, did you or anyone have yogurt during this phase?

Jennypenny,

I was told to do SF also....guess there isn't a big concern SF vs FF amongst the doctors.... I was also told to try to add Protein powder to my SF pudding and Jello, then add to applesauce, etc. once I get on mushies....

Good luck!!

kristi

I found my first month to be extremly difficult. I eat mostly natural/organic foods, and it seemed that everything that was okay up until the mushie stage was all processed/chemical laden stuff that I wouldn't normally eat. My nutritionist basically said that she understood my frustration, but to suck it up lol. I personally, would go with the FF pudding.

I had a hard time with this in the beginning too. I try to eat whole foods, and I was very against artificial sweeteners, processed foods, etc. But in order to stay away from sugar yet still have the taste of sweet stuff, I started eating Splenda, and now that I'm used to it I can handle the weirder tasting sweeteners like Stevia.

When eating low carb I don't pay any attention to fat. So... I pick sugar free over fat free, but yes, it's really hard to go down this road if you don't like a lot of processed foods, especially at the very beginning.

You can have both if you buy Jello SF, FF Cook & Serve. And it tastes better.

I'm curious.....what kinds of things do we eat during 'mush?'

I found my first month to be extremly difficult. I eat mostly natural/organic foods, and it seemed that everything that was okay up until the mushie stage was all processed/chemical laden stuff that I wouldn't normally eat. My nutritionist basically said that she understood my frustration, but to suck it up lol. I personally, would go with the FF pudding.

Are we supposed to eat low carb when we get to regular foods? Ugh...I'm so confused. Calories? Fat? Sugar? Carbs? Oh my...

I had a hard time with this in the beginning too. I try to eat whole foods, and I was very against artificial sweeteners, processed foods, etc. But in order to stay away from sugar yet still have the taste of sweet stuff, I started eating Splenda, and now that I'm used to it I can handle the weirder tasting sweeteners like Stevia.

When eating low carb I don't pay any attention to fat. So... I pick sugar free over fat free, but yes, it's really hard to go down this road if you don't like a lot of processed foods, especially at the very beginning.

Jenny, docs vary on their recommended diet, but my surgeon suggests a low carb diet and I followed it for the first several months fairly religiously with good results. For me, cutting out sugars and things like potatoes, Pasta, rice, and especially bread helps curb my appetite big time. I have added some of these back into my diet though and not surprisingly, my loss has slowed. When you do low carb, you generally don't worry about fats ( within reason).

The mushy stage makes low carb virtually impossible for a time though-- most mushies on the approved list are definitely not long-term food choices, but it's about healing, not losing.

For mushy foods I just pureed good food but no rice pasta or bread. You dont have eat processed foods during the mushy phase, just cook. The best thing about being banded was how much my grocery bill dropped so I could concentrate more on natural local foods and organic.

I pick sugar free over fat free, but yes, it's really hard to go down this road if you don't like a lot of processed foods, especially at the very beginning.

Isn't that the truth!? I felt conflicted because I've been against a lot of processed foods in my diet for a long time; but there were times when I was so grateful for that sugar free pudding, let me tell you. And like you, I pick sugar free over fat free as well; especially if there's corn syrup in the fat free option.