So.... I've noticed on several WLS recipes, it calls for the full-fat versions of things!

What is the best approach when it comes to the three options? When I go to the store, what one should I buy?

Right now I am eating between 600-700 calories a day. My NUT told me to never go over 1200 calories, but that it could take several months to get to the point where I am eating that much. (Of course, I could probably eat that now if I ate junk all day instead of real food) That calorie goal is for my height of 5'8. A smaller woman might need fewer calories, an extremely active woman might need more calories. Men need more calories then women. Like JeffA70 said, every situation is different. Did your NUT or surgeon give you a guideline for calories?

It all depends. I make my own salad dressings and use REAL olive oil or REAL homemade MAYO.. but then I cut it with avocado or salsa or something else so overall there's a lot of dressing.. but less fat than dressings made the traditional way. I use full fat cheese. I EAT THE chicken SKIN.. (but only my OWN chicken skin off of my ONE chicken leg) I use half and half in my coffee.. 2T every morning. For cottage cheese I use 1% because that's the kind I like the best. I make my own yogurt and I like it with whole milk the best.

I like a lot of fat in my diet and I account for it in my calories. It's REALLY easy to go crazy with too many calories if you're doing full-fat everything so just be careful how many calories you're getting

So.... I've noticed on several WLS recipes' date=' it calls for the full-fat versions of things!

What is the best approach when it comes to the three options? When I go to the store, what one should I buy?[/quote']

I go with the lower fat in dairy and meats but that's my preference. It got me to goal and keeps me there.

Lynda

Right now I am eating between 600-700 calories a day. My NUT told me to never go over 1200 calories, but that it could take several months to get to the point where I am eating that much. (Of course, I could probably eat that now if I ate junk all day instead of real food) That calorie goal is for my height of 5'8. A smaller woman might need fewer calories, an extremely active woman might need more calories. Men need more calories then women. Like JeffA70 said, every situation is different. Did your NUT or surgeon give you a guideline for calories?

They told you to NEVER go over 1200?? Like for the rest of your life? That seems WAY too low, especially for a relatively tall person...? I would worry about permanently resetting your metabolism at a very low point if 1200 is your limit.

That said, this is my personal bias showing, and I'm no expert. I deliberately got above 1000 cals as soon post-op as I could (there is no liquid or puree phase here, just straight into foods) and then increased from there so that I wouldn't hose my metabolism. "Starvation mode" isn't something that kicks in over a few days or weeks of low-cal eating, but it will happen over months of super low-cal eating. I ate 12-1500 throughout most of my losing phase, and am now 1500-2000 in maintenance -- with the caveat that I don't eat wheat/grains and I limit sugar, so my calories are low-carb for the most part. (Edit: And I'm doing 5:2 now cos I want to drop a couple more kgs...)

I would also worry about hunger catching up with you and making it challenging to stay below 1200 in the long run. But I freely admit my bias here!! I know there are vets who are eating like 1300 on a regular basis still several years out. And having a lot of success that way -- so it's very much an individual decision. I just never lost my appetite and I can't live super low-cal, I am a hungry girl!!

I'm a very tall (6-6) male, so my numbers are going to be very different than for a smaller female, but my current daily goal is 1,200-1,500. I started out at 900 calories, and have moved up to this, and maintenance is 1,500.

I'm so glad to hear all of these answers! I DESPISE the way fat-free stuff tastes! And when you can only eat a few ounces... it better taste good' date=' dadgumit!

So... What is more important to watch (or make decisions based upon)... Calories? Carbs? or Sugars?[/quote']

I always do "real food". Except for my Chobani. I do the 0% bc I like the blood orange flavor. Im more concerned about carbs/sugar than fat, for sure. And even those I don't truly worry about bc I'm more worried about Protein.

Everyone does what works for them and I admit I did not read the earlier responses so forgive me if I repeat.

But full fat, real sugar, real food - REAL food. Always, always, always. Those fake foods do not satisfy us the same way and in many cases (especially with sweeteners) they're chock full of chemicals we cannot pronounce that do dangerous things our bodies. Those recent studies on the effects of artificial sweeteners on insulin resistance/diabetes are downright scary - the OPPOSITE effect of what people thought they were doing, you know?

Look, this isn't a diet. This is a way of life. You want to eat and feel satisfied. You can hardly eat a sizeable amount - yes, I've got more capacity but I still can't sit down and eat a lot. A spoonful of real sour cream vs. fat free is not a huge difference, so unless you have heart disease and high cholesterol there isn't a need to pare calories down to the minimum.

And I did happen to see swizzly's post, above and agree on some fronts. Being told to never ever touch a certain calorie range again assumes your body is like someone else's. It's not. It's individual what's going to work for you. So I used to hang between 700-900 calories in loss but in maintenance I could eat all the way up to 1,600 calories (maybe not every day, but most days) and not see any movement on the scale. You need to find what you can eat that will not sabotage your loss or cause a regain, so focus on the numbers, yes (by tracking) but don't feel like 1,200 is this magical stopping/starting point. Work with what works for you.

~Cheri

Thank y'all so much for your wisdom!!! I go see my NUT in a couple of days and will try to get a better understanding of the calorie dilemma! Only 14 days post-op, so my tracking is still nothing but liquids! Hoping it will be easier to see patterns when I can start on more solid foods! Thanks for the valuable input!!!

When it comes to Dairy I typically choose low-fat options but that is bc my body digests them better then full fat options for some reason... I typically don't eat much dairy but when I do full fat gives me a very upset stomach... When it comes to other things like salad dressings and such, I usually dress my salads with a home made dressing of Balsamic Vinegar, Parm Cheese, and Garlic. When I make other dressings I use regular EVOO. I chose to use Full Fat Mayo made with Olive Oil. If I have the rare occasion where I am eating a different type of salad dressing (such as eating in a restaurant or at someone elses house) I just use full fat.

Full fat supporter here too! I always read the ingredients and if the list is long, has words I can't pronounce, has hydrogenated oils, color number whatever, etc I don't eat it! If you do most of your shopping around the perimeter of the grocery store (meats,produce, dairy) you should be fine. I eat 1200-1500 calories a day so each meal is under 400 calories. Usually about 300 calories. I use real mayo and sour cream. Make my own dips and salad dressings. At my grocery store, Chobani yogurt is the only one without a long list of chemicals in it. Good luck!

I didn't do full fat prior to surgery, so I cannot and will not start now. The only fat free I do is skim milk, otherwise, low fat....sour cream, 2% cheese etc. My husband's cardiologist and cardiac dietitian both want him to use low fat or no fat in dairy, so that would take precedence, no matter what.

I didn't do full fat prior to surgery' date=' so I cannot and will not start now. The only fat free I do is skim milk, otherwise, low fat....sour cream, 2% cheese etc. My husband's cardiologist and cardiac dietitian both want him to use low fat or no fat in dairy, so that would take precedence, no matter what.[/quote']

Hard to argue with that! I'd probably do the same thing given that scenario.

I wonder, though, how the official line on fat will change over time. In 10 years, will they say the same thing about carbs and sugar and deemphasize low fat? I suspect so.

In my v1.0 life, I did low carb/normal-to-high fat diets for extended periods, and never (not once) had elevated cholesterol. My blood pressure was elevated, but I was also 300+ lbs.

Now in v2.0 of my life, I'm basically back living a low-carb life. I wouldn't call it a high fat diet, but it ain't low fat, either.

My cholesterol last week was 175. My blood pressure is LOW. I'd be hard pressed to find a causation between fat intake and those vitals.

And before anyone asks, yes, I love Gary Taubes' book 'Why We Get Fat.' Makes the same basic point.

Hard to argue with that! I'd probably do the same thing given that scenario.

I wonder, though, how the official line on fat will change over time. In 10 years, will they say the same thing about carbs and sugar and deemphasize low fat? I suspect so.

In my v1.0 life, I did low carb/normal-to-high fat diets for extended periods, and never (not once) had elevated cholesterol. My blood pressure was elevated, but I was also 300+ lbs.

Now in v2.0 of my life, I'm basically back living a low-carb life. I wouldn't call it a high fat diet, but it ain't low fat, either.

My cholesterol last week was 175. My blood pressure is LOW. I'd be hard pressed to find a causation between fat intake and those vitals.

And before anyone asks, yes, I love Gary Taubes' book 'Why We Get Fat.' Makes the same basic point.

The weird things is his cholesterol was 182, BP was always normal - low normal!!! He has the yearly blood work, has for years and years.....never a problem. He didn't have a heart attack, chest pains, shortness of breath. They did the heart cath and found a 95% blockage, called him very lucky!! Doc said the numbers don't have to be high, everything can look fine and people will have a heart attack.

I am curious too about the fat free, low fat and full fat. Everything changes, look at all the surgeries that are done laparoscopically now!!! I personally think that VSG will eventually become the 'Gold Standard' for WLS - in the future, when there are stats from those of us having surgery recently. That is just my humble opinion!!!

BTW, Jeff, you look great! Congrats!