I am trying to compare and contrast the eating habits of people to determine if it is really necessary to be low fat low carb in order to be successful since we eat so little. Since I am only on pureed foods this isnt much of an issue for me now, but I guess I want to see if there is more or faster success with people who are very strict about their diets, and exercise habits. I am wondering do you:

eat full fat foods? not like cookies, cakes and cheeseburgers, like sour cream, cheese, refried beans, cream (in recipes), salad dressing, etc.? if so how frequently?

eat bread, pasta, potatos, crackers, etc.? if so how frequently?

eat fruit? if so how frequently?

do you exercise? when did you start? what do you do? for how long? how often?

when were you sleeved? how much weight have you lost?

I have seen lots of people that are very regimented about their diet and exercise, I have seen others that say they can eat so little they will eat what they want (from pizza to regular dressing). I am trying to figure out which type I will be and want to make an informed decision as opposed to just doing what I want and not getting the results Im looking for. Thanks in advance for your help.

There was a thread here a while ago saying "okay who lost all their weights eating NO CARBOHYDRATES" or something. It made for interesting reading. Just as we all got fat in different ways,we all seem to lose it in diff ways.

My encapsulation from spending (too much) time reading posts on this forum?

1.,there are the who are carb sensitive and will not lose if they eat over 60-80 of carbs while other are not carb sensitive and lose with 100+ gms of carbs

2. There are those that are triggered by eating carbs and then crave more carbs, and others who are not

3. There are moderators who can have a little bite or three of treats with no ill effects, and there are abstainers who can't have a little without craving a lot.

4. There are those who lost weight with no exercise, some fast, some slow, but there are others who, if they don't exercise, simply cannot lose it.

Perhaps the important thing is for each of us to find where we lie on each of these spectrums. (spectra?) Pity we are not yet in an age where they could "read" our chemistries and give us a personalized prescription. We were born too early

I would add the question of who tracks and who does not track their carbs/calories/protein? I just feel like part of the reason I had this surgery was so that I won't have to focus my whole life on food. Tracking all the time makes me feel like a slave to food and it is really hard to do with 2 busy kids, a full time job involving lots of travel, etc. Are there people on here who are able to just "know" what they can and cannot eat and in what portions? (I know about all the people on here who are vigilant about tracking everything on My Fitness Pal). I'm wondering who is successful doing it a different/easier way???

Questions like this are red lights to whether or not you should have the surgery at this time - not ever, but you need to be really aware of what is going on.

I see posts like this often (I have been here since November of 2011) and I know you are going to get responses – may have already got them in the time it takes me to type this – that it varies, maybe, if you exercise enough.

Honestly, truthfully, if you are over 100 lbs overweight and hope to reach within 10% of your goal and stay there, the answer is that you cannot get away with the unhealthy foods, you cannot regress to the breads and fats and drippy gooey things that got you here in the first place.

This surgery was NEVER about you losing weight, and somehow like it was an old war wound you forget about it in time, you maybe kinda get a limp that you compensate for but it is nearly automatic x amount of years or months out. It doesn’t work that way. You are putting your body through profound biological and physical changes and you were probably really heavy for a long time, possibly very ill, too. You are losing weight but you are really tampering with your metabolism.

We (I shift from second p. to first p. singular because this includes us all) – we will not succeed unless we learn that this is not a cure-all, not by far, it is a really long road. We deal with our bodies, our heads, our memories, other people, and when we are taking a respite from that we deal with the current, back to the day to day, and then, we still have the future. It’s scary, and makes us hesitate, and sometimes really overwhelms.

THEN we notice changes, less meds, less pain, more activity, clearer minds, deeper breaths, we have added years to our lives, playtime with pets and kids and family and even new friends. Maybe our pants fall down to our ankles, maybe we run up a flight of stairs AND down the hall before we realize we are not out of breath.

The NSV’s everyone mentions here – let those be your guide to whether or not the cheese’s and fats and breads really matter. If they are still in your thoughts, think this through some more – get with your therapist and explore some more discussion and evaluation BEFORE surgery. Note I did not say don’t do it. Just be prepared that you literally are going to get what you put in.

I would add the question of who tracks and who does not track their carbs/calories/protein? I just feel like part of the reason I had this surgery was so that I won't have to focus my whole life on food. Tracking all the time makes me feel like a slave to food and it is really hard to do with 2 busy kids, a full time job involving lots of travel, etc. Are there people on here who are able to just "know" what they can and cannot eat and in what portions? (I know about all the people on here who are vigilant about tracking everything on My Fitness Pal). I'm wondering who is successful doing it a different/easier way???

I pretty much eat the same thing each day. The only variance is some days I'll switch up my Proteins. Here's the thing though...

I have to track new meals, proteins, etc. I am good at knowing my calories and Protein once I see it on the MFP app. But if I don't track the new items, I don't know how those combinations do for my daily values.

All that to say...I believe tracking is important for long term success. I am honest enough to admit it is not an every day thing for me. However, generally my rule is to track at least 80% of the time because I'd rather do that than not lose all my weight or gain it again.

I like the accountability to myself.

There was a thread here a while ago saying "okay who lost all their weights eating NO CARBOHYDRATES" or something. It made for interesting reading. Just as we all got fat in different ways,we all seem to lose it in diff ways.

My encapsulation from spending (too much) time reading posts on this forum?

1.,there are the who are carb sensitive and will not lose if they eat over 60-80 of carbs while other are not carb sensitive and lose with 100+ gms of carbs

2. There are those that are triggered by eating carbs and then crave more carbs, and others who are not

3. There are moderators who can have a little bite or three of treats with no ill effects, and there are abstainers who can't have a little without craving a lot.

4. There are those who lost weight with no exercise, some fast, some slow, but there are others who, if they don't exercise, simply cannot lose it.

Perhaps the important thing is for each of us to find where we lie on each of these spectrums. (spectra?) Pity we are not yet in an age where they could "read" our chemistries and give us a personalized prescription. We were born too early

I love reading your posts. You always have a well explained, concise version of something. It is always easy to read and sounds intelligent.

To each his own for sure. I would say if you can lose weight by eating everything in moderation than good for you! You are one of the lucky ones. I know how my body works from decades of diets. I don't have to eat super low carb to lose weight. I can eat about 150 grams and still continue to lose...for now. I am still about 70 pounds from goal. When I get closer to goal I might have to do phase 1 of the south beach to get the last few pounds off.

What has worked for me:

I eat fairly low carb, but not everyday. Some days I have treats or eat more starchy foods and the next day I will cut those things out. I do rely a lot on my Protein shakes and bars because I practically live in my car. I am always on the go so it is either that or stopping at some fast food joint and trying to make a healthy food choice.

I don't recommend a high carb diet unless you are intensely working out.

As for exercise, I love to exercise so I would do it even if it didn't cause me to lose another pound.

You can always test your body out. Try eating a different range of carb intakes and see how that affects you.

I was sleeved 6/6/13 & I'm down 40 lbs today from surgery weight (230). I may not be far enough out for what you're trying to gather but I figured I'd share. I eat cheese. I LOVE cheese & can't live without it. I eat Beans because they're a good source of Protein & I like them more than eggs. I put sour cream on my lettuce wrapped taco meat because its a good source of Calcium & we're only talking a tablespoon. I eat full on cream Soups & the real deal salad dressings & mayo but I DO NOT eat potato chips, Pasta, rice or crackers. I've had a couple pieces of low carb wheat bread, a tortilla to hold my wrap together (I tore off as much tortilla as I could get away with) a couple of times & protein enriched crisps. I've had no sugar added frozen yogurts, fudgsicles & ice creams. Never the real full on blue bell or Ben & Jerry's. I've also had 3 sugar free Cookies. I average 80 carbs a day. I go over & under often but the reason I stay away from full sugar cookies, cakes, Icecreams & stuff like potato chips & crackers & bread is because they are triggers for me. I used to eat a whole loaf of French bread smeared in butter. YUM-O! Now I aim for 800 calories, 80 grams of protein & try to exercise at least 5 days a week. I do a minimum of 30 mins cardio & 15 mins of strength training. My husband has told me my legs are getting very tone. I want to include exercise to tone my body. I have a friend that lost 130 lbs at her 1 year mark but she never exercised & has LOTS of loose skin. I lost 25 lbs my first month & only 7.5lbs each additional month after that. I imagine I will lose approx 7 lbs a month which will land me at a healthy BMI weight of approx 130 for 5'3.5" & hopefully I'll be nice & tone too. Fingers crossed. Good luck!

I love reading your posts. You always have a well explained' date=' concise version of something. It is always easy to read and sounds intelligent.[/quote']

Thank you! You're sweet to say that. Be careful though, sometimes I only SOUND intelligent

sleevedjune, thanks for your response and actually answering my question. Your response is super helpful because i think i will more than likely eat similarly to you when i can eat again. I have already had the surgery and everyday i eat yogurt, beans and soup so this doesnt really apply to me right now too much. i have put cheese and sour cream in my beans though (less than a tsp of sour cream less than an oz of cheese) and i was wondering if i might be halting weight loss in some way as a result. i think i have done great with weight loss (i am down 22 lbs in 13 days) but want to be very conscious about food choices and planning for the future. i have done south beach a million times and so i am tempted to say low carbs work for me, but i can be honest about the fact that i am usually on or off. if i am dieting, i am eating nothing of plan. if i am not dieting, i am eating a whole pizza. thats the way it has always been. i have never ever really done moderation, its always been all or nothing so i am very curious about the effectiveness of eating things in moderation. i can tell you i love my little refried bean meal and i have never eaten the whole thing, i have never even eaten all the sour cream, i get full or tired of eating before that is an option. i am also not a big sweet eater i am fat from food much more than dessert, large volumes of food so i was mostly trying to determine if i have damned myself with real cheese and sour cream. also one day, when i can eat food again, i plan to cook and i am wondering how necessary it is to change meal ingredients i would usually use as opposed to the portions of the meal i consume.

We sound very similar in our weight struggles. I'm also very all or nothing. How much you trying to lose? Curious if our stats are close.

SW: 230

CW: 190

GW: 120

5' 3.5"

Age: 35

When I was in the mushy food stage I lived off Popeye's mashed potato w/ extra gravy & red beans NO rice. So get your retried beans on girl! I order the same thing at Taco Bell. They're a great source of protein. So is the cheese on top! When The family goes to Subway I get the meatball sub no bread. They basically give you a bowl with 4 meatballs in it & I ask for mozzarella cheese & Parmesan cheese on top. I usually can only eat two or two & a half meatballs. If we go for protein first we can't fit enough in to be too worried about fat content, carbs. I may get yelled at by others for that..... When I'm craving something crunchy & salty I eat a few pork rinds. Also fatty but a good source of protein & you can only fit like 5 in your tummy. It's not like before when we would demolish the whole bag. Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all intelligent grown adults & know good from bad. If I'm not losing my 7 lbs minimum a month I'll reassess my plan. For now, if I deprive myself cheese or beans or pork rinds I may reach for the bread and butter. Lol.

unfortunately for me our stats are nowhere near close. i may have a party when i weigh 130. my highest weight was 331, i got to 295 with medifast and ate my way back to 318 before surgery. i was sleeved 8/16 and am now 296. my goal weight is 180, but i have been overweight since 7 so i dont even have any idea what that looks like. when i get to a high weight i will usually maintain it so i was around 200, got pregnant and went up to 300. had the baby got back to like 240, got pregnant went to 320. im done having kids so im excited to see if i can get to a low weight and maintain that instead since i usually dont have huge gains without a bun in the oven. i guess given my goal weight our desired losses arent so different. im 32 and 5'7", plus i dont mind exercising, im hoping that will work in my favor. its very exciting to be almost back at the weight it took me two months to achieve with medifast in two weeks. i have heard about the mashed potatoes but have been scared to eat carbs, the red beans sound great ill have to try that.

I would add the question of who tracks and who does not track their carbs/calories/protein? I just feel like part of the reason I had this surgery was so that I won't have to focus my whole life on food. Tracking all the time makes me feel like a slave to food and it is really hard to do with 2 busy kids, a full time job involving lots of travel, etc. Are there people on here who are able to just "know" what they can and cannot eat and in what portions? (I know about all the people on here who are vigilant about tracking everything on My Fitness Pal). I'm wondering who is successful doing it a different/easier way???

Amen! While I occasionally track my calories on MFP, I don't do it regularly cuz thats too much like a diet and thats why I got wls in the first place. I went from band to sleeve almost 7 weeks ago and have only lost 17 lbs (I started at 174 so I knew it would go slower but this is ridiclous). I'm going to hafta rexamine my way of doing this cuz I keep losing and gaining the same 1 lb (going from 156-157) for the past 2 weeks. I'm probly eating too much and not working out long enuf.

I swore I wouldn't count anything after being banded almost 4 yrs ago. Lost 104 lbs eating whatever I wanted (including bread, rice, Pasta, potatoes, ice cream, Cookies, etc) just in very small quantities. It's not working as well this time around. Last nite I went to KFC. I ordered the 1 pc breast meal, with mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and a biscuit. I ate maybe 3 bits of chicken (without skin), 2 bites of coleslaw, 2 bites of potatoes and about 1/4 of the biscuit. I was hungry again 2 hrs later so I ate about the same. I still have about 1/2 of my meal in the frig. So I eat very little - of the WRONG things.

I think I may have to tweak what I'm doing to get to goal. I may count calories or lower my carbs a little. Or just stay away from fast food, bread, rice, pasta, etc to get to goal. not sure what I'm going to do to break my stall. Maybe I just need to up my cardio a little. that would be nice if that would work...

Questions like this are red lights to whether or not you should have the surgery at this time - not ever' date=' but you need to be really aware of what is going on.

I see posts like this often (I have been here since November of 2011) and I know you are going to get responses – may have already got them in the time it takes me to type this – that it varies, maybe, if you exercise enough.

Honestly, truthfully, if you are over 100 lbs overweight and hope to reach within 10% of your goal and stay there, the answer is that you cannot get away with the unhealthy foods, you cannot regress to the breads and fats and drippy gooey things that got you here in the first place.

This surgery was NEVER about you losing weight, and somehow like it was an old war wound you forget about it in time, you maybe kinda get a limp that you compensate for but it is nearly automatic x amount of years or months out. It doesn’t work that way. You are putting your body through profound biological and physical changes and you were probably really heavy for a long time, possibly very ill, too. You are losing weight but you are really tampering with your metabolism.

We (I shift from second p. to first p. singular because this includes us all) – we will not succeed unless we learn that this is not a cure-all, not by far, it is a really long road. We deal with our bodies, our heads, our memories, other people, and when we are taking a respite from that we deal with the current, back to the day to day, and then, we still have the future. It’s scary, and makes us hesitate, and sometimes really overwhelms.

THEN we notice changes, less meds, less pain, more activity, clearer minds, deeper breaths, we have added years to our lives, playtime with pets and kids and family and even new friends. Maybe our pants fall down to our ankles, maybe we run up a flight of stairs AND down the hall before we realize we are not out of breath.

The NSV’s everyone mentions here – let those be your guide to whether or not the cheese’s and fats and breads really matter. If they are still in your thoughts, think this through some more – get with your therapist and explore some more discussion and evaluation BEFORE surgery. Note I did not say don’t do it. Just be prepared that you literally are going to get what you put in.[/quote']

I love your response!!!!!