Such a learning curve... Now the hard part begins

Who knew that eating a healthy balanced diet was soooo complicated?? Well not me. No wonder I've been overweight for 30 years. No wonder my children have no clue about nutrition. For some people, the surgery and recover may be the hardest part. Maybe even the low calorie count is the hardest part. As for me, the hard part begins now that I am eating a regular diet. I want to learn about balanced diets. I want to eat healthy. It's about so much more for me than just eating little portions. Trying to figure out how to get in the right amount of Protein, vegetables, fruits, starches, dairy, and fats. On top of that keeping an eye on calories, fat, carbs, protein, and Water count.

Today I had nothing that I consider to be a high carb food, yet my carb count for the day was 110. I went back through each food to figure out where the carbs came in. I had a couple of salads today, fruits, healthy Proteins and fat free Greek yogurt, yet my fat count for the day was 43 gr. Way too high. I have been trying to get between 900-1000 calories and I was right at 920 so I decided to have a Greek yogurt after supper. Then I realize I forgot to log something snd my calories shot up to 1130 for the day.

Please don't take this as complaining. I'm so glad to be going through this. I am so glad to have made this choice. And I LOVE to learn new things. It's just amazing to me what goes into this. Being healthy is tough!! Lol I learned a lot ever day. but the most shocking thing I learned today was that a margarita chicken flatbread from Chili's that they tout as being healthy, has 1,450 calories!!! Wow, I used to eat that for an appetizer.

This was my meal for the day:

BREAKFAST: 1/2 cup strawberries; 1/2 banana; 1/8 cup cashes; danon light&fit vanilla Greek yogurt

LUNCH: 4 ounces mango grilled chicken breast; 1 cup fresco salad

SUPPER: 2 oz pouch salmon with picata sauce; 1 cup salad with 1 Tbl of ranch

Greek yogurt and 2 SF Popsicles through the day. I did take my supplements and got 64 ounces of water.

I can tell you where your carbs are coming from....too much fruit.

I didn't really start eating fruit until I was about 8 months out. And then I mostly stick to berries because they are the lowest in sugar. Bananas are carb city!

Also the sugar fre Popsicle's have 4g carbs surprisingly. May not be a big deal in the scheme of things but I noticed it one day when I had 2 Popsicles and my carbs seemed high so I thought i would mention it. Otherwise yes the fruit is high carb

Also the sugar fre Popsicle's have 4g carbs surprisingly. May not be a big deal in the scheme of things but I noticed it one day when I had 2 Popsicles and my carbs seemed high so I thought i would mention it. Otherwise yes the fruit is high carb

Interesting! Never thought of those Popsicles having that many carbs! Good info.

I love fruit and it has many good Vitamins, but frankly, it is really just sugar in a healthy looking package. i eat very little - but do eat berries daily.

As much as i love yogurt, if you are trying to control carbs - most yogurts have way high sugars and carbs. Consider eating plain/unsweetened yogurt (use those berries as sweeteners!) or buy a brand like carbmaster that has a moderate carb count of 8-9. Many yogurts are over 20 carbs. Protein bars are another high carb surprise. I moderate both - even now in maintenance.

So, just a few suggestions, change the Breakfast to be more protein and lower carbs and I bet you will see a difference. I like to make egg beater omelette with veggies and low fat sausage - lots of protein an I get veggies in.

Consider giving up ranch dressing and try something like a spritz of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (white is my favorite) - super low carb and olive oil is a very healthy fat.

Hello! I'm 2 wks post op, my surgery was on Aug. 12th 2015. I had the gastric sleeve. I've just begun my journey, so I'm looking for others who had the this surgery. Every talks about food I can't eat and they can't identify how I feel. At this early stage I realize that protein is best for me, it's if I wait too long to drink a shake when I crave food. It's a learning experience, everything is trial and error. I have allthis energy build up but can't really work out. I have questions about different protein shakes, vanilla & chocolate gets boring and now I can go to soft puree....any good suggestions? Thanks in advance!

@@elhinton826@gmail.com

Go ahead and start a new thread. You'll get some great advice if you narrow down to a more specific question with a new thread

@@maggie409 -My surgeon told me at my first follow-up on June 3rd to eat only two meals and if I got hungry (after I determined it wasn't thirst) to eat fruit. He said I could have all the fruit I wanted...

I thought to myself, huh?

I quickly asked can I have veggies instead of fruit. as much as I want? His reply was - yes! I love fruit but I already new about the high sugar value.

I love fruit and it has many good Vitamins, but frankly, it is really just sugar in a healthy looking package. i eat very little - but do eat berries daily.

As much as i love yogurt, if you are trying to control carbs - most yogurts have way high sugars and carbs. Consider eating plain/unsweetened yogurt (use those berries as sweeteners!) or buy a brand like carbmaster that has a moderate carb count of 8-9. Many yogurts are over 20 carbs. Protein bars are another high carb surprise. I moderate both - even now in maintenance.

So, just a few suggestions, change the breakfast to be more protein and lower carbs and I bet you will see a difference. I like to make egg beater omelette with veggies and low fat sausage - lots of protein an I get veggies in.

Consider giving up ranch dressing and try something like a spritz of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (white is my favorite) - super low carb and olive oil is a very healthy fat.

The Ken's Steak House dressings are very low carb, at least the Creamy Caesar and Ranch. They do contain fat, but fat is not your enemy (unless you just can't stomach it) - it's filling and lasts much longer than carbs to keep you from being hungry again soon.

And use real eggs without additives!

I am still pre-op so time will tell for me but I plan to keep my carbs very low, under 25 gm/day, focus on protein first obviously and then low carb veggies with a bit of fat, no processed foods once I am off the shakes.

@@maggie409 -My surgeon told me at my first follow-up on June 3rd to eat only two meals and if I got hungry (after I determined it wasn't thirst) to eat fruit. He said I could have all the fruit I wanted...

I thought to myself, huh?

I quickly asked can I have veggies instead of fruit. as much as I want? His reply was - yes! I love fruit but I already new about the high sugar value.

Strange. I was told to have Protein at every meal and no more than 20-25 grams at a time. Since my goal is 100 grams a day so that works out to at least 4 to five meals/snacks. Only after I eat protein I have vegetables and fruit.

@@maggie409 -My surgeon told me at my first follow-up on June 3rd to eat only two meals and if I got hungry (after I determined it wasn't thirst) to eat fruit. He said I could have all the fruit I wanted...

I thought to myself, huh?

I quickly asked can I have veggies instead of fruit. as much as I want? His reply was - yes! I love fruit but I already new about the high sugar value.

Strange. I was told to have Protein at every meal and no more than 20-25 grams at a time. Since my goal is 100 grams a day so that works out to at least 4 to five meals/snacks. Only after I eat protein I have vegetables and fruit.

There are some surgeons who lean toward the plant based diets as opposed to the protien based. There's a surgeon I absolutely love on YouTube (AWESOME videos) named Dr Anthony Weiner who believes that although protien is very important the first few months after surgery, he feels veggies are more important in the long run for long term weight loss and maintenence. He touts the veggies first philosophy.

Obviously his views are contraversial in the WLS community. I feel I would STARVE without having that precious protien to satiate me! But I also am finding now that I'm pretty much at goal, I'm trying to eat equal parts of both, simply because veggies have fewer calories, and of course are good for me

I like Dr Weiner. He has some very good videos. I don't agree on the plant based diet, but he still offers a lot of good advice and information about the science behind weight loss surgery.

I've been doing the plant based diet for the past month after hitting goal three months ago. It felt strange to not be eating all that Protein throughout the day, but I'm now getting use to it. My protein intake is still 50-65 grams a day on the plant based diet, but that's still not near the 100 grams I was taking in daily during the first 6 month pre op.

I've been eating all the fruits and vegetable I want throughout the day. However, I will admit that I have been eating too many pears lately because we have an overabundance of them from our pear trees right now. I need to kick that mentality that I must eat them up now because they will all go bad in a few weeks. The thought of all that food going to waste still bothers me, but it shouldn't give me a reason to overeat.

As far as salad dressing, I'm a huge fan of the Walden no calorie (no carbs or fat, as well) dressings. You can get them at most supermarkets and Wal-Mart. The bacon ranch is my favorite and it seems to be quite popular because it usually sells out quickly. I usually go through about 2-3 bottles a week, so the price is starting to add up. I'm searching for low or zero calorie dressing recipes. I will post one if I find a good one that I like.

Edited August 27, 201510 yr by WL WARRIOR

In looking at my food log more closely, I also figured out I was getting way too many carbs and calories with my supplement. I was using liquid multi and Calcium and Iron and B12 from a health food store. I added it up and I was getting 65 calories and 13 carbs daily with my supplements. They were sweetened with natural fruit juices. I went back to the store and found a chewable iron and a calcium gelcap and now my intake from supplements is 35 calories and 7 carbs. I may eventually replace my liquid multi-Vitamin but it packs such a nutritional punch that I hate to give it up.

Also thanks for the tips on the fruit and Popsicles. I have modified my intake to just include berries and not quite so many. Also keeping my Popsicles to just 1 a day and the same for my yogurt to just 1 a day. I will look for the lower carb brands also of yogurt. In addition I have learned a lot about cheese. I have cut cheese out but the next time I go to the store I will see if I can find something with a lower fat content. As for my Peanut Butter (which I love!) I have started having that as more of a treat. I will now have 1/2 a slice of toast with a teaspoon of PB with some decaf coffee. I love coffee and PB.

Definitely learning that healthy natural foods don't necessarily mean I can have all I want. There are still smart choices to be made with these foods as well. I am now focusing on my Proteins and fresh veggies first.

Thanks for everyone's amazing advise!