I've been tracking my food in MyFitnessPal, and noticed that my sugar intake is much higher than I expected every single day. It comes down to milk. I drink a lot of it. When I don't drink it, my femurs ache. Has anyone else experienced this?

Anyway, between the sugar and the overall calories, I'm starting to accept that I should drink a lot less of it. This article is pretty convincing: How Drinking Milk Can Help a Hardgainer Get Bigger!

Has anyone else out there dropped milk for weight loss?

I have never been a milk drinker myself. I do drink a Protein shake a day, but that has little carbs. As someone stated above I was directed to NOT drink calories unless it was a glass of skim milk mixed with Protein powder. I could get a call in to my NUT and just ask.

I've switched to almond milk. Yum!

I just switched from skim milk to 2% so I could actually add some additional fat and calories. LOL!

I used to drink a lot of milk before surgery. I'll never forget the day the dietician said, in her sweet little voice, "we don't drink milk after surgery". I was aghast, lol. Just couldn't fathom that, and I was an expert dieter. It's allowed on weight watchers, counting calories, etc.

So, being a good citizen, I gave it up. I eat plenty of cheese and yogurt, still. I never thought I could do it, but it was easier than I thought, and I don't miss it like I thought I would. And it does go with lots of stuff I don't eat anymore, and I can't eat or drink together, so it was pretty much engineered right out of my diet.

Used to be a big milk drinker, especially when it was in a big bowl of cereal! I grew up with it and never considered it as a bad food unless I was drinking whole milk or eating a half gallon of ice cream. I made the switch to Almond milk a few years back because it was a healthy alternative and it tasted pretty darn good. Since surgery, I haven't had as much, but I still make two-three almond milk Protein shakes a week. I do eat Greek yogurt and that helps with my Calcium intake. Post surgery I really don't have the milk cravings I did prior to it.

Good luck

Fairlife milk or if you're in Texas, check out Mootopia. Both are much lower sugar (lactose) and double the protein. My NUT specifically recommended it, and it is the best. The Mootopia is super good (comes in 2%) and it tastes wonderful (better than regular 2% milk).

I don't like milk. Never have. (Well chocolate milk but that's a subject for another time ). Because I was a Type 2 Diabetic pre-op, I stopped drinking my calories (mostly) so chocolate milk was definitely off the table. Having said that, I did find when doing Weight Watchers, I always lost had my daily milk (generally in the form of some sort of chocolate shake), but 6 cups is A LOT! Fairlife is really good. (Haven't tried Mootopia but I have seen it in our stores.) I use the Fairlife for cooking and sometimes in shakes (I will use 2 oz of milk and then 4 to 6 oz of Water with the Protein powder - makes it a little better). One tip re getting your calcium though is try the Premier Protein ready to drink shakes. They have 500mg of calcium per shake and 30g of protein. They have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Plus it is only 11 oz and especially in the early stages when you cannot drink much, it helps to get that much protein in such a small amount of Fluid (takes less time to drink).

Won't elaborate,...but for health reasons I no longer drink milk, and avoid most dairy products....except in my coffee but that's about it. (and it's not because I'm lactose intolerant)

Almond milk in my smoothies.

Since surgery 5 years ago, I have become more and more conscious of what I consume.

I'm not on any calorie counting diet, just eat less, and eat the healthiest I can.

@@careya123 Have you tried the FairLife milk? It's much less sugar in it. All the supermarkets are carrying it now.

When you take calcium, not mixing it with Iron can make a difference:

Most all of your Vitamins can be taken with your Breakfast meal. This includes your daily Multivitamin, B-Complex, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C in addition to others. Not only will this help to start your day off right, but the breakfast meal is often a convenient time to remember to take your vitamins, as many of us consume our morning meal in our homes. In addition, the B vitamins in your multi and B-complex will help to convert food to energy, which can help you start your day off right. There is one caveat, however. We do not recommend taking Calcium along with your multivitamin if your multi contains iron. The calcium may interfere with the iron's absorption. If you take an iron containing multivitamin with your breakfast meal, take your calcium with the other meals you consume throughout the day, such as lunch and dinner. You may also be interested to know that vitamin C helps increase the absorption of iron, so keep drinking your orange juice for breakfast or take a vitamin C supplement with your iron.

Calcium supplements can be taken with dinner, or hours after dinner before bed. Supplemental calcium is best in smaller, more frequent doses to enhance absorption. The form of calcium you are taking determines if you should take it with a meal or snack, or on an empty stomach. Calcium carbonate requires the presence of food for better absorption. Your calcium carbonate supplement may be taken with dinner, as well as earlier in the day with another meal such as lunch. On the other hand, calcium citrate can be taken with or without food, and does not require food or stomach acid for absorption. Therefore, you can take calcium citrate at bedtime on an empty stomach, and also in between meals during the day. We would hope that you would have taken your other vitamins earlier in the day, rather than waiting for your dinner meal. You should enjoy the benefits of the vitamins during your waking hours!
Read more at http://www.naturemade.com/resource-center/articles-and-videos/immune-health/timing-your-vitamins#8fiCYFLx1HXtZwm7.99

But I have read studies which show too much calcium can be bad in the long term: http://www.alsearsmd.com/2009/11/calcium-supplements-bones/

Not trying to confuse anyone but anyone who has a short cut, one size fits all solution, to a health related problem is probably trying to sell you something.

I've been tracking my food in MyFitnessPal, and noticed that my sugar intake is much higher than I expected every single day. It comes down to milk. I drink a lot of it. When I don't drink it, my femurs ache. Has anyone else experienced this?

Anyway, between the sugar and the overall calories, I'm starting to accept that I should drink a lot less of it. This article is pretty convincing: How Drinking Milk Can Help a Hardgainer Get Bigger!

Has anyone else out there dropped milk for weight loss?

Absolutely not. That is a deal breaker for me. I have always been a huge milk drinker. Granted, I do 1/2 % skim milk, but my son and I will go through 2 Gal of milk a week. I'll cut back a lot of areas but milk is a def one not to touch.

I am sleever. I quit drinking milk when I was a kid except for in coffee. Started using Almond milk in coffee around 2010. Switched over to a vanilla premier Protein in my morning coffee since I could start drinking coffee again. I take the USRDA of calcium citrate and eat a ton of dairy (full fat cheese, grass fed butter, greek yogurt) every day. You could not pay me to drink cows milk, much less 6 glasses of it. I would call that cruel and unusual punishment and besides how could you EVER absorb any Iron, if you were drinking milk 6 x per day? I occasionally will put cream in my coffee if out of town at conference but usually pack premier Protein shakes to bring with me.

I do use Fairlife milk though if it is called for in a recipe. Can't really make most pudding with Almond milk. Made some right after surgery.

@@Daisee68 - I do the same thing mixing with water and I am not a milk drinker either. I like Fairlife. I also like unsweetened Almond and Cashew milk diluted down for a protein drink

The process of calcium conversion to bone is not something you can feel in your femurs in a day, lol, so don't worry. However, if you're concerned that your sugar intake is higher due to milk, try Fairlife milk instead. It is reduced sugar and fortified with protein, so it's much easier to keep your carbs low!