My program specifies you should get sugar/salt/fat free of everything from oatmeal, canned fruits and canned veggies to yogurt and everything in between. I was wondering if this is just their program preference or merely a suggestion? I know the logic behind canned fruits in syrup because that's calorie city, but oatmeal, for example, isn't too terrible on its own (single serve packets). I bought some variety packs of normal oatmeal and I figured I could split the flavor packs with some regular oats we have to dilute the sugar content (and maybe even add Protein powder?)...is this a bad way to go about it?

Outside of the oatmeal, I got sugar free canned veggies (peas), low sodium chicken broth, fat free tomato Soup and no sugar added canned fruit packed in Water...are all of these good for weeks 1-5? I know for like the veggies and the fruit I will probably have to puree them for the first 2ish weeks. Does oatmeal have to be pureed in the immediate post-op after liquid diet?

My best guess is they do that so you can stay aware of dumping syndrome which can still happen in sleeves (I've seen various percentages tossed around from 3-17%) and to guide towards better choices in the long term, but how strict do you feel it is? Do you meticulously search for specific versions of seemingly healthy products?

If you do, where do you find good variety in sugar/fat/salt free things? I'd love some suggestions!

As always, information is always appreciated!

Edited June 17, 201610 yr by Kaze

Clean eating, high fat, low carb and zero processed is going to be part of my maintenance regardless of what the doc says. Right now I'm on the pre op and I am not into the SF Jello, pudding and Popsicles and God knows what's in the protein drinks but I'm doing as I'm told. However, it goes against everything I believe in to eat fake sugar and to deprive myself of quality fats like coconut oil, avocados, olive oil and good quality organic butter. I hate putting any food with ingredients I can't pronounce in my body. But I wasn't losing weight that way. Eating this processed crap is causing me to drop a pound a day but at what cost?

@@taracutch

Since you are on the pre op diet, you technically aren't losing fat, you are losing Water, as your body goes into ketosis. . Water gets pulled from your body and burns glycogen.. hence why we get flatter tummies and are advised to drink lots of water.

I agree with you about eating whole foods and good fats... luckily i have always enjoyed eating that way... its amazing how bad some "healthy" food is l.

Eg.. some "healthy" smoothies have more sugar than a coke!!

@@taracutch

Since you are on the pre op diet, you technically aren't losing fat, you are losing Water, as your body goes into ketosis. . Water gets pulled from your body and burns glycogen.. hence why we get flatter tummies and are advised to drink lots of water.

I agree with you about eating whole foods and good fats... luckily i have always enjoyed eating that way... its amazing how bad some "healthy" food is l.

Eg.. some "healthy" smoothies have more sugar than a coke!!

Ugh!!!! This is just water weight??!!! I'm suffering and starving for nothing? That's REALLY depressing!

@@taracutch

Since you are on the pre op diet, you technically aren't losing fat, you are losing water, as your body goes into ketosis. . Water gets pulled from your body and burns glycogen.. hence why we get flatter tummies and are advised to drink lots of water.

I agree with you about eating whole foods and good fats... luckily i have always enjoyed eating that way... its amazing how bad some "healthy" food is l.

Eg.. some "healthy" smoothies have more sugar than a coke!!

Ugh!!!! This is just water weight??!!! I'm suffering and starving for nothing? That's REALLY depressing!

Actually that's not surprising to me, the smoothie with more sugar than coke thing. After all, the smoothie has fruits, dairy and added sugar which drives up the sugar content but I think one good thing is those are all natural forms of sugar which our body can easily metabolize. Coke has corn syrup, cane sugar and a bunch of other calorie-dense, nutrient-low sugar substances.

I still think choosing the higher sugar content but quality sugar smoothie is going to go a long way to better choices (like using different, lower fat milks, no added sugar, etc) but Coke is addictive and has zero additional nutrients so it's literally as empty as empty calories comes. The smoothie, however, could have an assortment of colorful fruits and therefore a heaping of Vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants.

That's my stance and I'm stickin' to it!

(obviously it comes down to each individual smoothie and how it was made)

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Edited June 17, 201610 yr by Kaze

For reference, they all have less than 12g of sugar, and since I would cut them with a 1g sugar plain oatmeal, that's significantly less...

I agree, artificial sweeteners tend to be far more addictive and lead to craving more actual sweets.

I just feel as long as I'm making decent choices in a majority of circumstances, having an "as is" product isn't going to make me unsuccessful, but that's why I brought the question to the floor so to speak so those who are actually post-op can chime in, and it seems to me most people are in agreement that you just need to be careful overindulging in the "as is" foods...am I understanding this correctly?

Also @ I stocked up on just stuff for the first 3-4 weeks...liquids, full liquids and mushy foods.

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You should look for less than 5gms sugar per serving. Add some flavors to plain oatmeal (cinnamon, pumpkin). Low / No Fat options often have added sugar to make them taste better. I would avoid No Fat at least (except maybe milk). Take it slow and see if you tolerate the flavored oatmeal but if you start getting cravings - I'd cut out the added sugar items.

@taracrutch If it makes you feel better - you're losing fat from your liver - making for a safer surgery!

Honestly, I think if you are getting your sugars from WHOLE foods like fruit, I wouldn't worry too much about it as doing so includes the Fiber in the fruit as well (as long as you're not juicing it). The fiber helps slow the absorption of the sugar and that's why sugar from eating fruit is a lot different than eat sugar extracted from fruit (fructose) or table sugar extracted from beets or sugar cane.

I try to keep my servings of fruit to the size of a tennis ball, and I haven't had any issues. As far as the high fat is concerned, I have a different opinion on that, but mostly because it doesn't agree with me. I try to make lean Protein choices and stay away from processed meats like bacon, bologna, or sausage. It works for me. Glad to hear you are figuring out what will work for you!

Best of luck!

@@taracutch

Sorry!!

You are losing fat from your liver though! Which is the whole point of the pre op diet anyway....

Sorry... i really need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes lol

Edited June 17, 201610 yr by AussieGirl81

Lol... It's ok. I'm really really struggling though. Day 5 and I'm not sure if I can make it another 9 days. This is killer

You can do it girl. Just keep the mental pic in your head of you looking drop dead gorgeous and it will help enormously. You can and will do it, even if your pals on BP have to beat you into submission!!!!!!!!!!! x

Edited June 18, 201610 yr by jintycb

I went back to read in the diet guidelines that I got from my NUT (I know they all vary!) .. but mine says under "avoid fibrous foods at first -- For example, cream of wheat/rice or farina are fine from the beginning (thinned at the beginning) but oatmeal should wait until you are tolerating some solids." I haven't done oatmeal at all yet- and not sure I will. Just because I know that my body is reacting differently to foods now, post-surgery. The thinned cream of wheat was heavenly when I was having that-- I added a scoop of Protein powder to it (chocolate was my fav!) So maybe when you are ready for oatmeal, adding Protein Powder will be all the extra flavor/sweetness that you need. My sweetness tolerance has been way low since surgery.. I don't crave sweets at all, which is nice! And if I have anything that's too carby I can really feel it, because it makes my newly healthy reset blood sugar go up and puts me to sleep. A lot of this is going to be trial and error. That's also why my diet guidelines say not to add more than 1 new food per meal, so if you're not tolerating something you'll know what it is and what to avoid.

What wrong with just putting some rolled oats in the microwave with some Water and add your own spices and sweetener? Or in a pan if you want to go old school.

I personally haven't had oatmeal yet at 7 months. It's a carb that has some Protein but not a lot.

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What wrong with just putting some rolled oats in the microwave with some Water and add your own spices and sweetener? Or in a pan if you want to go old school.

I personally haven't had oatmeal yet at 7 months. It's a carb that has some Protein but not a lot.

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Because I like fruit oatmeal and don't like artificial sweeteners. I did say I plan to cut it with regular oatmeal and protein powder, so the sugars in it would be significantly less than what it says on the nutrition facts label.

@@Kaze,

While avoiding dumping syndrome is definitely a good reason to avoid added sugars, especially in the early stages when you’re still getting acquainted with your sleeve, I think there may be additional reasons for that advice.

One is that sugar is empty calories. It doesn’t do anything for you besides add calories and bump up your blood sugar. Long term, you’re going to be looking for lower calorie foods to help you lose weight and keep it off. A packet of oatmeal can have 100 calories, but 150 if it has sugar in it, for example.

Another is that foods with added sugars are not always the healthiest. They are processed, generally. Even getting the versions without added sugars isn’t always a great choice because “sugar-free” often means there are sugar substitutes in there. Going for plain oatmeal and plain yogurt can be healthier than flavored oatmeal and yogurt with artificial sweeteners. I’m not saying that sugar substitutes are terrible; they have their place if you like them. I’m just thinking that maybe your surgeon is trying to steer you towards healthier foods – fruit in its own juice (and later, fresh fruit) is healthier than fruit in sugar Water.

There is tons of variety in sugar/fat/salt-free things! In general, think: unprocessed, healthy. Otherwise, you’re stuck searching for foods labeled “sugar-free.” In the post-op stages, there are fat-free dairy products – yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, ricotta – lean Proteins – eggs, chicken breast, tuna, Beans – fruits – start with canned, move into ripe fresh and frozen fruits. Ripe watermelon, cantaloupe, and peaches are especially soft – vegetables – start with low-sodium canned such as carrots and green beans, then cook your own fresh or frozen choices such as cauliflower florets, zucchini and crookneck squash, bell peppers – starches – sweet potatoes, winter squash, couscous, oatmeal, potatoes…the list goes on.

By the way, I’m not sure if the fat-free recommendation is for short term or long term, but I wouldn’t try to cut out fat long-term! Avocados, nuts, peanuts, and fatty fish are some of the best foods you can eat both for health and for weight loss. They have healthy fats.

Having low-carbed several times in the past, I will say it is nearly impossible to get the amount of calories your body needs without fat. Fat in itself isn't bad. Neither are carbs. Veggies are carbs. it's the type of fats and carbs we consume that matters.

I used sweeteners all my life and we see where that got me. Sleeved. (Well, they aren't the only reason, but you get the idea.) I used Splenda for nearly 20 years until this last huge study. I switched to stevia, but have read studies I didn't like there. To heck with it, I thought. I now use a very, very small amount of honey when I want to sweeten anything. Does it have more sugar? Yes? But it's not a white sugar and has other nutritional benefits. So far, so good since I hardly sweeten anything as it is.

The choice is yours. Moderation is the key. I would use a program like MyFitnessPal to figure out your nutrient intake no matter your choice and even if you don't normally track your food.

ETA: I missed that you are on pre-diet. I would definitely stick to sweeteners in this phase. Read labels. You'll be shocked by how much hidden sugar is in our diet. Learn what fruits and vegetables are lower on the glycemic index and use those. Stay away from starchy foods. Avoid flour (that includes bread and pasta). Basically, go low-carb. This has the added benefit of getting over your carb cravings long before you have surgery.

Edited June 20, 201610 yr by songsmith