Healthy Fats...I'm suspicious of "nonfat"

[rachelCA 8]

I live on a farm and have a pretty strong aversion to eating natural foods that have had fat removed from them. This is not due to flavor, although whole foods do taste better. I just want to be eating food as close to its natural state as possible and I truly believe that is healthier. I understand that will mean that I need to eat smaller servings of those items (whole milk, "regular" cheese and cottage cheese, whole eggs, homemade Bone Broth instead of nonfat canned broth). I'm wondering if all of the advice to eat nonfat dairy and broth is just about setting healthier habits and losing weight faster or if there is actually some physical reason we are advised to eat nonfat things. Is there anything related to healing post-surgery or dumping that would be impacted by having whole cottage cheese or homemade broth with a bit of fat in it?

Again, I really understand the caloric implications so I don't need advice about that. Having this conversation with my nutritionist was incredibly frustrating due to her deep belief that animal fats are bad (I don't agree) and the fact that I have no credibility with her in regard to food choices or my health since I'm fat. Ugh! Thanks for your help.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Personally, I don't avoid fats for fats sake but post-op have found that some high fat cheeses and meats are a bit too strong for me.

Foods that are naturally low in fat, or that have fat removed (like low fat dairy) are pretty standard for me.

Foods that are "low fat" because they have added sugar, or even worse, high fructose corn Syrup, I avoid like the plague.

Post-op has been the first time in my life where I actually wanted to blot extra fat off of bacon!

[KristenLe 5,980]

I eat full fat foods as well (other than milk in my Protein shakes). My plan recommends low fat but not fat free. Those are often loaded with sugars, etc to make them somewhat tolerable. I'd rather not eat sour cream again if I had to have fat free.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I eat regular sour cream, cottage cheese, etc.

[KristenLe 5,980]

@@rachelCA Homemade broth will be much better for you too - more Protein - not to mention it will taste good too!

[Cervidae 2,389]

So here's the thing. High amounts of fat can cause dumping much like high amounts of sugar can; after surgery, we don't make the enzymes to break fats down, so they can get dumped, much the same way sugar would. However, also like sugar, different people are able to tolerate different amounts of fats. And unlike sugar, there are a ton of benefits to eating healthy amounts of animal fats, and definite drawbacks to not eating them. I spent months eating low fat and nonfat everything after surgery, and after a while I realized my extreme brainfog wasn't due to not getting enough calories or Water (as I was getting enough of both, especially for my low activity level while I healed from knee surgery), but due to lack of fat! Your brain NEEDS fat to function, and your body needs good fats for a whole host of other important digestive and regenerative reasons. Once I started drinking whole fat milk, eating whole eggs, whole fat cottage cheese, etc, I felt a million times better. It took me a while to find the kinds and amounts that worked for me without making my stomach feel uncomfortable, but after figuring out what worked best for me, everything was great. I've lost almost 200 pounds since surgery, so I'm thinking eating whole fat foods doesn't impede weight loss. I'm betting the whole "nonfat craze" thing is because there are many bariatric patients who simply can't tolerate the fat, especially in the beginning, and because unfortunately many people lack the knowledge to distinguish between HEALTHY fats in HEALTHY amounts vs. oil fats and the like, so it makes sense to just advise low or nonfat across the board for bariatric patients. I hope this helped! I put a lot of effort into talking to professionals to understand this matter because I had similar issues with my close-minded nut, and I disagreed with her from the beginning. Maybe low and non fat works for some people and is more safe in terms of preventing bingeing/cravings for some people but no two people are exactly the same, and you have to do what works for you and makes you the most healthy and functional. I'm off to eat my whole eggs and avocado with cheddar.

[James Marusek 5,244]

After RNY gastric bypass surgery, the part of your stomach that normally process fats and sugars is cut away. If you consume too much fat or sugar, it will most likely lead to dumping. And that is something you will learn from experience to avoid. About a year after surgery, you intestines will realize something is wrong and will step up to the plate and start to process fats and sugars. So after that time you can return to eating these. But I strongly advise you to not eat sugars because the lost weight might pile back on.

My nutritionist said after you reach the maintenance phase, one should eat around a equal portion of Protein, carbohydrates and fats, but always put Protein first. After RNY surgery, I completely lost my hunger. It was not difficult to lose weight when hunger was not constantly continually gnawing at my bones. But hunger returned around 1 year post-op, only not as strong as before. I am over 3 years post-op and I consume fats. I drink whole milk, eat good cuts of steak and I love butter. Fats can keep the hunger at bay.

So after surgery, give up fats. But realize this is temporary for about a year.