Low carb diet suggestion

[AcidArmor 3]

Hi all,
(VGS)
I wanted to get some outside opinions.

Firstly, I will say I am following what my dietician has directed. They want me to do a 3 month supervised diet which is fine, but they want me to cut out almost all carbs.

I understand that getting the high Protein is important and I agree. But my main concern is their opinion on things like brown rice, oatmeal, bananas and telling me not to eat ANY of it (even in small amounts).I feel like after surgery I would definitely try re-introducing some of those foods in small amounts because I believe they are healthy.
I can tell my bariatric center is one of the ones that struggles to understand vegetarianism in detail, as everyone there pushes the protein and meat being easier (but no one has actually told me to eat meat or anything). It just seems strange to me that 3 whole months before surgery they only want me eating protein sources and vegetables,low carb fruits and no grains or anything at all. I have seen other surgeons in various places suggest different restrictions on diets and not all of them ban all carbs.

I am at 38bmi and I don’t need to lose much before the surgery so it isn’t like, a rapid weight loss diet or anything pre-surgery.

They sort of act like any carbs aren’t good for you. I understand immediately after surgery protein is top priority so getting in any carbs would be pretty difficult. It’s more-so that before and after permanently they are kind of saying to ban grains and things like that. But I know there are people eating a vegan diet etc and we’re able to re-introduce small amounts of carbs just fine.

I am completely willing to cut down on carbs a lot, but has anyone else run into this experience ? My goal is to figure out a diet that works for me as a lifestyle and provides me with nutrients- before and after surgery.

Just looking for some input from people who have gone through the surgery and how they handled this/what they are and if they agreed to long term elimination of most carbs.

Thanks for any help!

[FluffyChix 17,409]

The bottom line is that this is a life long journey with a very short window of "quick" weight loss. And you only have one golden shot at it. Because revisions are not usually as "easy-ish" as the first time. So you do you, Boo.

But I think for you to be so categoricaly mis-aligned with your doc/RD that it's going to make your journey difficult and the sad thing is you will likely give up going to your check-ups etc. Which could spell disaster for you long term and regain in your future. So like, why have it at all? Or why have it with them.

There are docs/centers who espouse a WFPD for all their surgical patients. Look one of them up and make the transition now.

I will also tell you that I DO have a bias. I am pro-low carb and pro-lower healthy fat for the quickest losses and maintenance is done by adding healthy fats rather than adding Protein or more fast acting carbs. I would have never gotten to my goal nor been maintaining had I been eating the grains and lots of fruit. I wouldn't. I have too many metabolic strikes against me.

And not that it can't be done, but I think the life of a vegan or vegetarian WLS patient is very hard. The ones I know of in real life have either not gotten to goal ever or they have suffered big time regain.

But I do know of a couple of women here who are very successful following a WFPD. But, they are also endurance athletes and as such, they're as much outliers as I am...

I encourage you to look at other bariatric teams who are more closely aligned with your belief system. Studies show that long term success is directly linked to after care by a team of bari pros.

[AJ Tylo 1,398]

3 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

The bottom line is that this is a life long journey with a very short window of "quick" weight loss

Gotta give the Fluffy chicken the Thumbs up - This was covered perfectly but i will say - Being fat and obese was a lifestyle and you know have to GAME ON your way of living - Eat Right - Exorcise and enjoy being thin healthy and happy ..................

[Arabesque 6,446]

@FluffyChix & @AJ Tylo are right & I especially agree with the suggestion to find a team (or at least a nutritionalist) who understands what a vegetarian lifestyle entails.

Carbs in foods like bread, Pasta, rice, cereals have low fibre, high GI and are digested quickly. That means you’re hungry again sooner & your blood sugar levels will swing.

Post WLS, carbs fill up your small tummy before you can consume the vital nutrients like Protein you need.

In saying that, I ate plain oatmeal for Breakfast, as an alternative to eggs, once I was into my 4th month post surgery (2/3 of my original weight loss goal lost) - 1 serve was = to 3 or 4 meals. Oatmeal has a lower GI than other carbs, is a whole grain, contains protein & soluble fibre. Steel cut are best as are less processed. Now in maintenance I eat multigrain crackers with hummus & avocado as a snack option.

There are plenty of low carb/ no carb options available you can enjoy once down the weight loss path. I love zucchini noodles & last night I had cauliflower & kale rice. You can eat them on your pre surgery Keto (no carb) diet.

Use this time pre surgery to reassess your eating habits and try new things. Look into keto diet plans for vegetarians to get you started.

It’s the start of a new life.

[catwoman7 10,845]

most surgeons have their patients follow really low-carb diets, but some use a more balanced approach (mine did...). Although the thing about carbs causing weird spikes to your insulin and thus making you hungrier sooner is supposedly true (which is probably why a lot of them having you follow a low-carb lifestyle). Even though my surgeon didn't require that, I found I had to eat pretty much all Protein the first few months to get my daily requirement in, because I didn't have room for much else in my tiny stomach. I can eat a lot more now, though, so I do eat carbs - but the healthy variety.

[AcidArmor 3]

Thanks for all your input everyone, I will take it all into consideration going forward. I will also look into finding a nutritionist that understands vegetarianism and bariatric surgery to make things a bit easier. Thank you!

[New&Improved 1,780]

That was my motto no carbs or very low I think for the first 2 months before surgery my carbs was always under 10g a day but I was on shakes only pretty much and I lost 66lbs even before surgery. It literally melted off me because of no carbs. No sugar. No fat at all.

As above if you want to take advantage of the #honeymoon# period the best way Is to go hard from day 1 but if you're happy with moderate weight loss then you decide your plan of action....

It is your body

[Numbheart 108]

So hard to give up carbs lol

[summerset 5,261]

On 2/12/2020 at 9:54 PM, AcidArmor said:

Just looking for some input from people who have gone through the surgery and how they handled this/what they are and if they agreed to long term elimination of most carbs.

The "elimination of carbs" was never suggested by my treatment team. They support vegetarianism but are very hesitant about veganism, at least early out. I kind of understand being hesitant about a 100% plant based diet early out. Later on, when one can eat enough food to meet all nutrient requirements it's not really a problem.

However, from what I can tell from this board is that treatment teams in the US seem to follow an anti-carbohydrate and low-calorie approach at least in many, many cases. Not sure if you can find a center near you that handles things differently.

[angryspice 31]

you should check out this video.

basically, low-carb, high-protein is good for the initial weight loss phase, but this doctor talks about how he has his patients seek out more of a plant-based diet when they are in the later maintenance phases and restriction is less of an issue or at least try to shift their Protein from pure animal protein to half animal and half plant. to be honest, I find it difficult to meet the protein goals without either a supplement and/or an animal protein every single day, but I am in the early stages post-op and can't eat much.

I personally had been moving toward a more plant-based diet prior to surgery and loathe all of the artificial sweeteners and processed foods that we are forced to rely on post-op. however, I also find that my body doesn't respond well to high-carb meals this early on (I am in week 3 post-op). my plan includes cream of wheat as early as week 2 and oatmeal starting week 3. I have tried both, and even though they seem to go down just fine, they make me extremely tired afterwards and I have to lay down for a while. but I definitely plan on incorporating lots of veggies, Beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and even oats, rice, and possibly potatoes later on. these are natural foods and healthier than a steak or burger, and I plan to mostly eliminate red meat forever.

[Larkspurlady 1]

We are pushed to find comfort in food and so many high carb items are quick, inexpensive, delicious and sadly, bad for us. Refinding joy in other foods is a bit of a mind trick at first, but you can slowly change your attitude and perception of food, indulgences and that eating what's good makes you feel good not eating what's bad to feel good. That said, all things in moderation; no one is or should try to be perfect! Be kind to yourself.

[HealthyLifeStyle 351]

I still don't eat many carbs. I am close to 6 months post op. I find that I do not miss them that much. I was a big carb eater. Mostly Pasta, and bread. I do crave for pasta, but on a suggestion from here, just bought some lentil spaghetti to try. There are other healthy options out there. You just have to find them. As far as Protein goes, I add chickpeas to just about everything. Good Luck.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

Oh Lordy! I hope the OP found a bariatric treatment team that understands vegetarian diets. My team had an entirely vegetarian plan option and guess what some of the first foods were? Beans. Brown Rice. Oats. Potatoes. Hummus. Why? because they have a terrific metabolic index...are loaded with plant based protien...and have Fiber. (they're also much better tolerated right after surgery than meat by many folks) I'm not a vegetarian, but I like the mayo Clinic Diet and the Mediterrainian diet....so my pre and post surgical diets were sort of a hybrid that included a lot of vegetarian influence. (I still eat meat, but I also eat a lot of beans, oats, nuts, seeds, etc) Thankfully, I had a team that did their homework on different ways up the mountain and didn't suggest Keto was the only way or that carbs were the devil. Whew! So thankful for that! Cause the diet that many of ya'll describe is not something that I could have survived.

I remember posting some of my sample menus...from my freaking dietician....a few weeks out and getting slammed by people here for the things (and amounts...1200 calories by end of first month) I was eating. A month out of surgery, I remember existing on refried beans with lowfat cheese and salsa....black beans with salsa and canned chicken....split pea soup....tofu chili with white beans....tofu chop suey over a small amount of brown rice....steal cut oats with dried cherries. fruit. My clinic was absolutely fine with fruit as tolerated, but they wanted whole fruit, not just the juice. I ate a lot of baked oats with blueberries, strawberries, pecans and low calorie maple Syrup. I ate 100 calorie whole grain english muffins with Peanut Butter. I ate boiled potatos with lowfat cheese or nonfat yogurt. ****, I poured caramel Premier Protien shake on my oatmeal and liked slurping it warm.

But you know what I didn't eat? Sugar. White flour. Processed foods. Prepackaged sweet carbs. Stuff that spikes your insulin. I also didn't add animal fat like butter. Most of the stuff I ate was pretty low fat with the exception of tiny amounts of olive or grape seed or sesame oil. All of my carbs in weight loss phase were full of fiber and not processed. I ate a little fruit everyday. I added a lot of herbs, made sauces replacing sugar with splenda, I put every kind of vegetable and fruit in my kitchen in the smoothies I drank....and a glob of nonfat greek yogurt or tofu or chia seeds for Protein.

My clinic was activingly fighting the notion that super restricted calories and keto in the first months after surgery were necessary. They did things very differently than I hear routinely described here.

I know we're all gonna have a different experience and I know for MOST of you guys....a super restricted calorie diet in the early days and keto, keto, keto, carbs are the devil....is what you were taught is the only way. And I know for most of ya'll...it's what worked and what you believe like a religion.

I'm here to tell ya... There are other paths up this mountain. I'm working on being tolerant of everyone's preferred path. Anyway you get it done....you deserve serious kudos and I'm proud of you all. But I've gotta say.... it can be easy to feel defensive when post after post after post here...is so negative about what worked terrific for me and others like me.

A few of us have lost weight successfully and maintained really well...on a diet that includes a buttload of (unrefined) carbs and a pretty high calorie allowance started early in the process. What's more...as a group, it appears we're having really good luck not regaining. That's no small thing. Keep an open mind about your carb eating brothers and sisters. We do ok with this whole process, too;)

As always...to each their own. Peace and best wishes to all.

[Tony B - NJ 641]

On 2/12/2020 at 3:54 PM, AcidArmor said:

Hi all,
(VGS)
I wanted to get some outside opinions.

Firstly, I will say I am following what my dietician has directed. They want me to do a 3 month supervised diet which is fine, but they want me to cut out almost all carbs.

I understand that getting the high Protein is important and I agree. But my main concern is their opinion on things like brown rice, oatmeal, bananas and telling me not to eat ANY of it (even in small amounts).I feel like after surgery I would definitely try re-introducing some of those foods in small amounts because I believe they are healthy.
I can tell my bariatric center is one of the ones that struggles to understand vegetarianism in detail, as everyone there pushes the Protein and meat being easier (but no one has actually told me to eat meat or anything). It just seems strange to me that 3 whole months before surgery they only want me eating protein sources and vegetables,low carb fruits and no grains or anything at all. I have seen other surgeons in various places suggest different restrictions on diets and not all of them ban all carbs.

I am at 38bmi and I don’t need to lose much before the surgery so it isn’t like, a rapid weight loss diet or anything pre-surgery.

They sort of act like any carbs aren’t good for you. I understand immediately after surgery protein is top priority so getting in any carbs would be pretty difficult. It’s more-so that before and after permanently they are kind of saying to ban grains and things like that. But I know there are people eating a vegan diet etc and we’re able to re-introduce small amounts of carbs just fine.

I am completely willing to cut down on carbs a lot, but has anyone else run into this experience ? My goal is to figure out a diet that works for me as a lifestyle and provides me with nutrients- before and after surgery.

Just looking for some input from people who have gone through the surgery and how they handled this/what they are and if they agreed to long term elimination of most carbs.

Thanks for any help!

A couple misconceptions I wanted to make sure you were clear on:

1. The pre op diet has nothing to do with how much weight you need to lose BEFORE surgery. It has to do with shrinking your liver. A fatty liver can be present no matter what your weight. Low carbs will help you get to that point. That is why they do that part of it.

2. If carbs are so healthy, why are all of us who struggled with weight and came to surgery so heavy? Many of us indulged in heavy carb, comfort food type diets. High fat and high carb are the enemy.

3. Small amounts of carbs are and always have been fine if they are taken in moderation like anything else, but it must be AFTER getting enough protein in your body. That will be the challenge.