I’m a little over 3 years post op and due to bad choices have gained 18 pounds from my lowest weight. I need ideas of a typical day of eating from others who remain diligent to a low carb diet. How much protein and veggies are you in taking and do you count calories. TIA!

6 minutes ago, nursenays said:

I’m a little over 3 years post op and due to bad choices have gained 18 pounds from my lowest weight. I need ideas of a typical day of eating from others who remain diligent to a low carb diet. How much Protein and veggies are you in taking and do you count calories. TIA!

Hi, I just had surgery 2 weeks ago, so I don't have the best advice for you. But I do think you'd probably benefit from using the If It Fits Your Macros calculator to determine your protein, carb, and fat goals.

https://www.iifym.com/macro-calculator/

just so you know, a 10- to 20 lb rebound from your lowest weight is VERY common in year 3. I think it's just your body settling in to a weight it feels comfortable at - your new "set point". Of course, you can still lose again if you cut enough calories - but it could be a bit of a struggle if you're fighting against where your body wants to be. I've been dealing with the same thing since year 3 (and here I am in year seven...).

different things work for different people. I count calories, which my dietitian hates (she's into "intuitive eating"), but I'm obviously not cutting back enough or I'd be losing weight. It's tough... I know other vets who've done Weight Watchers, Keto, and/or intermittent fasting. Whatever works - some approaches are more effective than others, depending on the person.

to respond to your questions (sort of, anyway...), I don't do low carb - but the vast majority of my carbs are the healthy kind (fruit, veggies, whole grains). I have to average around 100 grams of protein a day because I malabsorb it (we discovered this pretty soon after my surgery), and I do manage to get that in every day. Other than protein, it's really just calories for me. If I stay in the 1500-1700 range, I can maintain my weight - but I'd really love to lose 10-15 lbs (!!)

Can I ask, are you gaining weight at the moment?

I’m 3.5 years out and I don’t really have carb nor protein goals anymore. I just try to stay at, or below my maintenance calories (yes, i count all calories )

So far, so good.

Same here. I gained 30 pounds back during COVID but recently re-lost them. I eat around 1000 calories a day and 75 g protein.

GradyCat- how many oz of meat do you eat at a time? I’m not sure what my volume intake should be, if it’s still just one cup 3 times a day. I’m fairly certain I have stretched my pouch out and can eat way more.

What worked for me after some regain was to combine 'time restricted feeding' (i.e. intermittent fasting) with a low carb/low insulin diet plan. I skipped breakfast and only ate two meals a day, at Noon and by 6pm. This let me 'fast' for 18 hours per day. I ate about 3-4 oz. of protein (beef, chicken, fish, etc.) and green vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, salad, etc. for each meal. I was able to drop close to 20 pounds doing this in a couple months.

The basis of this is the insulin control program developed by Dr. Jason Fung. You can search his name on the internet and find a lot of useful information. He is the author of the book The Obesity Code.

I fast between 7PM to 7AM daily and do a 36 hour fast mid week. I stop eating at 7PM on Wednesday and resume eating at 7AM on Friday. During this time I only drink water or tea. I have watched Dr. Fung on You Tube and incorporate his ideas into my overall maintenance plan. It's one more tool in the weight maintenance tool kit.