I have a theory that all of the emphasis on the Atkins-like high protein/low carb eating patterns in this forum is because the US doctors are much more familiar with the bypass operation and they don't distinguish it from lapbanders. I want to see whether or not Australians are getting the same recommendations to eat high protein, drink protein supplements, etc. I know my doctor has not advised me to do this in any way and recommends a balanced diet of all the food groups, with smaller portions and low fat/low calorie intake. I feel this is a MUCH healthier approach, as there are distinct dangers in going the Atkins route (kidney stones, high cholesterol, etc). So what's your experience?

I follow the Atkins on-going weight loss (that's after the first two weeks of "induction" which is the more strict level). The book recommends whole grains and lower carb fruits and veggies. I eat those things and relish them.

The only things I try to avoid are the starchy/sugary foods as recommended by Atkins.

I just don't get why some people think it's dangerous. Are there people who take the plan to extreme? Yes, it that Atkins? No.

Has anyone been told to wait 45 minutes after eating to drink?

I had my first fill, got half way home and had to go back because I had horrible heartburn. The nurse took out all the saline she had put in. It took a lot of needle pricks and it was really unpleasant. I live almost three hours away from the surgeon...sigh

I'm supposed to wait an hour after meals, but the day of my fill it's clear liquid, the next day full liquid, then soft. I usually am not that strict, but I'm very easy on the band the day of my fill.

I've been told to wait 90 minutes after eating to drink. When I'm already well-hydrated, it's doable. If I'm a bit dry, it's unbearable!

My surgeon has not indicated one way or the other whether a low carb diet is okay. She does advocate the protein/veggies first and carbs if there's room, which makes perfect sense.

All I know is that low carb is the ONLY eating program that has ever worked for me where I didn't go to bed at night wanting to eat my pillow (low fat, low calorie is the WORST possible choice for me! i.e. Weight Watchers - UGHHH!).

In 2004 I followed Atkins for about 9 months and lost 65 lbs - ate lean beef & poultry, cheese, eggs, fish, along with big salads and lots of veggies. I was NEVER hungry, and when I was hungry, I ate something - whadda concept!!! The only thing I really missed was fruit (like pineapple, which is my absolute favourite). But I did eat fruit such as strawberries and blueberries. And nuts, which I love. Of course, as with ANY diet, once I fell off the wagon (sugar and refined carbs got the better of me again when I moved a continent away from friends and family), the weight came back on. PLUS another 20 lbs. Which is what led me to the lapband. I'm just 1 week postop and so far am deliriously happy with my decision to stop the madness once and for all. Once I can eat solids again, you can bet I'll be back on a low carb program, eating lots of Protein and low GI carbs. BTW, when I followed Atkins for 9 months I felt great, did not lose any hair, and my cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure were normal for the first time in decades. I do believe that not everyone is meant to live the low carb life, but everyone is different. I have nothing to promote, no products to push. Low carb is a conscious choice I make because it works for ME.

I'm in the pre-op phase having been approved for insurance but am waiting for surgery for a bit because of upcoming events and I don't want to be learning the band and its impact on me while I'm at an out of town conference away from family and my care network.

My doc and nutritionist are both strong supporters of the South Beach Diet plan. In fact I was impressed when they both told me its the diet plan they strongly recommend for their diebetic patients to help moderate blood sugar spikes and healthy eating habits.

Like other carb focussed systems it also has strong emphasis on Protein choices but with healthy carbs (whole grains and fruits) eaten in moderation and lower fat choices for meat and dairy. It pretty much eliminates starchy items like potatoes and corn as those turn to sugar in our system but if you can adjust to not having potatoes, and avoiding 1 or 2 high sugar content fruits like watermelon it works well.

There are several books and recipe guides on the food plan and several web sites dedicated to creative recipes and food presentations to mix things up and make it work and yes, its actually kind of fun at times. I highly recommend ricotta waffles as a great Sunday Breakfast.

Its worked great for me. I lost 70 pounds in 10 months on it 5 years ago then gained it all back after drifting back to old habits and buying decisions. I've lost 21 on it so far in my pre-op phase over the last 6 weeks and I'm never hungry and my energy levels are much better than when I was eating white flour and proceesed rice/pasta instead of whole health grains and fruits with more protein.

Atkins gets a lot of press and publicity but another alternative is South Beach. Look into it and see if its for you.

Wow! there is a ton of information here on this thread! I just have a few points to add.... all my opinion...

We are bariatric patients. That means that the pyramid or the new pyramid way of eating doesn't work for us in the US. We need specialized supliments that our bodies will utilize wholly.

We became obese by eating a "variety" of foods. We are not the best judge of what to eat right out of the gate. Our choices got us to this point, should we really be making our own choices?

Having said that; high Protein is pretty much the only choice I have on a regimen of 3 meals that are each 4oz and one Protein Drink to get 100g of protein a day.

Suppliments are a necessary evil with the band, for the rest of our lives. If you take specialized Vitamins and minerals, made for bariatric patients, your body WILL absorb them.

Bands are still a new thing in the medical field, which is the reason folks get such a wide range of instructions from their surgeons.

I know that a lot of folks are told that they can have Snacks if they are hungry.... my Dr. says no. That's another way to sabotage myself down the road.

Eat to live, don't live to eat. Is it really a sacrifice to not eat certain foods the rest of your life. I'm hoping it's a very long one! Our animals pretty much eat the same foods every day, and I gotta tell ya, my babies are ALWAYS excited to see their bowls at meal time. They are actually offended if I change their diet.

That's my nickels' worth.

We are bariatric patients. That means that the pyramid or the new pyramid way of eating doesn't work for us in the US. We need specialized supliments that our bodies will utilize wholly.

We became obese by eating a "variety" of foods. We are not the best judge of what to eat right out of the gate. Our choices got us to this point, should we really be making our own choices?

............

Suppliments are a necessary evil with the band, for the rest of our lives. If you take specialized Vitamins and minerals, made for bariatric patients, your body WILL absorb them.

I absolutely do not believe that. I am an educated, well resourced person who can make my own decisions about which educational philosophy I subscribe to.

Because that's ALL these are, philosophies. There are plenty of studies you can read to way you want to but there is little real true evidence that one way of eating is better than another, and that goes for both sides of this debate. High Protein has certain advantages, high carb has others (although I agree, nobody needs sugar!). Some things work better for weight loss whilst others are better for various areas of your general health.

But *I* am most definitely the one person most qualified to decide what I should eat. I know what makes me feel best, what works best for me for weight loss, what a general good healthy diet is and I am also adult enough to decide whether or not I am going to risk my health by including certain things in my diet. I do not need to be patronised by surgeons who are good at placing bands, but really are NOT experts on human nutrition.

Bariatric vitamins are a good way to convince you you're getting something extra. But Vitamin supplements are vitamin supplements, the word "bariatric" doesnt mean they're going to be absorbed any better.

And depending what you choose to eat, you DONT need a whole ton of supplements ever day. You can have a band and never have a Protein shake and not be deficient in protein. You can have a band and eat 2 fruit, five veg and a wholegrain serving every single day for a wide range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that all work together the way nature intended, unlike pills. You can get enough fibre without taking supplements. It is all dependent on how tight you choose to be, what you choose to eat and how fast you want your weight loss to be.

if you want to be tight, focus on protein foods and lose weight fast, then you'll probably need supplements. No crime in that.

But if you want to be looser, have to exercise more but eat a more varied diet with slower weight loss, then you DO have that choice and you dont need a doctor to tell you whether or not you're "allowed" to do that.

I guess what made me react to this post is the way I read it, as if you're handing over responsibility to your doctor "here, YOU fix me". Yes, our choices made us fat, but it also must be our own choices that make us thin. A lapband is a tool, not a whole program that someone manages FOR you. You have to do it yourself.

I dont know about anyone else here but I became obese by eating too much in general and including too many sugary carbs and junk foods in my diet. It was as uncomplicated as decreasing portion sizes, cutting out certain junk foods and exercising a LOT more. You can achieve that in any number of ways, what's the point of fighting over who's right or wrong? But stating it like its black or what just isnt a true picture.

Edited August 5, 201016 yr by Jachut

Jacqui;

I absolutly agree with you as far as there being no experts on nutrition for WLS.

I also am very happy that you have educated yourself and have been able to adopt a way of life that includes an assorment of food without the need of suppliments on a daily basis.

Having lurked on several boards prior to and after my surgery, I have to tell you that you are not the norm.

Most of us got here due to our addictive relationship with food.

The Surgical Weight Control Center is the group that I went to for my band. They have two surgeons, a nut, a phyc, and a Dr. who specializes in nutrition. They are a center of excellence. I chose them for thier success rate, both short and long term. I went with them because I personally can't do this on my own. For me, knowledge is key, but the restriction is the tool. I am working towards the ability to make good decisions for myself by the time I get to goal.

I congratulate you on your ability to take control of your food intake and be healthy with it.

Have to agree, each person has to figure out what works for them weight loss and Healthwise (not one or the other but both).

Just one little thing though.... some people absolutely require large amounts of carbs... world class athletes or those attempting to be such require more energy (carbs) than the rest of us. Well, also people who have very physical labor intense jobs where they actually work up a sweat more hours than not. But for the average office worker getting exercise around our jobs and responsibilities, it's probably not an essential need. LOL

Let me rephrase that last sentence. It's not an essential need to eat a large amount of carbs, when I say "large amount" I'm talking about hundreds, not 50 - 100. LOL

Edited August 5, 201016 yr by Ellisa
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This was one of the most fascinating threads I've ever read! I'm from the US and my doc/nut mentioned that I should get around 70g of Protein per day. The only thing they said never to drink again was carbonation (which is a whole other debate for me.)

I think what it comes down to for me is portion control and "righting" my diet to a better balance. I cringe when I think about the high calorie meals I ate being banded. I feel sure that I regularly ate around 3-4 THOUSAND calories per day when I was being "good". Plus, I was very focused on carbs and fat. I LOVED eating Pasta in heavy creams with fried whatever and cheese on it. I'm kind of embarrassed to think that if my doctor wouldn't have given me the "eat protein first, then veggies, then carbs" line, I probably would've continued focusing on things that aren't very nutritional or high in calorie.

I'm not REALLY eating a HIGH protein diet, but I find that if I focus more on getting my protein and limiting fat, that I have a more BALANCED diet. I still eat carbs, but they are more like a 1/3 of my diet as opposed to 2/3.

I find that my challenge is relying on processed foods. I would like to get better about eating naturally as I move forward.

I am in the US, Dr. Kirschenbaum did my surgery in Nov of 2009 and I am down almost 60 pounds. He recommends a balanced diet that starts with Protein first. Then veggies, fruit, dairy and oh yeah, grain. Whole grains are best. I don't have any trouble getting Pasta or rice down, and enjoy the whole grain and brown versions of those.

A little trick I learned from the old Weight Watchers days was to use a small plate. It really helps. I bought four assorted salad sized plates in an antiques mall. They are very pretty - and just for me. They fill up with a small quantity of food, which is enought to fill me up. When we are out at a pot-luck, or a buffet, I still have trouble with portion control and end up leaving a lot of uneaten food on my plate. That makes me feel wasteful.

Mary

you sound just like me - i love a small plate and a small fork. at pot lock or buffet i have also have problem with portion control and leave a lot and that makes me feel wasteful too.

I follow the Atkins on-going weight loss (that's after the first two weeks of "induction" which is the more strict level). The book recommends whole grains and lower carb fruits and veggies. I eat those things and relish them.

The only things I try to avoid are the starchy/sugary foods as recommended by Atkins.

I just don't get why some people think it's dangerous. Are there people who take the plan to extreme? Yes, it that Atkins? No.

Well said Ellisa, unfortunately some people get too defensive and go into attack mode - i am very against that type of debate. I think to give an opinion on an eating plan one should have read the entire book, evaluate it, think about it with an open mind, then form an opinion that doesn't sound so biased. I've been dying to say what you did but as when i joined the forum last year and got scared away i don't want that to happen again. I need and enjoy the support of this forum for the most part. I don't want to feel bullied again. I'm glad to hear OWL mentioned - i've heard no mention of it from the opposition which leads me to believe that they don't know much about atkins.

Hi, I'm a newbie, scheduled for surgery on the 19th. My doc recommends 70gm of protein per day ( 1 meal is a shake, 2 other meals are 2-4oz of lean protein & 1/2 cup veggies). This diet is too be followed FOR LIFE. Does anyone else find this excessive or is this a typical post op diet?

Thanks,

Jennfer