Pre-Op and gaining weight

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I know it sounds crazy, but about a month ago our whole family decided to start eating more natural foods, less processed stuff, no fast food, no sugary food, really trying to clean up our acts. Not a diet, no counting of calories or carbs, but definately a healthier balance of food. I have gained a few pounds doing this and I am pretty freaked out. I think I am eating a lot more fruit, which can be sweet, but seems like it would be a good replacement for the ice cream I used to have for dessert! My husband lost 5 pounds and (grown sons who are living here have stayed the same but one of them is doing yard work as his summer job so has gotten pretty buff from all the hard work so I don't associate that with the dietary changes).

I have been circling around trying to learn to eat low carb. I have done nearly every diet out there, but have never done low carb so I am not educated on it. People on here shared some ideas, but I feel like I need structure - I am just feeling the need for a clear plan.

I was looking at the Atkins website, and I think I could do that induction phase for awhile. I have NO experience with sticking with low carb longer then about 8 hours, so I could really use advice if this is a good jump starter. I just need structure since my habit is definately to eat higher carb foods... i love good / high quality breads and of course my favorite veggies are the starchy ones...

I have a business trip coming up in late Sept and dropping a few pounds would really help my comfort level - fitting in the seat as all my recent gain is in the midsection...ugggh.

I am trying to get my band removal scheduled as i just got insurance approval, i am a few months away from getting sleeved and I would like to lose, not gain weight between now and then!

[Gaylebco 11]

I'm getting sleeved on tuesday and from what i read and know it's an Adkins type diet we all follow after surgery. High in Protein, low in cards. If you need structure, follow the adtkins exactly for a while..the first phase is very strict and then it gets a bit more lienient as the stages progress. You can still have high quality foods, just limit them to whats on their list of foods. You can eliminate carbs slowly is you can't tolerate going all the way. Carbs are easily processed by the body so your metabolism doens't have to kick up when you eat them. If you eat a little Protein every 3-4 hours, your body's metabolism has to kick up to process the protein. Making meals and Snacks with high protein will hellp with weight loss.

Good luck with your journey!

Gayle

[rubyspring 1]

This may be much more restrictive than what you are looking for but my pre-op diet has been low carb until I went on all liquids. The targets were 70-80 grams of Protein, 15-30 grams of carbs and 20-30 grams of fat. That gives a calorie range of 700 to 900. I couldn't have any bread, Pasta, rice, or starchy vegetables and no fruit. You could use this as a starting point and modify by adding fruit (more carbs), small portions of starches (more carbs) but I would be cautious about adding too many. Proteins are much better. I also used on Protein Shake instead of a meal, usually Breakfast. I lost about 15 pounds in the 6 weeks before going to all liquids. Good luck. Your on the right track by switching to whole grains.