Diet or Not to diet

[newgrandmother 725]

I am still a little confused, now we had surgery that would help us eat less, so why are we on low carb diets etc. i have read where some ppl just eat and still lose, and ppl that eat low carb lose. can you guys share with me what your plans are. its driving me crazy.

[mufasas-mom 170]

I personally DON'T diet. Eat Protein first always then whatever. U eat butter if i have toast even eat sweets daily plus coffee and soda. Now i barely eat any of it except a bite or two but i am satisfied. No sugar free nasty products at all. I am 20 pds from goal and have now gone from size 16 jeans to size 6 in 5 months. I love my sleeve its fantastic plus i have not had fast food since before surgery and dont miss the crap food at all. Good luck to you.

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

This is just my opinion.. and keep in mind that I am PRE-SLEEVE.... but in my opinion, in order for me to lose all of the weight I want, I need to track my intake and control the carbs. Doctors estimate that VSG patients will lose 50-65% of their excess weight.. I don't want to lose 50% of my excess weight, damn it, I want to lose ALL of it!!!! So I'm going to focus on making every calorie count and not eating empty carbs.. (carbs from veggies yes.. carbs from grains and sugars are OUT!) Once I can eat more and have reached my goal and am trying to maintain my weight, I plan to begin introducing starchy vegetables and grains back into my diet.

Tracking my food also will help me ensure adequate Protein and nutrition. After a few years, I'm hoping that this will become a way of life and I won't have to constantly track and control everything as strictly and it will just become second nature to eat in a way that will maintain my health.

Edited to add: I've also been in the painful process of identifying my "trigger foods" Honestly, I know I need to avoid certain foods because I know that I cannot enjoy them in moderation.. this is not something physical that will be "cured" by my sleeve, this is a mental thing. Perhaps at some point in the very distant future I will be able to enjoy a 100 calorie portion of nacho cheese doritos, but for now, I know that for me this is something better avoided all together.

[Richard Foor 655]

I think you would definitely lose weight either way after this surgery purely because of the lower amounts you can eat. I personally do the low carb high Protein thing because a. it ensures that I get enough Proteins, because believe me when you don't you feel miserable(tired and weak). and b. it helps to lose the weight faster. But to each is own. Good Luck.

[mufasas-mom 170]

Im 50 and i just don't want to be controlled by diets any longer. However my food choices and mainly meat some veggies but i just have no desire for potatoes rice or Pasta its a waste of space for me. I know my way is not for everyone but i only had 70 pds to lose. I swear this surgery is miraculous i am in awe of how easy its been.

[LorenaVaca 29]

I have not dieted since i was off of all my liquid and pureed diets. I have what i want when i want. I know the whole reason of surgery is to get healthy but not even when i was 115 lbs did i ever eat healthy or really exercise. I gained all my weight with my pregnancy and depression. I had surgery 8/7/12 and i went from 204.6 to today im at 139.6! I still eat and drink everything i did before surgery and have had great success. I agree with not wanting to be on a diet the rest of my life. Im only 24years old. I eat what i want when i want and when i am satisfied (normally after a few bites) i stop eating. Normally within an hour i am hungry again so of course i will eat again. I really feel i have done exceptionally well for someone who has not followed the food and exercise "rules". I dont have the loose skin which i am very proud about. I still have breads and pastas or what not. I didnt want to set myself up on a strict diet to lose all my weight and then get tired of the diet and start eating carbs and then gain. I figured if i eat what i want without eliminating then my body has nothing to get used to and therefore i wont have to worry about in the end wanting/craving something with carbs and then end up gaining weight because i was off carbs for so long.

[newgrandmother 725]

thanks guys, you guys are awesome. i mainly agree with MUFAS,RICHARD.LORENA. no offense to the pre sleever. i DONT WANT TO DIET FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. and ive noticed since ive decreased my carbs i am more tired. my nut said 150grams and under are still low carb i tried to be like others here and do 50-60grams. do not work for me i am so dang tired. i do focus on protien if i get my 75 plus in i eat what i want, healthy mostly but main focus is protien. THANK YOU guys for your input on this ***note** i did lose weight but being tired sucks

[My Sleeved Tummy 56]

I, personally, refuse to diet again. For me, diets have never worked. They're temporary and (usually) painfully restrictive. This surgery--although restrictive-- is a life-style change. It's permanent. That being said, if I want some rice...I eat a little. The amount of rice I can stomach (around 2-3 tbsp. @ almost 14 weeks out) now compared to what I used to eat is incredibly different. Is 2 tbsp of rice going to ruin my weight-loss? No.

I had the VSG so that I would be able to "eat like a normal person" and enjoy things that "normal people" can enjoy. This includes both fats and carbs.

There are some foods post-surgery that I have not tried, and am in no hurry to try. Anything deep-fried, fast food, or dense sweets. But I have had some sushi, a few Cookies, bites of pie, and m&m's. I think the biggest advantage to this surgery is that my hunger has disappeared. I feel satisfied with much less than I did before.

I started tracking my food a little over a week ago though, not because I wanted to control everything I was eating, but because I needed to make sure I was getting in enough food.

It's weird, but after surgery--in my experience--even though I'm eating tiny amounts, I sometimes feel like I'm pigging out. The way I look at food is still skewed. I was thinking I was overeating and taking in too many calories, but after tracking...I've realized I can barely break 700/day.

[Escape_Pod 358]

Some people are able to eat anything in moderation, focus on Protein first, and reach a weight they're happy with and stay there. I'm NOT one of those people. I have a serious problem with sugar and carbs. When I was on the pre-op diet, I was shocked when my sugar cravings disappeared after about 3 days - that's what high protein, super-low-carb does for me. At about 9 months post-op I started letting more sugar and carbs slip into my diet, and quickly found I had a problem again. The Snacks called to me, and I wasn't satisfied with just a little. And this far out, I don't have much restriction when it comes to carbs. chicken breast - yes! Fish - yes! chocolate ... yeah, not so much. I can definitely eat enough to gain weight if I'm eating the wrong things, and sugar and carbs send me into a spiral of more carbs, and more sugar, and a major case of the snackies all day. I was perfectly capable of eating cake and Cookies and Peanut Butter until I literally made myself ill pre-op - you think I can't or won't do it post-op? It took me a long time of messing around with it, but I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I want to be skinny more than I want to be able to eat those things.

This is why many of us low carb. It it a diet? Maybe some would call it that. For me, it's just a way of eating that lets me maintain some sanity around food. I don't miss Pasta, or rice, or potatoes. I rarely miss bread, and I have a few substitutes. I do miss popcorn, but again, I've found substitutes, and maybe at some point I'll decide I'm willing to try it again to see if it's something I can manage with moderation. It's all a matter of being willing to do what it takes to achieve what you want. I've decided what I want, and for me, this is what it takes to achieve it.

[newgrandmother 725]

mysleeved you are so right

escape i agree me and carbs a no no, meaning it better not be more than my Protein count, example if i eat a slice of pizza i will start eating a lot. so i try and stay away from it. it suprised me how many pieces i could eat of thin crust or hand tossed. not sure with pan pizza. but the bad carbs send me into a eating frenzy. i eat a lot of good carbs fruit veggies whole grains

[Kivtuar 59]

I don't deprive myself, but I my routine keeps me pretty close to atkins/low carb. shake for Breakfast, bar for snack, Atkins TV dinner for lunch, whatever for dinner and cheese blocks for afternoon snack. I am not the fastest loser, but I am pleased with my success so far.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

Some people are able to eat anything in moderation, focus on Protein first, and reach a weight they're happy with and stay there. I'm NOT one of those people. I have a serious problem with sugar and carbs. When I was on the pre-op diet, I was shocked when my sugar cravings disappeared after about 3 days - that's what high Protein, super-low-carb does for me. At about 9 months post-op I started letting more sugar and carbs slip into my diet, and quickly found I had a problem again. The Snacks called to me, and I wasn't satisfied with just a little. And this far out, I don't have much restriction when it comes to carbs. chicken breast - yes! Fish - yes! chocolate ... yeah, not so much. I can definitely eat enough to gain weight if I'm eating the wrong things, and sugar and carbs send me into a spiral of more carbs, and more sugar, and a major case of the snackies all day. I was perfectly capable of eating cake and Cookies and Peanut Butter until I literally made myself ill pre-op - you think I can't or won't do it post-op? It took me a long time of messing around with it, but I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I want to be skinny more than I want to be able to eat those things.

This is why many of us low carb. It it a diet? Maybe some would call it that. For me, it's just a way of eating that lets me maintain some sanity around food. I don't miss Pasta, or rice, or potatoes. I rarely miss bread, and I have a few substitutes. I do miss popcorn, but again, I've found substitutes, and maybe at some point I'll decide I'm willing to try it again to see if it's something I can manage with moderation. It's all a matter of being willing to do what it takes to achieve what you want. I've decided what I want, and for me, this is what it takes to achieve it.

Well said, and I agree. I always think of cake/cookies as "crack" to me. It's always been my downfall, and has gotten me off track even after a year or more of good control...it sends me into a downward spiral. Sadly, I'm sure that's not changed!

[moregoodtimes 331]

This is just my opinion.. and keep in mind that I am PRE-SLEEVE.... but in my opinion' date=' in order for me to lose all of the weight I want, I need to track my intake and control the carbs. Doctors estimate that VSG patients will lose 50-65% of their excess weight.. I don't want to lose 50% of my excess weight, damn it, I want to lose ALL of it!!!! So I'm going to focus on making every calorie count and not eating empty carbs.. (carbs from veggies yes.. carbs from grains and sugars are OUT!) Once I can eat more and have reached my goal and am trying to maintain my weight, I plan to begin introducing starchy vegetables and grains back into my diet.

Tracking my food also will help me ensure adequate Protein and nutrition. After a few years, I'm hoping that this will become a way of life and I won't have to constantly track and control everything as strictly and it will just become second nature to eat in a way that will maintain my health.

Edited to add: I've also been in the painful process of identifying my "trigger foods" Honestly, I know I need to avoid certain foods because I know that I cannot enjoy them in moderation.. this is not something physical that will be "cured" by my sleeve, this is a mental thing. Perhaps at some point in the very distant future I will be able to enjoy a 100 calorie portion of nacho cheese doritos, but for now, I know that for me this is something better avoided all together.[/quote']

Im with you dipity! I do want to get to a nondiet, healthy way of eating, but that comes once i am at maintenance!