What are your thoughts regarding Bananas?

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I have surgery scheduled for early June.

My Nut said she doesn't like the idea of putting a half banana in my Protein shakes. She thinks it adds too many carbs. I am going to follow the rules for everything my WLS team lays out for me....except for this. I just can't. Every morning I make a strawberry-banana smoothie w/chocolate Protein powder. It is the best way to start the day! I can drink two per day which is one whole banana. I already don't eat too many carbs and I am pretty sure I'll eliminate them altogether after surgery. I think it's a bit crazy to not allow myself one banana per day especially seeing as it makes getting Protein and liquid in so much easier.

I am not the patient who will tell myself that eating bad food is okay simply because I have a tiny stomach now. I am not looking for ways to skirt the rules of the post-op diet or make excuses for eating the wrong things. But it's ONE BANANA. Could it really be that bad?

What are your thoughts? Did your post-op diet excluded bananas?

My first thought is that you are a grown woman and you are going to do what you want. My second thought is that doing what you want is what got you (and me!) to the point of needing WLS in the first place.

I think that eventually having a banana every day is going to be fine, but during your pre-op, not so much. This is the time to listen to the NUT and surgeon you are paying so much money to to get you to a healthy weight. You don't NEED a banana and it's not "CRAZY" to give them up pre-op. This is your chance to prove to yourself that you can take control of your eating and what goes in your mouth. It concerns me that you say you "just can't" give up your banana.

There are so many options out there that will not compromise the diet plan your doc is laying out for you. Banana flavored Protein Powder is one, SF flavored Syrup is another, or check the spice aisle for banana extract. No, you don't need a banana.

That said, it's up to you whether or not you are going to be compliant with your doctor. No approval from anyone else neccessary.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

I am allergic to Latex. And banana's have latex in them and so I can't eat them because of reaction..( bad)..But I could eat them if I wanted too!

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

I don't understand why there are so many folk out there, including dieticians, promoting low carb diets for WLS people. Seriously ... I don't get it. Sure, for "regular" folk out there in the wild, yes. Most people do consume waaaay to many carbs. But when I look at my portion sizes post VSG, it just is plain impossible for me to go overboard on carbs when I focus on eating a balanced diet everyday.

Sure, post VSG, I could go overboard with the carbs, but to do that, I would need to neglect the basic guidelines of eating lean Protein first. Your body needs carbs for energy. So often on here we see posts from people complaining of having little energy. More often than not, they are doing low carb. These folks don't have the energy to go out and exercise and get their metabolism going, which, in itself, offers great health benefits.

So, to answer a question posted earlier ... no ... I don't think all dieticians know the best plan for WLS folk. It is different for us, IMO. At least, I know it was for me. If given a choice between occasionally choking down a nasty Protein shake and enjoying a nutritious, natural shake which contains bananas ..well ... the choice should be easy.

I know I had issues with energy early on and my NUT told me to increase my carbs, which I did by adding more veggies to my meals. It worked wonders for me and helped motivate me to begin running. I KNOW it made all the difference in my weight loss and helped me to get to a "normal" BMI.

Of course, we all should follow our medical team's advice. But I also believe we need to find what works for us.

i think one of the simple answers to this that in the US, "carbs" means "highly processed food product, full of GMO wheat, corn, HFCS and trans fatty acids." which are things no one should eat, esp obese people or people struggling with food issues.

carbs does not mean Beans, sweet potatoes, quinoa, lentils, etc. it's a misconception that is very annoying.

the whole GI thing can be helpful, but it's hard to figure sometimes, since food is rarely eaten in isolation. i am trying to help my SO with this, since he has recently learned he is insulin resistant, despite eating an entirely different diet for the last 6 months.

also, americans love to demonize food. i think it goes back to our puritan roots. first it was fat, then carbs, now sugar. people who eat these things are weak and lacking in character (according to popular thought) and if you avoid them, your body is pure and strong. there is this whole moral model regarding food (and being fat) that is very dysfunctional. (and it certainly affects doctors and dietitians too)

[onajournee 20]

I know for a fact there is a lot of nutritional info that I do know better than my NUT. I've asked many questions that she looks at me cross eyed when I ask and I can tell doesn't have an answer for and isn't educated about. The NUT's at my weight loss facility are very singularly focused on the center's pre set weight loss plan and schedule which for convenience and financial gain includes a lot of the supplements they sell which are full of preservatives, artificial colorings, flavorings, and sweeteners.

I so agree that counting carbs post op shouldn't be necessary. Unless of course you aren't doing what you're supposed to be and eating sweets and junk food. Then you have bigger problems than carbs. I know someone posted you don't need any carbs in a day, but people please do your research about that! The process of converting only Proteins to glucose for your body, and being in ketosis all the time come at price to your body, your brain, you kidneys, muscles, lots of things. Look up the long term effect of high Protein, low carb diets, it's very clear. Our bodies were designed to eat a balanced diet. I'm sure we threw that balance off with bad eating habits or we wouldn't have needed WLS, but this is a chance to do over and do it right. I'm thinking of this as a chance to finally be done with fad and extreme diets and very low carb is one of them.

Edited May 21, 2014 by onajournee

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

onajourney, i agree with you wholeheartedly. my nut (s) are still pushing fat free, artificially sweetened food. but i understand why. i think my center is really falling short on actual education and follow up (and it's still better than most), and they use these crappy suggestions for food as a way of trying to help people with their food addictions. but it's like suggesting that alcoholics drink alcohol free beer as a way to treat alcoholism. it's a poor suggestion to begin with and does absolutely nothing to address the actual problem or teach people new ways to behave.

but i dont think it's bad advice to caution against bananas in a post op shake though. it's good to be a minimalist right after surgery.

[PdxMan 4,292]

I have a confession ...

I TOTALLY missed the first line in the OP's thread. I only saw she had joined a year ago and this was in the post-op subforum. I missed that she was pre-op. Soooo ... for the OP and those in the same boat, completely ignore my post. That advice is more for the post VSG person, not the early post-op, but more like when you are able to eat anything at 6 months post op kinda person. AND DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE PRE-OP PERSON.

As far as the pre-op plan, my advice is to follow their advice to the letter. It may be in left field, but if you are using insurance, all they have to do is mark on your chart that you have not been compliant with the pre-op plan and blammo ... NO SURGERY FOR YOU!! (said with the Soup nazi voice) If your going to get into the system, you are going to have to play their game. There are shakes out there which are tolerable, it will just take some time and $$ to find the one that works for you.

Sorry about not fully comprehending the OP's post. I'll try to do better next time.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

I have a confession ...

I TOTALLY missed the first line in the OP's thread. I only saw she had joined a year ago and this was in the post-op subforum. I missed that she was pre-op. Soooo ... for the OP and those in the same boat, completely ignore my post. That advice is more for the post VSG person, not the early post-op, but more like when you are able to eat anything at 6 months post op kinda person. AND DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE PRE-OP PERSON.

As far as the pre-op plan, my advice is to follow their advice to the letter. It may be in left field, but if you are using insurance, all they have to do is mark on your chart that you have not been compliant with the pre-op plan and blammo ... NO SURGERY FOR YOU!! (said with the Soup nazi voice) If your going to get into the system, you are going to have to play their game. There are shakes out there which are tolerable, it will just take some time and $$ to find the one that works for you.

Sorry about not fully comprehending the OP's post. I'll try to do better next time.

yup! after seeing the completely blank face my nut gave me when i asked her about healthy fats post op.. coconut oil? avocados? grass fed butter? HUH??? i stopped asking questions, did lots of head nodding and smiling and saying "uh huh." dont fight with her over a banana. it's not worth it.

[InfiniteButterfly 438]

Seeing some of these posts really make me appreciate my NUT all the more. She's really well-informed, actually had answers to all of the questions I asked, and was well-informed about the different choices I could make. She never pushed any particular brand of Protein shake on me, rather gave me a list of all of them she was aware of and their websites (the list already had them sorted by Protein and sugar), and her advice was always to get small samples and try a lot of different things.

(and her advice on bananas? If you want one, have one. Make sure it's a serving, which is approximately 1/2 a medium banana, and make sure to have protein with it. And that counts as your carb, so don't eat other carbs with it)

[Bufflehead 6,358]

My thoughts on bananas: my thoughts on bananas are not relevant to anything or anyone, including myself. I didn't get myself morbidly obese by being smart about food, so who cares about my thoughts on bananas? You sure shouldn't!

My thoughts on following my dietician's orders: critical. This is the only way I have success.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

My thoughts on bananas: my thoughts on bananas are not relevant to anything or anyone, including myself. I didn't get myself morbidly obese by being smart about food, so who cares about my thoughts on bananas? You sure shouldn't!

My thoughts on following my dietician's orders: critical. This is the only way I have success.

LOL!!

a friend of mine is in the pipeline for surgery. one of her biggest problems is, she doesn't eat all, and then she goes home from work and is SO HUNGRY she eats 3 times as much food as she would if she ate actual meals. or she goes across the hall from her office to the cafe and gets a huge chocolate chip cookie and some 600 calorie coffee as a "meal." even when she brings good food to work, she will "forget" to eat. it's something she NEEDS to find a solution for pre op, so she doesn't continue this pattern post op. one of the things we came up with is for her to keep a "boulder bar" in her purse when she is wanting to stop for a huge sweet coffee when she hasn't eaten. it's not a perfect solution, but it's working right now.. it's 270 calories, 16 grams of sugar, 23 grams of Protein. her nut hasn't has many suggestions about making sure she eats at work. other than "you need to eat lunch." uh, yup. thanks. when she saw the boulder bar on her food journal, she said "oh, dont eat those, they are bad for you." when my friend said, "i know it's not real food, but it seems better than me stopping at starbucks. it seems a step in the right direction." she replied, "you shouldn't eat those."

uhhhhhhhh...

meaning, there is nothing wrong with getting input from others when you are attempting to problem solve. but if you look for support in making risky or poor food choices.... well, you will find it, but it probably isnt the best idea if you want to be successful.

Edited May 21, 2014 by moonlitestarbrite

[Fluffnomore 1,235]

My nut was not as bad as some, not as informed as others. Pushed the standard nut line of fat-free, sugar-free chemically laden foods. Gave me a list of foods to eat at different fast food restaurants. Etc. It's not the way I wanted to approach my eating. I try to stick more to whole foods; I'd rather have one bite of something I like than a half cup of chemical junk. But I'm almost 7 months out.

All that said, I think it's a great mental exercise to follow the pre-op diet to the letter and to be very careful afterwards. What I find now is that there are tons of things I just don't bother with that I just don't miss. (Such as a banana; I've had one half since surgery, right after a hard workout.) Then again, I also reached a point after 9 weeks of liquids that I just don't really do Protein and fruit smoothies in a blender anymore. I was/am that sick of them. I'll occasionally drink a RTD version if I must.

My point is, you don't know yet what you will be able to tolerate, especially after surgery. There are lots of options out there and my guess is you won't really miss the banana that much right now if you take the plunge and follow the instructions to a T.

[Carol1560 45]

Well I am one year POST op and my dr said,. 1000-1200 calories a day, 80 grams of Protein, NO MORE THAN 35 grams of carbs a day, take your Vitamins and walk.

Bananas make you poop BTW

[InfiniteButterfly 438]

@@moonlitestarbrite Has your friend gone on the Starbucks website and played with their nutrition calculator? It's not hard to knock quite a few calories off of some of their coffees (if it's something your friend really wants as an occasional treat). When I was pre-op, I rewarded myself with a grande nonfat nowhip green tea frappucino (no sweetener) once a week IF I hit my step goal for the week. It was only 210 calories, and I made sure to walk more on those days to offset the calories.

I don't know if something like this would help her. Starbucks does have healthier choices, you just have to be willing to make the healthier choice.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

she would prefer to not go to starbucks at all.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I am allergic to Latex. And banana's have latex in them and so I can't eat them because of reaction..( bad)..But I could eat them if I wanted too!

Bananas don't have latex in them, btw. . The Proteins in bananas and several other fruits are used to manufacture latex.

I am allergic to cantaloupe, walnuts, pecans, peaches, pears, and several other things when uncooked and very ripe because they contain a chemical that mimics hay fever. It suuuucks.