High protein, low carb for life?

[Kidbxrs 2]

Is this the way I will be eating after I am sleeved? It makes me very nervous. I have tried low carb and lost weight on it a couple times but I have never been able to maintain that way of life or eating for more then 6 months. So I am already nervous that I am going to fail before I even start. I always felt so deprived when I was on low carb high Protein. It was all mental. I know I just need to reteach myself and I WILL... Im going to do it. But I was just wondering if anyone else had debt with this and overcome?

Also Can someone that is say 6 months to a year or more out. Tell me what a normal day of eating would look like for you?

[MIMISAN 404]

@Kidbxrs I understand what your thinking in a way because I have had some of those same thoughts. I do think that you will definitely need to eat that way for the rest of your life to lose the weight and keep in off but I don't think that means we can never have some food we want off and on. It just has to be much more controlled than before. My surgery is tomorrow and I am nervous, but not so much about the food. Before you have surgery you really should try to come to grips with your relationship to food.

[Babbs 14,681]

I'm 18 months out, and actually the KEY to keeping the weight off is one steadfast rule:

Protein FIRST.

Why? There are several reasons. During the losing phase, Protein helps you keep the muscle that will be lost naturally with the weight loss. Also, satiation, which is just a fancy way of saying you feel full and satisfied. Protein also takes more calories to digest, thus helping weight loss along.

Satiety is also important the further out you get and into maintenance so you're not tempted to snack or have cravings, and protein helps with that. Most of the people I see having issues with regain are not following the protein first rule, and letting carbs like white bread, Pasta, rice and crackers slip back into their diet, causing sugar fluctuations and cravings for more processed carbs. Then there starts the vicious cycle.

Now I don't think we need AS MUCH protein the further out we are when we can actually eat a little more than a few bites, and as a matter of fact, I feel it can be harmful to have too much protein too. In the end, it will be all about balance once you are past the losing phase and onto the maintenance phase, but protein will still be front and center in your diet. Just not ALL consuming like in the beginning

[deadmanwalking 178]

im currently on a flight so I cant go into full on detail but you must focus on Protein first as mentioned before. it is not for life however! I am 10 months out from my sleeve and have lost 217 lbs already. im working out a lot to gain muscle to aid in loose skin now. I eat well and have carbs in 2 of my meals every day for a total of about 100 grams. my Protein is at 200 g. once you loose a good bit of weight and get exercising, your metabolism will increase allowing you more intake. its a science to get the right carb/protein intake but DO NOT count calories. im always around if ya have questions just message me.

good luck!

[careya123 260]

It's all relative. It may be higher Protein than what you've had in the past, but it's not necessarily a typical high Protein low carb diet where you are limited x number of carbs per day. In fact, my surgeon and my nutritionist haven't recommended a carb amount at all. Most surgeons do recommend 60-80 g protein a day, or even slightly more. Most surgeons do emphasize protein first. (Dr Weiner's book, A Pound of Cure, is an exception and he recommends vegetables first, starting 6 months after surgery.)

Because of your stomach size, you will have to prioritize your food intake. Before surgery, you may have had a steak meal with rolls, salad, and potato followed by dessert, but after surgery you can't fit it all in. It's more of an either-or situation, especially during the first few months.

If you don't concentrate on protein/veg/fruit first, you may be at risk for malnutrition, especially if you don't take your Vitamins.

[pr_pitbullgrl 1,039]

@@Kidbxrs I'm four almost five months out and i will tell you - you won't WANT carbs the way you do now. Certain things you won't be able to eat and certain things you can eat but they will make you feel like crap (for me that's any bread and sugar). Also your appetite changes a lot. I won't go into the Protein first thing cuz i think it's already covered pretty well above but just know you won't have the same feelings about food you do now.

[Kidbxrs 2]

You guys are great. I already feel at ease. Just knowing I'm not alone in this thinking or concern. I know I can do this.

The times I have eaten more Protein and vegetables and left the white bread and junk food alone I do feel so so much better. It's just that I have failed soooo many times with that. But hey now that I think about it what diet have I not failed on. This is one reason I think this tool will help me so much.

I'm in my first of three months of my doctor supervised diet. I just have so many emotions. Thank you all so so much for your comments.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Not everyone follows super low carb...many people eat what I would call healthy, balanced. Not a life filled with toast, waffles, sandwiches, lasagna etc but don't really try to exclude carbs and eat "healthier carbs". In maintenance I definitely have more carbs than I did during weight loss mode. However, be prepared to model your maintenance life after your weight loss eating and activity plans. Notice I saw model after.... not as restrictive but basically what you did to lose the weight. The people who don't do that might find themselves regaining...it really is a lifetime commitment to health.

Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Low carbing as a lifestyle and not a diet is different. As some other people said, eating Protein first makes you a low carber by default even if you add in carbs at the end, you will get so few you are still low carb.

I love low carbing, more specifically Iove eating Keto. I had issues with Portion Control before surgery so I would fail or stop losing. Now with the restriction, it is easy to stick to.

Eating after surgery even though are tracking everything and some thing you don't eat, is not like dieting. It is a completely different thing, and I don't think you can understand the difference until after surgery. Your body and your desires are just different.

[erp 2,016]

Is this the way I will be eating after I am sleeved? It makes me very nervous. I have tried low carb and lost weight on it a couple times but I have never been able to maintain that way of life or eating for more then 6 months. So I am already nervous that I am going to fail before I even start. I always felt so deprived when I was on low carb high Protein. It was all mental. I know I just need to reteach myself and I WILL... Im going to do it. But I was just wondering if anyone else had debt with this and overcome?

Also Can someone that is say 6 months to a year or more out. Tell me what a normal day of eating would look like for you?

Not totally done for the day but here's a normal(?) day for me:

[livvsmum 2,369]

For me, this is a complete lifestyle overhaul. You cannot think of it as another "adkins diet" or something or you will fall back into old patterns.

But, yes. The way you eat "should" be changed for the rest of your life, otherwise you WILL regain because at a certain point post op you WILL be able to tolerate bascially anything you could tolerate before surgery. So, if you don't adopt the new nutrition guidelines as a forever change, it will be easy to slip back into old habits and regain.

It's not to say that once you reach and are maintaining your goal weight that you can never each something off the recommendations, but I will warn you that for some, having just a little now and then is a trigger and opens the flood gates. I am not a "little bit here and there" kind of person. For my I have to just abstain. But honestly after 2.5 years of eating this way, I don't miss it.