"Sugar Free"

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

Well it sounds like you are on the right track.. doing research and trying to make informed choices... thats what this is about isn't it.. being accountable and responsible for our bodies and health.

I wish you all the best with your surgery and feel free to contact us anytime you have a question

[taracutch 226]

Clean eating, high fat, low carb and zero processed is going to be part of my maintenance regardless of what the doc says. Right now I'm on the pre op and I am not into the SF Jello, pudding and Popsicles and God knows what's in the Protein Drinks but I'm doing as I'm told. However, it goes against everything I believe in to eat fake sugar and to deprive myself of quality fats like coconut oil, avocados, olive oil and good quality organic butter. I hate putting any food with ingredients I can't pronounce in my body. But I wasn't losing weight that way. Eating this processed crap is causing me to drop a pound a day but at what cost?

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

@@taracutch

Since you are on the pre op diet, you technically aren't losing fat, you are losing Water, as your body goes into ketosis. . Water gets pulled from your body and burns glycogen.. hence why we get flatter tummies and are advised to drink lots of water.

I agree with you about eating whole foods and good fats... luckily i have always enjoyed eating that way... its amazing how bad some "healthy" food is l.

Eg.. some "healthy" smoothies have more sugar than a coke!!

[taracutch 226]

@@taracutch

Since you are on the pre op diet, you technically aren't losing fat, you are losing Water, as your body goes into ketosis. . Water gets pulled from your body and burns glycogen.. hence why we get flatter tummies and are advised to drink lots of water.

I agree with you about eating whole foods and good fats... luckily i have always enjoyed eating that way... its amazing how bad some "healthy" food is l.

Eg.. some "healthy" smoothies have more sugar than a coke!!

Ugh!!!! This is just water weight??!!! I'm suffering and starving for nothing? That's REALLY depressing!

@@taracutch

Since you are on the pre op diet, you technically aren't losing fat, you are losing water, as your body goes into ketosis. . Water gets pulled from your body and burns glycogen.. hence why we get flatter tummies and are advised to drink lots of water.

I agree with you about eating whole foods and good fats... luckily i have always enjoyed eating that way... its amazing how bad some "healthy" food is l.

Eg.. some "healthy" smoothies have more sugar than a coke!!

Ugh!!!! This is just water weight??!!! I'm suffering and starving for nothing? That's REALLY depressing!

[Kaze 94]

Actually that's not surprising to me, the smoothie with more sugar than coke thing. After all, the smoothie has fruits, dairy and added sugar which drives up the sugar content but I think one good thing is those are all natural forms of sugar which our body can easily metabolize. Coke has corn Syrup, cane sugar and a bunch of other calorie-dense, nutrient-low sugar substances.

I still think choosing the higher sugar content but quality sugar smoothie is going to go a long way to better choices (like using different, lower fat milks, no added sugar, etc) but Coke is addictive and has zero additional nutrients so it's literally as empty as empty calories comes. The smoothie, however, could have an assortment of colorful fruits and therefore a heaping of Vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants.

That's my stance and I'm stickin' to it!

(obviously it comes down to each individual smoothie and how it was made)

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Edited June 17, 2016 by Kaze

[KristenLe 5,979]

For reference, they all have less than 12g of sugar, and since I would cut them with a 1g sugar plain oatmeal, that's significantly less...

I agree, artificial sweeteners tend to be far more addictive and lead to craving more actual sweets.

I just feel as long as I'm making decent choices in a majority of circumstances, having an "as is" product isn't going to make me unsuccessful, but that's why I brought the question to the floor so to speak so those who are actually post-op can chime in, and it seems to me most people are in agreement that you just need to be careful overindulging in the "as is" foods...am I understanding this correctly?

Also @ I stocked up on just stuff for the first 3-4 weeks...liquids, full liquids and mushy foods.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You should look for less than 5gms sugar per serving. Add some flavors to plain oatmeal (cinnamon, pumpkin). Low / No Fat options often have added sugar to make them taste better. I would avoid No Fat at least (except maybe milk). Take it slow and see if you tolerate the flavored oatmeal but if you start getting cravings - I'd cut out the added sugar items.

[KristenLe 5,979]

@taracrutch If it makes you feel better - you're losing fat from your liver - making for a safer surgery!

[smg 471]

Honestly, I think if you are getting your sugars from WHOLE foods like fruit, I wouldn't worry too much about it as doing so includes the Fiber in the fruit as well (as long as you're not juicing it). The Fiber helps slow the absorption of the sugar and that's why sugar from eating fruit is a lot different than eat sugar extracted from fruit (fructose) or table sugar extracted from beets or sugar cane.

I try to keep my servings of fruit to the size of a tennis ball, and I haven't had any issues. As far as the high fat is concerned, I have a different opinion on that, but mostly because it doesn't agree with me. I try to make lean Protein choices and stay away from processed meats like bacon, bologna, or sausage. It works for me. Glad to hear you are figuring out what will work for you!

Best of luck!

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

@@taracutch

Sorry!!

You are losing fat from your liver though! Which is the whole point of the pre op diet anyway....

Sorry... i really need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes lol

Edited June 17, 2016 by AussieGirl81

[taracutch 226]

Lol... It's ok. I'm really really struggling though. Day 5 and I'm not sure if I can make it another 9 days. This is killer

[jintycb 721]

You can do it girl. Just keep the mental pic in your head of you looking drop dead gorgeous and it will help enormously. You can and will do it, even if your pals on BP have to beat you into submission!!!!!!!!!!! x

Edited June 18, 2016 by jintycb

[ButterflySeoul 98]

I went back to read in the diet guidelines that I got from my NUT (I know they all vary!) .. but mine says under "avoid fibrous foods at first -- For example, cream of wheat/rice or farina are fine from the beginning (thinned at the beginning) but oatmeal should wait until you are tolerating some solids." I haven't done oatmeal at all yet- and not sure I will. Just because I know that my body is reacting differently to foods now, post-surgery. The thinned cream of wheat was heavenly when I was having that-- I added a scoop of Protein powder to it (chocolate was my fav!) So maybe when you are ready for oatmeal, adding Protein Powder will be all the extra flavor/sweetness that you need. My sweetness tolerance has been way low since surgery.. I don't crave sweets at all, which is nice! And if I have anything that's too carby I can really feel it, because it makes my newly healthy reset blood sugar go up and puts me to sleep. A lot of this is going to be trial and error. That's also why my diet guidelines say not to add more than 1 new food per meal, so if you're not tolerating something you'll know what it is and what to avoid.

[SassyNanny 311]

What wrong with just putting some rolled oats in the microwave with some Water and add your own spices and sweetener? Or in a pan if you want to go old school.

I personally haven't had oatmeal yet at 7 months. It's a carb that has some Protein but not a lot.

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[Kaze 94]

What wrong with just putting some rolled oats in the microwave with some Water and add your own spices and sweetener? Or in a pan if you want to go old school.

I personally haven't had oatmeal yet at 7 months. It's a carb that has some Protein but not a lot.

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Because I like fruit oatmeal and don't like artificial sweeteners. I did say I plan to cut it with regular oatmeal and Protein Powder, so the sugars in it would be significantly less than what it says on the nutrition facts label.

[Alex Brecher 10,512]

@@Kaze,

While avoiding dumping syndrome is definitely a good reason to avoid added sugars, especially in the early stages when you’re still getting acquainted with your sleeve, I think there may be additional reasons for that advice.

One is that sugar is empty calories. It doesn’t do anything for you besides add calories and bump up your blood sugar. Long term, you’re going to be looking for lower calorie foods to help you lose weight and keep it off. A packet of oatmeal can have 100 calories, but 150 if it has sugar in it, for example.

Another is that foods with added sugars are not always the healthiest. They are processed, generally. Even getting the versions without added sugars isn’t always a great choice because “sugar-free” often means there are sugar substitutes in there. Going for plain oatmeal and plain yogurt can be healthier than flavored oatmeal and yogurt with artificial sweeteners. I’m not saying that sugar substitutes are terrible; they have their place if you like them. I’m just thinking that maybe your surgeon is trying to steer you towards healthier foods – fruit in its own juice (and later, fresh fruit) is healthier than fruit in sugar Water.

There is tons of variety in sugar/fat/salt-free things! In general, think: unprocessed, healthy. Otherwise, you’re stuck searching for foods labeled “sugar-free.” In the post-op stages, there are fat-free dairy products – yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, ricotta – lean Proteins – eggs, chicken breast, tuna, Beans – fruits – start with canned, move into ripe fresh and frozen fruits. Ripe watermelon, cantaloupe, and peaches are especially soft – vegetables – start with low-sodium canned such as carrots and green Beans, then cook your own fresh or frozen choices such as cauliflower florets, zucchini and crookneck squash, bell peppers – starches – sweet potatoes, winter squash, couscous, oatmeal, potatoes…the list goes on.

By the way, I’m not sure if the fat-free recommendation is for short term or long term, but I wouldn’t try to cut out fat long-term! Avocados, nuts, peanuts, and fatty fish are some of the best foods you can eat both for health and for weight loss. They have healthy fats.