"Sugar Free"

[Kaze 94]

My program specifies you should get sugar/salt/fat free of everything from oatmeal, canned fruits and canned veggies to yogurt and everything in between. I was wondering if this is just their program preference or merely a suggestion? I know the logic behind canned fruits in Syrup because that's calorie city, but oatmeal, for example, isn't too terrible on its own (single serve packets). I bought some variety packs of normal oatmeal and I figured I could split the flavor packs with some regular oats we have to dilute the sugar content (and maybe even add Protein powder?)...is this a bad way to go about it?

Outside of the oatmeal, I got sugar free canned veggies (peas), low sodium chicken broth, fat free Tomato Soup and no sugar added canned fruit packed in Water...are all of these good for weeks 1-5? I know for like the veggies and the fruit I will probably have to puree them for the first 2ish weeks. Does oatmeal have to be pureed in the immediate post-op after liquid diet?

My best guess is they do that so you can stay aware of dumping syndrome which can still happen in sleeves (I've seen various percentages tossed around from 3-17%) and to guide towards better choices in the long term, but how strict do you feel it is? Do you meticulously search for specific versions of seemingly healthy products?

If you do, where do you find good variety in sugar/fat/salt free things? I'd love some suggestions!

As always, information is always appreciated!

Edited June 17, 2016 by Kaze

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

I don't think having a little bit of sugar is going to hurt... i think just keep it minimal to avoid dumping.

In relation to going sugar free, low fat and low salt.... you might want to NOT go low fat and low sodium.... if you go low carb and low fat, you can potentially screw up your gallbladder.. and going too low on sodium will throw off your electrolytes and you will feel like crap because of your blood pressure.

During the first couple of weeks it doesn't really matter. . What is more important is getting your fluids and Protein to promote healing.... if a "little bit of sugar helps the medicine (water/protein) go down" it won't do any damage. Just don't go crazy with the sugar... a small amount is okay.

[FrankyG 1,450]

There is no way I'd try to eat full sugar oatmeal packs for the first 6 months. I ate one small portion of regular fat/sugar Cereal about 2 months out and had the dumping thing and was shaking and hurting on the bathroom floor (between throwing up) for over half an hour. Never tested it again.

Don't eat that stuff. Take it back if possible because you should not eat that crap again; it's one of those fake healthy foods - the carbs are insane for the size of the portion and you need to toss out all the crummy prepared foods that are full of artifical flavors and high salt/sugar/gunk like that. If you like oatmeal, it's really easy to just get a container of quick oats and portion it out into a baggie with some no calorie sweetener and some cinnamon or something and throw it in your lunch bag.

I make most of my food now from scratch to avoid the crappy food stuff out there (I know exactly what is in my food that way). There are lots of easy quick recipes on this forum, and I'd suggest you check them out. I eat low carb (and sugar is carby so lower sugar is a given) but I eat high Protein and fat. Healthy fats like olive and coconut oil, avocadoes, real butter... all of that is super great and helps me stay full longer. As long as I keep the carbs down around 50-100 grams/daily, I'm happy.

Otherwise my suggestion is to REALLY start reading the labels carefully and be very aware of the carbs and sugar for things you're considering eating. It's not just about whether you can eat it, it's whether you should eat it. You're supposed to be throwing out all the junk/bad foods and learning how to eat healthy foods - Protein should be the main part of every meal and vegetables, and if there is room complex carbohydrates. Granted oatmeal is technically supposed to be a good carbohydrate, but not when you are eating that prepackaged junk food stuff with tons of sugar and freeze-dried almost fake fruit bits. Yuck! You owe it to yourself to find better foods now because you'll only be able to eat smaller portions so eat REAL food and you'll be much happier and healthier overall.

Edited June 17, 2016 by FrankiesGirl

[Shaydi.Laine 237]

Wow so that leaves a whole lotta nothing to eat! I suspect my reply may be a bit controversial, but for one thing I avoid anything that says fat free or low fat, unless that is naturally the case. Otherwise it usually means added carbs and fillers.

I have adjusted my own diet to what has worked best for me in the past and that is.. a low carb, HIGH FAT diet. Yes really, high fat. I eat real butter, real mayo, bacon, sausage, whole milk yogurt, and the like. I know this is going to freak some people out (OMG THE RULES!) but know what happened when I got off the low fat bandwagon? I broke my 3 week stall immediately and dropped about 7 pounds in one week. I also experienced a great reduction in hunger! I did this at about the 2 month mark. Today is my 3 month surgiversary.

So anyway I confessed my rebellious diet switcharoo to my nutritionist yesterday and she didn't have much to say about it other than maybe by eating more fat I was bumping myself out of starvation mode and needed the extra calories to break my stall. She may be partly right but I can't agree entirely because I am, as I keep saying, A Professional Dieter. I know my body better than anyone and how it reacts to various percentages of macronutrients. Doing Low Carb/High Fat in the past was by far the most successful plan for me. I was able to drop 50 pounds in 5 months, without surgery and reached my ideal weight in maybe 7 or 8 months. (How did I gain it back? I ate carbs again.)

I guess my point is, in the end we should all do whatever works best for us. I learned pretty early that I was in no danger of dumping, I also learned pretty early, that carbs such as crackers, fruit, and even vegetables were causing me to stall, but that didn't surprise me because it's not the first time.

Early on you should just do whatever your team tells you to do (there's not much chance of sticking to low fat, low sugar, and low salt tho - good luck with that) Once you are more "on your own", you can choose to continue following their rules if they are working for you, or make your own if that works better. I make sure my team knows what I'm doing, and as long as I'm getting such great results, I will continue doing what works.

Ok go easy on me.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

@@Shaydi.Laine

Yes you are absolutely correct.

If you cut out too much of everything your body rebels and fights back.

Basically its either low carb/sugar and high fat ir high carb or low fat... no one should do low carb low fat.. the only thing that'll give you is a stall, low energy and your body going into starvation.

Do these NUTs even study nutrition?

@@Kaze

I would suggest reading the labels on the canned food... add yoghurt, lentils, Beans etc that is much more nutritionally dense than oatmeal ☺

[Shaydi.Laine 237]

@

You are clearly a genius ^5

@@Kaze

My program was full liquids only for weeks 1-2, purees weeks 3-4, no veggies even pureed, till week 7. I don't know of programs allowing purees right off the bat, if yours does, have at it.

I will however caution about stocking up on sugar free canned fruit. That stuff is, at least to me, bitter inedible grossness. I tried them before surgery and thought "never again", then recently I foolishly decided to try again (Dole no sugar added peaches - 4 pack). I seriously don't know what I was thinking. I managed to gag down two of them (the second was no better than the first) and the other 2 are sitting in the fridge waiting to pass their expiration date so I can throw them out without feeling bad about it. Alternately if you live in NH, come on by and you can have them. Yuck.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

@@Shaydi.Laine

Genius, no.... well informed and with 8 years of weight loss experience... absolutely!

Btw we were allowed pureed food from the day we were discharged from hospital... i would have died if i had to wait as long as you

[Shaydi.Laine 237]

@@Shaydi.Laine

Genius, no.... well informed and with 8 years of weight loss experience... absolutely!

Btw we were allowed pureed food from the day we were discharged from hospital... i would have died if i had to wait as long as you

You know, it really wasn't that bad and it went by very fast. I really enjoy cream Soups and that's what I mostly thrived on. I did spend a lot of time during week 2, dreaming of cottage cheese tho.. and boy did I enjoy the first half cup of that!

What sounds worse to me than 2 weeks of shakes and Soups post-op, is the pre-op liquid diet that so many have to go through. At least I didn't have to do that! I never would have made it, I would have cheated and lied about it. Without a doubt.

I was about to add, "I'm nothing if not honest".. then I realized the absurd irony of that statement LOL.

Edited June 17, 2016 by Shaydi.Laine

[Kaze 94]

Oh yeah, I definitely intend to get yogurt as well. Oatmeal is just cheaper right now and easier to stock up on without fear of expiration while I'm pre-op. Plus the only flavors in sugar free were maple brown sugar and apples and cinnamon, both of which are bleh to me.

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[Daisee68 2,493]

@@Shaydi.Laine - Honestly I think you aren't going to get flogged for your opinion. I think there are many here that agree in full fat choices and it seems it is starting to become more mainstream. I think the theory is that higher fat keeps you satisfied longer and with low carbs, your body will burn the fat for energy. I haven't quite embraced this lifestyle yet as it seems so counterintuitive (and frankly for me, I am more of a fat addict than carb addict so I have to be careful as it is a slippery slope) but I do think it makes sense. And it always makes sense to eat more "real" foods instead of more heavily processed.

@@Kaze - I think your program may be a bit unreasonable in making those requests unless you are sticking to whole foods such as pure Protein and veggies/fruits. You do need to be a label reader (and trust me, you will become one). I would aim for lowest sugar content you can when you can. And for fat, just try to look for lean options when possible but nothing wrong with full fat cheese. (I personally use 2% cheese and 2% or skim milk just to keep calories in check.) Not sure that is helpful or not.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

One suggestion... do not stock up too much.. your tastes might change post op, and i find i am getting bored of certain foods quite quickly... only get enough to last a couple of weeks otherwise you can have a whole heap of stuff you might never want to eat again..

Keep us updated on how everything goes

[jintycb 721]

Lots of common sense on this thread. I felt myself nodding in agreement on so many levels. Just for those who are interested, someone on this site suggested reading a book called 'The Obesity Code' by Jason Fung. I have been skiving off my chores to hunker down with my copy for the last couple of days. It has given me a lot of food for thought and for those of us who have followed various different diets (with various different results) it makes for interesting reading. I thought that I knew quite a bit about what was good (and bad) for me as regards what to eat on a day to day basis. However, I have learnt so much more about food and its effects on our bodies and also how views are gradually changing as to what we should be eating to remain healthy.

Just as a comment regarding food after surgery. I don't eat anything (unless I nick something small off my husband's plate) commercially pre-prepared or anything with additives or crap in it. I'm not a goody two shoes-not at all-I just think my poor abused carcass deserves a bit of TLC now in return for all the crap at I shoved into it in the past!

[ccnb 20]

The problem i have with sugar free is that artificial sugar makes you crave real sugar, also your body can't digest artificial sugar and i read a study that said substituting artificial sugar for regular sugar doesn't have any impact on ppl w. DM. I have been getting no sugar added or reduced sugar stuff and I'm happy with it

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[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

I hate artificial sugar... it tastes really weird to me... i can tell straight away when its in something...

For me its either real sugar or no sugar... artificial sugar makes me feel weird after eating it, so i avoid it as much as possible

[Kaze 94]

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.

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