Does your doctor recommend a high protein/low carb diet?

[Hastings 3]

Yes, ketosis is not seen as a desirable or healthy state to be in here. There's no doubt that lowering carbs is a good move for weight loss but that doesnt mean no carbs or ketosis. Its more of a low GI diet here.

When I was on Atkins we strove for ketosis. Bought sticks to test for it, etc. I lost a lot of weight on Atkins and was never hungry. I stayed on induction for almost six months. 20 carbs a day.

Of course i gained it all back when my kids talked me out of it, they were concerned for my health.

Now I can eat so little that it's nearly atkins, but i get more carbs because of the all bran Cereal and the milk and yogurt in my daily smoothie.

My doctor reccomended to concentrate on Protein, veggies and fruit.< /p>

The hard Protein I do eat is all boneless, skinless chicken and fish. Unfortunately so much fish has so much mercury. I wouldn't eat tuna very often at all.

I think whatever floats your boat is good, as long as it has some balance to it. Our dietary guidelines are made up by the agriculture department and it has a vested interest in getting people to eat as many servings a day of agricultural products as possible.

Edited May 25, 2008 by Hastings

[vegwannabe 1]

Super interesting thread.

I'm wondering if Jachut and RugmanForever aren't, perhaps, both talking about the same level of carbs in one's diet....No one has specified what is meant by "low-carb".

From my research, (Admittedly, not as extensive as Rugman's) I've found that Atkins and the like are virtually "NO-carb" diets, whereas the low GI diets are "low-carb or NO-refined-carb" diets.

If you aren't a vegetarian, you are eating loads of meat and its companion fat on the Atkins diet, so are at risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, etc. Would a lap-band surgeon or dietician tell a patient to follow this type of "meaty" diet for any length of time??

Just one last comment...I think it is extremely important for bandsters to follow their doctor's diet guidelines (pre-op & post-op). We are all very different, so sweeping recommendations are not appropriate. And, isn't it our poor nutritional choices that got us here in the first place?! (No offense intended)

[jkpenny376 2]

My doc has required me to have a low carb high Protein diet 10 days prior to surgery. I have started it today. They actually want me to be in a state of Ketosis...I have attached my info they sent me....

PRE-OP DIET - for Dr. Jose Rodriguez

Dr. Rodriguez now requests that all patients with a BMI over 40 do a pre-op diet for two weeks before surgery.

IMPORTANT: The key is to try to keep your carb intake less than 50 grams a day.

The pre-op diet is designed to help you be internally healthier for surgery. The effects are not immediate. It takes about 10 consecutive days before results show up internally. The goal is to have the liver let go of some stored fat. Some people also call it a liver shrinking diet. This will mean an easier recovery for you post-op.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In the obese, the liver is a huge, fatty organ. It is “in the way” of the surgical area during band surgery, and must be held back with surgical instruments. An enlarged liver is very fragile and bleeds quite easily when touched or manipulated during surgery. This bleeding can be difficult to control, and the extra care required with an enlarged liver increases surgical risk, as well as surgical time. Longer surgical time and extended time under general anesthesia can make both immediate and longer-term recovery much more difficult for you. An especially large and fragile liver has even caused some band surgeries to be cancelled, for the safety of the patient.

Following this Pre-Op Diet is extremely important. The goal is not to lose weight, necessarily, but to enter a temporary period of dietary ketosis, which is not harmful to you at all. However, many do lose a good amount of weight, which will jump-start your Band weight loss as you begin to regain and improve your health. It is this dietary ketosis that results in liver-shrinking and the normalizing of your metabolism so that you can do well with banding.

Pre-Op Diet:

THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A liquid ONLY DIET. IF YOU HAVE DIABETES, KIDNEY OR HEART DISEASE; PLEASE CONSULT YOUR LOCAL PHYSICIAN BEFORE ALTERING YOUR CURRENT DIET.

Start with proper Protein sources (no less than 20 grams of protein per serving with 6 total grams of carbohydrates or less and 6 grams of saturated fats or less per serving), keep a close eye on the fat intake (don’t over do it). Some choices are lean chicken, turkey, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, sugar free jell-o, pudding, Beans. Please include fresh fruit at least 2 times a day.

PLEASE eat *only* solid protein! Choose only a piece of chicken, a lean steak, a hard-boiled egg, or some low-fat cheese. PLEASE: NO mayo, BBQ Sauce, ketchup, sweets, junk food, cereals, or anything else. Even the smallest amount of non-protein, carb-laden food can take you out of ketosis and easily negate many day’s worth of the low carbs that are so greatly decreasing your surgical risk.

Those that choose to use a Protein shake, please read the labels. You should try to choose a Protein Shake with between 20-30 grams of Protein, less than 6 grams of total Carbohydrates, and less than 6 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Count only the NET CARBS that are on the label, not the “total” carbs. Please eat and drink NOTHING that is not clearly labeled as to net carb content. With some products, the “Net Carbs” are called “Impact Carbs” or “Effective Carbs”.

Protein shakes are NOT required, but are very convenient. These are just some of the brands that have the correct protein/carb/sat fat ratio:

Iso Pure, Slim Fast LOW CARB, Designer whey, www.unjury.com.

Your local GNC or other nutrition store will have a variety of drinks and bars to try. We suggest getting one each of several kinds to try before you buy a larger quantity, so you can find some you really like.

Many find that the unjury brand of Protein Drink is the best tasting and among the least expensive. It is available only online, but ships very quickly. www.unjury.com

Do a web search for “low-carb protein bars” and compare costs, grams of protein, and grams of Net carbs. Online sources are often much less expensive than those found in local stores, and the shipping is often free.

We feel that the Atkins ADVANTAGE and ENDULGE Protein Bars are excellent, with about 3-4 grams of Net Carbs per bar, but there are several other brands that are fine.

Watch out for things that you would normally not consider food! You must also have NONE of the following things that are full of sugar:

· chewing gum with sugar or carb sweetener

· breath mints

· cough syrup

· hard candy and cough drops.

NOTE: Increasing your Water intake for 2 weeks prior to surgery greatly reduces difficulty in starting the IV. Your goal should be to drink enough plain Water to keep your urine out-put pale to clear each time you void. Of course, nothing can beat a positive attitude. Deciding that you are "worth it" & willing to learn a new way of life is key.

Thank you for following this very important first step toward a successful Banding and great Band weight loss.

[Jachut 487]

I agree, I think its important to define low carb.

A low GI diet, in Australia anyway, is not a low carb diet, its a low refined carb diet and there's a lot of credible research to suggest that sticking with low GI foods - including low GI carbs - has all the health benefits that are believed to be associated with a low carb/high Protein diet (in terms of insulin reactions etc) without any of the possible bad side effects - kidney stones, high blood cholesterol etc etc.

Interesting instructions - I believe our Optifast here is higher carb than yours - my box says 17 g Protein, 15 g carbs.

I think as long as we're happy to follow (and believe in) the medical opinion in our own particular country, there's really no right or wrong in this. Australians lose weight, Americans lose weight, so obviously both ways work.

[Fanny Adams 7]

I agree Jachut, and I'd also like to add that my question was relating to the ongoing after-healing diet, rather than the pre-op liver-shrinking fast. I did the Optifast option myself in the pre-op phase but, as you pointed out, our Optifast is higher in carbs than the US brand, so even on the minimum of 3 shakes + 2 cups of non-starch veges, it was very difficult to get below 50g carbs (Optifast alone was 45g) and impossible to get to the 30g recommended for Atkins.< /p>

I don't see much of a problem with the high protein/low carb as a short term solution, but I think it is a dangerous route to pursue long term. I am particularly sensitive to this at the moment, as I have recently discovered that I have a kidney stone, so I will be watching my Protein intake to make sure I don't overdo it.

Edited May 27, 2008 by Fanny Adams

[MMDLynn 0]

This is great information, especially the post regarding insulin resistance and the gentic link (that's me too). Thanks everyone, I always learn so much from this forum.