Can I REALLY do this?

[3momchaos]

3momchaos, I make spiral zucchini, sweet potato, and summer squash in place of pasta. I love potatoes and have eaten them right along and they haven’t affected my weight loss. I just eat a much smaller portion size.

I’ve eaten potatoes, even a few French fries LOL I just don’t eat them like I used to or as often.

 

[Mama C]

I didn't think there would be any room for starches and carbs because they have no nutrition.

 

[3momchaos]

I didn't think there would be any room for starches and carbs because they have no nutrition.

It really depends on how you make them. I do not eat traditional pasta. I have either veggie zoodles, chickpea pasta, or red lentil pasta. With potatoes, it’s all about how you cook them, but also there’s nothing wrong with an indulgence every once in a while. Potatoes are also not the evil carb loaded food that they’re made out to be either. They have their good qualities, again, it’s all in the preparation. 7 Health and Nutrition Benefits of Potatoes

 

[JudyNY]

I didn't think there would be any room for starches and carbs because they have no nutrition.

I the beginning there won't be. You will probably only be able to eat a few forkful/spoons of food. At over 10 months out I can eat about 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes or pasta. As I was typing this, 3mom posted above about potatoes, so no need for me to repeat that having them sometimes should not bring you shame. I know some people will debate about avoiding fruits or veggies that are starchy but there's a lot of good nutrition there. I don't eliminate anything that grows, just eat it less often and smaller quantities. I think the more you stay away from processed foods, the better. Eating healthy, whole foods is more satisfying and in my opinion leads to less cravings.

Here is good book out there that you can buy on Amazon or do what I did and get it from your library and take notes. Since we can't eat much after WLS, we might as well at as healthy as we can.
150 Heathiest Foods on Earth

 

[WazzuCoug]

I didn't think there would be any room for starches and carbs because they have no nutrition.

Carbs and starches have TONS of nutrition....vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs. Eating a diverse selection of plants is great for your gut and metabolism. Yes, there are "bad" carbs...highly processed grains/bread/white rice, deserts, sugar added and processed foods, all of these things can lead to glucose spikes and excessive insulin release, but carbs and starch in general aren't bad at all, and fiber is incredibly important for gut health, which ties in closely with balancing chemicals in our brains and hormones and overall immunity.

I'm about 95% plant based, plus eggs, yogurt and very, very rarely real meat Pretty much everything I eat is carbs, starch, low fat, and vegetable based protein, for the most part. I'm not saying that is what everyone should do, absolutely not, but it's a HUGE myth that to be successful and lose weight you have to do low carb or keto. The key is finding the right foods that your body processes the best and keeps your microbiome healthy.

 

[missyinacage]

I actually like the red lentil pasta and I do like traditional pasta sauces over veggies. But my husband is Italian. We eat pasta. Sunday is for "gravy". And my surgeon told me OF COURSE I could eat pasta, just not so much. (He's also Italian). The diet industry has convinced us that carbs and fat have made us obese. Which just isn't true. Excessively large portions and overly processed foods with little to no nutritional value causes that. If you have surgery, there may be foods that just don't agree with you anymore and you give up. But those are most likely to be foods with large amounts of unhealthy fats or added sugars.

 

[Mama Bella]

Carbs and starches have TONS of nutrition....vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs. Eating a diverse selection of plants is great for your gut and metabolism. Yes, there are "bad" carbs...highly processed grains/bread/white rice, deserts, sugar added and processed foods, all of these things can lead to glucose spikes and excessive insulin release, but carbs and starch in general aren't bad at all, and fiber is incredibly important for gut health, which ties in closely with balancing chemicals in our brains and hormones and overall immunity.

I'm about 95% plant based, plus eggs, yogurt and very, very rarely real meat Pretty much everything I eat is carbs, starch, low fat, and vegetable based protein, for the most part. I'm not saying that is what everyone should do, absolutely not, but it's a HUGE myth that to be successful and lose weight you have to do low carb or keto. The key is finding the right foods that your body processes the best and keeps your microbiome healthy.

Thank you for your perspective and sharing what works for you. I am pre-op, just beginning the journey. It is good to see how different people have adapted their food intake so that we understand that there is no set way of eating post op. I got very concerned after meeting with the surgeon's nurse to discuss changes in diet. so concerned that I was in tears at my GP's office the following week. All she had was a list of nos. It was obvious that she had a general check list of what we eat and life style that got us to this point but I did not fit her general check off list. Thank you.

 

[Mama Bella]

Debby, welcome to the group.

Don't be concerned about what you will eat for the rest of your life. Once you have made your recovery and reached your goal you will be able to eat anything you want to eat, so long as it agrees with your digestive system. There are foods I used to eat that I can't even stomach anymore but I don't want to eat them, so it's fine. There aren't any foods that I can't eat but I do make choices. I'm not the least bit deprived. Don't let the post-op diet be a stumbling block for you. At worst, it's a hurdle you can leap over. The post-operative life you will live begins as you recover from surgery and continues in fits and starts for months afterward.

Believe me, a desire to eat a hot fudge sundae when you've been home for two weeks will not rule your world and it may send your stomach into catapults and the very image may make you vomit. I have to change the channel when some pancake house or Denny's or some other restaurant that serves sauces out of 5-gallon plastic buckets starts pouring goo all over food in order to make you want to eat it. It is not the least appealing and in fact, it does nauseate me just to look at it.

I didn't have to do any head tripping to reach this conclusion. My body made the decision for me. Still, if I want a hot fudge sundae, I can have one. I just might not be able to get past one or two bites and it might actually make me throw up.

Fine wines have different bouquets and tastes and pair with different types of foods, but to an alcoholic they are all poison. Food is the same. We can eat it as sustenance or we can celebrate it in its many delicious forms. I believe in celebrating food. But before I had surgery I abused it and food became a bad thing, a monster, something that contained more guilt than calories.

Now I savor it. I treat it like a precious jewel. I find delicious ways to cook and bake and style it. I share it with friends and give it as gifts. Really, I worship it, so I will never abuse it. I was very sick but no more. Thanks to the RYGB procedure, I can't overeat, but more important, my relationship with food is appropriate. It is a joy to me.

My surgeon may have removed the portion of my stomach that manufactures grehlin, and that may be why it's so easy for me. Do research on that and ask your surgeon.

Don't let irrational fear keep you from health and happiness. Weight loss is just one gift you receive from WLS.

Thank you for pointing out, "Don't be concerned...." and "I didn't have...My body...". These are stumbling blocks in my head as I begin this journey. Caterina