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New and Lost in the No Carb diet

Terissa602

Terissa602

Member
Hello everyone my name is Terissa I am 49 and 280 pounds. I am getting the sleeve surgery at the end of February. I am beginning the no carb diet that I discussed with my nutritionist and she explained to me to focus on eating more protein and vegetables. So I went to the grocery store and bought lots if fruits and vegetables and meat. Every day when I get hungry I feel so confused on what I should eat? I am not sure if I am making any sense? Has anyone experience this when they first got started eating healthy? I have lots of healthy food in my refrigerator. When I go to look for something to eat I always feel like there is nothing to eat? If I do eat a fruit I don't feel full and I don't know what to do? Oh I forgot to mention that I am not the best cook either? I will willing to try or do anything that will make it easier for me to eat what I am supposed to eat? Any suggestions to help me?
 
Welcome Terissa! The pre-surgery diet can be the worst part because we are use to eating pretty much whatever. The last two weeks are even tougher if your doctor wants you on protein shakes and liquids only. My doc said just for breakfast and lunch and then have a lean dinner. Did they give you any list of foods to eat? If not, I can go through my paperwork and upload it here. Sometimes we forget about certain foods we like because we haven't had them in a while.
 
Welcome! I know how you feel. Life would be much easier if we all could just plop down with a bag of chips LOL from what I’ve been told fruits are better in the morning because of their higher carb and sugar content. Maybe chop up some veggies and put them in small baggies for a quick snack? Lite soups are great, and some of them have a good amount of protein per serving, plus they’re awesome for after the surgery. Maybe look into nuts, jerky, and cheese also for protein and snacks but be careful for the sodium levels and watch the fat per serving. Hope this helps a little.
 
I no longer do no carb (although due to the space carbs take up, I stay pretty low). But good options for low/no carb is omelets bulked up with veggies for breakfast. If you can't really make an omelet, you can put anything into scrambled eggs that you'd put into an omelet. Chef Salads are great for lunch, just choose your meat/cheese to add to a low carb salad dressing. Additional veggies or fruit are also great on a salad. Chicken or Tuna salad also make a great lunch. Just swap out 1/2 your mayo for plain greek yogurt. Nuts are high in fat but a great source of protein. Just make sure you are only eating a serving. Measure it out. You can find dinner recipes for those with little to no cooking skills. Try slow cooker meals. You put the ingredients in and your pretty much done.
 
Pre-surgery it will be more difficult to manage your hunger than after surgery, but the big problem is, each bariatric clinic gives the same blanket instructions about nutrition before and after surgery, which leave some people to have more struggles than others, because we all metabolize foods differently. A study out of Stanford called the DIETFITS study was a randomized trial that compared low carb and low fat diets. It was funded by the low carb industry to prove the "low carb" was the way to eat. Unfortunately for them, it proved that people following both diets lost the same amount of weight over the course of the trial. However, more importantly, some people in the trial, on both diets, lost no weight, and some people eating the same food and calories as the people who lost weight, actually gained weight. This difference in how we metabolize food is due to the unique microbiota that each person has in the GI tract.

So, what does that mean? First, during the pre-diet, probably the best option is try to stick exactly what was recommended. However, when you feel hungry try to eat fibrous vegetables and lean protein and keep fruits to a minimum during this time, with one exception.

You might consider eating an apple about 15-30 minutes prior to one of your meals. Studies have demonstrated that most people who eat an apple prior to their main meal will eat 30% fewer calories overall at the meal, including the calories form the apple.

Try different amounts of lean protein vs the amount of vegetables you are eating and determine what combination seems to keep you the most satiated and just repeat. It may get monotonous, but it will set you up for a better surgery and success after surgery.

After your surgery, follow the guidelines for the post surgery diet closely for the first 3 months and after you start eating regular foods, pay very close attention to everything you eat. What foods make you feel more hungry after you eat them? What foods seem to stick with you longer? Eat a as many different kinds of plants as you can over the course of the week. This doesn't have to be a high volume, but just small amounts of many nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Stay away from processed foods, especially those with 10 or more ingredients, and stay away from artificial sweeteners, which kill off beneficial microbiota.

If you track calories, be sure to note, as I mentioned above, what foods seem to make you hungrier and what foods don't. This should be slightly easier to determine after surgery when you have the benefit of diminished hunger hormone responses.

The pre-surgery time can be one of the most difficult phases of this surgery. Stick as closely as you can to the guidelines but make little adjustments here and there to find out what works best for you within those guidelines.

Best of luck!!
 
Wow Thank you for all your suggestions I really appreciate it. I need to put my foot down and just start eating what they tell me. I forgot to mention I quit smoking November 26, 2020 so I feel I am on edge a bit at times. I really do want this surgery to be a success and I need to just suck it up. I am curious on what they have to say to me when I go for my appointment on Jan 6th what my weight is? My nutritionist did give me a thick booklet to follow on what to eat. I do have the baratric app for journaling my food. I did really good during the 1st week I started but on the weekend I just felt I can't eat anything when I went out and I lost it. Ever since I gave in I haven't been able to get back on track? Did anyone start the pre surgery diet cold turkey or did you start weening yourself off of the bad foods your not supposed to eat? I am just curious?
 
This is a tough time of year to start a pre-surgery diet when there is so much temptation around and the fact that you also quit smoking must make it all that much harder. I applaud you for that! The new year is about to begin.... sounds like a good place to restart your pre-surgery diet. It might just give you the added boost of a fresh start to a new healthier you in 2021! Wishing you all the best!
 
I quit smoking years ago and cannot imagine doing that ON TOP of trying to lose weight. KUDOS to you. As hard as it is to quit smoking, at least you give it up entirely. You can't do that with food. But it's best if you start developing good eating habits before the pre-surgical diet. I had to be good since my surgeon will not operate if you gain more than 5lbs since the last time he saw you and as luck would have it, I had an appt with him the day before the start of my liquid diet. So no last hurrah for me. Good luck in the new year. February will be here before you know it and you'll be on your way.
 

If you asked my husband - he'd say I do everything cold turkey ;) I'm pretty much an all in kind of person. If it's worth doing - do it right. The holidays were difficult for a lot of people. They are coming to an end - and 2020 will hopefully be just a bad memory. Start fresh tomorrow - don't look back just look forward to your surgery date! It WILL be so worth it! It'll open your life to an amazing awe inspiring new journey - that is getting you to a healthier life. Track ALL your food and drinks - seeing in black and white what you're putting in your body can be a very sobering and hard to deny. You can do it!

I so feel your pain with quitting smoking! January 10th will be 11 years since I smoked my last cigarette. I had 4 lower back surgeries on the same herniated disc. Surgery - 3-4 months later another surgery same location, repeat, repeat! The last surgery was 1/05/2010 - I went home. The wonderful Dr. Branch called me on 1/10/2020 and said if you quit smoking - you'll heal properly and wont have to have any more surgeries on that disc. My husband had just bought 2 cartons of cigarettes and I told him I was done smoking. He just snickered and said "Ok babes - so what are you gonna smoke now?" Insert a LOUD @@$%((&% verbal eye roll here He actually felt that eye roll :D - I should have been a sailor! When I felt the urge to smoke - I'd call my husband - and literally just bitch about smoking - then he'd say ok babes talk to you in 10 when you want another cigarette. I called him about every 10 minutes for the first 4 days then every 25-30 minutes the next few days. This went on for a little over a week - then I was ok. It all gets better. It's just about seeing the other side.

Terissa - you truly can do it! It's not easy and there will be days where you just want to give HUGE LOUD VERBAL eye rolls with colorful words. That's ok. Everyday is a new day to succeed! You got this!
 
Terissa602 said:
Hello everyone my name is Terissa I am 49 and 280 pounds. I am getting the sleeve surgery at the end of February. I am beginning the no carb diet that I discussed with my nutritionist and she explained to me to focus on eating more protein and vegetables. So I went to the grocery store and bought lots if fruits and vegetables and meat. Every day when I get hungry I feel so confused on what I should eat? I am not sure if I am making any sense? Has anyone experience this when they first got started eating healthy? I have lots of healthy food in my refrigerator. When I go to look for something to eat I always feel like there is nothing to eat? If I do eat a fruit I don't feel full and I don't know what to do? Oh I forgot to mention that I am not the best cook either? I will willing to try or do anything that will make it easier for me to eat what I am supposed to eat? Any suggestions to help me?
Click to expand...

when I started out it was hard. But when I went to get my surgery it was easy because the diet I needed to be on was the same one I was on for years. you will understand once it becomes a habit to eat healthy. Every good change is hard at first. But once changed it will be easy. You have to change your way of thinking.
 
Whoa! You have a lot going on at the same time. I would suggest you eat what sounds good to you. If you eat an apple, add some cheese with it or peanut butter. I live alone and often grab pieces of meals to make up something healthy. Maybe some tuna salad on green salad? Mix some spinach into pasta sauce with lots of parm?

Speaking of smoking, I quit smoking in ~2009, I think. It wasn't that monumental for me--I just got sick of it. I had smoked for about 10 years on and off after I divorced. The 90s were all about happy hours and parties (I was in my 30s). I smoked cloves which, omg, I loved! [As an aside, this was when the Atkin's diet was big and I thought it was insane to eliminate food groups, and eat so much fat and meat, so I to make my point, I would tell people that I was on the "diet that ends in i" like martinis, calamari, cannelloni, etc. because it made about as much sense to me as Atkins].

When Obama made flavored cigs illegal, getting cloves became a big deal, so eh, I decided it was time quit because I wasn't really smoking that much anyway. Well, holy hell, did I have withdrawal not because I wanted a cigarette but because of the brain chemicals! I was a cast-iron bitch on wheels--so much so my boss called me in her office and suggested therapy. :oops: I gotta say that did not go over well with me but it sealed the deal that I would never pick up another smoke again if going through withdrawal would jeopardize my job! After I left her office, I googled withdrawal symptoms and, whew, I could at least attribute my attitude to a lack of nicotine. I went into her office and explained what the problem was and she too was relieved there was a good answer. Geez...that still stings.

My point of that trip down memory lane is that you have a lot going on now, and after your surgery, your hormones will be whacked for a while. There will be challenges coming from everywhere. So--give yourself a break and just do your best. A lot of the drama is out of your control and all you can do is focus on your goals. We're here for you. :)
 
Terissa602 said:
Wow Thank you for all your suggestions I really appreciate it. I need to put my foot down and just start eating what they tell me. I forgot to mention I quit smoking November 26, 2020 so I feel I am on edge a bit at times. I really do want this surgery to be a success and I need to just suck it up. I am curious on what they have to say to me when I go for my appointment on Jan 6th what my weight is? My nutritionist did give me a thick booklet to follow on what to eat. I do have the baratric app for journaling my food. I did really good during the 1st week I started but on the weekend I just felt I can't eat anything when I went out and I lost it. Ever since I gave in I haven't been able to get back on track? Did anyone start the pre surgery diet cold turkey or did you start weening yourself off of the bad foods your not supposed to eat? I am just curious?
Click to expand...

The only thing I weaned myself off/on was the transition to regular food to suger free. I am typically a cold turkey person but in this case fake sweetners trigger migrains so I needed to take it slow to figure out what I could and couldn't have that would be a trigger.
 
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