Not following the "diet"

Hey all,
Ive been doing fantastic and have lost about 70 lbs in the last 3 1/2 months. I have tons of energy, lifting weights, walking many miles a day, golfing etc. My doctors orders are to follow a strict low carb diet. I did very well on the low carb thing in the early 2000's but after a few years it didn't work for me and I just ended up constipated and got fat(plus its so dang boring to me). At any rate, Ive just been eating whatever I want however, of course, about 10% of what I did before. Ive incorporated a lot of fruits into my diet and threw that low carb nonsense in the garbage and I feel great. Ive read that for the first year it really doesn't matter what you eat because you'll still loose weight because of the obvious stomach restriction. Just wondering if any of you veterans have had a similar experience in the first year and if so, how did it go in the subsequent years? Thanks in advance, Neal

I would recommend doing what they tell you, it works! Some carbs won't hurt, but concentrate on protein and veggies. Everything in moderation.

Whatever your doctor says for you to do, you should do it. You will find that every one's sleeve doctor is different and has told us all different things. Your doctor told you what he/she felt was best for you. My doctor told me to stick with protein first and veggies. I followed doctor's orders to a T because I didn't and couldn't lose weight or maintain it on my own.

I would just be mindful of "eating whatever you want" for too long; it's a slippery slope. Even if you can only consume fewer calories, but those calories are not the "healthiest" choices, you can easily gain weight. Protein first is a good rule and where you feel comfortable after that is up to you, but be mindful and careful about those other choices. Just my opinion and experience tells me that:)

Thanks JG! It’s just so stupid easy right now and I don’t want to get a big head about it because I’m not trying to get slapped in the face with fat gain ..My struggle is definitely with the protein but I’m working on it;)

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Originally Posted by Njo

Thanks JG! It’s just so stupid easy right now and I don’t want to get a big head about it because I’m not trying to get slapped in the face with fat gain ..My struggle is definitely with the protein but I’m working on it;)

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It is "stupid easy" to lose the weight! It seems to fall off whatever you do. I think the important part of following the protein first and all the other rules from day one is they become a habit once you have reached your goal. Because I can say from experience that once you reach goal, you HAVE to eat how we are taught. If you eat whatever you want at goal, you won't stay there. Sadly, the more years since surgery the more you can eat. So if you don't know how to eat, you can guess what will happen. I still have my protein first at almost every meal. I still struggle to keep off every single pound.

Even though I am not the original poster, reading all these pieces of advice from veterans gives me so much information about what I can do post-surgery. Thank you all!

As mention by Sraebaer a lot of this is all about changing your eating habits and "training" yourself to make better choices so that later on when the weight stops falling off you don't start gaining. If you start now it will all be so much easier when you get to the maintenance part.
Carbs are easy to eat but they don't keep you as full as protein does. I still concentrate on protein first, then veg, then if there is any room left, and there usually isn't, some carbs.
The job doesn't stop when you get to your goal weight, in fact, that's when the hard work actually starts!
I still weigh, measure and record everything I eat. While that might not work for everyone, it's what I need to do to keep me on the straight and narrow.

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Originally Posted by KiwiGal

As mention by Sraebaer a lot of this is all about changing your eating habits and "training" yourself to make better choices so that later on when the weight stops falling off you don't start gaining. If you start now it will all be so much easier when you get to the maintenance part.
Carbs are easy to eat but they don't keep you as full as protein does. I still concentrate on protein first, then veg, then if there is any room left, and there usually isn't, some carbs.
The job doesn't stop when you get to your goal weight, in fact, that's when the hard work actually starts!
I still weigh, measure and record everything I eat. While that might not work for everyone, it's what I need to do to keep me on the straight and narrow.

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Amen!!!!

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Originally Posted by sraebaer

It is "stupid easy" to lose the weight! It seems to fall off whatever you do. I think the important part of following the protein first and all the other rules from day one is they become a habit once you have reached your goal. Because I can say from experience that once you reach goal, you HAVE to eat how we are taught. If you eat whatever you want at goal, you won't stay there. Sadly, the more years since surgery the more you can eat. So if you don't know how to eat, you can guess what will happen. I still have my protein first at almost every meal. I still struggle to keep off every single pound.

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I agree - I struggle to keep my weight where it needs to be. I don't know that I eat more at one time, but I'm still never hungry. So I worry about my blood sugar dropping, and try to remember to eat. But find if I don't consciously plan my food, I go off track.

Weighing every day, even if I don't like the number, helps me reign myself in.

I understand that it is hard to stick to the diet but sometimes it is better to fight because the end result is very very worth it