What's up with the whole protein thing?
You have to have protein for the building blocks for your body. Your hair,skin, organs like your heart and lungs and muscles are all mostly protein. You have to have protein to heal.
Your body has NO stored protein. If you do not get enough protein in your diet, you body will take it from other areas to us it for critical processes. Things like growing hair and nails are sacrificed first. Muscle tissue will be broken down and used next. Think prison camp survivor. Not good.
If you had VSG, then like most of us, you probably have lots of stored fat you want to burn. Fat has about 3000 calories per pound. You body actually made the fat from excess blood sugars which came from eating too much carbohydrates. You body can get most of the carbohydrate type material it needs from using up your fat stores.
Final Results: You have to consume Protein and other essential nutrients your body does not store like vitamins and Omega3 fatty acids to stay healthy, but you have to minimize "bad" carbohydrates which are turned into blood sugars as these keep you from burning stored fats. As long as you stay reasonably low fat for your protein, fats just come along for the ride and are not excessively controlled.
How sever you have to restrict your carbohydrates depends on how badly your endocrine system is over amped on insulin. If I even look at white carbs my weight loss can stall out. I do eat some healthy green vegetables, but with our tiny tummies you have to make sure you get your protein in first, and than does not leave much room for anything else for quite a while.
So Protein first, then some good carbs, and easy on the fats. Make sure you get enough water to stay hydrated, and take your vitamins. And it works!
Your body has NO stored protein. If you do not get enough protein in your diet, you body will take it from other areas to us it for critical processes. Things like growing hair and nails are sacrificed first. Muscle tissue will be broken down and used next. Think prison camp survivor. Not good.
If you had VSG, then like most of us, you probably have lots of stored fat you want to burn. Fat has about 3000 calories per pound. You body actually made the fat from excess blood sugars which came from eating too much carbohydrates. You body can get most of the carbohydrate type material it needs from using up your fat stores.
Final Results: You have to consume Protein and other essential nutrients your body does not store like vitamins and Omega3 fatty acids to stay healthy, but you have to minimize "bad" carbohydrates which are turned into blood sugars as these keep you from burning stored fats. As long as you stay reasonably low fat for your protein, fats just come along for the ride and are not excessively controlled.
How sever you have to restrict your carbohydrates depends on how badly your endocrine system is over amped on insulin. If I even look at white carbs my weight loss can stall out. I do eat some healthy green vegetables, but with our tiny tummies you have to make sure you get your protein in first, and than does not leave much room for anything else for quite a while.
So Protein first, then some good carbs, and easy on the fats. Make sure you get enough water to stay hydrated, and take your vitamins. And it works!
CAUTION: Make sure Brain is engaged before putting Mouth into gear!!
Starting Weight 354/ PreOP 335/ Current 249/ Goal 195
That is an interesting comment, I had not seen High protein diets linked to cancer risks.
With the VSG surgery we are a special case. Although the % of protein in our diets are higher (50% of calories) our overall consumption of food by volume is probably less than a third to a half of what most of the population eats. We may still be eating LESS protein per day than the average person.
Second, we are only eating very low carbs (and especially skipping the "white" refined carbs) for 6 months to a year during our weight loss phase. During this time we are burning HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of stored fat calories. After we get to a more normal weight, we up the carbs to bring our weight to a stasis point.
From the quick web search, it seems like the problem is not necessarily the protein causing the cancer, but reduced vitamins and anti-oxidants we would get from carbohydrates. (and very few of these come from sugar, flour, starch). Being overweight also seems to be a big risk factor in cancers.
Finally, consuming cholesterol does not seem to be a the only factor in having higher blood serum cholesterol. Many studies on low carb diets have show that lowering the white high glycimic carbs lowers blood sugar levels which lowers insulin levels. The body uses insulin to turn blood sugars into fats. With lower sugar and insulin levels they are not being turned into fats, and this actually lowers blood cholesterol levels. Still avoiding too many saturated fats is a good idea.
How low do you go on carbs is and will be a high point of contention in the medical research community for quite some time. The one thing that does seem to be pretty much universally agreed on is that we do not need very many "white" carbs in our diets, and that this is one area we as a society must somehow change. Low carb is not NO carbohydrates, Just the RIGHT Carbohydrates.
With the VSG surgery we are a special case. Although the % of protein in our diets are higher (50% of calories) our overall consumption of food by volume is probably less than a third to a half of what most of the population eats. We may still be eating LESS protein per day than the average person.
Second, we are only eating very low carbs (and especially skipping the "white" refined carbs) for 6 months to a year during our weight loss phase. During this time we are burning HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of stored fat calories. After we get to a more normal weight, we up the carbs to bring our weight to a stasis point.
From the quick web search, it seems like the problem is not necessarily the protein causing the cancer, but reduced vitamins and anti-oxidants we would get from carbohydrates. (and very few of these come from sugar, flour, starch). Being overweight also seems to be a big risk factor in cancers.
Finally, consuming cholesterol does not seem to be a the only factor in having higher blood serum cholesterol. Many studies on low carb diets have show that lowering the white high glycimic carbs lowers blood sugar levels which lowers insulin levels. The body uses insulin to turn blood sugars into fats. With lower sugar and insulin levels they are not being turned into fats, and this actually lowers blood cholesterol levels. Still avoiding too many saturated fats is a good idea.
How low do you go on carbs is and will be a high point of contention in the medical research community for quite some time. The one thing that does seem to be pretty much universally agreed on is that we do not need very many "white" carbs in our diets, and that this is one area we as a society must somehow change. Low carb is not NO carbohydrates, Just the RIGHT Carbohydrates.
CAUTION: Make sure Brain is engaged before putting Mouth into gear!!
Starting Weight 354/ PreOP 335/ Current 249/ Goal 195
Well said! And absolutely true. I hate when people think I don't eat any carbs. I do, just in the form of nuts, seeds, cheese, non-starchy veggies, and fruits like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. The number one thing I focus on in my meals is my protein. The amount I can eat at any one time is about the size of the palm of my hand. 3/4 of that is protein. The rest is veggie or fruit. I snack on seeds/nuts and cheese in between meals. I find that this gives me the most well-rounded diet.
I sometimes supplement with protein drinks, but only occasionally. I have also discovered something absolutely wonderful. GREEK YOGURT. I have this every single morning for breakfast.
Now, not all greek yogurt is created equally. I look for brands that have the most protein and least carbs per serving. Some only have 6-7 grams of protein.
The brands I buy are:
* Chobani Plain Yogurt (6 oz is 18 grams of protein...yep, you read that right...EIGHTEEN GRAMS)
* Brown Cow Plain Greek Yogurt (5.3 oz is 15 grams of protein)
* Voskos Plain Greek Yogurt (6oz, I believe it was comparable and maybe slightly higher in protein as the Chobani)
I stir in 1/4 cup of a lowcarb flaxseed granola (I buy it at a local health foods store, it's Flax Z Snax Cinnamon Nut Granola) and I usually add about 1/4 cup of some kind of berries. Lately, however, I've been adding 2 tsps of powdered sugar-free/fat-free Jello pudding mix into the greek yogurt. OMG, that's fabulous. I especially love the Cheesecake flavor, but Butterscotch and Chocolate are awesome, too. Only adds about 3g carbs.
Just some ideas that I've found helpful!
Deana
I sometimes supplement with protein drinks, but only occasionally. I have also discovered something absolutely wonderful. GREEK YOGURT. I have this every single morning for breakfast.
Now, not all greek yogurt is created equally. I look for brands that have the most protein and least carbs per serving. Some only have 6-7 grams of protein.
The brands I buy are:
* Chobani Plain Yogurt (6 oz is 18 grams of protein...yep, you read that right...EIGHTEEN GRAMS)
* Brown Cow Plain Greek Yogurt (5.3 oz is 15 grams of protein)
* Voskos Plain Greek Yogurt (6oz, I believe it was comparable and maybe slightly higher in protein as the Chobani)
I stir in 1/4 cup of a lowcarb flaxseed granola (I buy it at a local health foods store, it's Flax Z Snax Cinnamon Nut Granola) and I usually add about 1/4 cup of some kind of berries. Lately, however, I've been adding 2 tsps of powdered sugar-free/fat-free Jello pudding mix into the greek yogurt. OMG, that's fabulous. I especially love the Cheesecake flavor, but Butterscotch and Chocolate are awesome, too. Only adds about 3g carbs.
Just some ideas that I've found helpful!
Deana
HW - 337 (51.2 BMI) in 2000
HW - 337 (51.2 BMI) in 2000
Where do you find the different greek yogurts? I have only seen the Fage.
Thanks
Thanks
I am 5'4" HW 273 SW 255 CW 162.4
First Goal(s): Weigh less than hubby(DONE) and One-derland(DONE)!!!
Second Goal: Weigh 170 (what I weighed when hubby and I dated and got married) (DONE)!!!
Third Goal: Reach a normal BMI (145 lbs)
Most Active
Recent Topics
