Question:
It sounds like after WLS one has to eat a lot of protein; cause a health problem?
I went to my first informational meeting re: WLS last night. The doctor presenting said diet after surgery is 70% protein, 30% vegetables. I seem to remember hearing that if you eat too much protein it can cause a health problem; I think it was liver damage, not sure. Anyone know about this? Also, when he said vegetables, does that mean no fruit any more due to too much carbs in fruit? Also, does the lap band REALLY get rid of hunger that I've experienced when trying to do an 1800 cal. diet (type II diabetic and get so hungry I become afraid of another low blood sugar incident and overeat)? — dorriebarnes (posted on February 7, 2007)
February 7, 2007
Here is my experience. I, too, went to a meeting here in town and basically
they mentioned the sugar so I asked the questions about fruit. He told me
possibly I couldn't. Then I went to another forum in Dallas in they said
that fruits in small amounts were allowed. I have not had any problems with
fruit at all. I usually will have a yogurt with some blueberries and
walnuts in it in the morning. I eat the carb & sugarl control by Dannon
Light & Fit. It is 4 oz and only 5 grams of sugar. I also have eaten
watermelon, apples, pineapples, melon, etc. On the protein, I know that too
much can overwork your kidneys but if you don't have kidney disease, you
should not have a problem. In all truthfulness, everyone needs a lot of
protein but we just need more and need to make sure it is our first choice
since we do not have much room for much more. As always, you can ask your
doctor first and foremost but this has been my experience.
— kgottsch
February 7, 2007
Chances are that after you lose some of your weight, your diabetes will
become diet controlled. This seems to be the norm with gastric bypass
patients.
On the other topic... I'm not sure of health problems from protein other
than if you already have liver issues like cyrrhosis or something else it
doesn't process protein easily. They will determine the health of your
liver preop. I'm 8 months post op and eat what my family eats - at least
the healthy food portion of it. I eat fruit, and veggies and always eat my
meat or other protein based foods first. I eat cheese, apples, oranges,
juices, etc. I've found extremely sweet fruits to be a bit of a challenge
at first, because the extra sugars made me sick (pineapple) but in small
amounts they have been ok as well. We must take extra vitamins to
suppliment but you can also eat healthy and have a well balanced diet as a
post op patient.
Also weigh your options carefully. If you like sugary sweet drinks, then
lap band surgery is defeatable. I was going to go for the least invasive
until I discovered that my habits were prime suspect to defeat the band. I
had a lap RNY and don't regret it at all. 108 lbs lost later, I enjoy life,
and am healthier than I've ever been.
Hope this helps
— oceanrayne
February 7, 2007
Eventually you can have fruit -- after about a year or so. I attended my
pre-op class on Tuesday and the nutritionist stressed that for the first
year you want to stick to the diet. Moving to beer, carbonated drinks,
carbs and other products will only stretch your pouch and hinder the
patient from reaching their goal. The fruits she stressed not to eat the
first year are oranges and grapefruit type fruits -- with membranes. The
other reason they stress to be low on fruit is that fruit has natural sugar
and not all patients will be able to tolerate them. My former
brother-in-law thought he could control his diabetes with diet and he
always ate a lot of fruit and we tried to tell him that fruit has its own
natural sugar -- he ended up on going on insulin. I'm having the RNY so I
don't kinow if the same would stand for lapband because that can be
expanded as well as tightened.
— the7thdean
February 7, 2007
Aloha! You didn't mention whether you're interested in bypass or lap
band. I had a lap band on 9/5. When I got to the solid food stage, at
about 4 weeks, I have been able to eat whatever I want. I choose to eat my
protein first, then veggies, then fruits. As for the too much protein
question, you really aren't eating enough to damage your kidneys, unless
you already have damage. Just a note of encouragement, I have not had to
take diabetes meds or high blood pressure meds since the day of surgery. I
have lost 60 pounds so far, blood pressure is normal, and blood sugars are
100-110. Good luck!
— gtali1954
February 7, 2007
I'm 10 months post op and at goal. Prior to RNY I was diabetic and had a
number of other health issues. My health has improved 100 percent!! I eat
a lot of protien and I started eating non-citrus fruit two months post op
and then added citrus after five months. I've had no complications.
I have never had a liver problem since having WLS although
I sure did prior to surgery. My doctors said the high protien diet will
not damage the liver but a high CARB diet will lead to fatty liver. Good
Luck! Bunny
— Faradygm
February 7, 2007
Hello Dorrie, thanks for writing. I am really glad to see you think about
the details of what people are saying. I don't know about the health
problems associated with overeating protein, but I do know that the protein
drink diets of the past were not good for you. This is not like that. Yes
you eat more protein than other stuff, but keep it in context, you are
eating about 10% of what you usually eat at first, and I am almost 3 years
out, and probably eat about 40 to 50 percent of what I used to eat. So,
even if it is mostly protein, it is still MUCH less than I used to do.
Make sense? I personally eat normally, and eat anything I want in small
portions. WLS has been the answer to prayer for me, and I am so thankful.
I determined that drinks and shakes were not going to be my life. God
intended us to eat food, not live on supplements, so I don't, and I am very
healthy and doing great. I DO take vitamins and calcium like I am supposed
to, but I get my food sources from food not drinks. Everyone is completely
different, so what works for one, may not work for another, and you don't
know where you fit in that area until you have surgery. Some people can't
eat this or that, some people deal with head hunger issues more than
others. Obesity, in my opinion, is a head issue with a body consequence.
You have to NOT ignore the head issues. You get head hunger and think you
are gonna die if you don't eat. It is head hunger, not body hunger, but
the anxiety is still very real. Many people resolve diabetic symptoms
after surgery, not all, but many, it can be areally good thing. I don't
know about the lap band, I had RNY, and my diabetic comment is in relation
to RNY, as I don't know about diabetics and lap band. Hunger with the lap
band is completely different from RNY. RNY you have this tiny pouch that
once it is full, you have to leave it alone, the lap band, food goes from a
tiny pouch to a bigger pouch, and I don't know how that feels or how it
helps with hunger. RNY, with the tiny severed pouch causes the stomach to
have to re-route the harmone that causes hunger, this takes 6 months to a
year for the body to re-route that harmone, this gives you that
"honeymoon" period for weight loss, if you use it wisely. Don't
exercise, don't drink water, don't do what your doctor says, and suffer the
consequences. Fight for that weight loss, protein, water, exercise, and
you can have a very successful surgery and health benefits. There is
plenty to research, I went to 9 different informational meetings and some
support groups, read books and researched on line with questions and chats
for 9 months before I had surgery. I went in prepared and supported. I
prayed about it the entire way and when we believed that God had allowed us
to move forward, we did. I am so glad I did, but it was still hard work.
I hope this helps some. Take care, Patricia P
— Patricia P
February 8, 2007
I'm not a big fan of meat or fish, so I rely on my protein supplement for
protein. My doc requires it, but it is by far my preference. It is
partially pre-digested, meaning that it is more readily absorbable than the
meat products and I can certainly get more of it on board. I'm 12+ years
and no kidney issues at all. Fruit. I LOVE fruit. It cost me an 8 #
weight gain. I was 8 yrs out when that happened. ooops. I can have some
fruit, "a" fruit, but to have several servings a day? Not for
this girl or I'm wearing it on my hips. Isn't that sad? Sugar is sugar is
sugar and the body doesn't really care what the source is. If our bodies
could tell the difference, we wouldn't be in this club all together. We'd
be like other people who can eat reasonable portions of anything and remain
a reasonable wt. For me, if I eat fruit in the quantities that I would
LIKE, I will wear a bigger size pants. I will cut up an apple and use it
for several meals or cut up other fruits and issue myself a portion. Not
good to just grab some as I walk by or to make myself a bowl of fresh cut
fruit. As to whether any of these surgeries turn off hunger? I'm rarely
hungry, even now with my distal RNY. But my husband (1995, same surgery)
does have hunger. So, the simple answer is that some are hungry, some are
not.
— vitalady
February 8, 2007
My docotor told me that I cant have raw fruit or vegetables six months
after surgery due it can cause blockage. But one month after my surgery I
can have can fruit that is in light syurp or sweeten with splenda. You
might want to talk with your docotor about this.
— barfiep01
February 15, 2007
70% protein diet is great, but you are correct that there is such a thing
as too much and it does effect your kidneys. It's really tough though to
eat enough for it to be damaging. 70-80g per day is a great range. I am
almost 5 years out from gastric bypass and happy to say I have kept all my
weight off. Fruit and anything with sugar was ok for me after about 6
months, just in small amounts. As with everything, it's portion control.
My surgeon always stressed that while it was important to eat properly, you
also want to eat "normal" just like anyone trying to maintain
their weight. Good luck! :)
— emilyfink
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