Counting proteins

My Dr. Only wants me to count whole protein towards my 60-80 grams. Protein shakes, Chicken, meat, beans, nuts... Curious if you do the same, or do you count protein in other food items such as soup (eggdrop soup for example)...

A good approach is to count any food as one thing. For instance, potatoes, corn, wheat, etc all have some protein in them. But really, the protein is far outweighed by the carbs. So I looked at them as carbs only. Cheese has a bunch of protein, but even more fat, so I looked at it as a fat.

We can split hairs about the nutritional content of food and how healthy it is. But most important for all of us is wrapping our heads around a new lifestyle -- because the old way of looking at things certainly didn't work. It's too easy for us to rationalize eating something that's mostly carbs is that, "Oh it's ok -- it has protein in it."

I don't know if this is your doc's intent, but it is an approach that can serve you well.

What is your doctor's reasoning for this?

Excellent question Gwen. I assumed it was to focus on high protein, low to no carbs, which I'm fine with. Was wondering what others are doing. Assuming is never good, so I'll email dr.'s nutrionist tomorrow for clarification.

I think that's a totally plausible reason. I think Grim's logic here is completely sound.

I'd just be curious about what your surgeon's reasoning was.

Wow, I had not thought of this. I count everything and the chips fall where they may. I keep an eye on my numbers for the day and if my carb count goes up too high, I modify my next meal(s) to include protein only. My plan is to continue to log and modify what I'm eating until the process is second nature.

I, too, am going to ask my surgeon what she thinks. We have never discussed this particular nuance.

I don't currently have a NUT, as the nutritionists that are part of my weight loss support center are clueless. For example,when I asked for numbers (carbs, calories, fat, protein) that I should hit or stay below, they told me not to worry about that. One told me I should only eat once every 23 1/2 hours and consume no more than 200 - 300 calories at 3 weeks out per day. They told me that I should not bother logging my food, just only eat when I was hungry. Ok, at 3 weeks out, I had no idea what being hungry was or even what healthy eating looked like at that point. So, yeah, I turned to my surgeon, who gave me much more useful advice.

On the same subject, do any of you use a NUT that is online and that you might recommend their services?

I used Good Measures for about a month and a half. I was very impressed with their service. I don't like their food tracking app as much as MFP but it's not too bad and using it lets the RD see what you're eating. The monthly fee includes weekly consultations (or less frequent, whatever you think you need) with an RD for 30 minutes. They have resources for meal and food suggestions, and I really like the "good measures index" to give you a general idea if your diet is improving over time or not.

I stopped because I am not in a place to focus on the granular diet improvements right now, with my chronic diseases flaring and finishing up grad school. And I need to divert that money toward regular massage appointments for my fibro instead. I was not unhappy with the service at all, my only gripe is the minor one about their tracking app.

They use only registered dieticians (RDs) and the one I had was knowlegeable about WLS and worked with me to set small goals for improvement with my diet. It was a very positive experience.

I count everything, not so much fat, but definitely the protein, calories & carbs & will keep an eye out on the salt. So even if something was carby & had some protein, I count both. I keep myself in a range & I aim for dense protein.

I only do this because some foods that I like, like cheese will have a good amount of protein in it, but it'll have a good chunk of calories to go with it. It's too easy for me to go overboard on it, or drink a bunch of shakes & still be hungry later, all though I would've met my protein goals, but calories would've been out the window.

That seems like a very subjective way of macro counting - one person's protein might be another person's carb. For example, I would count beans and nuts as carbs instead of protein because they are relatively high carb. It's much more accurate to count everything, but if this works for your surgeon's patients then maybe it's worth giving it a try.

I use My Fitness Pal, which automatically records the protein from everything. The "incidental" proteins - the 1 gram here or there, are easy enough to deal with this way - you see them. But I drink Fairlife Skim Milk when I'm short (13 g in 1 cup) plus - as a post-menopausal woman, it clicks off the calcium box for me as well. Like others, I'd be curious as to your doc's reasons.