I want to float this out there....

I'm not inclined to give a lot of weight to older studies (the decline in food quality is fairly rapid each year) of people much older than I am, taking supplements of unknown quality.

Thanks for linking the study though I am still looking it over.

My old PCP was famously against vitamins and he was interviewed about being against them several times.

I can understand being concerned with old studies on vitamins-- but it is worth noting that all of the research I've seen on decline in nutritional quality of produce is ALSO quite old. Seems a touch unfair to dismiss one set of studies due to age while having no problems with the others.

http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/44/1/15.full

I see nothing in any of the studies cited above that would qualify as a "fairly rapid" decline each year. From one historical study of winter wheat, "The reported average rate of decline of the six minerals is 0.20% to 0.33% per year, equivalent to 100-year declines of 22% to 39%, respectively." Seems reasonably representative of the other studies cited as well.

Actually, the studies that you linked aren't all that old, considering that it can take upwards of five years or more for any validating follow on work to be published. Indeed, I generally consider anything younger than five years to be in the "that's interesting, let's see where this leads..." category.

Last year, my wife (our family PubMed junkie) found a recently published study that found that s high fat low carb diet, as popularized by the Paleo and Keto movements, promoted weight gain. The diet faithful would certainly claim that such studies are too recent to be adequately vetted and they would be right, though they have no problem promoting such studies if they support their beliefs. OTOH, the clinicians who have used those diets for that very purpose would have no problem with such findings.

On the multivit topic, it's probably cheap insurance to take one given the questionable nature of both corporate farming and food processiing, with little downside. As with everything, there will be some who go overboard on these things and will have a whole cupboard full of vits (without having a DS!)

You pretty much said exactly what I did -- and linked to a medical journal as I did -- so not sure why this isn't a good place to get information?

Thanks for sharing your anecdotal experience with RNY patients. You know, for someone who insists on people doing research in medical journals, rather than random internet people. For that matter, you have a lot of opinions and personal guesses, rather than science.

And your science is pretty narrow too. Hunger is far more complicated than a few hormone levels measured over 12 months postop.

I guess for me it was coming outta that weightlifting community all my life where u ate every 3-4 hours whether u were hungry or not. That whole constantly "feed the muscle" thing, "eat big to get big". Thinking back on it now, I was probably never really hungry. Could have been thirst. Funny thing is, My NUT suggests snacks, healthy of course. But after WLS, almost every meal was a snack. LOL. Does anyone really eat only 3 times a day?

I do now.

At first I was eating six small meals -- but really, I found that was a slippery slope to simply grazing. And grazing -- that's the surest way to out-eat your WLS.

Maintenance is a bear.

I am not saying that this is that way for everyone, but it is certainly that way for me.

I eat 3 meals that are by the clock each day for the sole purpose of getting my protein and nutritional requirements. At the end of the day, if I am short, I will allow myself less than 180 calories with at least 15 or more grams of protein to meet my goals.

I'm only 4 months post-op and 3 meals is working for me. I like how you put it. I have never had a sweet tooth but I have a severe case of portion distortion and 2nd and 3rd servingitis.

At my checkup today, the nurse recommended 3 meals and 2 snacks and I just don't see how that would work for me so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. At our family meals now, I actually leave the table once I've finished.

That works for me, too Teena --

My friend here (Ashley) once told me that one thing she's done to be successful is that she NEVER EVER eats anywhere but at the table. Even her vitamins -- she sits down at the table. I also incorporated that -- because otherwise I can get back into the trap of mindless eating.

:-)

Some only eat three times a day. I can't. I also eat by the clock. 8, 11, 2, 5, 8.

There are 2 factors in maintenance. Limiting your overall calories to avoid weight gain. And eating enough to avoid climbing the walls. Those 2 things are in eternal conflict.