Advice from DSers!

A good friend of mine is coming over on Sunday so I can help her with her weight loss journey.  Two years ago today she got the DS.  She has lost 140 pounds and has shrunk from a size 28 to a size 16.  How awesome is that! However, she has fallen off the wagon (So to speak) in the last 6 months and is feeling frustrated by that.  I reached out and told her I could share everything I have learned  and hopefully take some of my (sorta) fresh-outta-surgery  enthusiasm and pass it onto her.  Not to mention, paying it forward is also great for keeping me accountable and on track with my own plan.

I have compiled a list of general tips- what I like to keep in my cupboards, favorite recipes, my protein sources, etc.  I understand that a DS diet is different than a VSG diet so I would like to get a general understanding of what that is.  Can someone give me a rundown- daily totals to aim for, requirements, etc.  

Thanks for the help!

Okay, the biggest difference is what we absorb...so for most of us (and there are exceptions to all of this) we do this:

1) Aim for 90-120 grams of protein.

2) About 100-150 grams of fat (and this is a very personal balance too much is as bad as not enough) Too little, I get severely constipated, too much, get the runs.

3) Eat as close to meat source type carbs (milk based, etc).

4) Stay as low carb as your body will handle without feeling deprived. I count all carbs so my limit is about 100. Most stay around 50ish but that's net carbs.

5) Avoid white carbs and processed foods...and avoid sugar alcohols.

6) Don't even bother with calorie counting as the amount of fat we eat skews the results. 150 grams of fat is 1350 calories but we absorb ABOUT 20% of that for a calorie count of 270 calories. (See why calorie counting is a BAD idea for a DS'er?)

7) Make sure vitamins are adjusted according to lab work.

8) STAY hydrated...we don't have the amount of small colon we use to, and it is super easy for us to get dehydrated as a result.

9) If getting enough protein in is problematic, use protein shakes.

Does she need to worry about differentiating between  mono/polysaturated vs. saturated? My understanding has always been to limit saturated fats and opt for egg whites, skim cheese, skim milk, etc.  But it seems like to get that fat goal it would make sense to use 1% or 2% yogurt/milk/cheese and cook the eggs as is.

I, myself, use 2% dairy products because I like them better and I figure that since my portions are so small that the amounts of fat I am getting is acceptable.  

Avoiding calorie counting makes sense to me now- before I was thinking, HOW DO THEY NOT COUNT CALORIES?! I will strike that from my information now :) 

Thanks!

EGGS, WHOLE milk, regular cheese, butter, full fat yogurt, fatty meats are her best friends.

There are some proteins in egg yolks that can not be found in egg whites. http://www.prevention.com/which-healthier-eggs-vs-egg-whites

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10217054?dopt=Citation

"After adjustment for age, smoking, and other potential CHD risk factors, we found no evidence of an overall significant association between egg consumption and risk of CHD or stroke in either men or women."

No-fat, 1% and 2% have the BEST part for us stripped out! Skim and no fat need to be deleted from the conversation!

Usually when fat is stripped from food, there has to be something added to make it taste better.

Edited to add: Preop on no meds, my total cholesterol ran about 240. (had been on lipitor for almost a decade...needed a pre-op baseline for comparision. NOW, eating full fat everything, my total cholesterol is 143 on NO meds.

Liz

Right.  I avoid anything that says "fat-free" because it tends to be a chemical **** storm.  

This is great info, thank you!  It's so interesting to hear about the different ways you need to eat for each individual surgery.  

Some of use protein shakes to help us keep the munchies at bay.  I like to keep Syntrax Nectar vanilla, strawberry mousse and chocolate on hand. Both hubby and I low carb, so our groceries are 1/2 & 1/2 for our protein coffees, plan 2% Fage Greek yogurt and frozen blueberries for breakfast (sweetened with Splenda), and peanuts. We use real butter, real sour cream, and oils. Ah! Bacon, lots of bacon, eggs, and cheese.  We eat a good dinner with a fresh meat and something green such as a salad or green beans. We don't eat grains very often, so no bread, rice, pasta, etc.

I try to eat less than 70-80 net grams of carbs a day. I almost always get 120 grams of protein from protein shakes and protein coffee, meals and shakes are just extra. I don't count fat grams really. I suppose they are at least as many as my protein grams if not more. 

Thank you for trying to help her and giving her support.

--gina

Are there any concerns about high cholesterol with the bacon, eggs, cheese, etc?  Or is that not effected because of the malabsorption factor of the DS? Is there any time that the effects of the malabsorption decrease and she will need to be more cognizant of her fat intake?

She see's a dietician so she may already have the information on this.  But in my experience people who have a history of obesity and have had the surgery seem to offer better information on the subject. 

Dietitians are taught that we all must restrict fat. That will probably be disproved in a year or so, and the textbooks changed in about 20 years. lol

No, our cholesterol usually stays very low unless there is some hereditary cholesterol dysfunction going on. As long as people low carb, fat shouldn't be an issue.

Fat doesn't make us fat, carbs do. My hubby is a normie and he stays low carb and eats like I do now. He was doing awful when he was following the American Heart Assoc diet and the American Diabetes diet. Since going low carb all his meds work and he's even been able to reduce them.

--gina

The trend in VSG right now is to limit carbs to the point where fruit isn't something that is recommended.  What is the DS school of thought on this?  My personal view is that eating too much fruit didn't get me fat, so if I am reaching for a banana vs. a donut I am doing a good job.  

I didn't eat fruit my first year while I was getting to goal. Now I choose a lower carb fruit and I've settled on blueberries mixed in my Greek yogurt. Bananas I don't do due to the carbs.  Some of us eat fruits after we reach goal that are on the lower end of the carb charts such as fresh strawberries and blueberries. Vitalady said she's had 3 little gains she was able to lose one was fruit and one was fudge, I can't remember the 3d one.  

--g