Ever wonder why it's protein first for WLS folks?

Well, protein first is not just  a rule for WLS folks like us but it's an important part of anyone's weight loss and maintenance program. I always thought the rule was for us because of malabsorption but guess it's not. Here's a good excerpt from the South Beach diet plan. Lean protein is a core part of your weight loss meal plan, and there's a good reason for that: Lean protein satisfies your hunger and keeps your blood sugar levels steady. Plus, lean protein allows you to maintain muscle mass while losing weight, which keeps your metabolism running at full speed. Cutting back on protein during weight loss, on the other hand, contributes to a loss of muscle mass and a slower metabolism.

When it comes to protein, the best choices include lean cuts of beef (such as eye of round), ground beef (sirloin, lean, and extra lean), tenderloin, top loin, and top round, as well as skinless turkey and chicken breast, pork loin and pork tenderloin, fish and shellfish, and tofu and soy-based meat alternatives. Protein sources that are high in saturated fat should be avoided. These include brisket, liver, rib steaks (like prime rib), chicken and turkey pieces with the skin (as well as dark meat), duck, and goose.

Hey Boner, Thanks for lesson. I've wondered about that and suspected the response you gave, but was unaware of the protien/metabolism connection. Have a great day bud. Doug

You've come across something I've been theorizing for a long time.  I've known about protein and how it affects our metabolism for a long time.  What is difficult for me to understand is why people who have WLS seem to have success whereas those who do Atkins or South Beach only have limited success.  I think perhaps it's because the thought is there that you HAVE to get in protein or else you'll ... (add your favorite side affect here).   Thus it 'changes your life' and the way you eat.  Whereas when we try to do low-carb/high protein prior to surgery we feel like it's a 'diet' and not a way of life.  There are some that have success doing it the natural way and majority of them do it through high protein diets. They effectively make a lifestyle change that lowers their carb intake and they concentrate on good wholesome lean meats.  As an RNYer it is important to get in protein first because you will want to make sure you're not losing muscle mass from the decreased caloric intake. You're gonna lose weight because you're eating a lot less.  So since you're not able to eat as much then you should focus mainly on protein so that you have healthy weight loss.  DSers claim that their diet is not the same as a low-carb diet such as Atkins. The only differences that I'm seeing is that they have to eat a lot more protein and fat than someone on Atkins since they malabsorb it so much. They absorb different than an Atkins'er. In my theory, the DSers essentially absorb the amount a food  that a non-op would consume on Atkins (or your favorite low-carb.)  I've been doing a lot of reading on this and I've been planning on reopening the whole Atkins discussion on the DS board. I really want to understand how it differs and why people feel that they couldn't have done it without the DS. The myths around kidney failure and heart disease that surrounds Atkins is just that, a myth. It's the same with DSers. There's so many similarities it's hard for my non-op mind to grasp the differences.  Once I feel I'm more educated on low-carb/high protein I will definitely indulge in the discussion! I gotta run, but I'll come back to this later.

Great post Boner. Simply put, protein re-builds muscle after it has been "torn down" by work, such as weight training, jogging, or other exercise. Carbs (simple sugars and complex starches) and fats are the fuel that the body uses to actually perform the work. If one takes in more carbs and fats than the body needs for fuel, the body converts them both to fat and stores it for later use.  In the case of WLS, the only thing that cannot be 100% supplemented with pills or capsules is protein.  You can take the needed vitamins, minerals, calcium, fiber and all the rest, but they can't give you a quality protein pill (at least not yet - but I bet some company is working on it as we type). The closest thing is the protein powders and supplements but they must be mixed in water or milk. Protein also requires some carbs to transport it and to be effectively absorbed by the body. In other words, we ain't just fat, we're just super efficient at storing fuel.

"we ain't just fat, we're just super efficient at storing fuel." You're right Bama. Our bodies have adapted over the generations to store fat fuel since man used to work so hard physically. Since most of us don't work as hard physically as our prior generations did, the body doesn't (but still does) need to store the fat fuel. As a result of this (and those damn Whoppers ), nearly half of the U.S. is obese. Boner

Variety in our protein sources is indeed important Paul. As a matter of fact, each Sunday during the summer/fall I try to grill a pork, beef and chicken something or other while I gots the coals hot. I then use it the following week in the meals I prepare.  Also keeps me from getting burned out on the same old, same old .....  Boner

I try to load up the grill as well - no use wasting hard-earned cash on wasted charcoal! One time I went to one of our chi-chi gourmet butchers..... bought some smokies, pork ribs, pork chops, and the sweetest breasts you ever did see    Everything looked so good I just had to have more... after all, how much could it cost  I ended up with $90 worth of meat on the Q that afternoon     I shopped at El Carnicerea from then on 

Gosh Boner....you after Dx's job? Great post man, solved a couple of things I'd been ruminating too! Jim