I disagree with my NUT, please weigh in with your opinion

Sassy, you look so fantastic!  I always look to you because I would have had my revision 12/20.  I am glad I didn't though because it would have been the VSPlication and not gastrectomy.  Anyways, I am happy.

I am seeing my nutritionist today.  When I met her before (pre-op) she went though so much and when she looked at my food log she was like you know about all of this, you know nutrition . . . why don't you try to do it on your own . . . you can do this on your own.  "Have you worked with a personal trainer" etc.  So she just trusted what I knew and me to follow through.  Her office is filled with sample foods for size and empty food containers of what we should eat and how to read nutrition labels.  She was pretty thorough and she never once pushed me into NOT eating carbs.  The golden rule for all weight loss surgeries is protein first, veggies(not starchy)/fruits second, then if you are not satisfied and there is still room, COMPLEX carbs.

I believe that nutritionist may push the no carbs because it is better not to have approval to eat when they know that we will eat anyway.  Maybe it makes us more cautious.  Sorry, I don't care what anyone says I love fruits.  Love them, love them love them.  I had a peach last night and it was so fricken good!!!  If fruit set me into a binge or stopped my weight loss or made me gain then I would consider not having it.  We all have to find our way.  I do however agree that simple carbs have gotten most of us in the trouble we got in.  Carbs are good, soothing, and easy.

Best,
Leila

If you are successful and feel and look good, who gives a dead rats ass what any nut says.

If what you are doing is working for you, continue, your body is proof that you are doing something right.  Technically we don't need carbs, but that doesn't mean that is going to lead to optimal health.  Maybe she means refined carbs.  In that case, I would agree with her.

Look to the diet of your ancestors.  What did they eat before the industrial revolution?  Along with fish and some meat, I am sure they ate plenty of complex carbohydrates including fruit.  Of course they probably had to do a lot more physical labor too.  What they didn't eat was junk food.

I don't buy into the no carb rule....anything that is too extreme is just a fad IMHO....it's like the fat free craze a few years back....

Fruit is always a reasonable snack....provided you are eating it raw and plain, it is healthy, in a natural state,  filled with vitamins and antioxidants and has been eaten by animals and humans for thousands of years!

I felt my healthiest food wise, pre-op, when eating raw foods (fruits and veggies) where carbs was about 87% of my daily total.

Now of course, due to the surgery, I will eat higher protein than that, but I still am about 50/50 and I'm losing weight fine...

I truly believe it is the junky carbs, you have to be very careful about....they offer little nutrition and are easy to overeat....

And I don't know any nutritionist that would say "don't reach for a piece of fruit when you need something sweet" - its better then reaching for the cookies, candy bar, piece of cake, or bag of chips or crap like that.

My dietitian is not a carb-Nazi and would say carbs are allowed in moderation.  I would say it depends on your body chemistry and what your body allows.

Rose is correct that you don't NEED to eat any carbs - your body will produce the carbs it needs to function from the protein and fat that you eat. 

But non-starchy veggies have lots of other heathy stuff that offset the small amount of carbs that come with them.  Fruit is the same for most people.  For me, fruit is sugar with seeds, so I keep the amounts very small.

Refined carbs are eaten because they taste good - not for nutrition.

So, you look at YOU - at your chemistry and how your body responds to different foods - and pick the diet that you can live with and be healthy.

Your nutritionist is a radical, and will be causing people serious harm over the long run if they continue with that kind of medically incorrect advice.

Next time you go, ask them for the specific medical references, and long term studies of large population groups that support that position.  That should shut them up.

And report this person to the hospital, because they are giving frankly dangerous advice, that could result in the hospital being sued, as they are a representative of that organization..

Thanks for everyone who has 'weighed' in and given an opinion. Its interesting to see the different views/opinions/advice, etc..And Sub's expert opinion and articles are very much valued and very interesting if you guys want to check them out.

For me I do feel best eating healthfully with good quality foods like fresh veggies from my garden, organic meats, free range local eggs. seafood, and yes the occasional fresh fruit! I feel better than I ever have and in the end will let that dictate my eating habits. Shh..we just wont tell Nina the NUT..

Someone had mentioned a diet being too extreme or restrictive and I subscribe to the thinking that when things are labeled 100%bad and off limits it makes you want them more...

So I am just going to keep doing what I am doing, focusing on my protein, and being as active as my new body allows whi*****ludes kayaking, hiking, swimming, and surfing..

C'est la vie!
xo
Sassy

The no carb, protein only approach is RADICAL and very unhealthy.  It will be very hard on your body especially your kidneys.  The only good thing about radical approaches is that they are very difficult and nasty for long periods of time hence most people give them up before too much damage is done.  Even my vet advocates the fiber found in vegetables for my dog.

I have been on most of the diets out there in the last 40 years.  I lost weight on all of them.  The only difference was what it did to my health and how fast I regained the weight lost when I gave up on them.  I am doing my best now to learn good nutrition and moderation as I intend to not only loose this weight but to be healthy as well. 

Hi Sassy,
The NUT at Bridges has a sort of contradictory message (which makes it kinda confusing). They also say protein first, and they say 3 meals a day, and they say 60 grams of protein, and they say 1200 calories day. But they don't tell you HOW to accomplish these values. So I talked with the NUT after the meeting and tried to get clarification. All I could get out the conversation was this, "We set the daily calories at 1200 because we figured if we didn't allow you to fill up on carbs you would all feel like you are starving & fail". So in short, there isn't a magic formula, it's based on armchair psychology where they try and second guess us "poor fat folks that have no self control".
From my experience it's ok to have some low glycemic fruit in your diet. I don't eat banana, peach, or watermelon  very often. I use them like a treat the way some non-obese people use the occasional ice cream treat.
Be happy, Be healthy, adjust your caloric intake to where you are in your own weight loss or maintenance plan. Some days you may loosen up and have some BBQ and fruit, other days you might be more strict so you can drop the few lbs you put on from loosening up in days prior. It's how mainstream people live their lives. They skip a meal or go to the gym to compensate for eating those tasty, carb rich meals on occasion.
Enjoy!... Craig

While I am following a high protein diet I will not be excluding healthy carbs such as veggies and occassional fruit. There are so many scientifically proven healthly and disease preventing components to certain vegetable groups that I think it is not smart to totally exclude them. For example the cruciferous family and the blue/purple group whi*****ludes blueberries and eggplant have phytonutrients in them you cannot get from any other foods. I think variety chosen from the healthiest veggie families is a safe addition and a "needed" additional to a high protein diet. Think disease prevention.

Leigh