Cereal & Oatmeal

My surgeon says not to eat this stuff. Too many carbs and takes room away that you need for protein. Even after getting to goal I stay away from this stuff. Some people at goal eat oatmeal but not cereal.  Diane S

Your doctor is, indeed, giving you bad advice.  Post-surgery, I've had oatmeal once - it's my treat after shoveling snow.  Aside from that?  I stay away from these sorts of processed/refined carbs that have little to no protein value.  

I will certainly stay away from them.

NO NO NO NO NO!

No cereal, crackers, or anything like it.

The best rule of thumb is, everything you eat until you reach goal needs 10 grams of protein for every 100 calories. That's a minimum. 10 grams of protein for every 50 calories would be better.

Carbs are nothing but calories. You're trying to burn calories -- you don't need more.

thank you GRIM

Here are the biochemical basics of fat burning:

• The body will use fat if glucose is low.
• All carbohydrate turns into glucose.
• If glucose is eaten, fat will be used LAST, especially stored fat.  More frequently, it will never even make it to fat stores.
• If glucose is not eaten, fat will be used FIRST.
• Excess carbohydrate is converted to fat for storage, as is excess protein (in very high amounts).  This is done in the liver and is called de novo lipogenesis.

Also, insulin is the hormone that triggers fat storage.  Eating processed carbohydrate will stimulate more insulin production, which triggers fat maintenance/storage.  

Basically - eating cereal and beans is counterproductive.  Sure, on caloric restriction you will still lose weight, but you are making your body work twice as hard to do it.

If you need glucose your liver can make it on demand from protein and (rarely) fat substrates.  This is called gluconeogenesis.  Technically, you can survive without eating any carbohydrate.

Additionally, carbohydrate stimulates hunger.  Hunger is not eliminated with ghrelin reduction (btw we still make it in our pancreatic beta and epsilon cells anyway post-op even before the stomach resumes production).  Insulin triggers the hunger cycle.  If you eat carbohydrate in higher amounts again, you will be more likely to experience hunger sooner.

This is because hunger relies on many hormones other than ghrelin, insulin being one, and is also caused by a hormonal feedback loop involving the hypothalamus.

Donna L, takingarisk was sleeved on 9 Nov. Beans were recommended by my nut during that phase - and even now, within reason. They definitely help me keep my hunger under control: fill me up and last a long time. Can be mashed, too. I agree with you on the no carbs (absolutely no oatmeal, cereal, rice, potatoes, noodles, bread, etc.) guidelines, but I'd be in deep trouble without legumes. I regularly add 2 tbsps of edamame to my salads to help increase the protein, add black beans to ground meat (the kids put it in tacos), and I also enjoy hummous and carrots. I also make a wickedly thick split pea soup for these cold days!  Can't live on meat alone for protein, and protein drinks are no longer agreeing with me so well... JMO, tho.

I saw, yes.  It really depends on a lot of factors.  I have lost about 450 pounds total, (300 before WLS) and never have eaten beans, including post-op, for instance.

Edamame are soy, not legumes, actually.  I eat those, too.  I don't eat legumes at all, though.  Whatever floats your boat. :)

Everyone's biochemistry is different, and I am not saying people should never eat carbs.  However, it is my experience as both a counselor who works with bariatricans and bariatric patient, the patients who do the best at 5, 10, 15 years limit their carbs for life.  Can you be successful eating carbs?  Absolutely!  

I was just posting the science behind it, which is true regardless of our personal choices :)

I'm kind of surprised at everyone telling her to ignore her doctor.  Really?  Isn't the whole reason you choose your doctor/program because you believe in it?  

I have stuck religiously to the guidelines for my program, including that I don't get beans until next week...Phase 5, 8 weeks after surgery, when I also get to add whole grain pastas and bread if I choose.  During my soft food stage, I was told I could have hot cereal...oatmeal, cream of wheat.  It was a nice change.  Cold cereal I could have started last week for Phase 4 but I figured I might eat one or two portions, and it would be a waste of a box of cereal so I didn't bother.

For me, the lure of high carb foods died with my diabetes diagnosis, when I cut them out of my diet almost completely 2 years ago.  It's like anything else, though...in moderation, I see no reason not to have some cereal if you want now and then.  Part of this whole process is learning to control your urges and be the master of your body, not the other way around like it used to be.  

Best of luck to you, takingarisk3825...onward and upward!  (or I guess, technically, onward and downward! LOL)