Have doctor's guidelines changed?

I was just on the regular VSG board and was reading posts from folks less than a month out and I'm stunned at the things people are eating.  They are eating things I did not even attempt until a year out and then not very much of.  So many folks reporting nausea but they are eating REAL food at 3 weeks including bread?

Are the newer docs not giving low carb guidelines?  Are they not having their patients stay on liquids for very long?  Dr. Alvarez was very strict and while it was very hard especially in the beginning, I'm so thankful for all the guidance I was given.

im not sure if plans are different or if its the more the ones coming through now want to eat "normal" and do not want to diet.  They do not want to deprive themselves.  alot seem to complain of hunger soon after surgery...  i remember being on full fluids and creamy soups filling me up, even my protein shakes would make me feel full.  they might not have stuck around for hours but i still was not starving like alot complain of. but then i was put on ppi in the hospital.

I still do not eat pasta, rice, bread, and most times do not eat potatoes.  Im definately not perfect i still have desert, but my surgeon said it was a lifestyle change and thats what ive tried to do. 
for me surgery was my last resort i was ready to do anything to get the weight off so i followed the plan i was given...

I don't know but I am surprised by what I see some people report as part of their plan. There are so many university developed plans out there that do restrict carbs long term and stay on liquids for two weeks that you wonder why some surgeons recommend other things.  You may have read my post today regarding my one year aniversary and my surgeon's program limited carbs to 40 or less and was full liquids for two weeks. I still keep carbs very low and try to keep the protein up there. I followed my doctors intructions very carefully and thats why I was able to get to goal within a reasonable time. So I don't know what other surgeons are doing but I do know that mine has a high success rate and hasn't changed. Interesting observation you made. D

I asked the very same question a few days ago.........

Someone was eating cereal for breakfast, bread on sandwiches  and crackers for snacks.....

I'm just getting to the point where yah just gotta let it go....."Whatever..... I got my own problems!"

frisco

Oh yeah and they talk about how they can "only" eat a few bites.  I just want to shake them and say that things WILL change.  Those were the good days when the thought of food repelled you. 

I hear ya on the "whatever".  I got my own issues to get through one day at a time.

Laura

I am not sure either LauraAnn, but what I do know is a lot of folks do not bother to read the information they were given. 

I have seen a lot of folks say "what about Blah?  My doctor did not tell me anything about that!  *gasp outrage*" And what I know is?  I got the same paperwork, and yea - it is mentioned in there.  We might just need to look at it more than once, and maybe take a highliter to it, because there is no way you can remember all of that information with just a glance.

I think it irks me because sometimes Mexico is given such a bad rap for being just a slice em, dice em, do whatcha want sort of place, which is incredibly untrue about some of the doctors.

And too, a lot of the local doctors here in Georgia, they give less guidance than Dr. Alvarez does.  Good ol stateside, insurance paying for, Center of Excllence doctors.

*shrug* 

But I do know that so many doctors are so very different with their plans, so before I say anything, unless I know their doctor's requirements, (like I know Drs C&J and Alvarez are a lot the same).

Crying about the brambles in your feet when you took off your shoes, and walked in the field covered in signs that say "HEY BRAMBLES ARE HERE!!  KEEP YOUR SHOES ON" seems silly.

But our heads are all in different places along the way, and willfullness comes with the wearing of the skin.  Silly us.

I'll say it irked me that my Doctors plan was more restrictive than most. He said to me in the hospital. (I remember his exact words) "If I don't follow the guidelines you will Blow out your Sleeve. The last thing he wants to do is an emergency surgery". His program called for liquids for a month. I wasn't able to have soft cheese until the 5th week. His program doesn't introduce bread, rice or pasta until month 6 and cautioned to do so as it may retard weight loss.

I remember seeing what others were eating and I was green with envy. But I followed his program as he was the one caring for me. Compared to where I was at the beginning of this year. I'm no longer envious. I'm glad that he had the strict plan otherwise I wouldn't have had the success that I experienced.

I see others from my same practice asking the questions, I knew they had the answers too. I see questions like if I eat this type of food early will I hurt anything. I figured they are in a different place than I am. Not sure how people are going to be successful if they aren't committed to this new lifestyle.

The one thing I did find odd about my Doctors program, he uses the same plan for both his Sleeve and RNY patients.

It would be nice if there was a standard plan that everyone can follow. But I don't think that's going to happen.

When I was on liquids (two weeks) I was STARVING. I was on a PPI also.

But mushies helped a lot. I still felt hunger until about month 3, then my hunger all but went away.

I don't know why people eat what they eat, but I'm of the opinion that simply reducing calories can work from SOME people and that not everyone NEEDS to eat low-carb. That said, I think the majority of us will be more successful by eating low carb, higher protein for a variety of reasons. But, I don't like to be the food police and I *try* to only comment when people are asking for advice or guidance.

I'm also someone who ate cheesecake once or twice a month, crackers occasionally, and bites of other "junk" periodically and still lost weight rapidly without even exercising. But, I did that because I was eating tiny portions and I knew the further out I got and the more I was able to eat, the less junk I would be eating. In other words, I was always flexible and knew that I would be tweaking my food along the way. Some need to be super strict from the start.

But I see a lot of posts where I worry about the poster and their ability to overcome their food issues. Those are usually the people who I advise (if they ask) to be pretty strict with their diet.

I dont mind if people low carb or not, but why i didnt change is, i also go to a board that is australian based, they dont eat low carb, and what i have noticed is most do not make it to goal, even the vets on the board state youll struggle with the last 10-15 kilos which is 22-33 lbs.  and that seems to ring true with the majority of the board.
that have not lost those last 30 or so lbs. they seem to stop at a bmi of around 27 with only a handful of people that go down to their goal or below goal. where as on oh the majority of low carbers do seem to get to goal.

This is exactly what my program says... that the people who low carb it tend to do better. So that's what I did.

I think that, as the VSG becomes more popular, we are going to see more variety in what programs recommend. I also think that not everyone reads their materials or pays attention and, again, as more VSGs get done, we'll see more of those people.

There is a guy who used to blow by the VSG board every couple of months to "tell his story" who was like that. He's got my surgeon and his first post that I saw was all about how his surgeon didn't tell him this and his surgeon didn't tell him that. Except our program gives you two 30-40 page booklets and pretty much everything he "wasn't told" was in one of them.