Question:
Low sugar, low fat, low carb, high protein
I had surgery 2/18/04 and went shopping for real food this evening. I pretty much stick to prepared food because I have neither the time nor inclination to cook. Because of the "Atkins Revolution", I found lots of low carb, yet high fat food. I also found lots of meats abnd cheeses that include protein, but they have high fat. Beans seem to have too many cars or sugar. Are there any guidelines on Sugar grams, Fat grams and Carbs allowed? I know I should get 60-70 grams of protein, which seems a herculean task considering the protein content of most prepared foods. Any help you can provide would be most appreciated! — Aeon F. (posted on March 15, 2004)
March 15, 2004
I'd worry more about the carbs than the fats. At least in my case, the
fats help keep me regular. I also never had a problem with the beans other
than gas LOL!!! I think the carb/ sugar thing is individual. It may have
to be trial and error til you figure it out. I was told initially to eat
like a diabetic, with no more than 6-8g of sugar per serving. If you worked
with a nutritionist as a pre-op you might want to ask him/her what they
think, or give your surgeon's office a call. Good luck!
— Fixnmyself
March 15, 2004
Most prepared foods contain little nutritional value-maybe you could invest
in protein shakes I love Atkins Chocolate delight-taste like a chocolate
milkshake especially if a little icy-that is one way to get your protein
in. Also maybe you want to invest in a cookbook-Like 30 minute meals or
other cookbooks for fast easy to prepare meals-there is even a cookbook for
those who hate to cook-Just look around. I believe everything should be in
balance-Carbs being the lowest especially white flour, white sugar-and be
careful with some wheat breads and other breads because they sneak white
flour in. as for fat. I try and aim for low fat most days, but my main
concern is saturtated fat-I eat lots of health fats such as avocados, extra
virgin olive oil, and I do enjoy quaality full fat cheeses in moderation
maybe a couple times a week if that-Most days I eat veggie cheese-which
have no saturated fat or cholesterol. But stay away from fried and greasy
foods or things prepared in too much butter or oil,even olive oil in
moderation. Also heavy cream sauces are loaded with fat and calories. Just
try and keep balance with everyhting you do and aim for the healthier
fats-Monounsaturated in nuts, olive oils, avocados-eat meals with alot of
fiber by adding lots of green veggies-certain veggies are higher in sugar
and carbs such as carrots, tomatoes, and onions. But you know your
tastebuds-so just do everything in moderation and try to stay away from too
many processed foods
— TotallyTori
March 15, 2004
Aeon, I don't cook, either, and live mostly on prepared foods. I don't
worry about fat so much, as long as the protein benefit is worth the
"cost" of the fat. After all, with the RNY, we malabsorb at
least some of the fat (the same can't be said of carbs or sugars). You are
barely a month out; at that stage, I ate a lot of egg beaters with melted
cheese, turkey pepperoni, thinly-sliced deli meat (plain, or wrapped with
thinly-sliced cheese), turkey chili (Hormel makes a no-bean turkey chili
that has 24 grams of protein per serving). I also relied a lot on protein
shakes, and still do, to ensure I'm getting lots of protein in. Tuna, or
deviled eggs, may also be good choices.<P>As far as sugar content
goes, I'd ask your doc. Many people learn their sugar limit through trial
and error (or worse, learn they don't dump at all). As early out as you
are, I'd try to keep my sugar grams to 8 or fewer per serving; the less,
the better.<P>As far as beans go, many of them fall on the
"good" side of the carb line, and contain much-needed fiber. I
doubt that a forkful or two (or three) of beans per meal (for example,
black beans, or green beans) would be a bad choice at all.
— Suzy C.
March 15, 2004
Fat won't make me fat again, but sugar will. For sure. Guaranteed. I don't
worry as much about generic carbs, unless they are trigger foods for me. I
get my protein via supplements, as that takes the guess work and force
feeding out of it for me. I prefer veggies, so my "meat" is
chocolate. I didn't like fatophobia when it came around and carbophobia
scares me just as much. And no, I'm not a from-scratch cook on a daily
basis, either. But I usually add fresh veggies to my prepared food meals.
If I'm doin a good solid entree, I might use canned veggies. I wish I could
say I cook fro fresh ingredients daily, but it isn't so. I cover the
nutrition supplementally, watch it with regular and frequent labs work, and
eat regular food. I hold the sugar to single digit per serving. This
shouldn't be way too complicated to live with. I did 5-6 tiny meals per
day during the wt loss stage and have done 4 per day, a little larger,
since reaching goal. But I eat regular, ordinary food, minus milk and
sugar.
— vitalady
March 15, 2004
Soup. Healthy Valley has 'No salt added' soups. I add veges, meat and Fat
Free cheese (plus my power milk) and it's great! Shrimp and salads,
tuna... there are alot of foods out there that you can eat. I get my carbs
with veges (tomatoes, green and red peppers, onions, string beans, etc...).
I would consult a dietitian since we ALL have had problems with food
before we really need to understand what is a balance diet. I even found
pickles that have no sugar add that tastes great "Mt Olive", and
even a salad dressing that tastes like the real thing "Walden
Frams". Gooooooooood! I found fish sticks that are not deap fried.
You really have to look around and it does take time. Protein drinks are
great to.. Try soy products. I no longer eat beef but love soy milk, raw
almonds, peanut butter (no sugar added) and almond butter. It's a real
trip for me to go to the store, I go up and down looking at possible food
finds that I can add to my menu.
I'm 11 months post op (was 329 lbs and now 149 lbs). Good Luck!
— Linda R.
March 17, 2004
I ate mostly cheese and beans after surgery for quite a while. I paid
absolutely no attention to the fat content of the cheese because the
"fat-free" did not melt and was too dry for me. I continue to pay
most of my attention to only the most protein and lowest carbs (minus fiber
only)... i avoid foods high in sugar alcohols like the plague. Eventually,
i was able to ad in very well mixed tuna salad, egg beaters and cottage
cheese.
— nancy V.
March 17, 2004
What you need are some easy to prepare dishes that have leftovers that you
can eat the rest of the week. I'll make a pot of turkey or ground beef
chili on a Sunday and eat it several nights a week and freeze some for
later. A George Foreman grill is an amazing invention. Hamburgers done in
like 5-8 minutes...same for chicken breasts, a salmon steak etc. Crock pot
stuff is great too, just throw in all the ingredients and you have enough
to freeze and eat all week. Be careful with prepared or packaged foods.
With prepared foods, because you did not prepare them, you have no idea
what went into preparation-total calories etc, with packaged, its full of
sodium, carbs, preservatives etc. The cleaner you can eat, the better for
you. As the others said, don't overly worry about fat content, and just
keep the sugar low, and for carbs, concentrate on the good ones, like
veggies, fruits and beans, whole grains. White carbs should be kept very
low to help maximize weight loss.
— Cindy R.
March 18, 2004
I have to say, if you plan to not make changes in your life to accomodate
the surgery and in theory, your new approach to eating and your lifestyle,
how do you expect to succeed? The surgery won't fix everything, you have
to change your life, be active, learn to eat healthy. That includes
learning to cook at least some meals. I don't cook every night, but I have
made an effort to "dine in" several times a week. Surprisingly,
fish is easy easy easy to cook. Go to the store on the way home, get a
piece of salmon filet not steak or a rainbow trout filet. Get home, rinse
it off put it on a piece of foil on a pizza pan. Squeeze some lemon juice
on it. Sprinkle on some dill, some pepper. Pop in the oven, 400 degrees
for 10 minutes per inch of the filet. DONE! And that is pure protein
healthy healthy healthy and OH SO GOOD! I have fallen in love with the
trout filets. Also I can recommend keeping a bag of frozen boiled shrimp
in the freezer, grab some when needed for protein, thaw in cold water for a
little while. Whalla. Cook on Sunday night, dish it up into individual
servings for a few nights of the week. Freeze the rest in individual
servings. Chili, spaghetti sauce, a little meat for a shell-less taco
dinner. Don't rely on boxed everything, you HAVE to eat HEALTHY now. More
so than an ordinary digester - you have to accomodate in ways that you can.
— Calleigh Q.
March 18, 2004
The fun and challenge of cooking! I personally love it - I even go to old
recipes and make them lo-sugar and lo-fat - I find that it usually works
great and tastes great. Go figure! Anyway, another quick way to cook fish
(or chicken tenders) is as follows: Put fish fillet(s) - frozen is
absolutely fine - into microwave safe dish. Add a splash of lime juice,
frozen mixed vegetable and then a good amount of salsa. (adjust the amounts
used to the quantity of fish that you are cooking) Then cover with plastic
wrap and microwave until done. I do this with catfish nuggets or whiting (1
serving), approx 2 tsp of lime juice, 1/4 c. mixed veggies and 2-3 Tblsp of
salsa. While I came up with this out of desperation to cook fish easier and
tastier, I find that it is truly great. Give it a try! Also, if you like
sardines, they are a good source of protein, but not the mercury. Good
luck. Try to incorporate 2x per week cooking in the beginning. Borrow or
buy some low carb/weight watchers/low fat recipe books. They not only are
inspiring but can really show how simple some recipes can be. Not even
experienced cooks like or want to do all the recipes in a cookbook. I have
some cookbooks that I've only used 2-3 recipes out of because the rest are
too complicated but some of those over-the-top recipes can tempt you to do
a modified recipe. Best of luck ~ Jodie 335/195/????
— Jodie P.
March 18, 2004
there are many options out there. I LOVE to cook & eat healthy foods,
but sometimes there is no time. (do I cook a great dinner or go to the
health club after work?) My husnd is the convenience food shopper. In the
meat case are sveral Louis rich meat entrees you just microwave. they
aren't bad at all, roast beef, pork , ham, I love the pot roast. Jenny O
has some awesome stuffed chicken breasts that are microwaveable. they are
precooked & shrink wrapped. easy & yummy. we also rely on bagged
salads often. I have seen fish filets packaged in the marinade yuu just
microwave a couple minutes. theseare real food, not junk and healthy too.
good luck . feel free to email me for other ideas.
— **willow**
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