Calories and counting

[dawn4511]

Hello friends
I'm finding conflicting information so I thought I would come to the pros. With your DS do you count/limit your calories? Do you schedule your meals or eat when your hungry? Like 3 meals 2 snacks a day? If you were grazing on protein all day do you think this would sabotage you? I like the DS math and being able to eat around 2000-2500 quality food without gaining seems like heaven coming from 1200 low fat cals and gaining :-).

[jpcello]

No low fat. No calorie counting. Low fat has added sugar which is why you're gaining and not losing. You're not on a diet anymore.

[aa]

What she said.

I have NEVER counted calories since my DS. I eat every couple of hours. Luncheon meat, cheese, McDonald's (generally w/o the bun) nuts, yogurt, etc. When I want to lose weight I eat more protein & drink more.

I eat when I'm hungry & I schedule my meals. I know that may not make sense, but I do like to keep a b/l/d schedule so I ensure I get my vits/minerals in and spaced out. Then I eat the rest of the day & night when I want to; adding in the rest of the vits/minerals I must take. I'm a binge eater. I was before my DS so I knew I needed something that would let me eat a ton. The DS does. As long as it's protein.

[west4thavenue]

Protein and liquids first. No low fat, just as jpcello and aa have said. Keep a close eye on your carb intake. It's SO much more simple than any of the dozens of diets we've all tried and failed.

[Girlrocker]

Hi Dawn!

Calorie counting is now traded in for protein grams, and carbs (while you/people learn the process) and fats.

30/60/90/120g protein per days out from surgery - after 120 days (4 mos) any more you can get it is always good, protein facillitates weight loss for the DS (actually does that as well generally speaking, but really gets a push with the DS)

50g carb during the losing window to maximize, can gradually increase once you're in maintenance, or if you've added substantive cardio and weight training exercise.

Fats - varies among us, I don't 'count' it per se, I eat enough of it so I stay 'regular'. This is also the element - besides the dosages of vitamins we take - that trips out our doctors/NUTS and such. You could eat 100g of fat a day or more and doesn't matter we absorb estimated, 20%.

Eating smaller more frequent meals is great, also facillitates metabolism, and you can eat all day long, if you are eating protein based meals, keeping the carbs lower. You learn how to eat a lot of really delicious things without always needing a 'vehicle' (bread, cracker, rice, pasta, potato, tortilla) or you learn what good alternatives are mixed in with having your occasional favorite. You've got 50g carbs to 'play' with for the day, 350 for the week, so just stay within that to maximize your weight loss and you're good to go I eat cheese, nuts, burgers, roasted chicken, wings, meatballs, deli meats, tuna/egg salad, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, all kind of this type of food, all day long, and that's just the short list

[dawn4511]

Sounds too good to be true :-). Can't wait for this new way of life to start.

[west4thavenue]

Aug 8, 2014 20:17:28 GMT -5 dawn4511 said:

Sounds too good to be true :-). Can't wait for this new way of life to start.

Remember you will be starting off very, very slowly.  There are still quite few foods I cannot tolerate well...carbs, for the most part.  So I avoid them.   And I don't miss them either.  (Was it I who just said that? :  Everyone seems to feel their way through these early months a little differently.  But overall, you will pretty quickly realize that you're not in Kansas anymore. 

Prepare for things to change.  Prepare for you to change.  Be open to it.  It's a different world! 

[Joanne]

I agree, no calorie counting. It's impossible to count our calories because the absorption is so varied by 1) the type of food we choose to eat (ie grams of protein, fat, and carbs) and 2) our own bodies tendency and rate of absorption.

It's also hard to explain the restriction involved, too. Dont get me wrong, I love my malabsorption, but I also like my restriction. I'm full from eating much less than I used to be. Even if I choose to eat some carbs (which I'm not advocating, by the way), I know there are only so many I'm going to fit in. So it's really hard to wrap your head around as a pre-op what it will feel like eating as a post-op. Restriction gives way over time, but it's there for sure in the beginning, when you need it. (FWIW I still have plenty now at 5 years, but know many people who dont - so there's no predicting).

But back to your question - I dont think you need to count anything other than protein, which you must eat. If you eat all the protein you're supposed to, there is so little room for anything else it's hard to screw anything up. All I did was eat any protein and fat I wanted. When I want carbs I try to focus on complex ones, and just a very small amount. I"m amazed at what I am satisfied by. If pre-op me was to look at what post-op me eats on a given day, I would have a hard time believing it.

[goodkel]

I'm finding conflicting information so I thought I would come to the pros.

With your DS do you count/limit your calories?

No, not ever. It is what you eat that is important (protein), not how many calories it has.

Do you schedule your meals or eat when your hungry? Like 3 meals 2 snacks a day?

Not at all. Especially early out when you will only be able to eat a couple of teaspoons at a time, you will eat every hour or two. Some people have two breakfasts with a snack in between, then lunch, then a couple of snacks, dinner, and a snack after that. Say goodbye to the traditional concept of meals. You will be eating small "meals" all day long whenever you feel hungry.

If you were grazing on protein all day do you think this would sabotage you?

Absolutely not. This will only help you lose weight. This is exactly how we lost our weight.


I like the DS math and being able to eat around 2000-2500 quality food without gaining seems like heaven coming from 1200 low fat cals and gaining :-).

[Deleted]

As it has been said all over these boards, YMMV (your mileage may vary). You won't be like anyone else and it will be up to you to find what works for you. We (the board) can guide you, and make suggestions on what to do when, and what not to do, but it is up to you to determine if it works for you or not.

One more thing, Don't compare your weightloss with anyone else's. If you need to compare, compare your protein, fat and carb intakes to others, not how fast or how much weight they have lost compared to you. We can help you determine progress as you go along, but it won't be by pounds lost, but by %EWL.. (percent of Excess Weight Lost.)

[PeteA]

Good advice from everyone.

About scheduling meals. Sometimes I just don't feel like eating and then I really benefit from having a schedule so I know I have to eat. At about 6 months or so I started to try and be more regimented with my eating. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - a protein snack in between breakfast and lunch, then again between lunch and dinner. Maybe a carb/fat treat in the evening - something along the lines of crackers and cream cheese.

I still get days where I am eating all day but I eat protein and it doesn't seem to be an issue.

Pete