DAISY

I recently bought a book (cookbook) called Before & After Living & Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Susan Maria Leach. I found the book to be very informative. I was reading the other day about carbs. Here is what it says,

Carbohydrates are easily and readily absorbed by the body for immediate energy. When you eat a carbohydrate-loaded food, it is quickly metabolized, driving up blood sugar levels. Your body immediately respons by releasing insulin to send your blood sugar back down. This is why a slab of warm bread, muffins, or a high-sugar food gives you a quick energy burst that soon gives way to a sluggish and tired feeling. This cycle of blood sugar highs and lows creates highs and lows of hunger. Even though you have just eaten a carbohydrate snack of crackers and are full, you are quickly hungry again because there is a little lasting satisfaction in this quick fix. In addition, instead of drawing on stored fat reserves for your energy, your body burned the food you just consumed.

When you burn more calories than you consume, your body must draw on reserves to keep you going. According to acknowledged medical principles, when you cut back your intake of carbohydrates, your body converts from the metabloic process of bruing carbs to burning your stored fat as its primary energy source. The stored fat easily metabolizes into the components that supply energy for the body's cells, resulting in weight loss. Many of the top bariatric surgeons recommend less than 25 grams of carbs per day to push our body to burn this warehoused fat for energy.

In the first few days at home after our RNY surgery, it is acceptable to have a few of the higher carbs foods as our first foods, so that we get used to eating again. A little potato soup, or a few bites of bean puree or hummus are higher in carbs, but are safe, soft foods that will not burden our swollen stomach and intestines. We really cannot ingest enough of these higher carbs foods at this point to hurt us. By the time we start to feel better, we become aware of protein and can redirect our diets.

Our surgeons and nutritionists all tell us to eat protein first, but as we heal and get back into cooking for our families, preparing meals for ourselves, and eating in restaurants, we need to know how to choose foods that will keep carbohydrate consumption to a minimum. Generally speaking, any food that coems from a growing plant or is processed from a product grown in the ground is a carbohydrate. Milk and dairy products are also included because they contain lactose ("milk sugar"). We are looking for the highest protein, vitamins, and minerals for the lowest amount of carbs. Fortunately, some of the most nutritious vegetables and fruits have the lowest carbohydrate counts. I have included a basic list of lower-carb vegetables. Usually the more watery or acidic vegetables are lower, while the starchier or sweeter vegetables are higher in carbs. If you can choose either a small dish of zucchini or half of a baked potato, the zucchini is a much better choice as it provides fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients, but very few carbohydrates.

Look at your 25 grams of daily carbohydrates as an allowance and make good choices tospend your carbohydrate grams wisely, choosing vegetables and fruits that provide the most nutrients in combination with the fewest grams of carbohydrate. Eating after RNY gastric bypass surgery is all about making good choices. Have a bite of the baked potato or pasta salad if you need to satisfy your taste for it, but be aware of the tradeoff you are making and have a few bites of the more nutritious selection as well.


That is it on carbs. If anyone is interested about sugar intake and protein intake there is lots of information on that as well.

I did read something very interesting about protein. This is what it said.

Protein is critical for repairing and replacing cell tissue as well as building new muscle. When we have major surgery such as the gastric bypass procedure, protein is necessary so tissues can heal. Immediately after surgery, it is nearly impossible for us to ingest adequate protein through foods alone, which is why many surgeons recommend that patients consume protein supplements via shakes. It is good nutrition for us to be able to rely on a daily protein supplement of 25 to 50 grams and add to it with high-protein, low-fat, and lower carbohydrate foods.

How do you determine the right amount of protein for yourself?

An active person needs around 1.25 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight (1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds, so divide your goal weight by 2.2). We use a person's ideal body weight to calculate protein targets because fat tissue does not need protein. Therefore a person currently weighing 247 pounds who exercises and has an ideal body weight of 145 would need 82 grams of protein daily to maintain their muscle mass and good health (145 pounds divided by 2.2 pounds per kilograms then multiplied by 1.25 grams per kilogram). A person currently weighing 341 pounds with an ideal body weight of 185 would need 105 grams of protein daily to maintain muscle mass and good health (185 pounds divided by 2.2 pounds per kilogram then multiplied by 1.25 grams per kilogram).

Note that these figures are the recommended grams of protein needed for good nutrition and to keep our muscles intact. We want to lose fat, not muscle. Our vital organs are made of muscle, and need protein to function efficiently. So when we talk about 65 to 100 grams of protein a day, this is not a high protein diet, it is a minimum fulfillment of our basic protein needs. Too little protein is a serious concern as it additionally raises the incidence of osteoporosis, which is why appropriate calcium supplements are also an improtant part of our diet.

Not only does adequate protein fend off muscle loss, but it can also speed up our fat-burning processes. Protein has the highest thermal effect of any food. This means that protein foods speed up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to digetst, process, and use this nutrient compared to fat or carbohydrate. Use solid protein such as fish or meats as the main part of each of your three daily meals. Proteins take longer to digest and they are absorbed more slowly by your body, giving you a longer-lasting, steady source of energy.

If there is anyone interested in more there is lots more in this book.

Hope this helps a bit. I know it has helped me. I will post all of this information in the general discussions as well carb post.

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Surgery Nov 1/06
Dr. Farries
304/194/160
Pre/Current/Goal