indyfabz

One might say that if you are consistently gaining weight your diet (meaning caloric intake) is, in fact, bad, at least in relation to your physical activity level. Have you actually tried honesty tracking your caloric intake?

arex

Counting calories? No, man, I'm dyslexic.

...seriously, though. No, I haven't. I've simply been trying to eat healthy stuff (oatmeal for breakfast almost every day, olive oil, eating vegetarian a few nights a week, relying on eggs and egg whites for a lot of my protein, salads for lunch at work (except for clam chowder on Fridays), and not gorging on food, regardless of how I feel. I could probably stand to cut down on carbs...I do like good bread.

indyfabz

You can eat healthy stuff and still consume too many calories. Take your example of olive oil. All fats basically contain the same amount of calories. So X amouint of olive oil is just as bad for you calory-wise as the same amount of lard. The olive oil is better for you than lard in some ways, but from a calory consumption perspective, it makes no difference if you eat X amount of olive oil or X amount of lard.

You say you keep gaining weight. That means you are consuming more calories than you are burning.

txags92

I was one of those who thought my diet was pretty good and I spent a lot of time "trying to eat healthier" without making major changes to what I ate and without tracking my calories. I kept gaining weight and assumed that I would have to get surgery if I ever wanted to lose it. In February of this year, after being told I was pre-diabetic and knowing there is a family history on both sides of type II diabetes, heart disease, and early death; I got serious. I started tracking everything I ate using myfitnesspal and quickly figured out exactly what indyfabz pointed out...you can eat healthy and still consume too many calories. I was probably eating 3500 calories per day and lots more on some days. I got some advice from a dietitian, set some goals for myself, and I have lost 36 pounds in a little over 2 months.

What it came down to for me was a few things...I used to eat small breakfasts, medium lunches, and huge dinners late (8:30pm or later). Things like oatmeal, rice, salads, etc that people think of as "healthy" can be very calorie dense, especially if you put a lot of dressing on the salad or add butter and cheese to the potatoes. I was eating lots of those "healthy" calorie dense foods and then washing it down with big glasses of milk or when I wanted to be more "healthy" I would drink juice instead of dr. pepper. Turns out that the juice I was drinking...even though it was "no sugar added" and no HFCS, was the same calories per serving as dr pepper.

Since I started counting calories using myfitnesspal, I still eat plenty of stuff I like to eat. I just eat less of it generally, and I structure it so that I am not dumping 1000-1200 calories in right before I go to sleep. I am eating 1500 calories per day, and through good food choices, small meals, and frequent snacks, I feel like I eat more often now than I did before I started. And I haven't yet had a salad in all that time unless it came with the meal when eating out.

Before I started, if you had told me that I could eat only 1500 calories per day and that I wouldn't have to eat like a rabbit and wouldn't feel hungry all day doing it, I would have said you were nuts. But give it an honest try and you might find it is actually easier than you think. And once you learn more about good food choices and portion sizes, you don't have to work so hard at counting things out, because you will just know approximately how much you are eating.

arex

Yes, I understand the math behind it. It's not like I'm fisting Oreo's over here.

Pakiwi

One thing that helped me balance my weight issue was finding out how many calories I actually burned while riding. I took the estimated calories that I thought I burned and add them to my daily allowance which is according to my friend who is a trainer is what you should do. I believe mfp app also does this. The problem was when I found out how many calories I was actually burning on my power meter it turned out to be off by almost a factor of two.
So now I use realistic numbers for my workouts and minimize the calories that I take in to 1500 per day.
its very hard to out bike bad nutrition.
The fat you eat is the fat you wear.
Allan

arex

I've tried it, but when I did start to lose some weight, I was running into the issue of getting insufficient nutrients, even with taking a multivitamin. Yes, I burned some fat, but the fat itself was simply fuel, not nutritious, and my intake wasn't sufficient, according to the doctor.

And yes, this does raise some questions about the appropriateness of a gastric sleeve procedure.

slorollin

If you keep finding reasons for a plan not to work, a plan won't work.

MX_2_Spandex

I got the sleeve done about 4 years ago... Started at 350 and dropped to 200 within the first year... I maintained 200 for 3 years riding and making good food choices. Over this past winter I gained 25ish pounds and I am working to get this of again now... Its not a guarantee to not gain weight again, but it is a tool to help maintain... Good luck to all considering it, was the best decision I could of made when it came to my health...

indyfabz

Well you are doing something. In post #29 in this thread Txags92 describes common "mistakes" many people make. Allow me to apmplify some of what he wrote with an example. I was picking up a sandwich at a food court the other day. Also available was a bag of apple chips. Sounds iike a much better alternative to a bag of potato chips, right? Nope. The bag of apple chips actually had more calories than the bags of potato chips for sale.

ridingrae

Hi there,
I see you are in CO. So am I. I am considering Dr. Michael Snyder at Rose. You?

GravelMN

+1 I find a lot of people who have the misconception that you will automatically lose weight by "eating healthy" when it is entirely possible to consume only healthful foods in excess and gain weight. On the flip side, you can eat junk food and lose weight if the calorie count is low enough (not a healthy way to lose weight).

Getting off topic but still related: I'm an advocate of making spot checks of your caloric intake by actually measuring and/or weighing and recording everything you consume for about a week and carefully tracking your daily and average calories. It is amazing how numerous little things add up, the half dozen "tastes" as you make the sauce, licking the peanut butter off the knife after you make your kid's sandwich, the 3 oz patty that is actually closer to 5 oz, that last swig of milk so you can throw the empty container away, etc. I've seen estimates that many people consume up to 500kCal/day of "forgotten" calories.

Some people can go through their entire lives counting every calorie. That's fine if it works for you, but I don't think it is necessary. If you spot check yourself for one week every few months, and get in the habit of using measuring devices to prevent portion creep, you can go a long way to reprogramming yourself as to what is the "normal" portion of any given food.

I've often wondered what the success rate would be of people who followed the post gastric surgery diet but did not actually have the surgery. Small, frequent meals of nutrient dense foods with little or no "fillers" has been advocated in various forms since the 1970s. Obviously portion control would have to be by some other means than a reduced stomach size, but if one could follow the same nutrition plan, you would think that you could attain similar results without the surgery. Just speculation, but it would make an interesting study.

txags92

I have felt for a long time that gastric sleeve procedures are just a different way to enforce a diet. Instead of "if you eat that you will gain weight", people who get the surgery are told "if you eat that your stomach will rupture and you could bleed out or die from an abdominal infection" in slightly less graphic terms. Its just another way to force yourself to put down the fork. I don't count my calories much anymore. Since my earlier post, I have lost another 35 pounds and I am now down about 70 total since February. I am taking it easy and hovering right around 200# for the holidays, then I am going to get strict again to get down to my goal of 187 before the end of February.

indyfabz

There is a relatively recent thread started by someone who had decided to have surgery. He noted that he was required to first lose 20 lbs. before you could qualify. With the potential downsides of surgery, my first thought was "Once you lose the 20 lbs. necessary for surgery, why not skip the surgery for now and at least try to continue what you did to lose that 20 lbs.?"

The person who started that thread lost the necessary weight pretty quickly but had the surgery anyway. His personal choice, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the decision.

JakiChan

Yeah, you gotta read the labels on EVERYTHING. The first thing I do when I pick up a package is check the label.

True story: We wanted to go out to dinner the other night. I requested Olive Garden. Do I love Olive Garden? No. But they're big enough that they have to put calories on the menu. I went in with a budget and was able to fairly confidently stick to that budget. And it was pretty decent.

JakiChan

Yep. However, the junk food diet likely will be not as nutritionally sound. On the other hand, it's WAY easy to get totally distracted by trying to "eat clean" or following some crazy food plan.

I've been in the maintenance plan for my diet for about 2 years, and we get "assignments" every week. About once a quarter we get this one, or a variation. Spending a week just being extra vigilant about keeping food records to see what's going on. We have fresh fruit in the break room - and I was eating way too many grapes. Fruit is good for you, right?

Supposedly there is "something else" that happens with bariatric surgery that doctors are unable to explain that gets people healthier than just diet and exercise. But I'm not sure how that works. However, I do know that there are also lots of risks. And that being said, "success" as far as bariatric surgery is concerned is judged as losing 50% of your excess weight. That would have put me at 335. No thanks.

I lost my weight with a medically supervised VLCD program. My sister did a similar one. She gained it all back. She had gastric sleeve surgery yesterday.

My take has always been: The surgery is not a magic bullet. You say you've made the mental changes necessary for life post-surgery. Why don't you try living like you had the surgery without, you know, the surgery. But I've seen from my sister that not everyone can do that. I just hope like hell that the surgery is worth it.

himespau 

I'm looking forward to the days when those regulations are enforced and everybody has to put that on the menus (fat, carbs, fiber, and protein would be nice too).
I used to track religiously, got a bit burnt out on it and paid the price. I need to start again. Having good information to go by would make it easier (as would my wife not constantly bringing sweets into the house, but I don't have control over that).

scrming

That was my exact same thought! I seriously considered surgery and started researching it.... ok, so i have to make all these lifestyle changes after the surgery.... so why not just just make the changes now! Yes, it is a lot easier to backslide into my old habits, but for me i wanted to be able to have a cheat day if i've earned it! I started the beginning of September and last week was the first time I really slipped up... lasted two days..... Then last Friday, i refocusd myself and i'm back on track...

indyfabz

That would not be practical for small/smallish, independent restaurants, especially those with daily specials and menus that change often. I avoid eating at chain places not only because I find the food quality way below what I am used to, but also because the dishes are often laden with calories and sodium.

And while some dishes may sound relatively lo-cal but are not, in many instances it comes down to common sense. I don't want to hear someone claim to be shocked at the calorie content of something like pasta alfredo with pancetta and cheese.

himespau 

No, but so many salads at restaurants have 1500-2000+ calories, it'd be nice to be able to make educated decisions.

scrming

if you have a smartphone, check out some of the calorie counting apps... I am a firm believer in the My Fitness Pal app! It has pretty much ever food imaginable in it! And yes, at the restaurants, the calorie listing in the app can be quite an eye opener!!!

indyfabz

In the absence of information you can make an educated guess based on things like "extra" ingredients and dressing. An otherwise healthy sounding salad that is topped with bacon bits and ranch dressing is probably going to have a very high calorie content at a chain restaurant. Remember, fat tastes good to most people and it sates you. That's why chains serve a lot of fatty foods. It keeps people coming back.

scrming

Also, new labeling law going to effect... restaurants will have to comply by the end of next years (certain exceptions apply)

Overview of FDA Labeling Requirements for Restaurants, Similar Retail Food Establishments and Vending Machines

Questions and Answers on the Menu and Vending Machines Nutrition Labeling Requirements

ridingrae

Hi sleevers,
I am set for surgery on 3/31. Whoa, 2 weeks!!! I am concerned about maintaining energy and hydration while exercising. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, i.e., what do you eat on rides, post/pre-ride, do you use a certain hydration powder, etc.?
Thanks!

bassjones

That was me. Had surgery October 28, 2014 at 401 lbs. Weighed in this morning at 314. Including pre-op weight loss, that's 96.5 lbs since September. I have had ZERO negative side effects. I'm off my BP meds, I'm no longer "pre-diabetic". I just gave away 4 bags of jeans, shorts, t-shirts and sweatpants/sweatshirts, along with a suit, several pairs of dress pants, dress shirts and a nice winter coat to a man who was in need. I've lost 10 inches off my waist, and am down 3 shirt sizes... IN 4 months!! And I've done that despite a stress fracture/micro-fractures in my foot that have kept me from walking or cycling since January. I've lost as much as 60 lbs multiple times and ended up gaining it back - usually after an injury from pushing my exercise too hard for the weight I was carrying. With this injury, I'm still losing, because the surgery I had makes me not hungry, and I've been able to follow the eating plan with no hunger and no desire to "munch" away.

It's not the right decision for everybody but it was the right decision for ME. I highly recommend it over the Ru En Y for anyone who is considering a surgical option. I've known people who have had long term problems after the Ru En Y, but nobody with those problems after the sleeve. I feel terrific. Great energy, no fatigue, nothing but positives for me.