Kick Start for Sleevers! Intro and Week 1!

Kick Start for Sleevers!

I am SO excited to launch this plan!
This is a 4-week plan to jump start your metabolism and help your weight loss get back on track. This plan is intended for those that have had their sleeve 6 months or more. Please be sure to consult your doctor or nutritionist before starting any plan as the information found here may differ from your doctor’s orders.

First some information on this plan.

There are “allowed” and “avoid” foods, just with every plan. The reasons behind this are nothing more than carb and sugar counts, for most of them, although protein counts are also a high factor as are health benefits. Keep in mind that MOST of these foods will be re-introduced after a time period. There is a huge similarity between this plan and the Atkins and South Beach diets. This is on purpose. These diets have proven health benefits and results. The main difference here is the “allowed” foods and the AMOUNTS. Remember, Atkins and South Beach – along with every other diet plan – were created for people that have not had weight loss surgery, so modifications must be made in order for them to work correctly for us.

All nutritional and calorie counts have been formulated using My Fitness Pal and are to be thought of as an approximation. Counts may differ depending on brand and measurement differences.

Week one consists of an ULTRA low-carb ULTRA protein-filled reset type diet. It is similar to “stage one” of the Atkins plan, with a few small tweaks that make it appropriate for a sleevers lifestyle.

Week two will reintroduce certain fruits and vegetables that were removed during week one. These will be lower-carb fruits such as berries and vegetables such as green leafy veggies.

Week three will reintroduce MORE foods that were cut out during the first two weeks such as beans and legumes and even more veggies.

Week four we will begin re-introducing whole grains back into our diet – some sleevers have issue with rice and bread, so be careful there. But small amounts of quinoa, millet, and flax can go a long way, baby!

This week we start with WEEK ONE!!

Week One

Ultra High Protein

Remember when you started your full-liquid diet after surgery? What did your doctor tell you? What advice did your nutritionist give? If they were anything like mine it was:
PROTEIN FIRST! WATER SECOND! PROTEIN FIRST! WATER SECOND!

Not that protein is MORE important that water – but they are on the same level of importance. Why? Well, of course water is hydration – our bodies are 90% water, so we kind of HAVE to have it to live, right? But why so much protein?

I admittedly didn't take much stock in this at first until I learned more about our bodies and how the sleeve is so different than anything else, but here’s the gist:

After surgery, our bodies NEEDED the protein for healing. It was a huge part of that process. It helped with iron and niacin – two integral building blocks of life. It was this protein that helped the seem of our “little bananas” heal.

Fast forward to a few months after surgery. By now you were on solid foods. What was that like? Which foods did you eat first? My very first actual solid food was scrambled eggs. I remember how heavenly they tasted!! Hey, after weeks of protein shakes and yogurt, eggs were a very welcome change! From there I tried chicken, beef, fish, and shrimp. Notice something missing? That’s right. Vegetables. Now, I did try mashed cauliflower a time or two and green beans, but my focus was still on the protein. Protein was first. I wasn't even allowed raw veggies until I was two months out!

Week one focuses on that protein surge that our bodies received the first few weeks after surgery. The lack of carbohydrates that most of us had made our metabolisms skyrocket! Our bodies went into ketosis which jump started our weight loss. The first 2-3 months, most of us lost ¼ of our excess body weight or more! The first week of this plan will do just that. Our bodies will return to that ketosis stage and our metabolisms will, once again, skyrocket!

Allowed Foods:
Meats, fish, poultry, tofu, pork products, high protein shakes (low-carb!), cheese, milk (whole milk), plain (unflavored) yogurt, sour cream, eggs, all natural no sugar added nut butters – ANY high protein, low carb food with no added sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, etc.), any and all spices, herbs and seasonings you wish, broths (beef, chicken, veggie).

Avoid foods:
ALL carbs including bread, pasta, rice, oats, all flours, crackers, etc.
Vegetables (may use some such as onion and garlic for seasoning purposes and may also use tomato-based sauces)

Fruit

Artificial sweeteners (If you MUST have a sweetener use stevia)

Notice there are no veggies on the allow list. Not yet. Although seasoning with things such as onions, garlic, and tomato based sauces are okay for this week, the addition of vegetables for eating will take away from our protein needs for this week. Please note that this stage is ONLY one week, and SHOULD NOT GO past the week!!! We WILL re-introduce those vital plants back into our diets, but this week is to re-focus on protein. This allowed foods list seems restrictive, and in a way it is, but keep in mind that cheese means ANY cheese, meats mean ANY meat (yes, even bacon!). The main thing is to READ LABELS. This week PROTEIN ONLY (beans will return, BTW!!). Don’t just limit yourself to the list, however. ANY food that is high protein and (virtually) 0 carb is allowed. That includes butter and oil. In fact, I encourage you to cook with butter and (yep, I’m gonna say it!!) LARD. Confused? Don’t be. Studies have shown that animal fats are actually BETTER for you than margarine, canola, and safflower oils. Not comfortable with “going there yet” – no worries! You can still use the other oils (canola, olive, peanut  during this plan if you like, but refrain from margarine altogether. Yes, spices, herbs and seasonings are all allowed. Coffee is allowed as well, but be sure to use half and half or heavy cream instead of flavored creamer. Tea is even better and not as hard on the digestion. If you HAVE to sweeten it, use stevia to taste and if you want some flavor to it, feel free to add all the vanilla extract or cinnamon you like. Stay as far away from chemical artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine as possible. You might also choose to avoid sucralose, as it is being discovered that it can hinder weight loss as well.

Here is a sample meal plan for the first week. Don’t be alarmed by the calorie counts (some days are lower and some days are higher than others). Keep in mind that this is NOT about the calories, but about the protein. If you’re uncomfortable with the calorie count, feel free to add more fats to raise the count, or less to lower it. Also note that I have tried to be frugal in making this meal plan – some days you will have  a repeat. This is so that you can save on grocery bills! Those of us on a budget know how frustrating some meal plans with their refusal to use leftovers – NOT this one! Always remember that this is a SUGGESTED meal plan. Feel free to create your own custom plan from any of the allowed foods!