Three questions. Are you curious enough to read them?

kaseysospacey

/1. How do you completely relearn how to eat? I just had my gallbadder taken out because it was completely full of gallstones. I have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (just found out about it) which they attribute to my very close together pregnancies as well as being hella fat. SO I can't eat anything fatty without getting sick. (The fun kind of sick where you live on the toilet as if you were eating Taco Bell). Much dieting wisdom promotes eating fats and proteins and veg and avoiding sugar and empty crap like bread and blocks of government cheese and eating candy for breakfast. BUT. I can't do fats well. ADVICE. I know fats can help w sugar craving which I have really bad and I've been eliminating sugar that is not from fresh fruit from my diet.

2. How do you figure out what to eat when the only doctors around you have health information from 1993? They insist that fat is the devil. Coconut oil is the worst fat you can eat and vegetable oil is better than the butter and coconut oil that I use. Meat is evil. Tofu is better (not only is this not true but I cant even eat tofu it interacts with my thyroid medication.) I dont like conventional low fat versions of foods bc they tend to have a ton of added sugar

3. how the hell is is that the scale stays so much the same but my face looks so different? I have three pics, one from last year,one from 6 months ago and one from this month and I feel like my face looks really different in each.

WBB55

/1. ... I can't do fats well....

I had my GB out in 2006. Still don't do well with animal fats. If I eat a lot of plant-based fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil, etc.) all in one sitting, I'll get diarrhea within about 20 minutes. I find that if I eat a lot of complex carbs (whole grains, brown rice, vegies) and fiber at the same time, and eat the fatty foods SLOWLY... like over a period of a half hour... I don't have too much trouble.

But animal-based fats? Those I basically just pay the price for eating and can't digest. Cheesy, greasy pizza? Yep, 20 minutes later I'll be on the can, guaranteed. I eat burgers and things like that still, but I make sure to eat all the bun and load up on veggies, to mediate the damage as much as possible. When people see me eat meat and get all confused and nosy and ask "I thought you were vegan?" or whatever, I tell them "I don't make lipase, it's the enzyme that you need to digest fats."

I suggest keeping a record of what you eat (like you would here on MFP) and note what foods it is that make YOU sick. For me, it's fatty beef and full fat cheese. For me, I don't have much trouble with salmon, sushi, low-fat dairy, tuna and chicken/turkey breast. But deli meats, processed meats, fatty beef and pork, hot dogs, sausage, etc., are more difficult.

1ConcreteGirl

I'm not familiar enough with these issues to feel confident replying, but hopefully one of my friends will have some answers.

blu_meanie_ca

Your dietary symptoms are similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Maybe a similar diet to an IBS diet may be helpful (I'm just going out on a limb here... I could be way off).
As far as your doctor... smile, agree, and then do what works for your. Doctors are not dieticians, and usually have no more nutritional knowlege than you or I. My last doctor relies on starvation, lipo, and other plastic sugeries.

AFitJamie

[/quote]...3. how the hell is is that the scale stays so much the same ...[/quote]


One potential explanation - The scale just measure the weight of whatever you put on it - it doesn't know the composition of what that is - 10 pounds of lead is 10 pounds, 10 pounds of fat is 10 pounds, 10 pounds of muscle is 10 pounds.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you are around the same weight, you are also likely around the same body composition. Do the same clothes fit the same way? Since fat is less dense than muscle - the same 10 pounds takes more space, of course the opposite is true... if you seem to see more fat in your face... look at yourself naked in a mirror and see if you maybe have a differing body composition - a higher% being fat than muscle than you used to be... if so, change your lifestyle/activity level to ensure you preserve and build muscle....

Just one possibility...

PrincessMissDee

How recently did you have your gallbladder out?

I had mine removed in 2009 - it was full of gall stones even though I never ate fat, weird. I was told to avoid dairy, because my body wouldn't be able to process the fat in it. I still avoid milk, but have started eating cheese again sometimes, and ice cream, but it all depends. I can eat a chunk of cheese by itself, but like the previous poster, a pizza will kill me for the day, same with mexican food.

You do need to try things to see what affects you. If the removal was recent then it WILL get better. You could read as many forums as you like but ultimately the way your body handles something won't be the way my body handles it.

I also have Thyroid issues and had never heard that about Tofu?

MoreBean13

2. How do you figure out what to eat when the only doctors around you have health information from 1993? They insist that fat is the devil. Coconut oil is the worst fat you can eat and vegetable oil is better than the butter and coconut oil that I use. Meat is evil. Tofu is better (not only is this not true but I cant even eat tofu it interacts with my thyroid medication.) I dont like conventional low fat versions of foods bc they tend to have a ton of added sugar

I can only comment on this question, WRT thyroid issues and diet.
I've spent a lot of time researching the effects of diet on low-functioning thyroid, and the interactions with medications, and this is what I have come up with for ME. I'm not sure the research exists to say my rules and tricks are going to make a difference for others.
1) Limit Soy- I'm a vegetarian though, and I haven't eliminated soy. I still eat it. But I try not to have soy products at every meal, I use substitutions where I can (like I never drink soy milk, there's other options), and I use fermented soy where I can instead of regular processed soy (so, tempeh instead of tofu)
2) Give medication a *couple* hours before any dairy or high-fiber foods...Right now I'm trying to figure out if magnesium interacts the same way calcium does with synthroid- for now, I don't know.
3) Eat saturated fat- I'm starting to get on the bandwagon that eliminating saturated fat from our diets as a population *may* contribute to increasing thyroid problems. But, this is pretty controversial and I'm open to the possibility that I'm wrong. In particular, there seems to be some evidence that coconut oil is actually one of the best.
4) Don't eat a high carb diet...but to me this means "eat a balanced diet", NOT "go low carb". I've been perfectly successful with a moderate carb diet, and I eat more carbohydrates when I need them for long runs, etc.
5) Make sure you're getting iodine! Watch out- if you cut sodium down dramatically, you might accidentally be cutting iodine with it.
6) exercise.

Hopefully Firstsip shows up with more thyroid science, she's really the queen bee for that. I just have anecdotal n=1, this works for me information.

Otterluv

I have a thyroid issue as well, and have not had a problem with tofu interacting with my levothyroxin. But, I take it about an hour or 2 before I eat breakfast and don't generally have anything soy until dinner. Even then, it's not all the time. I recently switched from soymilk to almond milk, but I honestly haven't noticed a difference, I just like it better.

As to gallbladder/etc: I was having hideous pain every now and then. The kind of pain that has you doubled over. My doctor had me have an ultrasound to check for gallstones (which I have). Now, gallstones are not unusual, many people have them with no issue. But for some, it can wreak havoc. I was also told that I had fat around my liver at that point, which is not surprising as I had fat everywhere. On a lark, I cut out lactose. My sister's lactose problems mirrored my own. Lactose intolerance is a funny thing. It's hit and miss. Sometime you are able to digest it and sometimes you aren't (varying levels of the needed enzymes). I can tell you that I cut it out a year and a half ago and have been problem free. Whether this is your issue or not, I couldn't tell you. But it's a very common problem and oftentimes happens as we age. So, something to consider.

As to diet, increase your fruits and veggies and get some exercise (I am an exercise convert, it makes such a difference in everything). You don't have to be extreme about it. Just little bits at a time and make sure it's something you can stick with.

kaseysospacey

Im 23 and gad surgery on jan 17. Had to bc I had gallbladder attacks where I felt like I was having a heart attack...pain worse than labor (and I have 3 kids so I know lol) . Btw I meant my face is a lot thinner not fatter. Thanks everyone for your responses