Carbs???

[greeneyes 0]

A month out has anyone had carbs? A little here and there. Im dying for sushi but it has rice on it. Is that okay??The other day i had a little bite of a veggie sandwich on panini. Are bread and crackers a complete no no right now. Even tho I only have a few bites...and its whole wheat?

[wannalise 15]

You are going to get a wide variety of answers. I would check with your NUT and see what they advise. The general rule that I stick to is that you get your Protein first, then veggies, then carbs. If you are eating 70g of protein daily and only eating 600-800 calories daily, the odds are good that you really won't have much room for carbs. Also, there is some proof that avoiding simple carbs leads to decreased cravings, and that Proteins keep you fuller longer. Good luck!

[Tiffykins 673]

You are going to get a wide variety of answers. I would check with your NUT and see what they advise. The general rule that I stick to is that you get your Protein first, then veggies, then carbs. If you are eating 70g of Protein daily and only eating 600-800 calories daily, the odds are good that you really won't have much room for carbs. Also, there is some proof that avoiding simple carbs leads to decreased cravings, and that Proteins keep you fuller longer. Good luck!

Agreed. I didn't bother with the simple carbs early out because I didn't have room once I got in my protein and Water.

The first time I tried rice, I thought I was going to die. It was the most extreme pain I had felt post-op. Use caution introducing new foods especially ones that can expand in your new sleeve. The feeling that comes with those foods early out is not pleasant. At least, this was my experience rice, Pasta and stuffing.

I didn't count the carbs from my 4 green Beans, or 3 broccoli florets because there really is no way to count carbs for such a tiny portion especially for low carb foods. I rarely, more like extremely rarely, went over 30 grams of carbs per day. They slowed my loss once I started adding them into my diet. Even the healthy carbs slowed my loss.

Some people do find that eating simple carbs cause a craving for more, and then it's difficult to avoid them.

[greeneyes 0]

TIFF..When do you think I could try rice ect?

meat really isnt going down well so I been living off of cheese, shakes and Protein Bars. SO sick of tuna and egg salad with nothing to eat it with lol. I usually dont get in more that 50-55 grams Protein a day. Im going out later for fathers day and since I cant really eat I figure I will get soup...you think french onion would be okay??

[Tiffykins 673]

TIFF..When do you think I could try rice ect?

meat really isnt going down well so I been living off of cheese, shakes and Protein bars. SO sick of tuna and egg salad with nothing to eat it with lol. I usually dont get in more that 50-55 grams Protein a day. Im going out later for fathers day and since I cant really eat I figure I will get soup...you think french onion would be okay??

Try making your meat in the crock pot. Toss a chicken breast in there with a can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom/celery/or chicken Soup, turn it on high for 2 hours, check it and see if the chicken shreds easily. You can also do this with chicken thighs as they seem to work a little better for some. You can also toss a chicken breast/thighs, or some stew meat in the crock pot with some Water, Tomato sauce, onion and garlic powder (a few shakes to your preference), and a couple shakes of celery salt, black pepper to taste, and it's a meat stew. This way the meat is super tender, and goes down super easy. Cook the stewy meats on low for 3-4 hours depending on how much you put in there. All of these things can be frozen into individual portions, and then thawed for later meals. Just some ideas on how to get meats to work a little easier and get you more protein in.

French onion soup is great, except for the sodium content, just tank up on Water before and after. I love french onion soup, and when we go to a sandwich shop, I eat french onion dip sandwiches. It's just roast beef with a frenchy onion dipping au jus.

I didn't eat rice for several months post op. Now, it's a slider for me. If you try it, I would over cook it, to where it's practically mush before you even chew it. Rice is kind of tough to chew up well enough.

If you go to place that has chili on the soup menu, try it, have them add some cheese. I swear I lived on chili, chicken/tuna/egg salad for a long time. Refried Beans are yummy too. I know one of the first meals I ate out was Chili's nachos. I scraped all the Beans and cheese off, mixed the sour cream and guacamole with it, and just skipped the chips. The other "good ole standby" when I ate out was pot stickers. TGI Friday's have them on their appetizer menus. I would just eat the inside stuff, and I could only eat the insides of 2-3 depending on size.

Chili's has a yummy pulled pork taco. I don't eat a lot of pork, but I'll make an exception for those little boogars. I only eat the fillings, and a tiny portion of tortilla now, but I always ask for extra sauce, and dip the meat in it.

I'm sorry for the ramble, I'm just trying to give you some ideas of what worked for me. I went out to eat 2-3 times a week between lunches with my girlfriends and outings with my husband and son. So, I had to get pretty creative when it came to meals. Anything grilled, like chicken, or burgers, I always, always ask for extra sauce. In my opinion, restaurants always over grill my chicken, and it's dry. I hate dry meat, and only eat beef that is cooked medium sometimes medium well.

[greeneyes 0]

Tiff ..Thanks so much for the ideas. Im definitely going to try some chicken in the crock pot and going out to eat can be so challenging. Today I picked off everyone's plates. Which equaled 3 little bites of fish a bite of potatoes and like 2 tiny bites of coleslaw lol. Staring at the bread and fries was very difficult lol. Thanks again for the tips ill def use them!!

[ouroborous 519]

Again, your mileage will vary. My nutritionist basically told me to not bother tracking carbs at all, but she did say the same thing the others here are repeating: eat your Protein first, the vegetables (complex carbs), then anything else (including simple carbs -- rice, potatoes, sweets). If you follow this recommendation and stay within your calorie target, I suspect you'll lose weight regardless of how many total carb grams you consume.

[sickofrollercoaster 7]

I am tracking everything, carbs, fat, Protein, calories and Water. My weight loss has slowed way down but is consistently .2 to .4 pounds per day (except for this week during monthly visitor I put on Water weight). I do not go over 30 g of carbs or fat each day and stay around 600 calories. I get at least 65-70 g of Protein a day. My next challenge will be to add in some physical activity although I am still very tired and worn out, especially at the end of the day. I might start exercising in the morning, seems to be the best time for me, I have the most energy then.

I am 6 weeks post op. In 3 weeks I go to Disney World, hoping to be under 150 which would be about another 7 pounds, pray for me!!!

PS The reason I track carbs is because I have always been a carb eater and that is what makes me fat, I just know my body, so following the golden rule of protein and water first, that has really helped me take focus OFF any carbs at all. Somedays I am under 20 g of carbs and I remember when I first started this journey, I could not for the life of me think how I would ever get under 30 g of carbs but I know now, with planning and research it is very possible!

[NtvTxn 1,262]

Tiff - early on, did you stick to ONLY eating Protein, not adding veggies, like you mentioned below at all? if so, for how long? i'll be getting to the mushy stage before long and before i know it, i'll be at the end of week six and that is when i will start adding everything. any advice/hints will be appreciated. BTW - I LOVE MY SLEEVE!! i have had NO HUNGER for two weeks now! WOW!!

Agreed. I didn't bother with the simple carbs early out because I didn't have room once I got in my Protein and Water.

The first time I tried rice, I thought I was going to die. It was the most extreme pain I had felt post-op. Use caution introducing new foods especially ones that can expand in your new sleeve. The feeling that comes with those foods early out is not pleasant. At least, this was my experience rice, Pasta and stuffing.

I didn't count the carbs from my 4 green Beans, or 3 broccoli florets because there really is no way to count carbs for such a tiny portion especially for low carb foods. I rarely, more like extremely rarely, went over 30 grams of carbs per day. They slowed my loss once I started adding them into my diet. Even the healthy carbs slowed my loss.

Some people do find that eating simple carbs cause a craving for more, and then it's difficult to avoid them.

[Tiffykins 673]

On mushies, I did eat a few tiny bites of mashed potatoes on occasion when I wanted them. I ate green Beans, broccoli, and other low glycemic veggies. Most of the time, all I had room for was 3-4 cut green Beans, or 2-3 broccoli florets. It's kind of hard to count carbs for 2-4 pieces of veggies when an entire cup of green beans is only 15 carbs.

So, I didn't freak out about those carbs. My dairy intake gave me most of my carbs during the mushy stage. I mainly stuck to Protein.

I didn't add more carbs and calories until I was 4ish months out. I had dropped 80lbs, and my surgeon wanted to slow it down. So, I added in some more carbs, but I rarely got in over 50-60grams of carbs during my losing stage. I really didn't stress about carbs after 6.5 months because I was still dropping weight. I no longer count the carbs from non-starchy veggies. Essentially, I only count white carbs, and even then I don't flip out over it. I average 100gr of carbs per day. Some days I hit 150ish because I load up on veggies.

No more than 30-40grams of carbs during the losing stage was my surgeon's recommendation.

[lmmore 0]

I started on california rolls a couple of months out. It was great. I had no problems, but I only eat two, and then the teriyaki chicken. A nice treat. Usually I stay away from carbs as much as I can. But like tiff said, a little here from green Beans, a little there from broccoli. Other than that I have my three cups of popcorn a couple times a week. I was so glad I didn't have to give that up. It's my favorite snack.< /p>

[NtvTxn 1,262]

On mushies, I did eat a few tiny bites of mashed potatoes on occasion when I wanted them. I ate green Beans, broccoli, and other low glycemic veggies. Most of the time, all I had room for was 3-4 cut green Beans, or 2-3 broccoli florets. It's kind of hard to count carbs for 2-4 pieces of veggies when an entire cup of green beans is only 15 carbs.

So, I didn't freak out about those carbs. My dairy intake gave me most of my carbs during the mushy stage. I mainly stuck to Protein.

I didn't add more carbs and calories until I was 4ish months out. I had dropped 80lbs, and my surgeon wanted to slow it down. So, I added in some more carbs, but I rarely got in over 50-60grams of carbs during my losing stage. I really didn't stress about carbs after 6.5 months because I was still dropping weight. I no longer count the carbs from non-starchy veggies. Essentially, I only count white carbs, and even then I don't flip out over it. I average 100gr of carbs per day. Some days I hit 150ish because I load up on veggies.

No more than 30-40grams of carbs during the losing stage was my surgeon's recommendation.

I am worried about counting carbs. I've gotten a book, hopefully tomorrow, when I meet with the nut for the first time, I'll get a guideline. I've never 'counted' anything that 'counted' like this! Thanks Tiffany!

[Donna4545 13]

On the meat being dry--try cooking your meats in a pressure cooker with stock. It makes them really moist and falling-apart.

[Tiffykins 673]

I am worried about counting carbs. I've gotten a book, hopefully tomorrow, when I meet with the nut for the first time, I'll get a guideline. I've never 'counted' anything that 'counted' like this! Thanks Tiffany!

I use myfitnesspal.com to track food. They have a free app on smartphones, and I use it on my IPhone if I'm out and don't have an idea on the gram counts on certain items.

[redroses47 1]

My nutritionist pretty much said you no longer have to keep track of anything post-op but for my comfort level, I do track my Protein and Water intake and that's it. Like Tiff said, my carb level is naturally low as well with the odd bite of veggies or Pasta so I am pretty sure my daily carb intake is around 30-40 grams - if that. Again, it doesn't matter to me because my focus isn't on what I can't have but rather what I should be eating and it's not difficult for me to make these choices. I look at it this way .. with each meal, I have maybe 7-10 bites that have to COUNT .. no room for nibbling, sampling, etc. This will probably change the farther along I get but for me, I keep my focus simple. I hate food diaries but this time, it worked. I miss rice/sushi as well but have had no room or desire for either. We all have our cravings, I suppose, but perhaps for me it was about my 'old life'. Things have changed drastically .. I simply don't want what I reached for before - CARBS