Is There Evidence That Low Carb Actually Leads To Better Losses?

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I am wondering if there have been any published studies that shows that weight loss surgery patients who follow low carb diets lose better then those that dont? I am 2 weeks out, just moving into pureed foods and while I have been planning on low carbing it, I wonder if the evidence supports that. NUT is more moderate about carbs - she wants us to eat Protein first, but isn't worried about fruit and higher carb veggies. Of course, simple sugar type carbs and junk food are off limits to get maximum weight loss.

I am still very tired, can't tell how much of that is due to being fairly low carb so far - I generally have 20-30 total carbs while on liquid diet.

[Lissa 2,631]

I have no idea if there are any studies about low carb after WLS. I just wanted to say that your nut probably isn't too worried about high carb foods because she knows that most WLS patients can't eat much anyway.

For me, bread and rice still make me uncomfortably full, so I don't eat them much at all. Mashed potatoes, otoh, go down very easily, but they fill me up fast as well.

By the time I eat my Protein for the day and add in some veggies, I'm usually too full to put in much in the way of carbs anyway. Add in the fact that simple sugars are too sweet and make me have diarrhea (not dumping, but def changes that function, sorry TMI), and I don't eat much sweet anyway. So, those high carb, low nutrition foods are out most of the time as well.

There are several on here who advocate eating carbs before working out, and their reasons sound very valid to me. You will figure out what works for you and it will be right!

Good luck!!

[ATeam 38]

It's not related to WLS speciically, more weight loss specifically, but read Gary Taubes book "Good Calories, Bad Calries". It'll change your life in regards to carbs!

[PdxMan 4,292]

I was really low carb in the beginning, but I had no energy. I could sleep 10 hours at night and still be dragging a$$ by 2:00. I talked to my NUT who told me to increase my carbs by eating cooked veggies. This was at about 5 weeks out and in the pureed stage. I was eating pureed Soups, then, so I added carrots and other veggies and it did the trick. Getting 70-90g helped get my energy back and as you can see from my ticker, my weight loss has been good. But I do have to mention that I am pretty active getting to the gym and running, which I was only able to do once I upped my carbs.

Now, at almost 6 months out, the only thing I count is Protein. I'm guessing I am somewhere between 150-200 g of carbs a day now, sometimes more depending on my running schedule ... and I am still losing.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

The only time I do super low carbs (about 30g/day) is when I've been eating a lot of "bad" carbs and I need to break the cravings. I do that for about 5 days, then I'll get back to moderate carbs. I did about 60g per day during weight loss mode. I didn't like the way super low carbs made me feel.

I think a great deal has to do with how much you workout too. If you're planning to workout to up your fitness than super low carbs IMO is not a good idea. I was doing about 2 hours a day, and I needed the carbs to survive.

It would be said I did lose pretty fast doing my routine, I hit my original goal in about 6.5 months. I created another goal and got there in 10. It was then that I started trailing off the food logging and carb counting. I'm probably in the range of about 100g per day, just guessing. I also pull in about 1 hour of workout per day (5-6x per week) I'm still losing too.

HTH - please remember everyone's metabolisms and needs are different. If what your nutritionists advice isn't working for you, ask her to modify it.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Yeah, PDXMan that is where I am at - low energy. I realize that I am still fairly early on in my recovery, but i also suspect low carbs since low energy started during my low carb preop diet.

I am hesitant to use you as an example though - i am not a runner and I know that men's bodies just seem to function differently then women. I started out at 49 BMI so i feel very aware of needing to really lose that weight the first year - that golden window.

Right now, I am getting about 20-25 carbs a day. As I am moving into pureed diet, I am going to start adding back carbs via veggies and see what happens. I have no intentions of eating high carb food no matter what as I know that I have a bit of a carb addiction and it is easy for me to go from Pasta to sweets.

I was just curious about actual studies showing actual differences in results between people that stay under 40 carbs a day versus people that don't restrict it post weight loss surgery.

[PdxMan 4,292]

I don't know of any studies as it relates to WLS, but I do know that adding back carbs really helped me. Good carbs, not cookie carbs, as I like to call them.

The weight will come off. Once you get into the stride of the program, your body will begin to tell you what it needs as far as carbs go. I adjust mine to the energy level I am feeling. Dragging a$$, grab a bowl of oatmeal or Pasta (or whatever higher carb thing you CAN eat at your stage). I find when I am tired and low on energy, it makes it more difficult to be compliant with the meal plan and exercise routine. If I have everything ticking ... then so am I!.

I, too, am/was a carb addict. The sleeve has allowed me some semblance of control. Test it out and see what works for you.

[emily_0192010 168]

I have no idea about anything official, because I haven't done any research on it. I decided to try it on the... well i would say recommendation but it was more like order, of my surgeon. I found that I did lose a lot more than any other diet I had tried. However, the weeks when I stayed at his point or under (under 30 per day) I lost LESS than the weeks I was a bit higher (say around 50 per day). I found that my body really likes it when most days are low, but then i'll have a couple days here and there that are higher. I lose the best that way.

At this point, I don't actively limit my carbs. I simply eat Protein first, and to be honest there is never room for carbs. I'll sometimes have a bit of Pasta or veggie or whatever my Protein was served with if I am out, but that is just for the taste of it. I get my carbs mainly from what I drink (I didn't want to give up my coffee, I did however switch to decaf), which is MAINLY my Protein shakes.

[Indymom 132]

From a purely chemical/biological perspective, eating extremely low-carb sends your body into ketosis which is generally a pretty efficient way of burning fat quickly (thus the Atkins/South Beach philosophy). I HATE the way ketosis makes my body feel and it's never been a good dieting option for me (I've tried Atkins multiple times). I tend to stay fairly lower-carb and it's really only because once I get my Protein in and some veggies, there's just not room left for any carbs.

Also, it's better to stick to complex carbs if you are going to have 'normal' carb intake - obviously you don't want to get the bulk of your carbs from white, enriched breads or foods high in sugar.

[sleeve 4 me 910]

I don't understand how people can live without carbs in their diet. I can't function without them. During my weight loss journey I never really gave them up completely, and I was able to lose and get to goal. I eat Pasta several times a week. But with that said every individual is different, and you have to see what works best for you. Best wishes!

[rhondarina 13]

I guess it depends really. The only time I've ever dieted successfully and lost weight, I lost it through strict Atkins and exercising. I loved eating low carb while it lasted. But the carbs always come back in my diet.

Going forward from surgery, I really don't want to restrict my carbs that much, because I don't want to be super low carb, get to goal, then start adding them back in and go out of control. My plan was to just eat regular small amounts of anything (Protein first and according to my dr's plan) in the first 6-10 months or first 100lbs lost, and then maybe when I need to kick it up a noch and lose the last 50lbs be more conscious of my carbs. But I often see the opposite, I see people who are very low carb, and then fizzle out when they can eat more, and start eating more carbs in their diet and then reach a stall at around a 100lbs loss and struggle getting their carbs back down.

[Tlmiller2971 10]

I am very happy to find this discussion. I can't function without good carbs but was feeling bad because another group I belong to was all about putting yourself in ketosis. I don't like that idea but I haven't been sleeved yet either... 1/17/12 is my date. What I really need to focus on is what works for me and not worry about what others do, but then I started to fear I wouldnt lose.

[MegInNOLA 531]

What I really need to focus on is what works for me and not worry about what others do...

^This. Absolutely. While getting advice and researching what works for others is a really smart thing to do, in the end, it boils down to what works for you and what will work for you long term.

I have never counted my carbs (or my Protein, for that matter, or calories)--I try to eat Protein first, but I definitely eat carbs at every mini-meal. I know a lot of people on this board have some fantastic successes with the low-carb approach, but that wasn't going to work for me--so I found the way that did work for me (and is still working).

[DebiC 181]

While I don't intentionally eat low carb-it just happens that way. My doctor says to stay about 20-30 carbs PER MEAL. I don't even count. After I eat Protein, then veggies there is seldom any room left. I do on occasion eat half of a sandwich thin (whole wheat) or a WASA crisp bread. But I have found lately that I would rather have more vegetables and some fruit than a slice of bread. I thought I would feel deprived from the no pasta/rice/bread rule. But I really don't.

[doggz109 41]

Carbs are ok.....so long as they are vegetable carbs. There really is no reason to go back to eating things like bread, rice, and definitely no sugar.

The occaisonal bit of fruit might be ok depending on the person.