Carb Or Low Carb...that Is The Question?

[hollirrose 249]

I'm still on mushy diet but can go to regular food next week. I am not worried about my carbs at this point because there aren't many low carb soups.. beans..etc that I can eat at this stage. When I go to regular food I am kind of torn about doing low carb vs "regular" food. Before surgery I have been an off and on low carber for years (20 or so carbs a day). I did not always stick to it or I would not have needed the surgery. Assuming I get my Protein in ... Should I still be doing low carb? 0r just eat small amounts of healthy foods including starchy stuff? I have about 100 lbs to lose and would like some opinions.

[Mr_Worm 129]

Low carb all the way! no sugar, no white flour, no soda, no carbonation. I've lost 100 pounds now in under 4 months from it.

[Mews 37]

There are different forms of carbs. Mr. Worm has a point but there are plenty of ways to get good carbs: fruits, veggies, multigrain breads, etc. I think it all depends on what your NUT tells you. Mine doesn't push the low carb diet and instead wants me to eat a balanced one with the above foods in it. For the first month post-op I was miserable because I had no energy. Let's just say that ketosis was not nice to me. My NUT said that I was too focused on Protein and that each meal should be a balance of 2:1 ratio of protein to carbs. I switched it up and I'm feeling so much better. Mind you, I'm probably losing weight at a much slower pace than others but I'm no longer dragging along, feeling like poop. I'll take the former over the latter any day.

[hollirrose 249]

Low carb all the way! no sugar, no white flour, no soda, no carbonation. I've lost 100 pounds now in under 4 months from it.

Do you have a set number of carbs you try not to exceed? Pre surgery my carbs typically were salad and Salad Dressing. Where do your come from? Thanks for the info!

[hollirrose 249]

There are different forms of carbs. Mr. Worm has a point but there are plenty of ways to get good carbs: fruits, veggies, multigrain breads, etc. I think it all depends on what your NUT tells you. Mine doesn't push the low carb diet and instead wants me to eat a balanced one with the above foods in it. For the first month post-op I was miserable because I had no energy. Let's just say that ketosis was not nice to me. My NUT said that I was too focused on Protein and that each meal should be a balance of 2:1 ratio of protein to carbs. I switched it up and I'm feeling so much better. Mind you, I'm probably losing weight at a much slower pace than others but I'm no longer dragging along, feeling like poop. I'll take the former over the latter any day.

I had my surgery on Mexico ... So I do not have a NUT or doctor to follow up with. Do you have a max number or carbs? I really do appreciate your advice.

[sarahcc 184]

Myself personally... I choose a healthy balance vs. low carb. I watch my calories, fat grams and sugar grams but I don't put anything off limits completely. I told myself going into this that my days of "dieting" were over and low carb is just too strict for me.

I also think about my life in a year from now (I'm almost 3 weeks post op) and I just can't see low carb being a forever solution for me. It works for a lot of people and seems to promote the fastest weight loss but the numbers don't lie: Burn more calories than you take in, keep hydrated and you WILL lose the excess weight.

[Mr_Worm 129]

Do you have a set number of carbs you try not to exceed? Pre surgery my carbs typically were salad and Salad Dressing. Where do your come from? Thanks for the info!

If I do have a carb its a non sugar carb (wheat thins). I still don't eat bread cause in my mind I know its just taking up space that Protein should be in. My Post Op manual they gave me said to keep the carb servings to less than 20 grams per serving. I'm prob keeping it below 50 grams or less per day...and thats only from the wheat thins (the non sugar carb). Totally addicting and the sleeve loves them..and comes in dif flavors

[sarahcc 184]

FYI just to add my nutritionists personal recommendations: My servings of food/liquid should be less than 10g fat and 10g sugar. She doesnt ask me to watch anything else I hope that helps! Good luck!

[Foxbins 625]

I am 16 mos post-op and did low-carb (less than 40) all the way to goal and then added in veg and some fruit. I have lost 95.5 lbs. I wanted to change my eating habits and my taste buds and it appears I did by sticking to such a rigorous plan. Now I always eat Protein first, almost no white carbs or sugar and I don't miss them a bit. Some people can eat carbs but for me, once I have more than like 100 a day I want more and more. It's a slippery slope for me and just easier to avoid them as much as possible.

[suzcomptime 17]

I am still pre-op but my plan is still to eat low-carb. That being said, it would probably look more like 40 carbs a day max not the strict 20. Protein first and than eventually healthy carbs like fruit & veggies. I plan to stay away from white anything which I've pretty much gotten out of the habit of eating. Carbs are not my friend and like Foxbins said, I find them a slippery slope. If I binge on a lot of carbs in a day, I feel groggy and tired and overly hungry the next morning.

[hollirrose 249]

Thanks for all the replies! This kind of info really helps.

[Indymom 132]

I wasn't given carb restrictions (or calorie/fat restrictions, for that matter) - technically my nutritionist's plan was a strict list of OK'd foods and a certain serving size per meal (based upon the number of months I was post-op).

I've deviated somewhat from their guidelines though I still follow the basic premise. I try to get at least 3-4 oz of dense Protein (cheese, meat or egg) each meal - along with a small serving of veggie or fruit, and sometimes a carb (like a tiny Pasta serving, 1/3 of a baked potato, etc.). In general, at almost 9 months out I'm at about 1200 cals/day, I usually stay below 80 carbs/day and below 50-60 grams of fat/day. I'm hitting my 75g Protein target regularly - without protein supplementation.

I have continued to lose 1-2 lbs/week so I'm OK with where I'm at. I know a lot of other people are more militant about low-carb but that just doesn't work for me, and I'm fine with my loss being a little slower than some others might experience. Ketosis makes me feel icky, and without carbs I feel like I'm "dieting" instead of eating a normal, healthy diet for life. I'm still on track to likely hit 100 lbs lost (and goal!) by the 1-year mark so I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[JimmyGotSLEEVED 270]

Always healthy low carbs! That's key! Gluck to u