Will we have to low carb for ever?

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I would say 60 grams is a bare minimum for Protein. It seems like a lot of surgeons/nutritionists recommend about 65. My nutritionist wanted me to work my way up to 100 as soon as I could. I would say I got there around the 3 month mark and have been able to manage it pretty easily most days since then.

As for carbs, I don't actually count carbs. I just know I don't get many because I work so hard to get my Protein in. There are carbs in my Protein Bars, but they are offset by "fiber" and only have a total of 3 net carbs each. In my lunches and dinners, my only carbs usually come from sauce. I do usually have one greek yogurt a day, which has about 9 grams of carbs on its own, plus I add half an ounce of either Kashi Go Lean Cereal or some granola to that on my cardio days, which is about another 9 grams for a total of 18 grams.

So my best guess is that in a day I get about 45 grams of net carbs?

[ladivaluz806 87]

That seems pretty reasonable. I think i large part my issues have been barely getting 60 g of Protein IF that much.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I disagree with the majority of posters on this thread. Doesn't mean they're wrong. But they're also not necessarily right -- as in there are multiple ways to lose and maintain weight after WLS.

For the record, I never went low-carb to lose my weight post-op. Yes, early on we can't eat that much (500-800 calories/day) and do focus on mostly Protein for the first month or so -- to get all our Protein in.

But "focusing on protein" is not nearly the same thing as "no carbs." As soon as I could eat veggies and fruits, I was focused on eating as much of them as I could--after I'd eaten all the protein I was supposed to eat. Even when I was eating only 800 calories/day, I was getting in just as many or more grams of carbohydrates as grams of protein.

At Month 5 I bumped my daily cals target up to 1,000/day. At Month 7 I bumped up to 1,200 cals/day. When I hit my weight goal (at 8-1/2 months post-op) I raised my cals to 1,400 cals/day. And at each of those levels I was eating more carbs than protein grams -- which at 1,200 cals/day was about 100 grams of protein and 100+ grams of carbs.

But by "carbs" I don't mean massive amounts of the "white carbs" and certainly not sugar. Carbs are in veggies, fruits, whole grains. Those are GREAT for us--so full of nutrients and Fiber.

As an example, today I'll eat 1,485 calories of food, which will include 142 grams of carbohydrates, 38 grams of fat, and 106 grams of protein. My food today will also include 19 grams of Fiber (women need 21 grams/day, but 19's good enough).

So there's a different perspective.

P.S. I plan my daily menus and record all my food eaten in My Fitness Pal, so I do know what I'm eating and how much and what my food's macronutrients are. No guessing going on here.

[mlmorgan2006 7]

My nut tells me to add about 4 bites of carbs to my meal. However, she tells me to eat my Protein first, then the vegetable, and then the 4 bites of carbs if I am still hungry.

[chunkyloverlovesyou 197]

I eat carbs like they are going out of style

[gigito2 52]

How long have you had your surgery, chunkylover? Have you always eaten carbs post-op? Sorry for all the questions - I just try to learn everything I can. Hopefully I'll be sleeved some time in Sept or Oct.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Apparently, not everyone here knows yet that:

1. Vegetables are carbs.

2. Fruits are carbs.

3. Whole grains are carbs.

4. Dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.) are full of carbs.

And some of the above also have Protein. And/or fat.

But they all contain carbs!

[AussieSam 234]

Apparently, not everyone here knows yet that:

1. Vegetables are carbs.

2. Fruits are carbs.

3. Whole grains are carbs.

4. Dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.) are full of carbs.

And some of the above also have Protein. And/or fat.

But they all contain carbs!

They are the good carbs and to cut all these out is very unhealthy.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Apparently, not everyone here knows yet that:

1. Vegetables are carbs.

2. Fruits are carbs.

3. Whole grains are carbs.

4. Dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.) are full of carbs.

And some of the above also have Protein. And/or fat.

But they all contain carbs!

They are the good carbs and to cut all these out is very unhealthy.

That was exactly my point. Sorry I didn't make it clear enough.

[Djmohr 6,965]

I have been eating good carbs since the first 4 weeks post surgery. Eating a balanced diet is the most critical for long term success. So many people do not get that vegetables, fruits, cheeses are all carbs.

It is the types of carbs you choose to eat that is most important.

I was told 1 gram of Protein for every inch you are tall. I was also told 2 bites of good Protein for every one bite of healthy carbs. I love my protein and vegetables and that is what I crave.

[Stevehud 1,790]

To each their own, in this. I can say this ive had crabs from edamame crackers made with some rice flour, a few with hummus is fine, or i found some great chickpea chips with some homemade salsa rocks, but again if i eat to many, i stall , carbs are the enemy unfortunately. I had a bite of a piece of toast last weekend, and realized afterward that it was simply a waste. You have to find that healthy mid-line for yourself, how many carbs you need vs how many you take in.

On an average day i manage to keep my carbs under 10 grams. on a bad day i can go as high as 30. But i try to get my carbs from veggies if possible. Even if its a starchy veg, i limit how much, So i might have two tablespoons of mashed potato say, or a spoonful of sweet potatoes. but only maybe once a week.

food is what we Live ON, Not what we Live FOR!

[jess9395 5,449]

I agree with everything said here for the weight loss phase, but for me I have introduced a lot more carbs--mostly fruit and whole grains like oatmeal, still no bread/potatoes/pasta/rice--in maintenance.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

• Miss Mac, very inspiring. Your comments were a BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious). I've got my carbs counted on my food diary, time for some experimenting and see if I can get past this stall by altering the carbs. My gut feeling was not enough Protein, but I'll work on adjusting the carbs and see if I can find an optimum mix for me. Strangely I was losing more weight when using steel cut oats for carbs as opposed to berries. But this is worth playing around with.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I think experimentation with macronutrient proportions (Protein, carbs, fats) is very helpful. But not everyone is willing or capable of doing those kinds of one-subject science experiments on themselves. But if you are ... there's a real opportunity to learn what works best for YOU, rather than the unwashed masses.

[drmeow 323]

Complex are very important if you exercise a lot as you need them for fuel. Protein helps repair the muscles and stos the body from breaking down muscle. Stay away from sugary carbs and remember it's ok to be on a low carb diet but bad to be on a no carb diet.

Actually if you are completely keto-adapted you have no need of carbs. Reference the Inuits who eat nothing but Protein and fat year-round (in their native environment before McDonalds marched in probably) - there was even a doctor who lived with them 11 years eating what they ate and was completely normal.

You mention protein to repair the muscles - yes, protein is needed, and fat is needed for fuel. There is no need for glucose if you consume adequate fat.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434031729&sr=8-2&keywords=phinney+and+volek

The authors of the above book say "low carb" rather than "no carb" b/c in our world, realistically we aren't going to avoid every single carb.

If you avoid ALL processed foods, and potatoes, corn and peas, you can probably eat most of the other fruit and vegetable carbs on a limited basis.

However, I suspect the OP is actually just having the typical 3 week post-op stall. She doesn't say when her surgery was, but the amount of weight loss makes me suspect that.

Also if she is fairly early post-op and eating even small amounts of crackers and bread, she's probably not getting all her protein in.