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I am keeping my carbs below 20 per day. But I have followed a low carb lifestyle pre-op and I have continued that post-op.

In general, it's good to keep carbs low, but a lot of people don't keep them as low as I do. (And others don't do low/lower carb at all. It is a decision you'll have to make.)

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We were not given any specific carb numbers, but were told to minimize sugars and simple carbs. I couldn't afford the side effects of the very low carb diets that are promoted in some places and haven't seen any particular benefit to them from a weight loss perspective (however they are useful therapeutically for those with diabetes or insulin resisitance) particularly over the long term. I averaged 70-100 g per day the first four months post op and then increased my complex carb intake some in certain meals to improve exercise endurance, taking the average into the 100-120 range. I wouldn't want the weight to have come off any faster than it did.

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I have 80-85 grams of Protein a day and keep my carbs between 20-25 grams. Usually on the lower side. The only sugar is from raw fruit juice. I use 4oz (plus a cup of ice and a scoop of unflavored protein) in my daily shake.

I use 2% yogurt and cottage cheese and if I drink milk it's 1%. I eat 1/4 of an avocado a few times a week and use a splash of heavy cream in my morning cup of tea and a bit of butter on my veggies, so I guess don't restrict fat as much as some people do but most days I am around 600-700 calories.

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After surgery I kept my carbs very low, under 20 most days maybe 25 on a rare day.

Once I had lost quite a bit of weight I started carb cycling and that seems to work well for me. Even on the days I eat more carbs, they are healthy ones. I have never counted sugars.

I'm so boring hahaha :P

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I think in general, the bariatric industry has a very long way to go and understanding food and nutrition. I have read countless posts, and made posts like this as well, asking for direction because there was so little from the surgeons office. The bariatric gospel preaches high Protein and low carbs and for some that might be the healthier way to go, but I don't believe that bodies respond universally to lifestyle choices when it comes to diet. My surgeons office had these little photocopies-tiny CliffsNotes, and one of them said to be eating around 100 carbs a day. In the beginning I ate super low carb, and after a couple of months I couldn't think straight. I literally didn't eat enough carbohydrates to have proper function in the mind. As for speed of weight loss, I know that we all want to lose the weight as fast as possible-most of us anyway. But I think once we get past that point where everything hurts and it's hard to move around and we lost enough weight to start having our lives back there is less pressure to rush and get the rest of it off. At least that is been my experience. I am now at a wait where I can function physically, I feel much better, I look much better, overall I am fairly happy with myself even though I could still stand to lose 30 to 40 pounds. For the rest of my life, I have to watch my relationship with food. The sleeve does not change that. It just gave me a Headstart. It showed me that I could do this. And it will be a tool that I always have, but I ask myself what difference does it make how fast the weight comes off? At this point, it doesn't matter that much. If it takes another six months to lose 30 pounds it's not a big deal. Breaking my metabolism by starving myself, depriving my body of any single food group that it needs to function properly and restore itself to health and balance-I'm much more worried about that then slowing down my weight loss by eating a few more carbs so that I can think straight

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Edited by JupiterinVirgo

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I aim for 15 carbs per meal with five meals a day. I'm diabetic and this is the recommended procedure for me.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Edited by LittleLizzieLilliput

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I was given specific instruction from my surgeon:

Protein 80 g/day

low Carbs less than 50 grams/day

no sugar (5 grams limit/meal)

and low fat less than 30 grams/day

I'm not sure that applies during all the different stages.

I was told that nutrition goals are going to be revisited during follow up appmts.

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It makes sense that you would have a high Protein diet post op for healing. think some of the reason for the 3:1 or even 4:1 Protein carb ratio in the recommended diets is that so many WLS patients are diabetic.

To accommodate my Bell's palsy diet I had to increase my carb intake. Carbs are ~3 calories a gram so it didn't increase my calories much. I doubt it slowed my weight lose much, if at all.

Realistically, it takes about 3,000 calorie a day to maintain a 290 pounds body. If you are how eating 500-900 calories a day it would be impossible not to lose fat.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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My nutritionist says to get at least 50 grams of carbs a day for proper brain function. That is in addition to the 60-90 grams of Protein and 64+ oz of Water. I had surgery one month ago and am down 27 pounds total, 19 since surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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Carbohydrate and sugars are not our friends when it comes to weight control. There are lots of people who say the obesity epidemic we are witnessing now is due to the high sugar and carbohydrate diets that have become mainstay of western diets over the last 50 years. Have a read of "Sweet Poison".

I have been on a high Protein (about 100g / day) and low sugar diet for the last 7 months. I have lost 41 kilo. Whatever sugar that is in the Protein rich foods I eat that is what I consume. My Protein shakes have about 10 g of sugar, the Protein Bars have about 4 grams. Whisky has some sugar as well. I keep my calories below 1000 per day - I usually like to keep them around 800-900 per day. Ice-cream = no way, chocolates = no way, sugary drinks = no way, chips = no way.

Edited by Shane Johnston

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