How do you, personally, define a carb?

[Little Green 583]

What's a carb to you? In the context of "avoiding carbs" or "low-carb" as a bariatric patient?

• Fries, pizza, ice cream, Cookies, etc. - of course (although most of those foods are actually 50%+ fat so it seems weird to call them carbs).
• bread? White bread seems obvious, but what about whole wheat? What about the gross, "healthy" kind with all the seeds and grains?
• Pasta? Again, refined white pasta seems clear enough, but how about the kinda gritty "meh" whole grain version?
• Potatoes?
• Beans?
• oatmeal, rice, quinoa, corn... all whole grains, so which ones do you avoid?

Thanks for any discussion you can provide! I'm just curious about how real life post-op folks make their decisions about what's acceptable to eat when it comes to carbs.

[Greensleevie 451]

I keep it fairly simple. Anything "white" like bread, rice, Pasta, potatoes etc I tend to stay away from. I'm 4+ years out and in maintenance, so I will eat whole grain breads, crackers, and rice occasionally. I get most of my daily carbs from dairy, fruits and veggies these days.

[GreenTealael 25,340]

Im a newbie so i read and log everything. So a carb is a carb, fat is a fat, etc. I dont eat many processed or packaged foods so i have to rely heavily on MFP for accountabililty. I mostly stay away from breads rice Pasta etc because i had my fill pre surg and a little after. My carbs also tend to come from fruits legumes and vegetables. I am not in maintainance so im going easy...

[allwet 868]

1 hour ago, Little Green said:

What's a carb to you? In the context of "avoiding carbs" or "low-carb" as a bariatric patient?

• Fries, pizza, ice cream, Cookies, etc. - of course (although most of those foods are actually 50%+ fat so it seems weird to call them carbs).
• bread? White bread seems obvious, but what about whole wheat? What about the gross, "healthy" kind with all the seeds and grains?
• Pasta? Again, refined white Pasta seems clear enough, but how about the kinda gritty "meh" whole grain version?
• Potatoes?
• Beans?
• oatmeal, rice, quinoa, corn... all whole grains, so which ones do you avoid?

Thanks for any discussion you can provide! I'm just curious about how real life post-op folks make their decisions about what's acceptable to eat when it comes to carbs.

fries are a carb.

Cookies are carbs and worse sugar.

pizza dough is a carb - the meats are Protein and fat and the veggies have carbs - scrap everything off the dough throw in a scrambled egg you got a great Breakfast

pasta is highly refined and a carb - who grain while a better version is still a carb even if less refined.

potatoes are a starch and thats a carb.

oatmeal is a carb

Beans are carbs with higher amount of Fiber which makes them a better choice than all of the others on your list.

[Little Green 583]

4 minutes ago, allwet said:

fries are a carb.

Cookies are carbs and worse sugar.

pizza dough is a carb - the meats are Protein and fat and the veggies have carbs - scrap everything off the dough throw in a scrambled egg you got a great Breakfast

Pasta is highly refined and a carb - who grain while a better version is still a carb even if less refined.

potatoes are a starch and thats a carb.

oatmeal is a carb

Beans are carbs with higher amount of Fiber which makes them a better choice than all of the others on your list.

So just to be clear - you would avoid all examples on the list except Beans? Or would you also exclude beans?

[allwet 868]

depends on your goal - everything on that list will raise blood sugar and then raise insulin levels so they should be consumed in moderation with that in mind.

only you can decide what limit you want on carbs. 150 g 100g 50g (me) 20g

keep in mind the govt asked Americans to eat more carbs and obesity and type 2 diabetes have risen every year since to reach epidemic proportions today - thank you U.S. govt.

track all your food with an app and decided what number to stay under then adjust your food choices as needed.

Edited May 27, 2018 by allwet

[Creekimp13 5,840]

I eat a metric fuque ton of carbs. Love them. They're a huge part of the mayo Clinic Diet...which has served me very well.

That said...there are two kinds of carbs. High glycemic simple carbs....processed white flour and sugar...I'm extremely careful with. Sugars, in general...I'm careful with.

In addition to being bad to give you insulin spikes and rebound hunger....the kinds of foods they're in...cakes, Cookies, baked goods, fried sweets, snack foods, processed foods....are typically full of tans fats..partially hydrogenated oils that raise your bad cholesterol, lower your good cholesterol and clog your blood pipes. Heart disease is the #1 killer for both men and women....so I'd really like to avoid this.

Low glycemic carbs are a huge part of my daily diet. Whole grains, oats, brown rice, Beans, lentils, chickpeas. Whole raw fruits. Low fat dairy. In addition to having a nice slow glycemic burn that doesn't spike your insulin like processed carbs.....low glycemic carbs are typically rich in fiber and/or PROTEIN:) Both are awesome for weight loss! Fiber is great for poo...and it's what the best gut microbiota eat. Getting some of your Protein from plant sources helps to reduce your exposure to the nasty fats that come with animal protein. So, to me, it's win-win.

The diets of the healthiest people on Earth who have the most longevity, least cancer and heart disease.....Mediterranean Diet and Japanese Diet are low in simple sugar and high in low glycemic carbs, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds and fish. High in plant protein, low in animal protein.

So to answer your question more specifically....

Carbs are carbs...but some are better for a healthy diet than others.

Some I eat regularly, and some I eat very seldom in very small amounts.

• Fries...I make my own out of potatoes in the oven with olive oil and rosemary, and leave the skins on:)
• pizza....I make my own with thin whole wheat crust, tons of veggies,fresh mozzarella, and very little meat.
• ice cream....nope, but I LOVE Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars
• Cookies, etc......almost never. Would be a special occasion food and would limit it to 75 calories worth. Couple bites of hubby's dessert on special occasion, microscopic piece of birthday cake, etc.
• bread? No white bread, but I do eat sourdough, pumpernickel, and the gross, "healthy" kind with all the seeds and grains...I LOVE it:) Toast it up and put some avocado on there with red pepper flakes, sunflower seeds and lowfat swiss. Yum!
• Pasta?......No white Pasta, but I do LOVE lentil/chickpea pasta, I prefer it.
• Potatoes? Yep. White and Sweet. Love me some potatoes! Love my diet potato salad, too.
• Beans? Yes. All of them. As often as possible. Fiber-licious!
• oatmeal, rice, quinoa, corn... all whole grains, so which ones do you avoid?,,,,, I eat sugar free oatmeal regularly, brown rice in moderation regularly, not into quinoa, corn I eat in once in a while in moderation as an ingredient. And I like popcorn sometimes, air popped. I'm a big fan of Chia seed pudding. I like flax. And all the nuts:) Love me some lentils in my veggie Soup.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Creekimp13

[AtlantaRed 651]

If you're counting carbs, a carb is a carb. I wouldn't eat anything on your list. If you just had to have something, look on Pinterest for Keto bread, keto pizza, meatza. Find low carb marinara on Amazon as well as almond flour and xantham or guar gum for thickening, etc.

[Yo-yo girl 118]

The nutritional label of anything carbohydrate such as bread, Cereal, oatmeal you name it.. may come with 200% Iron, Calcium and all the Vitamins in the world + 15 years more of life and it’s still a no for me! a few grams of this or that which may be excellent for our health is simply not worth it if it comes with 18 carbs or 15. Ideally I like to stay under 20 because that’s my magic number to remain in ketosis (I use test strips).


Yo-Yo Girl from New York City

[Little Green 583]

Thanks everyone! I've got a plan for carbs, I'm just curious about how others define them and draw a line in their own diets. I really appreciate the discussion!

[jess9395 5,449]

During my losing phase I limited all types of carbs and the majority of the carbs in my diet came from dairy which is one source that hasn’t been discussed... I didn’t do any of the types listed for the most part but did do no sugar added Greek yogurt, cheese, milk, etc which are all a source of naturally occurring carbs from the lactose.

Now that I am at goal and in maintenance I eat a serving of fruit most days, vegetables (complex carbs) and some whole grains like quinoa and oatmeal. I avoid bread, crackers, Cereal, potatoes and wheat Pasta for the most part still. I Can’t eat rice. I do have sweets on occasion in moderation. I had a cookie tonight!

[GreenTealael 25,340]

Can you please give us a sample of your diet while you were still losing?

[Em_Jay75 81]

Creekimp13, Will you share your diet potato salad recipe with me, pretty please? 😬

[Creekimp13 5,840]

Sure!

I kinda throw things together as I go, so my measurements aren't exact. Kinda eyeball it. Adjust for your own tastes.

Chop up about six red potatoes with the skins on into tiny bite sized pieces, boil, set aside to cool (don't make them too mushy...err on the side of firm, they'll cook a little more as they cool

Boil about four eggs, peel and chop

I finely chop a stalk of celery (use more of the leaves if you have them), half a sweet onion, half a red pepper. Tiny bits...lots of veggies.

Now for the dressing, I make my own

Mix one egg yolk, about 3/4 cup olive oil, one T lemon juice, a teaspoon of mustard, salt and pepper in a blender....TaDa! Mayo! Now, add some splenda to taste and mix with a big glop of sugar free pickle relish. And a little dill if you have it, and a little splash of cider vinegar. Whatever you like. Some people like savory more than sweet and go with mustard and dill.

Word of warning....this is NOT low calorie. It's about 160 calories for 2/3 cup serving. But it's extremely filling. Plus, the veggies are awesome and give you more bang for your caloric buck. Do NOT skip out on the red pepper...it makes it:)

shake a little paprika on top and this is a terrific lunch. I like to pair about a half a cup of it with a slice of lean ham and fresh pineapple.

1/2 cup potato salad about 120 calories 2g Protein

3 oz extra lean ham steak 100 calories 15g protein

1/2 cup fresh pineapple 40 calories

Total 260 caloris 17g protein

Put away a couple little premeasured servings for later in the week before you tell your family. My family are like locusts with this stuff...they swoop in and devour it.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Creekimp13

[Sleeved36 356]

Jess9395 and Creekimp13:

When did you add carbs post-op? Was it a gradual thing according to meeting your goals? Or were healthy carbs always part of it?

I am 2.5 weeks post-op and struggling to feel full with liquids and protien. Had a plain veggie burger yesterday, 5g of protien and 25% of daily Fiber. It was amazing! Finally felt full for a long time.