Carbs yes or no

[Hope4NewMe 173]

So what did your Drs advise you do as far as carbs? Mine says that they don't really limit carbs and that they believe that carbs will give you energy and then you will be more active which will then lead to weight loss. They believe that balance is the key. Looking though through threads and youtube, most of the people seem to be on a low carb diet like Keto without the added fat. I do want to be successful but if I could be successful and still eat more carbs I think I would be happier. Carbs are the only thing I am craving but I'm only a month out from surgery and carbs to me seem to be a slippery slope and I'm afraid that if I allow myself to eat carbs then I'll start eating them too much and snacking on crackers or something. Since surgery I have limited myself to 40 or less carbs per day and yesterday I had my one month visit with the dietitian and he said I needed to up my carbs to around 30 per meal. So what did your plan say about carbs and if you were allowed carbs, did you lose weight fast or was is slower? The speed of weight loss I know is individual, but if it seems to be a factor I want to know.

[kcuster83 1,504]

My team/ Dietician is VERY balanced. Nothing is off limits. They only stress to hit your Protein and fluid goals before eating other things.

Some days I eat 150g carbs and some days I eat 30g carbs. Just how it works out, not with any extra efforts.

[SpartanMaker 767]

19 minutes ago, Hope4NewMe said:

Carbs are the only thing I am craving but I'm only a month out from surgery and carbs to me seem to be a slippery slope and I'm afraid that if I allow myself to eat carbs then I'll start eating them too much and snacking on crackers or something.

I suspect this is one of the reasons many doctors (like mine), recommend a lower carb diet, at least initially after WLS.

I personally have a love/hate relationship with low carb dieting. I lost a great deal of weight doing low carb ~20 years ago, but ended up gaining it all back and then some, because I found it unsustainable long-term. As a result, I'm intending to take more of a "smart-carb" approach this time.

The reality is, not all carbs are the same. My plan is to limit my intake of simple carbs, especially processed foods as much as possible, while adding in complex carbs via whole foods as tolerated.

Edited October 18, 2022 by SpartanMaker

[SleeveMeToIt 28]

1 minute ago, SpartanMaker said:

I suspect this is one of the reasons many doctors (like mine), recommend a lower carb diet, at least initially after WLS.

I personally have a love/hate relationship with low carb dieting. I lost a great deal of weight doing low carb ~20 years ago, but ended up gaining it all back and then some, because I found it unsustainable long-term. As a result, I'm intending to take more of a "smart-carb" approach this time.

The reality is, not all carbs are the same. My plan is to limit my intake of simple carbs, especially processed foods as much as possible, while adding in complex carbs via whole foods as tolerated.

This right here! I am the same, I can lose significant weight doing low carb, but I can't live the rest of my life like that. Or should I say, I don't want to live the rest of my life like that.

I have taken the same approach of "smart-carbs" and limiting simple and highly processed carbs. I want my body to learn that no food is off limits and respond with huge weight gains.

Overall trying about to be smarter about food choices, focusing on Protein first. I'm learning that carbs aren't the enemy. But high carbs + high fat can go wrong fast.

[ShoppGirl 4,757]

My team didn’t really limit carbs either but I try to steer clear of them because for me if I eat them I crave them and my cravings for carbs are stronger than any other cravings. I find the worst are for me are Pasta and bread so I try to use lower carb alternatives in moderation.

Edited October 18, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[Spinoza 1,362]

My surgeon and dietician didn't stipulate any particular post-op diet, the only advice was to drink "plenty" (honestly). I got my general advice about Fluid and Protein goals on this forum. I do eat small amounts of all kinds of carbs but am still losing weight. I do think when I eat bread in particular that I want to snack more afterwards, even if it's wholegrain bread, so it's something I will be careful about and think I'll always have to be careful about. I don't want anything to be off limits completely though - that way obsession lies (for me anyway).

[catwoman7 11,210]

plans differ. My clinic's plan was balanced and they didn't give a hoot about carbs. Never mentioned them at all. Although honestly, you take in so few calories the first few months and the Protein requirements are so high, that if you follow the plan you can't really take in that many carbs *anyway*, due to the protein requirements. The first few months I rarely went over 80 carbs a day - and I don't think I ever went over 100 (I do now...but then, I'm several years out from surgery)

[liveaboard15 1,293]

Mine limit you on carbs up to a year out. My surgeon wants me to consume 50 grams of carbs or less a day. I try to go for as little as possible. i always look at the carbs on labels and if its anything above 15 i wont buy it or eat it. Which sucks because at work we make these delicious Cookies but each cookie is 55g of carbs which is insane! Because i would want to eat like 5 of them lmao

[ShoppGirl 4,757]

1 minute ago, liveaboard15 said:

Mine limit you on carbs up to a year out. My surgeon wants me to consume 50 grams of carbs or less a day. I try to go for as little as possible. i always look at the carbs on labels and if its anything above 15 i wont buy it or eat it. Which sucks because at work we make these delicious Cookies but each cookie is 55g of carbs which is insane! Because i would want to eat like 5 of them lmao

OMG. You just reminded me I so need to find a good recipe for Cookies. I think I am going to post a thread about it right now. Hopefully there will be some you can eat.

[Candigrl1 152]

Neither of my programs really limited carbs. (My *** refers Bariatrics out sometimes) However, my PCP did ask me to limit my carbs to under 50 grams per day. This is due to diabetes. What our plan was is for me to increase the amount of carbs slowly. I do find that most of the food I eat is not that high in simple carbs and now I tend to choose healthier options for myself. I think along with your doctor you can find a happy medium for yourself.

[Hope4NewMe 173]

Thank you for all of the responses! I think I will try adding in good for me carbs through veggies and try not to worry if the carb number goes over 40. I'll just keep testing as see how my body does and hopefully I'll be as successful as many of you have been.

[ms.sss 15,508]

(Warning: this is long)

tldr; for ME, in MAINTENANCE, carbs consumption makes little difference to my weight.

K.

My NUT didn’t give me a carb goal/limit per se, but did instruct me to aim for my meals to consist of 25% carbs/starches (with another 25% being Protein and the remaining 50% to be low-glycemic veggies).

With that said, i did my own thing (and told her so): i ended up doing ultra-low carb, i.e., less than 25g NET carbs per day.

Got to goal in 7 months, remained carbophobic, lost a few more pounds and basically still went out of my way to avoid them. I wasn’t ultra-low carb as during weight loss phase, but i was still pretty low.

Eventually, i started eating more and nowadays (4 years post), i probably eat as much carbs as a “regular” person.

I have remained under goal weight this entire time.

These are my takeaways of going low-carb (and this is from MY experience, YMMV)

1) weight loss is rapid. but you need to remain low carb for an extended period. If i carb up on a day, the weight loss slows down or pauses. There is a science to this phenomenon regarding ketosis, the explanation of which is beyond the scope of my post (just google it if ur interested). Also want to say that i was also ultra-low calorie so obvs that contributed!

2) there is a period of a few days that, once passed, my cravings for carbohydrates went away. (Which is why once u start, stick to it because u may have to go thu the “white-knuckle” phase again to alleviate urself of the cravings (see note 1 above)

3) now here is the kicker: during MAINTENANCE (i cant say if this applies to weight loss phase because i didn’t try it)…i discovered that, for ME, it does not matter if my 1800 cals average i eat a day consists of 20g of carbs or 200g. My weight stays the same regardless. What does make a difference is CALORIES. So long as my calories stay at around 1800 (however it is comprised) then im good.

4) carb consumption affects my looks. When i low carb, my body is more defined (which i like) and my face more gaunt (which I don’t like). These days my face is lovely (lol), but my body could be better. Mind u i have also been slacking on the exercise front so that is also a factor, but i digress. In any case, the point is i am still basically the same weight as my low-carb maintenance days.

And that concludes my dissertation for this evening lol.

P.S. I want to point out also that i am NOT insulin-resitant, nor suffer any other medical conditions that affect my weight, nor take any medications that would either. So this may not be everyone’s experience.

P.P.S. Sorry this was so long!

[MyDogsLoveMe 27]

So what did your Drs advise you do as far as carbs? Mine says that they don't really limit carbs and that they believe that carbs will give you energy and then you will be more active which will then lead to weight loss. They believe that balance is the key. Looking though through threads and youtube, most of the people seem to be on a low carb diet like Keto without the added fat. I do want to be successful but if I could be successful and still eat more carbs I think I would be happier. Carbs are the only thing I am craving but I'm only a month out from surgery and carbs to me seem to be a slippery slope and I'm afraid that if I allow myself to eat carbs then I'll start eating them too much and snacking on crackers or something. Since surgery I have limited myself to 40 or less carbs per day and yesterday I had my one month visit with the dietitian and he said I needed to up my carbs to around 30 per meal. So what did your plan say about carbs and if you were allowed carbs, did you lose weight fast or was is slower? The speed of weight loss I know is individual, but if it seems to be a factor I want to know.

How far out are you?

Scared but excited.

[redhead_che 824]

My plan states under or at 30 carbs a day. It’s difficult but I usually meet that goal or go just a little above. My favorite mini tortillas have 8 carbs and always push me over on days I have 1-2

[Afrankrn 27]

I'm only 8 days post op so I haven't hit this yet, but my program says to try to keep it under 30 carbs on average. MD said he wants people to stay under 30, but also live life. You wants some cake at a bday party one day? Eat it. But the next day get back to protein/veggies. They also acknowledged that the carb count will be higher during the pureed/soft diet part because a lot that is more carb heavy.

I just know carbs are going to be my weakness. I have 0 hunger since sx but I still think about carbs (warm yeast rolls?! Honey butter croissants?! Yessssss). If I'm thinking about it while not being hungry at all, then I know it will be a disaster if I start eating it.