Carbs - are they part of your life?

I know that I for one am eating more carbs the last couple of weeks. We've been so busy with meetings, appts, and sellling the house that we are on the run a lot. I have found especially if I am stressed that Pepperridge farms goldfish crackers settle easily in my tummy. Now I know they aren't a great choice and I am working to get it turned around. In AZ, it will be too hot to carry protein bar in my purse (tried it a couple of times and what a melted mess). Any one else having issues with carbs? What did you do to turn it around? My brother (over 2 years out) still can't do bread or crackers. It gives him such a tummy ache and pain. Mary

maybe once a week i have some mashed tators ,,, I usually don't eat anything like that.. the other day i did make homemade brown beans and there loaded with carbs. and i ate them twice in one day,, geez that blew the carb watching for the week , lol I dont eat, breads, crackers, and stuff like that, I know I would not stop with just a little.. huggs Mary

I do like mashed potatoes but can avoid them without a problem. Once in a while I take a small bite of Hal's potatoes if I really want some. Mary, I know beans have carbs but aren't they also loaded with protein??? If yes, then they were a much better choice than many things you could of chosen. I've had crackers in the house because of all the packing etc and being on the road. I buy the individual serving size ones of gold fish and share with Hal. One thing that has helped is to put them in a baggy, that way I can eat a couple and seal back up. I found that it was difficult to stop if the bag was opened and no way to reseal. I might eat 1/2 slice of bread once a week if that. Mary

Mary, The carbs that I have been craving are the crackers, salty type carbs. So I make sure that I have Pork Rinds and nuts to substitute for the potato or cracker cravings. For sweets (usually only crave these once a month), I have sugar-free russell stoffer toffee bars to keep in the freezer. I would not suggest keeping the toffee bars in your purse in Arizona, but you can buy a 99 cent bag of nuts or beef jerky. Hope this helps, Dorothy

Dorothy, I did eat pork rinds for a while, but really don't like the taste. I do like Atkins Crunchers but don't like the price (almost $2 a bag****ep a couple individual bags in the house tho as a back up. You are right any type of chocolate in my purse in AZ would be a big mistake ... trust me, I know from experience... LOL My surgeon says no nuts or beef of any type. I might have to try turkey jerky, but right now am concerned how tough jerky is and being able to digest it. I did find (as a pre-op) that Omaha Steak makes a great beef jerky that is soft and easy to chew. But it is expensive. No beef as a post-op, so haven't tried it now. It is the best jerky in my opinion tho. Hal loved it too. I know I will find something that will work for my purse. Trader Joes had low carb tortillo chips with flaxseed in them. I used them for a while, but they crushed easily, the goldfish held up great so for traveling switched to them Mary

This is always a touchy issue as some are more sensitive to carbs than others and we all get different instructions from our surgeons. I, frankly, have eaten more carbs than most from the very beginning and probably average around 70-80 grams per day. I am able to eat 1/2 a sandwich (like tuna salad, egg salad, etc) and handle the bread fine, but am finding I prefer to eat those types of things with wheat thins which were recommended to me by my dietician early on since crackers dissolve where bread clumps. If I am out to dinner, I eat 1/2 a roll and find that I'm satisfied. It HAS been shocking to me to find that I can eat a little, feel satisfied and NOT trigger cravings or binges. It's really helped me stay on track as I don't feel deprived at all. I just track them carefully on fitday.com and be sure that they fit into my overall eating plan. Julie -82

They aren't a big part of my life, but I will have a bite or two here and there to satisfy any cravings. Usually only after I have gotten the protein in as I have room. I don't miss them much. Chris -116

If I am goign to eat carbs I try to make sure they are whole grain and high in fiber instead of white processed flour. I still havent turned it around carbs and chocolate are my biggest battles right now. The only thing that makes me sick is tough meat so that makes this all even harder. sarah

Carbs have been more a part of my life than I would like. Chicken, which used to go down easy, now makes me sick. The carbs I have been having at home that I need to start elimating are buttermilk, non-alcoholic beer, crackers, as I became sick of cheese alone, low carb bread, tortias. I have recently used some rice and pasta. Once these are gone, I am not buying anymore, I will do what I did earlier, just have a bite or 2 when eating out. I have been having popcorn at work, and I will still do that once in a while, but I have bought the mini bags rather than get the large one from the vending machine. I eat salads with protein in them, as this helps the protein go down.

Carbs are a miniscule part of my life! On occasion I will have one or two crackers, pretzels or even tortilla chips. I've nibbled on a piece of toast with my breakfast when I'm out, or I've had some baked potato or a few french fries. But those are definitely on rare occasions. I'm still not eating a lot and still have no appetite, so I'm really focusing on getting in my protein, instead of what I consider 'empty calories' at this point in my diet. I'm still more than satisfied with the proteins and so I figure as long as I'm content, I'm not going to pu**** The few times that I've nibbled on crackers or pretzels or whatever, it's been 'grazing' or old habits, not because of any hunger! So I try to recognize that and make better choices! I head to the doctor for what's supposed to be my 6 month check up on Wednesday, so I'm very anxious to find out what my current weight loss is. I'll keep everyone posted!