How many carbs?

Hi, So how many carbs do you all eat a day? Also what is the difference between a Carb and carbohydrates (oh I know I spelt that wrong ) I really think I get too many carbs in a day. I don't eat bread or rice cause it doesn't sit well. I do eat baked chips on occassion but I always have pasta. And I have hit my first huge plateau and I really want to break through it. Thank you all for your help. I appreciate it!! I am so glad that they have boards like this out there for us. Michelle 311/221/165ish

My doctors recommend to consume under 40 grams of carbs a day. That pretty much leaves you getting your carbs from vegetables, an occasional low carb tortilla or a llittle fruit. No pasta or chips for sure, or any "white" carbs at all. I find that if I keep to this, my weight loss is better and I am FAR LESS hungry. That's because white carbs spike your blood sugar and increase hunger. I have been bad this last week with the flu and all I wanted is chicken noodle soup with saltines. Am not eating much but no weight loss and lots more hunger. I need to get back to where I was...it works much better. Carbs are not the friend of WLS people. Jo

Michelle, I eat 20-40 grams of carbs a day. I try to stay under 30 because carbs are not my friends. I get most of them from dairy, fruits and veggies. I am on phase I of the south beach diet. I do not eat potatoes, rice, pasta, bread of any kind, any grains, not even veggies that have sugar (like carrots, peas, beets) and hardly any fruit. No sugar at all, unless it is in like a protein bar (which I eat very few of). I lose very slowly, so this is what I need to do. I have been on three plateaus since surgery, so I have to be very strict. I also try to keep my fat intake at 30-35% of my daily calorie intake. Or less. Hard to do sometimes. Gotta eat something. Pam

If you are a big pasta eater then you could switch to whole wheat pasta. I personally like Dreamfields brand. It still has carbs but not as many. Because it's whole wheat it has more fiber which digests differently in your body. But still you should limit how much of it you eat. Anything white(white bread,flour,pasta etc) is bad for you. I don't know how many carbs a day I consume because I don't count calories or carbs. I just limit myself to what I eat. I had my first bread in 5 months last week. I had toasted whole wheat w/ tuna salad. I only ate half the sandwich. Other than that I don't eat bread. Very rarely do I have rice. And if I do not much of it. As for potatoes, well that's my weakness. I do eat them but again, I try to eat my meat and veggies first and they only a little of the potatoes. I gave potato chips of any kind since surgery. I don't want to fall into that routine again. Just try to get in your proteins first and hopefully you will be too full to eat that much of the carbs afterward. ~Angel 222/156/120 BMI 30.5

Well, I don't eat very many carbs, although I don't keep track. I eat mostly protein still. Last night I made a lower carb sloppy joe, but I just put some in a bowl and skipped the bun. I eat mostly meat, and if I DO have something else, I make sure I eat my protein first. I have a scoop (maybe 2 TBSP) of potatoes here and there, but I ALWAYS eat my meat first. That way I am filled up on the protein, and not too hungry for the other. Michelle, you are doing great!!! You should be very proud of how well you have done so far!! I hate the plateaus, but they do pass, and 90 pounds is AWESOME!!! Teresa