Carbs

Ok tell me the truth. How do you post ops deal with carbs? I am offically a carb queen and I can not imagine not wanting them post op? Do you really loose the craving or is it just a struggle? I know that bread, pasta, muffins etc.... are off limits after surgery and I am OK with that I just want to know if you still crave them? Thanks. Chryssie

Hi Chryssie, Well, I can only answer this question for myself. I know that I differ greatly from alot of other folks but I have basically chosen to stay away from carbs. I think if I started eating them I would get out of control with them. I don't miss them at this point so why bother getting in just a few?? That said I must clarify. There are carbs in most everything. I do eat carbs in vegetables, fruits, cereal etc. I just chose not to eat potatoes, bread, pasta or rice. I did buy a loaf of Carb Countdown Bread a while back. I ate two slices out of the loaf. The bread tasted okay but I just wasn't interested. I wound up throwing the rest away. Its funny this weekend my cousin who is a trained chef and I were talking about recipes. He made this great potato salad yesterday and I figured out how to adapt it to my needs and likes. It will be pretty awesome. I am going to bring it to the get together I think. It is made with green beans (or asparagus), red peppers, red onion and this awesome sauce. Instead of potatoes I am going to use chicken. I can't wait to try it. I have found that cooking is fun and I have not found it difficult to eat out in restaurants or when traveling. I always bring some extra things with me like protein bars, nuts, atkins crunchers (my answer to potato chips) and I have done pretty well. The bottom line is that more I stay away from carbs or the starches the less and less I want them. That is a good thing . You will find your own balance. Linda

Chryssie, You must be the new carb queen because I officially held that title for the first 32 years of my life! I never EVER thought I could live without carbs. I would eat only carbs. Cereal, bread, rice and potatoes were the main parts of my diet. And plenty of regular coke too. As well as chips, cookies, ice cream and chocolate milk! Boy, it's no wonder I ended up as I did! Anyhow, two years ago my dh mentioned maybe we should try the Atkins diet. My husband has never wanted to start a diet the whole time we have been together. It's always been me urging him to go on one so I thought I should take a better look at this diet if he wants to be on it! I got the book and read it. I didn't know how I was ever going to give up my beloved carbs and eat so much meat. I have been an on again/off again vegeterian since I was about twelve so the meat thing was a little daunting as well! The book did get me really excited about how the diet would make me feel. We started the diet and the first couple of days were really hard. I was missing my carbs and had a headache for a bit but once I broke through that, I felt better than I had in 20 years! I had so much more energy than I ever remember having. I could think more clearly. My hands weren't all shaky because of unsteady blood sugars. I wasn't nodding off on the couch at 4PM because of my sugar levels. It was the most awesome feeling! After about 2 weeks I found I really didn't miss the carbs all that much. Now there are SO many carb friendly products out there that it's really easy. It is best, IMHO, to stay away from all the processed stuff as much as possible and eat whole foods but when I am craving sweets I love being able to have a low carb chocolate bar and have that be the end of it! Restaurants are really becoming carb friendly as well. Ruby Tuesday is the best. They have items like mashed cauliflower and pork rinds that are truely low carb type items vs. Fridays which totes the steak on it's menu as low carb but any steak anywhere is low carb and always has been. The short of it is, you can do it! It would be better to start before the surgery so you don't have the carb withdrawls to deal with after the surgery. It would be better to do it pre op because it shrinks your liver and makes the surgery easier as well. Good luck and if you have any questions about a low carb lifestyle please don't hesitate to ask Eileen

Linda & Eileen: Thanks for the info. I have tried Atkins on & off but I guess I really just need to buckle down and do it. I know my diabetes is easier to control when I lay off the carbs. It is just so hard sometimes. I am going to start really cutting out all white foods. Hopefully I can drop a few pounds before surgery as well. I have already cut out my beloved Diet Coke. Talk about withdrawl. I live on water & Crystal Light. Again thanks for sharing your experiences with me. Enjoy the day!!! Chryssie

Hi Chryssie, I am Pre-op but am currently on South Beach and I have to agree that the first few days are total Hell but once you get past that it gets much easier. Also it is harder if you still have it all in your house. I live with 3 adults who always have carbs and sweets around. They are not on any type of diet and I never realized how many carbs we eat. My family Always has bread with a meal or potatoes. The worst is when we had fried dough the other night which is my favorite so I was antisocial and stayed in my room while everyone ate and then came out to have my chicken breast and salad. I admit I have gotten a little cranky at times when I am surrounded by food I cant eat But I think it's finally embedded in my skull that this is for me. And I'm sure once your seeing the weightloss you will not even miss anything. By the way, it is working because I lost all the fluid I held up when I went away and have a total weight loss of 19 pounds. Oh and by the way I have found some very good sugar free, very low carb treats by Russel Stover, if you have a sweet tooth they are a godsend. Definitely a good idea to start adjusting to not having certain things now. Wishing you the Best of Luck. ~Julie~

Julie: How have you been? I have not seen you around lately. Are you going to the get together on 6/12? Sould be a good time like the last one. Hope to see you there. Chryssie