Other Carbs

Ok, I am sure that I should know this but what are the mystery carbs? And should we count them? For example, my Weight Control Oatmeal Total Carbs 29g Dietary Fiber 6g (Soluble Fiber 4g) Sugars 1g Ok, so I know to subtract the dietary fiber, making it 23g. But its only 1g of sugar, so what is the other 22g? Are they non-impact? And as far as that goes, sometimes you actually see "Other Carbs" listed. Should I assume that these are non impact carbs? This is only concerning to me b/c if my oatmeal is really 23g of carbs it isn't worth eating for the 6g of protein it provides. Thanks guys.

Hey there kiddo, I would not eat that, it reallys sound too high in carbs. You need to have lower carbs and higher protein. I stay away from the oatmeals. Try to see if south beach or other names have better counts on theirs. Good luck Hugs KimC

I been using the lower sugar oatmeal, and it has the same amount that the weight control. It has been working for me. Personally I try to stay under 40 carbs daily.....

Hey Christine- How's it going? Personally(now, this is JMHO!), I would not touch oatmeal as a meal while I was trying to loose weight. It's WAY too high in carbs and WAY too low in protein. Also not dense enough to be filling for long. And, EEEK! 29 carbs! I used to limit myself to 35/40 grams a day- there goes all my carbs in one meal. Then again, I never needed the 'roughage' either, if you know what i mean (ahem!)... I have a stray thought along the lines of this post- I wonder what everyone else thinks... Couple of things that I think about when deciding wether or not to 'eat that'...especially on the fly in the grocery store... First- the carb to protein ratio... is it out of porportion? if so, I ain't eatin' it as a meal... maybe as a snack for a bite or two, but I have that luxury, now. When I was loosing- NO WAY. Second- I don't believe that it's accurate to 'subtract' the fiber of effective/non effective carbs... I personally think that's a bunch of Atkins wannabee BS that companies whose produts had too high a carb content to be considered 'atkins friendly' made up to look better. Carbs, for the most part should be treated as CARBS. Effective, non effective, impact, non impact, fiber, cardboard or whatever- it's STILL a CARB! Third- sugar, since I'm particularly sensitive, must be under a certain # of grams (I go for 10) This is my version of KISS (keep it simple stupid) B/C taking everything else into account is just TOO complicated for basic old me: 1. MINIMIZE the carbs. 2. MAXIMIZE the protein. 3. If the carbs are any more than double the protein- I won't put it in my mouth as a meal. End of story. 4. Watch the sugar, easy on the fats (ie stay the hell away from fried or anything with skin or dripping in butter) Anyobdy else got a SIMPLE formula they follow that works for them? Just curious!

OMG! Not do impact carbs? If I treat all carbs equally that would require a MAJOR shift in my eating habits, basically not eating at all! A protein bar is going to be 20 carbs by itself if you don't subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols. And I am only supposed to have 40 a day? I am totally freaking out now. I am at the point where the weight is coming off more slowly (I've lost 143lbs, I've got 20 - 40 lbs more to go)so maybe I do need to go more "hardcore". But I have become so used to eating real food that the whole thought is just depressing. Obviously it is something that has worked for you and you have been sucessful. But even Kathy K, fitness guru herself, eats Weight Smart Oatmeal. Thats where I got the idea from. I guess what would help, if you wouldn't mind, if a sample menu of when you were losing. I just can't imagine what I would eat on 40g of carbs a day and the mere thought is stressing me beyond belief. I don't want to make it seem like I am knocking what you are saying, I am just confused on how it would work in a practical sense. p.s. also, does anyone actually know what those "other carbs" are? I appreaciate everyone's responces but I am really curious what those carbs are and why they aren't listed like sugar alcohols, fiber and sugar are.

I know what you're saying...so, it up to you to do what you need to do to loose. If the wieght is coming off more slowly (not a bad thing) then you have to be more dilligent in your nutritional efforts. Kathy is at her goal weight, I believe. You should not be eating like Kathy if you want to loose weight. She is now eating to maintain. She also is a major exerciser, which REQUIRES more carbs for energy. Are you? It's actually not something I ever found hard- the carb limiting. A sample of a day- when I'm going for allmost all protein... B-egg white omlette with a small amt of a veggie like mushroom or pepper or onion S: cottage cheese L: roast beef wrap ups (lettuce, roast beef and cheese, perhaps with a dab of creamcheese and chive or lowfat ranch for dressing S: 1/2 of a protein bar (look for LOW carb, high protein (over 20 grams)- no, they don't taste as good, but hey, what can you do? Try EAS carb control)or a cheese stick or some carrots or such D: Tuna or fish or chickenbreast with a small veggie portion I used fitday.com to track my calories protein and carbs. It's a simple tool. I agree about the sugar alcohols being able to be subtracted out, but the rest I still think is hogwash. Sorry. Whay does your nutritionist say? I'm curious... do they tell you to limit your carbs to a certain number? Mine always did. What about the subtracting thing? What do they say? A professional opinion is probably far better than mine. Good luck to you. Hope I didn't add too much confusion into the mix. P.S. I think those 'Other' carbs are just plain old carbs- starches, generally. Best, Lisa C

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your reply. Again, I am sorry if I seemed frustrated. I just find this all very confusing. It seems that there is no one way to achieve the goal and my brain works better with strict direction. lol As far as the nutritionist, I am in the process of switching practices (for various reasons that I won't go into) so we will see what the new practice says about nutrition. (It was the old practice that told me to eat 60 - 120 carbs a day in order to regulate my blood sugar, not very practical if you are trying to lose as much as possible) I will try fitday & limiting my carbs with your example as a guideline. I really want to stay on track and to continue to be successful like you and Kathy K. Thanks again!

Hi Lisa and Christine Lisa.... you are right about me. I am under from my goal weight and I need more carbs for engery because I burns alot of calories form running, and various of excerise everyday except Sunday. I do eat Low sugar Quaker instant Oatmeal once a while because Dr Aranow told me to eat this once a while. Christine go make an apt with dietican and ask her to give you food plan so that way you know what to eat and watch out for yourself for carbs , sugars and calories. Lisa is right about this.. www.fitcom.com but I am using diet & Exercise assistant to track my daily log from my palm T/X. force to eat alot of protein stuffs then good carbs stuffs. http://palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=14071 Looking forward to see both of you on March 4th if both of you can make it. I will be there myself with other WLS ladies. Have a great day! Hugs Kathy K

I have been reading Susan Marie Leach's book "before and after" living and eating well after WLS'- and there is a lot of good adivce, recipies and help in there for diet- you can get it at www.bariatriceating.com