carbs question and i'm down in the dumps!!

hi guy's i have been wondering how many carbs should we be eating? i have been trying to stay off carbs and have been told not to do this ( the person that told me doesnt know i've had a band fitted) i have been feeling very tired and have been told this maybe why anyway i am totally re-looking at what i am eating as i have been working hard at the gym for the past week and a half and have gained 3 lbs i'm so gutted i wanted to cry in the middle of the shop; people have said it will be muscle but i felt heavier i've been down in the dumps for a few weeks so up'd my game at the gym someone said to me to lift heavier weights and i have n now i've gained 3 lbs i have been doing more cardio and started swimming since the weight gain on monday i've started keeping a food diary. does anyone have any advice as i've been feeling so down just want to go and eat junk!!!!! which i'm trying my best to avoid. i have an appointment with my nurse thursday and her scales tell me my musle and fat mass just can't wait til then feel like i'm stuck in a rut any advice welcome xxxx

Hang in there! Your weight will flucuate with hormones, water retention et... Try not to obsese about the scale. I wouldn't get on it more than once a week while your loosing. I am now maintaining and weight in everyday to keep it monitored. Sounds like you are doing all the right things, just keep it up and the scale will reward you. Also think about things like how your clothes are fitting and take your measurements. Remember, the point is really to get smaller, not lighter.
As far as carbs, I kept mine really low while I was loosing, I watched my fat intake as well. I probably ate about 20 carbs a day- those found in nuts and nonstarchy veggies. I had plenty of energy- workout out about 5 days a week. PM me if your intereted in more information. Good luck!

You will get a variety of answers.. I personally can't do low carb .. I never get full and I over eat.

I eat about 100 or less a day - all my carbs come from fruit and veggies and whole grains.. like Steel cut oatmeal, 1/2 a whole grain sandwich thin, Whole Wheat Waffle 1 only Vans brand, whole wheat brown rice etc

I eat protein first, then veggies and a bite or two of grain ... I consume most of my carbs in the day and at night I try to keep it to protein and veggies since I'm going to bed soon I don't have time to burn off carbs I consumed at dinner so I don't eat very much of them but whatever comes from my veggie.

Working out you need carbs to sustain your workout ... Don't worry about the 3 pounds it could be your muscles holding on to water.. make sure you up your water since your working out...

Not eating carbs is not good for you at all. Everybody needs carbs your body needs carbs to survive especially if you are exercising.

I have to keep mine between 60-80 per day and even my NUT said we should be eating at least 20 grams of carbs per meal.

If I dont have that many carbs I get sick and get really light headed at Zumba if I dont keep my carbs up . In fact before I go to my Zumba classes I eat something that has carbs in it.

I have tried cutting my carbs back and it just dont work for me .  I had to even increas my calorie intake.  I have found out if I eat anything less then 1000 calories per day I dont lose weight.  I have to eat between 1000 to 1400 per day for me to lose weight along with exercise.


 

My doc says the only source of carbs that should be consumed is fruit and oatmeal.  Which i don't agree with!  There has to be a better solution!

Hello

I actually had to increase my carbs recently because I was having problems with fatigue and dizziness.  I was keeping it pretty low (around 30-35) and I workout about 90 minutes a day.  So with the low carbs and the strenuous exercise my body was rebelling.  After I increased my carb intake I felt much better and was able to workout harder.  I think there is nothing wrong with carbs...healthy carbs, complex carbs...like fruits and veggies.  You are not going to gain weight because you add an apple and some whole wheat crackers into your diet.  You might actually feel better.  Also, remember it's normal to go up and down a little.  I don't know what the time period in which you gained this weight but more than likely it is water weight.  Unless, you over ate and consume approximately 9000 calories.  That's how many calories you have to eat to gain 3 lbs. 

 

All bodies react differently to carbs.  Like most things WL and band related you have to do your research, try different things and do what works for you as an individual. 
First of all, don't worry about a 3 lb gain if you are working out that much.  You are probably building muscle and that will add some weight, but remember there are benefits that come with exercise and they far outweigh what happens if your body starts burning muscle for lack of exercise and low calories.  Personally, I would recommend upping your reps to burn more fat, NOT increasing your weights.

Secondly, if you're worried about carbs you will need to find your carb resistence level.  You do this by tracking daily your carb intake.  Start with 100 g of carbs a day for a week.  If you don't lose, lower it to say 79 g for another week.  If you still don't lose, lower it again to 50g, etc., et****il your body starts losing weight.  It takes some time and discipline, but if you really want to konw how resistent you are to carbs it's the only way to see where your ideal carb level is.

I don't count carbs but I try not to eat any simple carbs.  I was especially stringent during the first 9 months post op and lost 104 lbs.  I ate carbs but switched everything to complex carbs vs. simple or processed carbs.  You've probably heard about the "white" carbs.  Those are the ones you want to avoid.  White flour, sugar, potato, rice, pasta, bread, crackers, cereals, etc.  Switch everything to the complex counterpart, i.e. brown rice, WW pasta, yams or sweet potatos, WW flour, and whole grain crackers, breads and cereals.  These are still carbs but you get the benefit of additional fiber which anyone on a high protein diet needs because of the problem with constipation.  They are still carbs, and if you are carb resistent you'll still want to cut back, but at least complex carbs are the healthier choice.

I stopped losing weight when I let sugar back into my diet.  It's a real trigger for me and once I start it's really hard to quit.  Plus, sugar causes me to crave other carbs.  If you're eating sugar it may be more the culprit than any carbs you're getting from fruit, veggies and whole grains. 

Keep changing up your diet till you see what works for you.  Track your food daily and look for patterns on days that you lose and days that you don't.

Hang in there!  It's a process and you're doing great! 

Best~
Lisa O.

hi guy's,
thanks for all the wonderful advice i was feeling dizzy and tired all the time so i am going to introduce carbs into my diet i put the 3lb on in one and a half weeks i have been exercising and swimming a lot this week as on annual leave but i
'm working a lot next week so will go to the gym twice although it is a work out at work as i work on a very busy hospital ward i've stopped doing heavier weights i seen my nurse this morning and had been keeping a food diary i've been through things with her i realised i was not having 3 meals a day i was just snacking to be honest if i ate 3 meals i'd feel i'd eaten too much and should not be as i've had the band silly i know it's all in my head but my plan now for the next four weeks is to have 3 healthy meals a day and instead of having low fat snacks and ww snacks i'm going to have friut smoothies and yoghurts as i do now but i'm hoping i wont be that hungary as i'll be having 3 balanced meals with a fruit or homemade smoothie which i've come to love
thanks again for the advice see how i go this next four weeks also i think i've lost the 3 lbs the scales i go off are different to my nurses but by hers i've lost 2 lb of the 3 i put on so hoping i've lost it all!!!!!!