Hey gang....I have read several posts about how many carbs are in things, and it got me wondering.....what "guidelines" do you follow for carbs?  How many per meal/serving, etc do you try to stick with?  I know through barix that we got guidelines on calories for maintenance, fats surgars, etc, but I don't recall carbs.......Just was curious what you all follow!

Jackie

Jackie,
The basic idea is to avoid the the white powders, they all get you in trouble. So as far as foods go, stay away from white rice, pasta,bread,crackers. Choose whole grain products only, and make sure that you eat most of your protein and some veggies before dipping into the carbs , as they fill your pouch up and then you don't have room for the more needed foods.
Chris

Thanks for the reply!  I think I am staying on the right track so far.....I do not eat bread pretty much at all, rice I do brown, but maybe can get down a spoonful.....carby things I might eat, well I mean I know all foods have cards, but things I do like are the soy crisps, I have eaten 1/4 to a 1/2 of a lean cuisine pizza.....I make sure I do the proteins first and most times usually only get those in!  Thanks again for replying!

Jackie

Jackie - if you're working out you should make sure you have some carbs in your diet, because that's where your body pulls the energy from - carbs. If there are no carbs to pull from then your body will go for the protein, which we all know is not a good thing for us because we need all of our protein. I'm not saying load up on bad carbs by any means, but if you have no carbs in your diet and are physically active it will affect your hair (loss) and nails (brittle and breakage), skin tone (dryness), etc.. Be carb-smart - you can do it, and if you have any questions check with the nutritiionists where you had your surgery to see what they recommend.

PS: I got this information from a registered nutritionist that I've been seeing since before my WLS, so its not just something I pulled out of my arse.

Kathy

I saw something in the book

Weight Loss Surgery: Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You by Barbara Thompson

the Doc made me read (as a part of my pre-op program) that said during the 'honeymoon phase' (the first 18 months) .... let the food work for you. 

Limit your carbs.  The author kept hers to 20g a day.  [To put that into perspective, a Pillsbury frozen buttermilk biscuit has 23 carbs -- that's A biscuit... just one]

Bariatric Surgery Diet: Foods to Avoid

Simple/"Junky" Carbohydrates:

• white bread
• white rice
• white pasta
• cooked cereals
• sweets
• chips
• pretzels
• candy/ice cream

These foods provide excess calories that will make weight loss almost impossible, and the sugary ones can cause "dumping syndrome" if you've had gastric bypass.

In general, consuming high calorie, high fat and high sugar foods and/or drinks on a regular basis will minimize the effectiveness of your weight loss surgery.

Yes, you need some carbs.  They're in fruits and veggies.  Just be sensible with what you eat. When eating your veggies watch out for corn and potatoes as they are high starch.  Try raw carrots, instead of cooked (less sugars) ..... they're not as bad as the REFINED CARBS, but still not the best choices.