Hi Tracy,

The darker and more colorful the carbohydrate is, the more complex it is. The more complex carbs tend to have more fiber and are more nutrient rich. They also tend to keep our glucose levels more stable than simple carbs. So carbs that are green, red, blue, etc... tend to be more complex, those that are white or light generally tend to be less complex, such as breads, rice, pasta, etc... I hope that helps some. 

Keep trying and you will succeed.

All the best,

 

Katey, I had VBG in 2001 from Dr. Rupp.  I weighed 440 to start with, lost about 180 pounds in the first 18 months or so, and have gradually lost weight since so I'm at about 230 today.  I have major digestive problems and live on healthy homemade soups, smoothies, dairy products, and crackers of various sorts.  I worry about throwing up and so much acid -- and especially worry about esophageal cancer down the road sometime.  I'm 72 and reasonably healthy except for digestion.  I know that VBG can cause major problems.  Just in reading a few of these posts (I'm new to Obesity Help) I see that several people got their worst problems more than 10 years out.

Please accept my sympathy and understanding for your worry.  Please let me know what has happened since last summer.

Are you going to have a VSG (which I just heard about today for the first time)?

Caryl Barnes

 Hi all, I've scheduled another SWAPKINS March 3, 2012 10:30a - 2:30p. Mary, Mother of the Church (look for this sign) Room: The Mary Center (on the lower level) 3333 Cliff Road Burnsville, MN   There is excellent parking, building access, and there will be carts available to bring in your swap-ables and take your goodies home. Tell everyone you know! Forward this email! The event just gets better with every person who comes.    ------ Do you have clothes that haunt your closet - the clothes that don't fit quite right? Or maybe they do fit, but you don't feel great when you wear them because they aren't your style, or you just don't need them? Would you really like something new to wear? Maybe you've changed jobs or gained/lost some weight and you need some clothes, but you don't want to spend a lot to get something new?   COME TO SWAPKINS! We will have tables and clothes racks loaded with clean clothes in good condition. Clean out your closets and bring clothes to share. Check out what we've got and take home what you like. NO MONEY IS EXCHANGED. We will have men's, women's and children's clothes - everything from casual clothes to dressy. Also outerwear and accessories. The mix is different everytime, but it's always good stuff!   It's hard to explain how much fun it can be to bag up and get rid of clothes. No garage sale tagging! No bargaining with a consignment shop. Just bring them and *poof* they're gone and you KNOW they've gone to a good place.   It's hard to explain how much fun it is to walk into a great big room full of clothes and pick up anything you like and take it home, AND IT'S FREE.   We need bringers (who will bring things to share) and takers (to 'shop' the shared stuff). You can be one, the other, or both! It is not required that you bring anything to the event to take anything away. Everything at the event is free.   Email with questions. See you there! Jen   P.S. If this note was forwarded to you and you'd like to be added the the email list, send a note directly to [email protected] with your name and email address. ===   SWAPKINS is a community event that began in 2006. Participants bring clean, clothes in good condition. The clothes brought in are placed on tables marked with sizes. Then attendees “shop" the tables of clothes with sizes that they can use.  All remaining clothes are donated to charity. No money is exchanged.   This event is typically scheduled every 3 to 6 months. Most participants are from the Twin Cities area, but some do come from outstate Minnesota and Wisconsin .    

Barbara,

I eagerly read your post and have even tried to get back on track (unsuccessfully). Sometimes I think I have short circuited but I know it is just getting back into some VERY bad habits.

One of my largest downfalls is a hankering for chai. I particularly like the powder variety that brings along with it sugar and fat, like Pacific Chai. I have tried the teabag variety only to find they do not provide that same comfort. It is not uncommon for me to drink 3 cups or more a day, which accounts for a large chunk of empty calories. :( I have even tried the sugar free varieties, which I like but still contain empty calories. Not as many but some. I have read a lot of articles that discuss that sugar substitutes are no better for people than regular sugar, since the body still responds to it as the same glucose raising substance. Additionally, I understand that sugarfree substitutions keep the cravings going.

Do you have any advice on how to overcome this? I have gained between 20 and 25 pounds and feel and look like every fat cell is bloating back up.

Hello,  I feel for you.  I have been there.  Done everything right only to show a couple of pound gain.   I have a few thoughts.....  Could be water gain and if this is the case one morning and it will all be gone plus some.   Could it be close to that time of the month?  That also is a time that often see unexplained weight gain.  Are  you getting in enough protein?  Ive noticed when I start skimping on protein no matter how low my calories...my weight loss comes to a halt!   The good news is one day you will get on the scale and find that it has started moving again.  Congrats on your success so far and on your successes to come.