Carb Confusion?

So, my doc has told me that once I'm back on regular foods that carbs will be the last introduced into my diet and will be a much smaller part of my diet for pretty much forever. He said a low carb diet will be the norm because I need to focus on getting in protien, then veggies and carbs last. However, he never said anything once about "no carbs" nor "carb counting" etc...

I thought I was doing something wrong becuase after reading what others are doing & I'm not counting carbs. By what I ready on the forum, it makes it seem like we all must count all our carbs and it's part of VSG. So I asked my doc about some of the stuff I have reading on this forum about  counting carbs in vitiamins and carb counting and no carbs, etc.. and he strongly advised me against any of that. He said that some carbs are good and needed but for now, my focus is will be on protien and protien will always be first on my list. However, if I want to have popcorn or a potato every now and then it's perfectly fine once I'm in the food stage. The carb counting etc.. is a choice but not part of VSG nor even part of weight loss. He said counting calories and portion sizes  is much, much more important and affective than carb counting.

So I'm super confused... It seems many people on this board are obessed with carb counting. Why? I only read about it here and is not even a topic of discussion at my support group. Less carbs does not = more weight loss. It comes down to calories, portion sizes, excerising and healthy choices but not carbs..And we are allowed to have them, (limited portions) once in food stage so why do so many people on this forum count carbs? concerned about carbs? or going to extremes to count carbs in vitamins?

It's not a question of judgement - your choice and lifestyle is your own & I support you -  and I am going to listen to my doctor because he knows best for me - but I am so curious as I truly don't understand. Why is everyone so terrified of healthy carbs? I'm not talking about chips & pizza, but rather carbs in vitamins or healthy veggies & fruits... Nobody seems to ever eat fruit. Why?

Can someone help me understand?

It seems that there is great variability among what surgeons and the bariatriac teams use as guidelines. My group which follows the Bariatric Support Centers International guidelines strongly advises no more than 10g carbs per meal and 2 snacks for a total of 50g carbs a day.

For me, I could eat all my protein in high carb yogurt WITH FRUIT for example and I will gain weight. My body LOVES carbs and once I have them, man it's GAME ON!

I'm 10 months out now and didn't really watch carbs in the beginning, heck the weight was falling off I didn't need to (in my head) but now, not so much. I'm FIGHTING to get these last few pounds off and yeah, for me, carbs make or break me.

You will find you might need to tweak what you do the further you get out. Maybe you are one of the lucky ones?!

I don't *jus****ch carbs, I first and foremos****ch protein, then carbs, then cals, then fat, in that order. It works for me.

So yeah, I posted about the calcuim being high in carbs- I had not even thought to check it before and thought maybe it might help someone else like me who DOES count carbs realize there may be some hidden carbs in our vitamins.

BRAVO for you for checking with your doc, though because I doubt any of us here is a bariatriac surgeon!

Thank you. the post wasn't directed at the viatmin comment - I saw it - but see several every day about carbs - so it wasn't directed at any one person or post.

Yes, He did advise on low-carbs - absolutely. But nothing near what I read on hear and did say for now to focus on protien.

Perhaps after I get down the weight loss road a bit I will worry about carbs for now, not so much. And if I'm getting in all my protiens & fluids & lossing weight, then might enjoy a potato every now and then. But we'll see. For now, I'm going to stick with what my doc says!

Thanks for explaining. I apprecaite it.

 

Easy answer for me! I limit carbs for a couple of reasons:

1. When I eat too many carbs I crave them. When I crave them I invariably eat them in quantities far too large for continued weight loss.

2. I was warned that most refined carbs are slider foods and I don't need those during WL.

3. I love fruit passionately. I will one day eat fruit with regularity. However, right now I cannot eat enough food to get my protein in without supplementing with shakes. I can't afford to give fruit the room in my stomach right now. I need the protein.

4. My surgeon and NUT do not require me to track carbs - only calories and portion size. I CHOOSE to because I know I have issues with carbs and while I'm learning how to live and eat differently, tracking is a wonderful guide to keep me on track and successful.

That's my answer. I'll be interested to see what others answer.

Oh, btw I don't track the carbs in my vites or chewable calcium tabs.

Weight loss really is about calories in, calories out. Now, that being said, some people have a harder time losing weight if they eat too many carbs. I lost 75 pounds years ago and my diet was extremely carb heavy. Also, too many carbs can, and do for most, affect your cravings so an overload of them isn't the best idea. My nutritionist told me to stay under 100 carbs post op as she doesn't believe in the whole low carb thing. She also emphasized what your doctor did about protein. The way I see it, your new tummy will prevent you from carb overload if you always concentrate on getting your protein in. 

I would always say to follow your surgeon's plan. And, of course, I follow mine. We each selected our surgeon/plan of choice.

My plan is 600-800 cals, 80 protein and less than 40 gross carbs a day. That's for the losing phase. Since I track everything I consume, of course, carbs would be one of the data selections. I used to count the cals in my chewy vitamins then changed to 0 cals ones instead. (No calcium for me so no problem there).

While I don't eat any fruit due to sugar content (and I do look forward to adding a piece a day back in at maintenance) I do eat a veggie at lunch and dinner.  Sometimes will use cucumber slices as a replacement for crackers.  It's just that there is so little room left for the veggies after consuming the protein. That's why it so easy to keep the carb number low.

I disagree with your statement that less carbs does not = more weight loss. Reason --1) I believe some folks are more carb sensitive than others; 2) many carbs are trigger foods; 3) many carbs are sliders; 4) carbs beg for more carbs in my case.  I know I didn't get SMO eating healthy fruits and veggies. I probably consumed 85% or more of my intake in unhealthy carbs as a pre op.

Keeping my carbs at less than 40 (usually 30) is not difficult when focusing on protein, protein, protein and leafy green veggies. At 2 years out, I still do a shake to reach my protein goal daily.
No room for many additional carbs.

 

Both my surgeon and my primary care physician said -- no calorie counting. The only rule is to get 80g of protein, and to do my best to eat sensible... protein first. They also both told me -- weigh only once every 2 weeks! Otherwise people become to obsessed, and it's all about getting healthy, not how many pounds you lost that week.

Many people on here do count carbs....it is very individual.  Many people have some seriously messed up metabolisms after years of eating sugar and yo-yo dieting.  For these folks....it is absolutely necessary for them to track every bit of carbohydrate they eat.

Others....can get away with a higher limit.  You need to find what works for you.

However, always make good choices.  Vegetables, beans, fruit, etc should always win out over bread, popcorn, sweets, tortillas, etc.