How many carbs are too many or not enough?

Just a quick question about carbs.  I know too many is not a good thing, but I also know that you need carbs to burn fat (and God knows I want to burn that fat).  Guidelines given by my Dr. was to have at least 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of water daily, but nothing about carbs.  I am almost 7 wks out from my VSG, consume about 600-700 calories a day and average about 40-50 carbs daily.  Should I be getting more/less?  Thanks

Everyone has slight variations in their plans given to them by their surgeon and nutritionist.  Mine is pretty simple and I like it.  They told me not to count carbs right now ( I am 6 weeks out).  Instead I am allowed 2oz of a starch per day.  This is only if I have eaten 2oz protein with it first.  After the protein I usually can't get the starch down. 

We all develop our own ways of eating post-op. Some people almost eliminate carbs, some just reduce intake. I haven't the faintest idea how to count carbs! I just choose complex over simple carbs and eat them last at every meal so I can't eat many! 

You don't need carbs to burn fat.  As long as you feed your body carbs, it will not go into ketosis which is fat burning mode.  Ketosis kicks in at 20 or less carbs a day.  You can buy test strips at a drugstore to test for ketosis.  If you put your body into ketosis you will burn fat until you start eating carbs again.

I always stuck to healthy carbs...like fruits and veggies.  I never worried about how many I was eating.  

This worked for me...I lost 180 lbs

Thanks for your help, guys!  I can use all that I can get.  It is my understanding though (through the nutrition class I am taking now for my bachelors in nursing) that ketosis is the by-product of your body breaking down it's own protein fibers though, not fat.  If you eat too many carbs your body will not use its fat stores, this is true, but if you don't eat enough carbs there is a shift in the body's metabolism and the body cannot use its fat stores the normal way.  So there has to be a happy medium in carb consumption??

I think you're doing fine with the carbs.  I try to keep mine lower (between 20-30g), but everyone is different.  I also eat between 80-90g of protein which is what my doctor recommends.  But everyone's doctor has a different idea, so take my advice for what it's worth - free.

64 ounces of water should be the absolute MINIMUM you drink daily.  I find that when I increase my water, the weight tends to come off more easily.  It's harder in the beginning, but do your best.  Good luck to you.

Thanks, water is something I continue to work on and struggle with, so I hope it gets easier!

Depends on who you ask and how they count carbs. Do they count all carbs or just net carbs?

I count all carbs, try and stay below 100, but consider it a win if I am below 120. I lost all my excess weight.