Is low carbing different for you as a post-op?

 I do get puffy when I eat too many carbs as well.     As soon as I cut the carbs I shrink again.

Drink a TON of water. 

And the cheese could be a culprit in terms of the bloating...are you somewhat lactose intolerant?

I never count my carbs (or anything else).  But when I want to drop a few pounds,  I simply cut out the simple carbs.  Sweets,  bread,  pasta, rice....

Like some of the others mentioned even low carbing before my DS did nothing for me.  I was a carb addict and lived off sugary stuff.  There would be whole weeks where I wouldn't have any meat or vegetables, just pure sugar. 

Before surgery I was malnourished.  Now I'm not.  Low carbing is easy because I simply don't crave sugary foods.  It's weird and sometimes I think about how strange it is that I'd rather have a steak than a piece of cake.

Also, I don't obsess about eating every waking moment. Which is the most wonderful part of all.  I attribute that to the absence of grehlin.

I'm very early out in my experience, but what I've found is that when I low carbed in years past, I hated it, was hungry all the time, felt horrible and didn't like the food. Now, with my changed tastes, the protein feeds are more appealing and taste better.

I just talked about this at Dr Rabkin's group on Monday.

I'm off this week from work--use 'em or lose 'em days--so I said I would try to low carb.  Not because I wanted to lose weight, but because the past few months, everyone's been bringing crap to work like cakes, and donuts and cookies and everything.  I just wanted to carb de-tox.

So Friday was my first day.  I've been having a yogurt based smoothie for breakfast, some meat and cheese for lunch, and something protein-ey for dinner.  Since then, I've had pretty low carb days-except for the cheesecake Julie subliminally encouraged me to make (and eat all by myself!!) on Saturday.  

Results:  The gnawing hunger goes away when I low carb post DS.  Before, I would just daydream about what I COULDN'T have and got all headache-y.  And I've lost 5 pounds.  This is significant because I've been between 133 and 136 for close to 8 months.  5 days of low carb and I've gotten to 128.  With those kinds of results, it makes the effort that much easier.

So yes, low carbing post DS is MUCH different that pre-DS.

 I know exactly what you mean by that "gnawing hunger."    It usually means I've had too many carbs and not enough protein.   As soon as I start upping that protein, that constantly hungry feeling goes away.

Good deal for you!

Well, I never low carbed pre-op, but I think the difference is that we malabsorb protein and fat. That makes it another whole ball of wax altogether.

I had a majorly messed up metabolism that the DS fixed...

I could low carb my heart out pre-DS and barely lose.

I  my DS more than words can express

I must have a bad metabolism too, because I have been on strict Atkins for 5 weeks I have lost 8 pounds.  Cant wait for surgery and see if I actually lose something, you give me hope Leslie!
JJ

 Julie,
To me, the difference is in how you lose the weight by low carbing.  Pre-op, if you low carb it (like with Atkins), you have to have your body in ketosis in order to achieve the weight loss benefit.  This is hard to maintain long term.  One day of adding in some carbs will knock you out of ketosis and you have to start again.  To me that lifestyle is not maintainable long term.

With the DS we low carb not so much to be in ketosis, but to avoid the absorption of simple carbs.  Ketosis I think plays a role early on, but long term I dont think many of us stay in ketosis and slowly can add it some carbs, especially complex ones, from which we only absorb 60% of the calories.  It's nowhere near as restrictive, and a treat here or there will not have the same detriment of taking us out of ketosis and stopping the weight loss.  It merely means we absorbed a few more calories that day.