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

Absolutely!    That's why I find that I lose if I stay under about 100 a day, especially if I keep them to complex carbs......

I've found this DS to be so forgiving .....during my Weigh****chers and Atkins days, one slip up meant a gain or no weight loss for the week!

Julie, a big thanks to you and all the ladies that responded!  This thread has really put my mind at ease.  I have really been afraid that because I've had some poor results with low carbing it (both with compliance and with outcome), I would be a failure at having the DS.  Thank you all for taking the time explain and give your responses.

I'll be honest - I worried about the low-carbing "requirement" a lot as a pre-op.  Seriously, if I could have sustained a low-carb lifestyle for the long-term, I probably wouldn't have had as much of a problem with my weight, my triglycerides, or my blood sugar.  After all of my research and meeting all of my dear MIDS IRL, I knew that the DS offered me the best opportunity to get my life and health back for the long haul.

I've never been a carb nazi as a post-op.  I do not count my carbs, period.  I count my protein every single day, without fail, but not my carbs.  There are so many things that are different for me as a post-op, though.  Some carbs make me feel like crap.  They make me bloat up like I am eight months pregnant and have marathon-length farts that do little to alleviate my intestinal discomfort (they do, however, make my son laugh his ass off).  I have a really tiny stomach, so I can't eat much at a sitting, even at almost 18 months out.  Yeah, sad story...I can no longer eat an entire bag of potato chips because they taste good or a huge bowl of cereal because I love it. 
These are the reasons I am sooooo grateful that I chose the DS.  I eat some carbs everyday, maybe more than some of you, but I bet if I really counted an average day, my total woudn't be all that high.  I pretty much eat what I want:  today at work, I made myself a huge BLT on regular rye bread, along with a regular-sized order of extra crispy fries.  I ate less than one quarter of my sandwich, and four or five fries.  I was stuffed.  At this point in my DS life, I consider myself really, really lucky - I can eat what I want to, and super-small quantities completely satisfy me.  It is not even comparable to "low carbing" as a pre-op.  Sometimes I have gastrointestinal repercussions, sometimes I don't.  But I never feel deprived like I did every time I low carbed as a pre-op.

 I've been really lucky as a post-op that I am pretty much able to eat as I please, with only a couple of low-carb bouts to countereffect holiday and vacation indulgences.   I do have to to watch some carbs from a gas/digestive perspective.   And Barry laughs his ass off at MY farts, LOL.  Even taking that into consideration, I feel SO normal now!    And even at five years out - I still can only eat a few fries.  They are incredibly filling!  (Potato chips, however, are NOT, LOL)

I guess farts will always be funny to guys, no matter how old they are!  Heck, I even laugh at my farts sometimes...who knew that was humanly possible?!?!?  LOL

The whole carb thing is just so weird.  I guess because I've never cut them out or went way low with them, I still crave them.  BUT...restriction aside, really small quantities actually leave me feeling satisfied now, which did not happen before I had my DS.  I had to eat massive quantities of everything to even feel slightly satisfied.  And there is a definite difference between feeling "full" and feeling "satisfied," even now as a post-op.

I find it MUCH easier to low-carb post-op than pre-op. 

I eat A LOT of food, and sometimes go into massive carb-cravings and stress eating.  When that happens, I can see it quickly in my clothes and my weight goes up by a few lbs - mostly water I think. 

Once I feel that happenening, I can just stop and do low-carb - I couldn't "stop" like that before.  I would just keep eating, almost like I couldn't feel that I was gaining weight.  Now I can especially at such a low weight. 

I get more carb cravings and hunger when I eat more carbs.  The first few days of low-carbing, I eat a lot of protein and fat, and by about day 2-3, my appetite is back to normal - still hungry, but not starving. 

Pre-op, if I were to mess up on a massive carb binge like I do now, it would be really difficult to put on the brakes and get back on the wagon.  Plus, I would gain weight much more easily.

 My situation is EXACTLY as you describe.