Carbs and Fats

As I've read through the forum I've read responses that say that carbs are bad and I shouldn't be eating them because I'm not that far out. (Almost 6 months post op), yet everytime I speak with my nutritionist they tell me to keep my carbs under 30g per meals and 15g per snacks. My main source of carbs are from my protein drinks (11g per serving) and veggies, nuts, etc.. but I won't deny the fact that I do enjoy the p28 flatbread that I cut into 4ths. So basically my question is should I stay away from the carbs? Simple & complex or is what the guidelines given by my nutritionists ok? I don't want to hinder my weight loss, (already down almost 130lbs and I'm only 21.).

My next question is about fats. My nutritionist guided me to select low fat or 0% fat everything, which I enjoy and have no problems with, but when I use my food tracking app  to track my food it gives %'s and it usually has a very high % and it concerns me. I'm getting my fats from mostly cheeses and nuts. So my question is what is a good range to keep my fat grams in for us DS patients? 

Sorry for the length of the post and multiple questions but my nutritionist is terrible at emailing me back. Lol

My only guidelines after a few months post-op were to keep carbs under 50 grams a day and don't avoid fats unless they were causing loose stools. Once I added all the calcium and iron I was supposed to be taking everything balanced out. I've never done low fat or no-fat anything and I've never counted calories, only counted carbs to keep them low and protein grams to keep them high.

--gina 

If I ate that many carbs per day I'd be gaining some serious weight. 

I try to keep my carbs under 30g/day. Once I stop losing and go into maintenance mode whenever that might be, I will have to see what number works for me to keep me from gaining weight. 

Your nutritionist is not giving you good information on fats. You might want to remind her that with your DS you are only absorbing maybe 20% of the fat you eat. You NEED fat in your diet to be healthy. I don't eat low fat or fat free ANYTHING. In order to make things low fat, they add things to them and it's typically sugar. It's the sugar that causes people to gain, not fats. 

I think the low-fat advice is misguided. I'm in the group that doesn't measure
either my fats or my carbs but I think trying to stay under or around 50/day is sound
advice. I just didn't have much room the first year for additional carbs so it seemed
pretty pointless to track.

For fats I don't track but I no longer eat anything low fat (mayo, yogurt,cottage cheese, regular cheese, gravy, etc).

I'm guessing following the nutritionist's advice would put you around 100 - 120 gms of carbs per day. Early on that might not make that big a difference since the DS can be pretty forgiving at that stage but I would try and cut back to maximize the early weight loss window. 

Some of this depends on how much further you have to go. I'm looking at my last 20 -30 pounds and it is a lot tougher than when I started but I'm happy with my weight loss so far.

Pete

As a rule, 99% of nutritionists are pretty clueless about DS eating. It sounds like yours is, too.

FATS - we malabsorb up to 80% of the fat we eat, so even butter is low fat to us.  Fat aids digestion, brain power, and gives us healthy skin and hair.  Not getting enough fat leads to constipation, dry and brittle hair and rough skin.  Eat full-fat items, not low or skim.  When food is manufactured to be low or fat-free, it replaces the fat with carbs or sugar to make it taste better.  Just stick to foods made naturally without extra chemical processing.

CARBS - there are a couple of camps on the carb front.  Many people count every carb they consume, careful not to get more than 50 or 100g depending on whether or not they're trying to lose.  Others like me, do not necessarily count carbs, but are mindful of not getting too much along the lines of simple carbs (processed carbs like flours and sugars).  Again, think of the least amount of processing.

If it is low fat.....it is usually full of sugar and carbs.....they have to add the flavor back some way?  I rather have the fat than the sugar.

I'm 11 years out, and I struggle with eating ENOUGH fat. Less than about 150 grams a day, and I can't poop. Even eating enough fat to poop well, I'm having increasing trouble with dry hair and skin---and pre-op, I had very, VERY oily hair and skin. I slather on coconut oil several times a day just to keep from looking like a lizard.

Now, early out---and yes, 6 months out IS early in the grand scheme of things---too much fat may give you the runs. If so, cut back a little. Over time, add more, because you're gonna need it.