For nutritionist (or anyone else)

Good AM!!! I want your advice.... I was on a high protein diet that was unsustainable for me in the long haul.  I was considering the south beach diet but was looking at the later phases and includes a bunch of "whole wheat" things like whole wheat pasta, bread and brown rice.  I did some research and saw learned that they are just as bad as white flour products.  Anyway, have any of  you had success on the south beach diet?  There is a new edition of the book that just came out, and it includes "interval training" which I thought was good, but as far as the diet, has anyone had success? Does anyone keep their carbs below a certain level?  I appreciate the "whole grain/carbs" thing, but I dont really care for it, and would opt to leave it out completely and stick with protein and veggies. I appreciate your guys' feedback!

Have you had surgery?  If so, what type?  That will help determine the answer here. Carbs are NOT evil.  The body actually needs carbs to function -- the brain uses mainly glucose for fuel (which is the converted form of carbs).  Also, the nutrients we receive from different carbs will help keep us healthy. NOW --- there is a difference between good carbs and bad carbs and you can Google that to get numerous lists of which foods are on which list. But also remember that after bariatric surgery you have to limit your carb intake during the weight loss phase to encourage your body to use your stored FAT CELLS instead of the carbs for energy.  That's the whole point, right?  To get rid of the fat.   When you eat carbs your body immediately turns it into blood glucose for immediate energy usage.  Carbs are the first line of fuel used by the body.  Protein has to go through a longer process to be converted to energy so it's used secondary -- plus it has other functions in the body besides just fuel.   I get most of my carbs from fruits and veggies and the occassional whole grain based starch (usually tortilla wraps rather than full slices of bread or pasta which is far too filling for my tiny pouch).  I try to get 2-3 servings of veggies and 2-3 servings of fruit per day and sometimes just 1 serving of a starch.  The rest of my nutrients comes from protein.  Most bariatric patients are told to stay away from bread, pasta and rice because once inside the pouch it swells up, can cause blockages and has little nutritional value when what you really need is protein. I was not given a guideline of how many carb grams to eat per day, so my own rule of thumb is to keep my total carb grams below my total protein grams.  I average about 90g of protein per day, so that leaves me with a carb allowance of up to 89g.  But in reality, I average closer to about 50-60g of carbs per day. And yes, the South Beach  Diet does work for those who can stick to the plan and exercise their butts off.  Janette is one such success story.  I've read her blog for over a year now and she just had a book publised based on her success.  She lost half her body wieght on South Beach Diet. Here's the link to her site:  http://www.pastaqueen.com/halfofme/ HTH Pam

Yes, I should have mentioned, I am almost 5 years post op