Question, opinion

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!

I had the DS, If i remember closely you had the RNY...so I don't know if what I say will make much sense for you.  A DSer (me) maintains his or her weight by eating normally and/or keeping their carbs at a certain level.  Since we Malabsorb fat and protein, the only thing that can really cause us to regain weight is simple carbs.   I personally do no****ch my carb intake most days.  If the scale swings to the higher end of my flux (198-202) i will drop my carbs slightly till I head back down to 198.   It's what works for me.  I think everyone is different though, there are some women who have to keep their carbs really low (as in 50 grams or less a day) to maintain.  I think it's going to be something you have to play around with....maybe a modified south beach diet would be good for you?  South beach in general is a good diet, high complex carbs and protein, low in bad fats.  You might want to try it and see how it works for you. Scott

You'll get so many different opinions here. My research has shown that it's OK to eat some whole wheat pasta, bread and brown rice. It does tend to have a lot of carbs, but the kind I eat also has a lot of fiber (which brings the carb count down), and your body processes it a different way. I do tend to gain weight if I eat the white carbs, and all they do is make me hungrier. I personally like the South Beach diet, after you get done with that awful first couple of weeks, but it doesn't allow a lot of fat (again, everybody's different here), and I don't function well without my fair share of fat grams. Honestly, I don't do well on any kind of structured diet. When the scale creeps up on me (and I'm up a couple of pounds right now), I'll do the strict RNY rules (3 protein/2 veg/1 carb). It is unfortunate they didn't put an allowance in that equation for dessert.

I have added bread back to my diet, very occasionally.  A few times a week.  I did add Fiber One cereal to it every few days so that I can get the fiber... PLUS I loved cereal pre-op, and still enjoy it.  But I do watch that scale to make sure I'm staying in my limits.  We do need the fiber, yes but keep an eye on the "carb monster"... . sometimes when you add too many carbs at once, it kind of gets hold of you and then you want to eat more carbs.  If that happens, I usually fall back onto shakes to feel full and get rid of those "snacky" feelings....  or decarb if thats a better word. I do like low carb tortilla wraps also.  Flatbreads are good.  Just some thoughts. My favorite is to broil both sides of a low carb tortilla, cover with low sugar pizza sauce (Kroger brand is good) and cover with some cheeses, spices, Boar's Head pepperoni cut up in pieces, onion, pepper, jalapeno pieces...  wow that is good.  You can also do chicken tortillas on the skillet with them.  I don't eat but 1/2 usually...  I also have a tortilla maker so I did "pizza tortillas" instead of doing them in the oven. They turned out great...  and I shared it with my bf.  And then again, sandwiches (deli meat, cheese, diced tomatoes, etc) are always great on tortillas. 

Whole grains are "just as bad" in what way? If you are talking they are just as high in carbs, you are correct...however they are better for you in that they don't raise your blood sugar fast like regular carbs...In other words they are lower glycemic carbs.   Also like someone else said they have high fiber. Fiber is very hard for the body to digest and so it passes mostly undigested...This is good in that it doesn't release it's sugars(carbs) into your blood and helps clean you out as fiber is known for doing!  You subtract the fiber from the carbs and that's the amount you actually absorb...That's why whole grains although high in carbs are low in actual absorbed carbs...Just for your info... There are charts to show you which are the low moderate and high glycemic foods if you want to do a search and read a bit more than I can tell you...It's complex...Sugars fall into an even more complex chart...Check it out...I took care of a little girl who was diabetic so I had to learn some of this sugar stuff...and later ended up with diabetes myself and it's certainly helped me maintain my weight  for 4 years (Oh but I have my moments of weakness and off the track binges)  What can I say?  It's a struggle for me sometimes. I give up for a day or two...and Come back fighting like a banchee because I am more grateful for my health than for drippy melty chocolately things!  (Most of the time...I think...no... no.... no...I KNOW!!!)