did/do u ever worry about CARBS?

I'm mainly wanting responses from long-term successful post-ops.

Did you ever or do you ever worry about your CARB intake?  If so, what do you worry about your CARBS, NET CARBS or both?  If you limit one or the other (or both), what do you limit it to?

I've heard SO many things about carbs.  I've heard not to worry about them at all (per my surgeon's NUT).  I've heard a strict limit on NET carbs is anything below 40 per day.  I've heard that carbs (not sure if they're talking about total or net) of less than 100 per day will eventually lead to side effects, ranging from inability to concentrate and/or confusion to improper and/or inadequate usage of other nutrients received into the body.  I've heard that carbs (not sure if they mean total or net) should always  equal 1.5 times whatever your protein for the day is. 

So...what have YOU heard?  And mainly, did you or do you worry about carbs?  If so, what are your guidelines? 

 Yes, I stay away from the white stuff, breads, flour, rice, pasta. I stay sugar free too.  I don't worry about complex carbs...however, some people do not do well with lots of fruit. it  puts weight on t hem, so you have to see how your body reacts.
Basically, I get 80-90 grams of protein in a day. I continue with whey protein drinks (3) a day because that is absorable protein. What we eat will not all be absorbed...so we need to be sure we get our protein in. Also vitamins....very important. don't skimp on quality vitamins!! I do try to keep the carbs low.....but I don'****ch the number much.  I watch what kind of carbs I eat though. Does that make sense?
Hope this helps!

Hi Wendy :)

I also watch the carb intake, always have.  I get about 60-65 net carbs in a day (after fiber and SA is decucted)  but I get in more like 120-130 grams of protein and like Tami, I believe whey protein supplemented to our already high protein diet is the best idea as it is the most usable form of protein for our bodies.  If I do eat carbs they almost always come from the following: nonstarchy veggies, soy milk, some protein bars (very few), nas yogurt and low glycemic index berries.  I really don't do too many "grains" per say.  Also whatever is occuring in my protein powders which is few. 

I was diabetic and insulin resistent big time prior to surgery.  Soon as I get too many carbs the weight piles back on me.. always has, always will I am afraid.  I can handle a few more if I am weight lifting, otherwise I keep it as I stated above.

Nope ... never worry about it. Eat them and love them.

I don't really worry about carbs as long as I'm meeting my daily requirements for protein, servings of other foods, fa****er, etc. I do count them though...all of the values are tracked in FitDay. My RD goes for a 40/30/30 (carb, prot, fat) ration essentially. With that said, eating a 1200 to 1400 calorie a day diet, I'm averaging anywhere between 110 and 190 g of carbs daily. I also eat a really, really high fiber diet (like between 40 and 50 g of fiber daily). They always come from dairy, fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I do avoid sugar, white foods, etc. At my last appointment with the RD, she said I needed MORE carbs because of the way my body is functioning. She's a food moderate and is adamantly against the "carbs are the enemy" philosphy. She says "this is NOT Atkins...this is a BALANCED diet...carbs are NECESSARY". My carb counts reported are for total carbs. I don't make any adjustments for fiber or whatnot when calculating my carbs.

I don't count carbs. I don't really worry about complex carbs from natural foods. BUT, I rarely eat bread, pasta, or those snacks with refined carb ingredients. My support group warned us about the carbs in foods like those "100gram snack packs" for sale. The carbs in these make the 100 calories seem like 300 calories to the RNY pateint, according to my surgeon's office data. I attend 3 support meetings per month, and counting carbs has not been a topic of discussion. I do know that some women in attendance to count their carbs though. DAVE

My NUT pushes a balanced diet... so my plan is as follows
to maintain weight 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat
The majority of the carbs I eat come from fruits, veggies, and LF/RF dairy (I dont do FF yucko)... I try and stick to mainly low glycemic index foods to help with the spikes and dips in blood sugar... on average I eat 3-4 servings of veggies, 2-3 servings of fruit and I would say 2-4 servings dairy (I dont track dairy servings)... the rest of my carbs come from starch/bread which is 3-4 servings a day (depending on how many calories I eat that day)... the bread carbs are always whole grain never enriched and never which - I avoid anything that has high fructose corn syrup in it and has the words 'enriched' or 'bleached' in the ingrediants list - this easily cuts out junk foods.
For me I could never severly limit or cut out carbs... I do keep an eye on them only because if I am eating more bread/starch carbs that means I am eating less of something else so I just work on keeping my balance... I dont really care for veggies so they tend to sneak out of my diet so I have to keep an eye :-)

When I was losing I worried about Carbs.  No reason to give the body the fuel I was trying to get rid of!

Now, I do not worry about Carbs.  For me, THE CALORIE is king.  Concentrating on carbs without worrying about calories reminds me too much of the Atkins dieters eating bags of Pork Rinds and cups of Heavy Cream but at a loss to explain why they don't lose any weight.

I eat 2,000 calories per day.  The proportion just happens to be 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, and 20% fat.  We keep bread in the house (Organic Whole Wheat) but no pasta or rice.  I eat cookies from time to time and bake muffins and scones (white flour) a lot too.

Hi,
I don't really "worry", but I am aware.  Like others, I don't eat pasta's, breads, cereal or rice.  Occasionally I will have whole wheat sourdough toasted.  I really miss textures/crunch, so I will add foods that meet that need.  I use spaghetti squash with my spaghetti sauces.  I will eat sweet potato on occasion too. 

Fruits and vegies are a must, but my main ingredient is protein at every meal and I do include on my non gym mornings a whey protein drink with soy milk whi*****ludes frozen berries. I also avoid lactose (dumping issues) and refined sugars.  On occasion I treat myself with a mixture of dark chocolates/walnuts.  This is my little reward for exercising that day and maintaining my weight something sweet with crunch from the nuts.

Carbs are essential, so I include them in my diet.  I primarily stick to a 3/4 protein, 1/4 carb rule at my meals.  But these carbs are complex carbs.  Once in awhile, like the dark choc example, I will treat myself, but in small portions.

It's all good to help maintain that healthy weight and exercise activity!!  I haven't really added up my daily intake of carbs/protein and fat.  I was never very good about journaling, that was my primary issue with Weigh****chers!   But I am thinking I should use a product like fitday to help me out. I see others use this or a similar tool.  As I go along this path, it may be helpful to keep me on track.  You may want to do that as well, if you aren't already.

I try to limit simple carbs but I am not obsessive about it. If I get hungry I usually want simple carbs but I eat peanut butter, beef jerky, a boiled egg, cottage cheese, yogurt or other protein instead. It takes the hunger away much better than crackers or sweets. I do eat pasta and rice, I love them! I just don't eat very much and I make sure they are mixed with protein (meat in marinara sauce or in stir fry).

MJ