did/do u ever worry about CARBS?

I don't eat simple carbs for the most part.  I do have 1 Whole Wheat Ritz cracker with some turkey and cheese to tie me over sometimes, but other than that, I recently did an overhaul on my everyday eating.  The main reason?  I was hungry ALL the time.  Not just head hunger, my stomach would literally be growling.  On day 3 of my cut back on carbs, I can make it through the day without grazing.  It's an empowering feeling.  I haven't cut them out, I haven't pushed them down to really low numbers, I've just cut out most simple carbs.  I have the occasion graham cracker, I eat fruit, and I eat all complex carbs. 

I don't worry too much about carbs, but I do avoid the "bad" ones and stick with the "good" ones from fruits, whole grains, etc. I have found with my workout schedule I need the carbs to burn as fuel and if I go too low in carb intake I don't feel well or perform as well when working out. Here's 1 links to pervious grad's board discussions on this exact topic that are full of lots of good info~


http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/a,messageboard/a ction,replies/board_id,5491/cat_id,5091/topic_id,3655403/



http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/a,messageboard/a ction,replies/board_id,5491/cat_id,5091/topic_id,3656181/

I try and eat a moderate amount of carbs, don't eat bread very often, when I eat rice or potato I only eat 1 or 2 TBLS after eating my protien and vegetables. I occasionally treat myself to some chocolate but just a portion size and not daily, that is my downfall. I don't eat much fruit except when fresh berries are in season. When I was tracking my intake my carbs were 80-150 grams a day, 80-100 grams protien and 20-40 grams fat.

Sher

I do watch them, I pick the healthier choice.  Whole grains, Brown rice pastas, I do get most of my carbs from fruits.  I do eat about 6 cracker a day with one of my protien meals.  It's one of those nice treats for me.  My NUT suggested that 35-40% of my cals come from Carbs.  I still have never been able to get the numbers up that high.  I count the total carbs when adding things up.  Hope that helps.

I don't count carbs but I do eat low carb.  I stay away from simple carbs and sugar.  I have never had any soft drinks since surgery.  I still drink 3 whey protein shakes a day. 

I hate carbs. Well, no actually carbs hate me! I eat low glycemic index berries (mostly blueberries and raspberries) and I use whole wheat when I cook or bake. Otherwise, anything with more than 10-12 carbs per meal and I'm asleep before you can say "what is that rank smell?" Oh yeah...that's the second problem with me and carbs - I get the worst smelling gas on the face of the earth!

I don't eat anything white, bleached, or enriched like others have said except what comes in my dairy products...

My daily carb intake (total, not net) is usually between 75-100g and usually works out to right about 30% of my total daily intake. But overall I don't count them per se - I usually just look at my per meal limits. Fit Day decides to track them for me (*******s!)...another number to track...no thanks! I focus more on total calories, protein, and fiber. Hope that helps!

Carbs have not impacted my weight loss at all.  But I have read so much about them, I didn't want to sabotage my long-term maintaining over them. 

I have tracked my NET carbs only (gross minus fiber minus sugar alcohols) and my NET carbs stay as high as most of you say your GROSS carbs stay (about 35 - 40%).  So I'm a little concerned that maybe I'm taking in too many even though I have had no "weight loss" side effects from it.  I'm hoping that maybe I am immune to them or something. 

Yesterday, I took in 1209 calories and 117.20 NET carbs.  Where did those carbs come from?

1 banana (which I had with breakfast.) = 25.40 net carbs
All Bran Pink Lemonade fiber drink mix (which I usually drink once a day) = 2 net carbs
1 slice Sara Lee 45 Cal & Delightful wheat (which I had w/ lunch) = 7 net carbs
1 slice 2% american cheese (which I had w/ lunch) = 2 net carbs
1 medium egg (which I had w/ lunch) = 1 net carb (it says <1 on label, but I count 1 to be safe)
2 SF mini reese's PB cups (which I had w/ lunch) = .8 net carbs
1 cup semi-homemade chocolate protein yogurt = 26 net carbs
2 cups skim milk w/ 2 tbsp SF chocolate syrup (which I usually have daily) = 26 net carbs
chicken & lettuce hot sauce salad-esc (afternoon snack) = 1 net carb
1/2 cup chili (which I had w/ supper) = 13 net carbs
1 slice @% pepperjack (which I had w/ supper) = 2 net carbs
8 almond nut-thin cheddar crisps (which I had w/ supper) = 11 net carbs

Does that sound bad? 

Wendy, I'm not really long term yet but am working hard at being successful.  My surgeon's nut. doesn't give out a lot of number info on carbs on purpose...they want patients concentrating on proteins and say to use carbs as condiments and to keep them whole grains or low-glycemic fruits. 

For myself...carbs are a sort of  'gateway drug' and I have to be careful with them.  I bake my own carby-type foods (whole grain muffins, protein bars, cookies, etc.) and keep them as sugar free as possible.  Carbs are my number one addiction and nemesis and I DO worry about them.  I try to keep them around 120 a day, which is tough when you are as addicted as me.   If I allow a bunch of store-bought sugar free treats into my life (like Murray products or Mrs. Freshley's) then it just sets off a downward spiral of cravings.  I'm so much better off trying to keep my carb intake as low as possible.  It is going to be a lifelong struggle for sure.  Bravo to those postops for whom carbs are no problem.

Molly

Most DSers watch their carbs, as they are what can make us gain weight (or slow our weight loss), just through the mechanism of our surgery.  While I don't focus on them, or really count them, I try to be aware of which ones I'm eating - simple or complex, high or low glycemic index.  I mainly only count protein & fat grams (the more, the better), and treat my carbs like dessert: they're my reward for eating my dinner.

I aim for 50% of my daily calories from carbs, 25% from protein, 25% from fat.  So it's a 2:1 carb-protein ratio.  I also exercise quite a bit (8-10 hours per week), so I'm burning off a lot of energy through exercise (estimate that I burn 2000-2500 calories per week through exercise most weeks). 

Most of my carbs come from low-fat dairy, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, and whole-grain food products.  I do occasionally eat processed carbs - a cookie, a serving of real ice cream, some french bread, etc. - but that's an occasional treat for me.  Also, I do dump if I eat too many processed carbs, so my pouch helps keep me in line. 

My plan is not based on advice from a nutritionist, dietician, or my surgeon.  It is based on a lot of research I've done on my own, plus I feel really good when I eat this way (and pretty crappy when I don't!).  You may have to tinker around a bit to find out what works well for your body, but it's worth the time and energy - trust me...

Kellie