counting carbs/fruits for the newbie

 I know everyone has their "rules" either given to them by their physician or their own personal limits now that they are further out from surgery.
So if I'm limiting myself to no more than 100 carbs a day, does that include fruit?  It just seems like something so good for you shouldn't be counted the same as say bread, pasta, etc.  Someone once said "nobody ever got fat eating fruit."
When I eat fruit the carbs just add up so fast.  What say you??

Some where around 50 carbs a day until you get to goal. Then only slowly and carefully increase with veggies and fruits. (See Roz's carb warnings at the beginning of Menus & Miles)

--gina
a.k.a. "Carb Nazi"

I try to keep mine under 20 per day

Yes, fruits count.  Fruit has sugar, which are carbs and even though they are more complex carbs, they are STILL a carb.

Do as Gina says and limit your carbs to no more than 50 a day. 

I have gained on fruits.  Do count them in your total carbs.  I know they taste good because of the natural sugar, but stick more with the low carb veggies.

Im not real "strict" about carbs but 100 seems really high. I eat no more than 50 a day..use a food counter program (I use fitday) and it counts all the carbs for you..so if you eat an apple it will calculate the carbs in the apple..remember, protein is first, then the "carbs" can come into place..aka veggies and fruits..careful with the fruit it contains sugar so if you are a dumper you could have a bad experience..

 so basically a meat and veggie for each meal and that's about it??  I've looked at your menus.  I am amazed at how little you eat. I am really going to have to scale back I guess. I'm eating 1200-1300 cals. a day.  I just really thought I was doing so good.  :  (
wow...just wow

Ok, Gina and the rest of the anti-carb group are going to flame me, but I think that more than one path to our goals exist, and you need to hear alternatives.

My surgeon and nutritionist have harped on me to eat 100 grams of carbs every time I go for a visit.  They insist that 100 grams of carbs are essential for brain functions.  I tried to hit 100 grams of carbs and realized a regular diet at 100 grams made me feel sluggish. 

On the other hand, because I trust Gina and Jody and the other LW Goddesses,  I tried to get below 50 grams of carbs, but that didn't work for me either.  I had to cut out veggies and my bowels staged a strike, if you know what I mean.  I don't take (or want to take) fiber supplements or stool softeners, so today I make a conscious decision to eat colorful veggies and complex carbs.  I average 75 grams of carbs a day.  Occasionally I pop over 100 grams of carbs, but not often.   I get my carbs from legumes, leafy veggies, dairy, and fruit.  People constantly compliment me on my skin tone, healthy look, and overall healthy appearance.  I think it's the veggies.  I don't have hunger, so I can't comment om if this plan reduces hunger.

 I avoid most white items: wheat and most grains, potatoes, sugar, pasta, breads, pastries, ice cream, candy, and rice (except for my weekly 1/8 cup of sushi rice). Oh, and I eat 2 sugar free popsicles every day, and that's 8 grams of carbs, fully 10% of my daily allotment.  Occasionally when I exercise hard, I find I crave more carbs, which I try to satisfy with dense carbs, like hummus, which also provides protein and tends to stay with me.

The flip side is that I may not not lose weight as fast as those who keep their carbs below 50.  My weight loss averages 1.5-2 lbs a week, and while I'd love to be ahead of that, I seem to be where the WLS charts think I should be. 

Tracey  

Yes, fruit is carbs, but some is a lot more than others. 

I found when I ate the same number of calories with and without carbs, I lost weight without the carbs (or very limited) and didn't with them. 

I have veggies at least with 3 of my 4 meals a day.  I concentrate on green leafy ones, lettuce, spinach, brocalli, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatos now that they are coming in.  I eat a lot from my garden depending on what is ripe.  I do have blueberries and had strawberries when they were in.  Berries have fewer carbs per serving than say watermelon.  I agree with Tracey that eating your veggies helps with the "going" issue and adds great variety to your diet.

I eat bread, ww only, 1/2 low carb, low fat wrap, or 1/2 flat sandwich round maybe 1-2x a week.  No potatoes, rice, pasta although my plan does say I can have 2 starchy things a day.  When I did that, I didn't lose.  More often, I eat some kind of bean which is starchy but also has great fiber.

There are also carbs in dairy and that is certainly good for you.  Greek yogurt, cheese, milk all have carbs from the sugar in milk.

I try to keep my net carbs around 20 but certainly less than 50 per day.  Net is the total carb number, minus the fiber.  There are other ways to figure it but that is the easiest. 

I think it is really important to find something, some way you can eat that you don't feel like you are on a diet.  Yes, we need to change our habits that got us into trouble in the first place but if we feel we are deprived, we won't stick to it either.  I am really happy eating the way I am.  You may not be.  But as Roz always says, find out now what your triggers are while you are still in the "honeymoon".  Take full advantage of this time to get a handle that will help you for the rest of your life.

During the losing phase, I limited my carbs to about 40-50/day, whi*****luded skim milk, nonfat Greek yogurt,  cottage cheese, green veggies, and a limited amount of fruit (1/4 cup berries/day). I believe that good carbs are necessary, but I don't eat rice, potatoes, pasta, sugar, or anything white. Occasionally, I will have a little sweet potato. Once in awhile, some beans for the complex carbs.

I am in maintenance mode and am eating between 1200-1400 cal/day and generally, maintaining within a 2 lb range. I exercise, including weight training, about 4-5 times/week. My carbs often reach 80-100/day and sometimes a little more. My program recommends up to 130 carbs/day during the maintenance phase. I limit fruit to twice/day, anywhere from 1/4-1/2 cup of berries/day. I love mixing a little fruit in with my Greek yogurt. The fiber in fruit and veggies really do help with the elimination process. I still can't eat very many veggies, because the protein fills me up.

You are a year out and severely limiting your calories and carbs at this point may cause more harm than good. I don't how tall you are, or how much you exercise, but these factors influence how calories/day you need to lose weight. Have you checked with your program's nutritionist? If you go below 800 cal/day, you will slow your metabolism down and may not have a enough energy for what you need to do during the day. Early on, low calories were all that we could consume, but the further out that we get, our calories need to go up a bit.

I wonder, if you changed some things up, cut down on some of the fruit, if that make a difference.

Research studies have shown that low carb diets show more weight loss in the beginning (due to water loss), but at the end of a year, the weight loss from low carb and low fat diets is the same. I guess it also depends on how sensitive you are to carbs.

Gail