New Data on failed WLS and why white stuff is the devil

Thanks, Marie. This in line with what my program is recommending for maintenance. The carbs can add up quite quickly. I am exercising quite a bit, so I am burning most of the carbs off.

Gail

Technically ti ALL depends on YOU and YOUR body.  For me losing I had to keep it low say under 40.  In maintenance I have to keep it between 50-100ish.  For MY body it does not matter where the carbs come from.  For MY body the ONLY carbs that do NOT cause me to crave more carbs are fruits and some nuts, whole grains cause me to crave.  Now this is also ME and I do very little muscle training and/or cardio.

Your mileage may vary.

Ms Shell

Thank you, Ms. Shell. I'm learning this maintenance thing and the carbs seem to be an issue for many people. During the losing phase, I did limit them to about 40 carbs/day and lost steadily with this level. The carbs that I get now, mostly come from skim milk,  Greek yogurt, veggies, some fruit, nuts, and an occassional whole-grain crispbread, such as Wasa or Dr. Kracker. I am staying away from the rice, pasta, bread, sweets, etc. I do a lot of exercise, including weight training and cardio, so that is helping to burn them up. I don't have any cravings, so my level seems to be working.

I think the initial increase in insulin sensitivity after surgery gives us a false sense of security. All of the sudden we have little hunger, and we can eat a bite of cake without eating more or triggering hunger.

But, apparently, that sometimes goes away. Then we are in even a worse situation. secreting even more insulin than we did pre-op. That's a set up for weight gain, and certainly explains why so many people start having cravings and difficulty controlling their intake farther out.

I guess the message is this: Enjoy the honeymoon period, but be ready to buckle down and ditch the "carbs in moderation" if it ends.

I read another thread, where people were announcing whether they were carbs eaters or carb avoiders. It's important to know that what you are today might not be what you are in a year, so be prepared to change your diet if needed.

I know for me, my first year I was fine with carbs. My second year I needed carbs in moderation. And now it seems like I can't have carbs at all without constant hunger and weight gain. So, something has definitely changed.

 interesting, thanks for posting it. I keep thinking I can eat simple carbs that are not on anybody's list of healthy foods ( I mean cookies, as opposed to an apple) because I don't yet have a problem maintaining.

but healthwise, I might not be doing the right thing. health, as opposed to just how much I weight.

 A helpful statistic is missing. What about a person who did not have WLS? What is their increase after eating simple carbs?

Wow..thank you for all the great responses and follow up questions with great answers by the experienced croud on here.  I've learned a ton, and I am glad that I learned early out that things have changed for me and if I want to maintain my weight long term, I have to be very careful with carbs.  I can see by the responses, that I am not alone in this.