Question:
Carb Foods....

I posted the previous question about carbs, can anyone give me some food options that are low low low in carbs?? I know to stay away from pasta and breads but Ive never done a carb type diet -- help would be appreciated!!!    — LauraMarie (posted on January 20, 2009)

January 20, 2009
All kinds of lean meats, shrimp, cheese, eggs, tuna, Campbell's steak chili in can, Kroger Carbmaster Yogurt, ricotta cheese, chicken wings, lettuce salad with regular dressing like blue cheese, ranch, etc. broccoli, green beans, cauliflower isn't too bad, cabbage, Its a short list
   — sandrainpodunk

January 20, 2009
Good question. When I first started doing the low carb thing, I bought a purse/pocket sized Atkins carb counting book and I printed out a list of foods on line with all of the carb information. Basically, it boils down to proteins (meats for the most part) and green veggies which are the lowest in carbs. Also, Sparkpeople is how I track my nutrition information. Personally, I think it should be illegal for any fruits or veggies to have carbs- there oughtta be a law. Be sure to check sodium amounts as well as some foods can be very low or no carbs, but be high in sodium which can cause you to retain water and the scales don't move as much. You can buy Ketostix at the pharmacy and dip one in your first morning urination to see if you are in ketosis- burning fat. I live on eggs- scrambled, boiled, egg salad, fish, chicken, filet mignon- I am willing to pay a little more for high quality, organic food. If I can only eat a few bites, a smaller amount, I want to make them the highest quality, healthiest bites that I can. Grilled, baked or poached- not fried if I can help it. Green veggies- mostly steamed. Sometimes people are told to avoid asparagus after WLS as it is very fibrous in texture and can get stuck or "hung up". Just be sure to look at and become very familiar with all of the label information of everything you eat. My surgeon says, if you don't know the carb count of the food on your fork, don't put it in your mouth. After you do this for awhile, and especially if you track your intake, you will remember the carb count of your favorite foods and not have to look it up each time. I would also recommend buying a couple of Low Carb Cookbooks and try out recipes. I like Before and After by Susan Maria Leach and Low Carb and Loving It by George Stella. After a while, I learned to alter my favorite recipes to be healthier with less fat and lower carbs. Best of luck, Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
   — DawnVic

January 20, 2009
I second what Dawn says. I am pre-op, but living and eating the way I will after surgery. I eat LOTS of fish (orange roughy, tilapia, tuna, salmon) and turkey burgers from Costco. VERY high in protein and very low in carbs. I also eat a lot of eggs, at least one boiled egg per day, sometimes two. And cottage cheese - a half a cup with a quarter teaspoon of dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix stirred in for flavor. Also, weight watcher's string cheese is a good snack food along with an egg. And I'm holding on for dear life to all my old Dr. Atkins books and cookbooks, even his original ones. They have a bread recipe made out of merengue, egg yolks and cottage cheese, and a creamed spinach recipe to die for (but it IS a little too high in fat). Anyway, Before and After, by Susan Maria Leach is a great book to have (over half of the book is recipes)... and although I haven't seen it yet (so I don't know if it really exists), someone mentioned a book on "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies".... if it IS out there, it should have some information for you, too.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

January 21, 2009
If you are considering cutting out carbs, you need to speak to your surgeon/registered dietician to be certain you are not going to harm your health. You need complex carbs and they are often high in carb content but are not equal to simple carbs AT ALL! So please read up on the differences between carbs to learn for yourself what sacrifices to your health you might be risking! Just a suggestion...
   — .Anita R.

January 21, 2009
I am pre-op and I just bought a couple of cook books for after ( low carb high protien) and one of the ones I could have bought and will buy at another time is weight loss sugery for dummies. You can get it on Amazon.com I hope this helps.:0)
   — sse032568

January 21, 2009
Hi, I would reccommend going to the recipe forum here on OH. There are many low carb recipes there that are yummy!!!! You have a lot of post to go through to pick them out, but I can reccomend anything that hear_me_roar and prior to that there is an deactivated memeber who also so has some great recipes. One of my favorite is Parmesean Encrusted Prok Chops, delish!!!! Check it out!
   — VeraWalker