Question:
Can RNY's still lose weight if we eat too many carbs. ?

My friend had RNY 3 mos. ago and is losing ,she also eats alot of carbs.(breads,crackers,and pasta). She says shes a carboholic and just can't give them up.My doctor told me to steer clear of carbs. How can she still be losing ??    — Connie Z. (posted on December 4, 2001)

December 3, 2001
Probally losing as she's still fairly new post op. I'll be 7 months post op this Saterday, and could also eat carbs and lose at first... but no more! Or at best I stay the same weight. They are my enemy that I love but must avoid as much as possible. Your friend may be in for a rude awakening one of these days if she does'nt tone down the carb eating. But I know how hard it is.
   — Danmark

December 3, 2001
I've read that the first 6 months after WLS is the honeymoon period. You will lose weight no matter what you do (pretty much). This won't last though! Eventually she'll need to work with her tool.
   — mom2jtx3

December 3, 2001
The carbs from veggies and such are OK and have important vitaminsand nutrients. I try to eat protein first, followed by some carbs, like pasta or a slice of pizza. To me moderation is important, and I dont want to feel deprived. That was how I felt on diets and led to binging on bad choices.
   — bob-haller

December 3, 2001
you lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. The problem with alot of carbs is that with our new plumbing the carbs hit the intestines more rapidly than before surgery that causes a release of insulin to burn it up. With our new plumbing the carbs don't stay there as long but the insulin does and that causes you to be hungry, if you turn to carbs again it becomes a vicious cycle. Thats why they say to eat the protein first, that will help stabilize the insulin release.Some people will even dump with carbs. Another point, when we are burning calories, its easier to burn up carbs than fat. So with eating small amounts of carbs as the weight comes off more of the loss will be our stored fat. As long as you eat enough protein your body won't burn up your muscles as fuel.
   — Helen B.

December 4, 2001
Speaking only for myself, I can't lose weight unless I strictly limit my carb consumption. I learned the hard way. I'm over three years post-op and lost 110lbs. pretty easily the first year. That got me to within 35lbs. of my goal...and that's where I stabilized. No matter what I did, I couldn't lose another pound. I did the exersize, I drank the water, I ate my protein...nothing. I was eating the balanced diet that my nutritionist recommended and I did have a snack every now and then. But I certainly wasn't grazing. I started reading all the various messages on this board and decided to cut back on carbs. Also I started following the Pouch Rules for Dummies. Lo and behold...cutting back my carbs to 60grams a day and water loading (..not just sipping it all day) did the trick! The losing is slow at a pound a week. But, I'm losing again and I expect that this time next year, I'll hit my goal.
   — [Anonymous]

December 4, 2001
I know that carbs are bad, bad, bad! However, I also know that we need some for energy, both for our bodies and our brains. However, I believe that my plateau for the past few months has been because of my carb consumption. I would really try to stay away from them if you can. Carbs turn to sugar, which turns to fat. We do not want this, that is why we have had this last resort in surgery.
   — twenc

December 4, 2001
You didn't say if she was eating complex or simple carbs (sugars). We do not malabsorb simple carbs at all. Put it on the tongue, wear it on the hips 5 minutes later. Complex carbs, like fats, are processed in the duodenum, which is no longer in the circuit for RNY. We malabsorb some of our complex carbs. Some. If you eat nothing but carbs, sure, there's no real fuel in there. But we do need a smattering of them for everything else to run right. In the last 6 months, the breads, rice & pasta that have not interested me have turned my head a little. As a result, I've lost 5#. Figure it, after all these years. But I do them in moderation. And I still take my protein supps as I always did, but am also steady with a higher intake.
   — vitalady