Question:
Daily gms of Protein, Carbs, & Colories & Sugar

I would love to know, I'm post op 11/4/02 10weeks, what is a good healthy amount of protein gm, carbs, sugar, calories per day for us to have postop? I know that carbs & sugar should be avoided, but I really don't feel that we should completly stop having carb in our diets, eventually we will have to eat some. Mainly, I would like to know what is a healthy amount of protein grms for us. Thank You sooooooooo much for all your input means so much to me.    — Consuelo B. (posted on January 23, 2003)

January 23, 2003
Hello Consuelo. Protein grams should be at about 60 grams per day. SUGAR IS A BIG NO NO!!!!! I am also about 10 weeks out, surgery 11/21/02, down 54 pounds. You should not have more than 30 grams of carbs per day. I hardly eat any all week. I find that protein gives me more energy and does not make me as hungry as the carbs might. I have about 600-700 calories per day and never feel the need for more. I love being able to eat healthy now. try to eat the good carbs that come from veggies and fruits rather than from the bread or pasta. Trust me; they are better for you. Start to eat carbs when you reach goal and not before then. You might slow down your weight loss. GOOD LUCK!!
   — Regina C.

January 23, 2003
While I agree that carbs should not be consumed in large or even fairly large numbers, I do not count the carbs found in green veggies toward my daily count. The carbs that I do eat other than green veggies are complex carbs and from less processed foods. I prefer legumes, heavy whole grain breads and crackers, high fiber whole grain cereals, etc. Those are eaten at around 20 to 30 grams a day - if I've gotten in the 40 to 60 grams of protein a day that my surgeon requires. I don't count fat grams - my body dumps on fats so when I get too much, it tells me almost immediately. I don't chose low-fat versions of foods though as the fat is often replaced by sugar and/or other carbs. Not worth the trade off. Sugar, while it's certainly a no-no in general - good luck finding foods that don't have some natural sugars in them. I try and keep that under 4 grams per serving and include that in my daily carb count for the day. Homemade applesauce made from tart apples (add splenda if you need to) is a better choice than the store-bought no-sugar-added for example, as they make it from high-sugar apples to begin with. 50/50 makes some great low-sugar products (peanut butter, jams, syrups, etc.). Well anyway, good luck and congrats on your achievements!
   — [Deactivated Member]

January 24, 2003
I am about 5.5 months post-op and I track every bite I eat on fitday.com. (free site) Here is what my average daily summary for the past month looks like: Average Daily calories Total: 984 source grams cals %total Fat: 43 383 42% Carbs: 71 248 27% Protein: 69 276 30% The interesting thing is that I don't eat ANYTHING that is in and of itself a carbohydrate. I dont' eat ANY sugar, bread, crackers, pasta, potatoes, rice - nothing that weight watchers would count as a "bread" selection. All of my carbs come from dairy and fruits and veggies and they still end up being 27% of my diet. I do eat some beans, though, usually in homemade chili, so that could be where some of the carbs come from. I've lost 95 pounds since Aug 8th. (started at 296 and 5'7") Hope this helped!
   — mandajuice

January 24, 2003
Consuelo, as you can see, you will get varying answers on this one. Some, I like to call them carb fanatics, tell you to eat almost no carbs. They think of carbs as the devil! Others prefer a more balanced approach to carbs. My nutritionist, who believes in a balanced approach said to keep the carb grams under 100 a day and to concentrate on the good, complex carbs (beans, veggies and fruits) and minimize the bad ones (those white carbs like white breads/cookies/candy/pasta/rice etc). As for protein, 60 is the minimum, but I try to shoot for 80 or so-I know some who try for 100-120 and swear that keeps the weight loss moving along. Sugar should be low of course, how many grams is up to you-some try to eliminate all sugar, some limit to under 10 grams-for me, I try for no more than 13-15 grams of sugar per serving of anything. And calories, at 10 weeks you are probably eating around 600 or so? A few more months down the road and you'll be consuming 750-1000 a day and at maintenance 1200-1400 or so. Everyone is different though and some swear that if they eat more than 1200 they gain, however I know one person who eats 1500-1700 for maintenance, so you have to gauge what is right for you.
   — Cindy R.