Question:
How many carbs do you take?
Ok, the rda for a 2000 cal diet is 300g of carbs. Therefore, I would assume that someone on 1000 cals should get 150g. I average 75-90 carbs a day, 20-24g of fat and 75-100 protein. (Just coming very slowly off 2.5 week plateau, only 28 pounds lost in 9 weeks and daily cardio exercise, 800-1000 cals, and now very depressed). Someone said no more than 20 g of carbs a day. I think that's impossible. Anyone have any opinions? — Sandy A. (posted on October 22, 2003)
October 22, 2003
I agree that many carbs sounds high...why don't you try cutting your carb
intake in half and see how that works for you. Best of luck!
— Elizabeth L.
October 22, 2003
My carbs are anywhere from 50-125 a day.. My Dr. says to eat between
100-125.. I think it's up to each person how you want to consume carbs
(low or regular).. I think you are doing great and just may be one of
those slow loser... But that's okay you'll get to your goal, it's not a
race :-) Take Care
— baybekmbrly
October 22, 2003
Gosh, I just have not been as motivated as some to keep up all the counts
of everything... I have just eaten healthy, tried to get in protein and
water and the weight has just come off. I eat most anything I want, even
an oreo now and then, and I have done fine. gail -93
— Bama Beach Girl
October 22, 2003
Hi! I was told by my nutritionist that I should be eating as many carbs as
my goal weight. For instance, my goal is 150lbs, so I shouldn't eat any
more than 150gr. However, I try to stay under 100 for good measure! Good
luck!!!
— Kathleen G.
October 22, 2003
I really don't count carbs or calories. I eat when I'm hungry and eat
protein first. Ironically though I have found that I don't like carbs much
post op. Pasta and rice sit like rocks in my pouch and bread doesn't
appeal to me anymore. So maybe I'm in the 20g per day category and just
didn't realize it. I think you should make healthy choices based on your
food desires. Also, 28 pounds in 9 weeks is awesome. That averages out to
over 3 lbs per week. Great Job. Susan 333/233/148
— Soobie
October 22, 2003
I just did some online research, and there is no RDA for carbs.
According to the food and nutrition board, adults should get 45-65% of
their calories from carbs. So as I want to lose, I halve that to 23-33%.
According to Fitday I'm 20-35%, so I should be OK. This makes sense as many
healthy foods such as fruit and veg are mainly carbs. Let me know what you
think
— Sandy A.
October 22, 2003
I stay between 20-40 a day and have loss good. I'm down 100 pounds in less
than 8 months and lossing tons of inches also. Exercise ~~~
Exercise~~~Exercise! I Love It and the New Me! 2/11/03 250?150/135
— Hazel S.
October 22, 2003
My Dietician said that while I'm losing to try for no more than 30 carbs
per day.
— [Deactivated Member]
October 22, 2003
Just a comment. You need to remember those RDI's and the famous
nutritionist food pyramid are based on NORMAL people,
not on post-ops like us. My surgeon recommends 30% of your calories from
fat, 30% from carbs, and 40% from protein.
— LLinderman
October 22, 2003
20 grams of carbs a day is not healthy (it's only 80 calories and less than
7% of a 1200 calorie a day diet--the other 93% has to be coming from
protein and fat). I suspect that someone giving that number is either
counting only "impact" carbs (that is, not counting fiber carbs),
or only counting refined carbs and starches. Your body needs the
carbohydrates found in whole grains, veggies and fruits to operate
efficiently. Your brain, heart and lungs depend on these "good"
carbs as their primary fuel source. Depriving them of it will cause health
problems. I agree with an earlier poster that you should probably look at
the proportion of carbs to fat and protein in your diet. A bit less than a
third of your calories should come from carbs (if you're eating 1200
calories a day, one third is 400 calories; at 4 calories per gram of
carbohydrate, that's 100 grams of carbs per day). Make sure the carbs you
eat are from whole grains, fruits and veggies, and not the refined ones,
keep it under 100 grams a day, and you should be fine.
— Vespa R.
October 22, 2003
It's always good to see the debate about carbs. I tend to advise people
who are stuck on plateaus (or who have had very slow weight loss) to try to
cut their carbs down to no more than 20 grams a day for a few days and
boost their protein to well over 60 grams a day; following this method
(akin to the Atkins induction phase of his diet), I have never had a
plateau of longer than 3-4 days. In general, I try to maintain an average
of about 40 grams of carbs a day--- I count all my carbs except the
non-impact carbs in protein bars and protein shakes. The human body simply
does not burn all calories the same-- the fewer carbs, the more inefficient
our bodies become and the more fat that's burned (as that is what the body
turns to for its fuel). So given that I had gastric bypass surgery to help
me in my efforts to burn fat, sticking to a low-carb eating regimine has
furthered those goals (over 250 pounds lost in 12 months putting me below
the goal I had originally set for myself). And, given that I recognized
early on that I was truly a carb addict, minimizing carbs in my diet (and
in particularly staying away from bread and sugar) helps me control the
food demons that got me to over 500 pounds. As for the health consequences
of sticking to a low-carb lifestyle, of the people in our support who
follow it, none of us have experienced nutritional issues. I guess
ultimately, it all comes down to finding a healthy eating program that we
are comfortable with for life and one that will not lead us back to our old
unhealthy eating habits. For me, that path leads to a low-carb program for
life.
— SteveColarossi
October 22, 2003
I have had the best success when I keep my carbs under 40 per day. As post
ops the general RDA rules do not apply to us the same way as non WLS folks.
We have a very limited time in which to lose all of our excess weight and I
want to take full advantage of that window. It is not easy to eat only 20
carbs a day at 9 months out but it is not impossible and at 9 weeks out I
had to work hard to get over 60 grams of protein a day and had no room for
carbs when I did meet that goal. I too am a carb addict and will never be
able to eat carbs like "normal" folks without the urge to just
eat more of them. I also do not count my fat and that has not had an impact
on my loss either. I agree that we all have to find our own comfort level
but have also noticed that once that 6 month honeymoon is over most people
have to get way more serious about what they eat and it usually does not
include carbs in any significant way. Getting serious about it from the
start seems to be the way to long term success. Read the profiles of those
who have lost all of their weight and you will find a trend. Most people
are staying pretty low carb. We have abused our systms by years of
overindulging in carbs and many of us can simply not handle them any more.
— Carol S.
October 23, 2003
Before the surgery I was a BIG carb eater. My doctor stated to stay way
from the breads and pastas. You will get your carbs in the veges you eat
and fruit. I'm 6 months post-op and have lost 118 lbs. I haven't had a
slice for bread or pasta since my surgery and don't miss it.
— Linda R.
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