Question:
Good calories and bad calories?

I just went to a website that says that at my weight 286 lbs. I need 2600 calories to maintain my weight. Since surgery I havn't been doing to well with food...I eat the wrong things and I am always battling this. My question is...if you are eating say under 1500 calories a day then why does it matter where the calories are coming from. Why will 1500 protein calories help you lose weight, while 1500 carb calories will hinder your weight loss? Or will you still lose weight even if you eat only 1200-1500 of those "bad" calories? Thanks, Amber (rny 12-30-02, -109 lbs.)    — Amber F. (posted on July 22, 2003)

July 22, 2003
Amber, as I understand it, your body will burn carbs instead of fat because it's a quick burn. You should try to limit your carbs because of that. Protein helps in a lot of different ways, because it helps your body heal, it makes your body burn the fat, and it helps you keep lean muscle tissue.
   — Cheryl M.

July 22, 2003
To add to what Cheryl said (and she's soo right!) carbs beget the desire for more carbs in most people. So you may start out monitoring a 1500 a day intake of carby foods, BUT you'll likely be increasing that exponetially after a while when the cravings kick in. Also, bad carbs (if you will), the processed ones don't give you any benefits. If you must have carbs (and I do :>) choose the better carbs - good green, red or white veggies (not roots like potatoes); low-carb fruits like berries and cantaloupe; whole grains if you feel a need for grains; With these foods you'll get full faster than you will with over-processed foods and also garner the benefits of vitamins and nutrients you won't from, say a donut.
   — [Deactivated Member]

July 23, 2003
Once you go over the 1000 calorie mark it does start to matter what you are eating and when you are eating. The reason it matters is that you are meeting your nutritional requirements or not. Also I agree with the other posters about the carb stuff. If I eat it I just want more and many carbs have nothing to offer nutritionally. Have you considered seeing a nutritionist? Maybe a good one can help you make a plan that will allow you to continue losing and that you can live with. Right now it sounds like you are out of control and feeling frustrated. The reality is that if you don't find a way to control this you will likely not be successful in keeping your weight off. Do whatever you have to do to succeed and think about why you did this in the first place. Get back to basics. This is a golden opportunity to change the way you think about food and eating. Sometimes I do feel like this is the diet from hell that I can never get off but I find that talking to other post ops about it is a great support and comfort. Good Luck!!
   — Carol S.

July 23, 2003
Not only does your body prefer to burn carbohydrates (and therefore leave the fat stored), but carbs create an insulin reaction that actually sends a message to your body to store fat. So, as crazy as it sounds, the same number of calories overbalanced to carbohydrates will make you store fat at a greater rate than those same calories better balanced to protein. You also do get better nutrition from better food, which is very important even if it's not about losing weight.
   — Vespa R.

July 23, 2003
Amber, Remember - even though we have undergone WLS, we still suffer from a chronic disease - morbid obesity. The surgery is a tool to help us manage this disease. While we loose 60 - 80% of our excess weight in 12 - 18 moonths, approximately 6 months out our metabolism starts to return to baseline and unless we have made strides to change our lifestyle, our bodies start to react to foods much the same way we did prior to WLS. Good calories vs bad? How our bodies react to food depends on many factors - activity level, exercise routine, job, metabolic rate, etc. Although nothing is for certain, research has shown that the morbidly obese store carbs for conversion to sugar and utilize protein for fuel. For genetic reasons, our bodies just don't burn carbs readily and when combined with other foods, become "empty" - foods not burned but stored in body areas more likely to accumulate adipose deposits. Post-ops are advised to watch their calorie counts and food combinations for 24 months after WLS to determine which combinations are burned vs those that are stored. I'm surprised that you can consume 1500 to 2600 calories - I'm 16 months out and maintain well on 800 to 1000 calories per day - still 80% from protein. From a medical standpoint, a nutritionist as well as an endocrinologist and your PCP can outline your basal metabolic rate in concert with your burn vs store capacity. A personal trainer could also help with this answer in relationship to an exercise regimen. Even then, you would need to discipline yourself into watching calorie/food combinations to achieve your weight loss goals. In a nutshell, food combinations DO count for us! A calorie is not just a calorie anymore. Time of day? The jury is still out on that one. Good luck on achieving your goals! Susan Kane
   — Susan K.

July 23, 2003
I don't know exactly WHY (although the other posts certainly make sense to me), but I do know from life long dieting that it's true. I could eat 1500 calories of refined carbs and GAIN weight. If I did 1500 of protein only, I go straight into ketosis, burn that fat like crazy, and lose weight. Bummer, because I'd much rather have the 1500 in yummy carbs LOL.
   — mom2jtx3