Question:
Does adding carbs slow weight loss?

I have just started adding a few carbs a day to my diet. I had a half sandwich for dinner last night and a half of a nectarine mid-day for a snack. Ever since I added carbs (about a week now) I haven't lost a pound--in fact this morning the scale was up 1.5 lbs! Has anyone else noticed a stop or decrease in weight loss when adding carbs?    — Laura R. (posted on July 16, 2001)

July 16, 2001
I don't know if this is true for everyone but it is for me. About three weeks ago I started watching what I was eating and I was taking things like, half a sandwich or part of a bagel or noodles for lunch at work and I gained a pound each week for two weeks. I was really upset because I thought I was eating too much. So this weekend I was really strict and I only ate veggies and protein items and this morning I lost 3 pounds. I am almost 10 months post op and I have really slowed down but carbs where making me slowly creep back up on the scale. I think I will stick to protein and veggies.
   — Sherri M.

July 16, 2001
I wouldn't worry about a 1.5 lbs gain;it's probably water retention,like my doctor said even if you add carbs to your diet the amount of it that we intake it's not enough to make you gain weight.Just relax and enjoy your foods I assume that you like me didn't go through all this to be forever obsessed with what your eating... :)
   — [Anonymous]

July 16, 2001
Maybe thats the problem---I am 13 months post op-lost 117lbs gone but have remained the same weight now since March---A few weeks ago I started looking on this site for answers regarding plateaus and I found that most claim the plateaus were broken by returning to the way we ate in the beginning. Interesting factor is that in the beginning I could not tolerate breads at all-(just pizza crust and melba toast) potatoes-I gagged!, and I would go into a somewhat slight dump if I exceeded a certain amount of sugar--When I was able to add these things, my loss slowed down--I should have seen this connection but didn't---it has to be the carbs---2 weeks ago I just ate proteins-minimal carbs and an increase in the fluids---walllah---it budged-ever so slightly but it did. I went back to the carbs and it crept back up to the 187 its been. So now I know-- Funny how last year I said I would have been content just being 170lbs....now I am angry that I can't budge because I am not willing to settle for less because of all the work I went through for this!!
   — Carole C.

July 16, 2001
I am Pre-Op, but I know that my body does not process Carbs very well. I started doing Suzanne Somers' program that is based on not combing carbs and proteins together, because your body releases insulin when you eat carbs and that in turn converts the carbs(and anything else you ate with them) to sugar and is stored as fat. When I follow her program strictly the weight starts coming off. I would recommend that you read her books. Her program is based on a medical principal that Sugar is the problem in our diets today and not the Fat. All the best to you! KM
   — Kim M.

July 16, 2001
Be careful people. Carbs are the fuel for our bodies. Although we shouldn't eat more than we burn off (because this fuel will turn to sugar) we don't want to make our diet only protein. If the body is only taking in protein it will absorb probably about half that we intake and then it will start feeding on out lean muscle mass including the most important muscle, our heart. That is why people with eating disorders die of heart attacks. Be careful.
   — Christine A.

July 24, 2001
Watch the carbs! You do need some carbs for energy; but, eat too many and you will slow the weightloss. Count your carb grams. It's become like a religion for me. I allow myself 50 grams of carbs a day....spread over my 4 mini meals.
   — [Anonymous]