Question:
Are carbs totally off limits, or can you eat a little with RNY?

I see my surgeon on Monday, and would like to know one thing about the post op diet. Months down the line, after you can eat most what you want, can you have carbs at most meals? Mind you, I am not asking about a lot of carbs, but limited. (a bite or two?) I love rice, potatoes, and bread, would I be able to have a little from time to time, or is that it for good?? I would hate to think that I would never ever be able to anymore. Thanks, Annie    — Annie R. (posted on April 27, 2001)

April 27, 2001
Your surgeon or dietician will be better able to give you specifics, but I eat all of the items you mentioned...and more then a bite or two...except bread...I have a real hard time with bread, but muffins, bagels, etc seem to be fine. I am 6 months post-op.
   — tlg6056

April 27, 2001
Anne: I am 7 months, and I eat anything I want. I try to be sure to get my protein in first, and then I may have some potato, rice or whatever to go with it. I have no problems with bread, and do eat 1/2 of a sandwich on occasion. Hope this helps.
   — nealp

April 27, 2001
I'm 6.5 yrs out, still at goal wt, so's my husband. We've always eaten the complex carbs, but NOOOOOOOOO sugar. Not more than 6g per meal, so we also do no milk (12g). But we need the B-vites & such in the grains & nuts & seeds, so we've always done a reasonable amount, as you said. But we tend to stick with the whole grain breads & such. They go down easier and at least have some food value. For awhile, I had no interest in potatoes or rice, but now they're OK. But they don't hold me captive as they once did.
   — vitalady

April 27, 2001
I'm a year post. I do eat all of the things you mentioned, too. I eat only a little rice at a time; it seems to swell up after a few minutes & expand...sometimes painfully, so I'm really careful with it, although I do love it, too, just now in very small amounts. Bread fills me up really fast, so I don't eat much of it, either. I do, from time to time, have an open-faced tuna, egg or chicken salad sandwich, but one slice of bread is really pushing it for me. Toast is easier to eat than bread & crackers are easier than toast. I can eat lots of crackers or cereal & have to be careful with those....they add up surprisingly fast. I have never added back in muffins & bagels, which is for the best, I'm sure. Now, potatoes are another story. It seems they always sound good & taste good. If I have a downfall, they are it! They're so soft & easy to eat; so easy on the tummy to digest....sigh. I have to be really careful with the taters cuz I can eat LOTS of them & it seems they never hurt my tummy. I do occasionally disguise a baked potato by covering it with taco meat & cheese or broccoli & cheese--then I pretend it's not a potato, but a high protein meal! :) Seriously, at this point I CAN eat virtually anything I want to, just in much smaller amounts. I limit very much my sugars & starches, but even with those, I can indulge occasionally.
   — Kathy W.

April 27, 2001
Again, I come along with my 'teachable moment' stuff: Carbs include starches (breads, rice, potatoes) but they also include fruits and veggies. Fruit and veggie carbs are the best for you with limited starch carbs. Also, I didn't wait til 'months down the line' to add carbs either. And remember, we need a little fat in our diets too.
   — Cindy H.

April 28, 2001
I was the ultimate carbo junkie pre op even though I was not much of a bread eater. Rice,pasta and potatoes were my downfall. The surgery curbed my desire for a lot of these foods now. Rice, I can tolerate in small amounts. I cannot eat the rice from chinese restrants because it is too greasy and hard. It usually comes back. And I cannot tolerate gravey on my rice now. So I can take it or leave it. With potatoes, I cannot do mashed potatoes now. They also come back on me. I can do a few small pieces with green beans. Pasta, I can do well. A few times per week, I will do a Lean Cuisine or WW pasta & meat dish that have plenty of protein in it. At work, I will purchase a 1/2 wrap(flat bread) sandwich (turkey or lean ham) and can do well with it. I usually take off the part of the bread that is folded over because it is a little too much. Immediately post op, you will may do well with mashed potatoes and hot cereals. As time goes on, you will be able to test your limits as to what carbs you can eat and what you cannot. But you will be able to do them within reason.
   — Jan M.