Ok, I LOVE nuts, seeds and Beans. However, I do know they can pack a bit of a punch whereas carbs are concerned. I have decided that from until New Year's Day I'm going to go SUPER LOW carbs. I'm only allowing myself the Hi Fiber Quaker oatmeal, Fiber One Bars (Once a Day only - and Only one choice.) and cheese & green veggies. These will be my only carbohydrate exceptions. NOTHING ELSE!!!

I'm doing this because I am super scared of Thanksgiving and Christmas and every single day in between. This is the time of year where people actually create songs about sugar and plums dancing in our heads... it's just the way it is.

I can't do this though, I'm really trying as hard as I can to make sure I stay away from this stuff until I reach goal. I'm not going to deprive myself forever, just until I get to a size/weight where I'm happy with myself and comfortable... and most of all healthy.

I am notorious for if I give myself an inch... (oh one bite of pie won't hurt!!!) I will take 15 miles... (oh well it's Christmas... I'll get back on track later...)

Anyway, on to the subject at hand. I'm wondering if I should allow myself Nuts Seeds and Beans. These can be a bit higher on the carbohydrate scale... however, they have their benefits too. They are higher in fiber (a huge plus for me), are full of Vitamins and healthy fats.

I'm just looking for some feedback here. Should I open my shelf back up to these? What do you think?

Personally I would allow myself to have nuts, seeds and beans. In moderation of course. I find that the fat in nuts keeps my digestive system more regular. I think the benefits out weigh the carbs on this one.

Once I dropped the first 80lbs, I did incorporate nuts, Peanut Butter, avocados into my diet because I was losing so fast. I stuck with refried and pinto Beans, and it was such a small amount after my meats, I didn't fret over the carbs in those foods. I had the same mindset as you do when it comes to taking things off the menu until I was close to goal. I just did it because I had to do it because like you, I'm a mile (plus 10) taker, and I wasn't willing to give in during my losing stage.

My only words of caution is to watch out for the nut grazing that I got wrapped up in. I would grab the jar, have a few nuts, and then kind of grave and before I knew it 1/4 of the container was gone. Those little buggers slid right on through without restriction, without issue, and they were yummy. A whopping 300 calories, tons of fat grams later, I freaked out and then measured my "allowed" portion for the day and put the container in the pantry. I would mainly do this grazing thing while doing housework like laundry folding, or during a sappy movie. Totally mindless eating.

Diva, I agree with Lisa, I am mainly eating low carb foods, but I will have cashew nuts and some peanuts... I think they are a good food source ... oh, and tasty too xx

I would at least have beans for the time being, just because of the grazing. I just had some refried beans with melted cheese and 1/4 of a low calorie wrap for dinner

Thanks ladies!

Good idea Tiffy! I might just stick with Beans at least until the First (just because I know myself... the "snacking" gets me into trouble)... Once the Holidays are over, I'll incorporate the nuts and seeds back in. I'll be sure to portion control them too!

I'm really trying hard to stay focused. This has always been a "Red Zone" time of year for me. From the end of October through the New Year... bah!!! I'm so good during Spring and Summer though. *sigh*

At what point, or time after surgery is it safe to have some nuts? I am over 2 months out and would like to incorporate some nuts back into my diet. How is the protein content?

I don't think nuts are high in carbs - they have a lot of fat/calories, but their carb content is OK. I am only a month out, so I can't have either but if you want to go low carb, nuts should be OK. If you restrict those, you'll go "low everything" which would basically be a pre-surgery diet behavior again. I personally hope that I don't have to go that route again.

Why do you want to do that? Do you feel you are not losing enough?

Maybe you just "miss" restricting/controlling yourself like you had to in pre-surgery life?

Why do you want to do that? Do you feel you are not losing enough?

Maybe you just "miss" restricting/controlling yourself like you had to in pre-surgery life?

..a good question for all of us who have spent so much time implementing restriction and control to try and lose...

robo, I've pretty much been able to eat nuts since I was ok'd for solids at 6 weeks out. I could only eat a very tiny amount at first - but I can eat a full serving now. However that serving does get me full and I'm actually good to go for hours after. It's like a meal now.

Susanne, nuts are a little high in carbs. However I do like that they are packed with other nutrients, so I think the benefits outweigh the negative hi carb. I am doing low carb while I'm in my losing phase. In essence, if I don't have the diet mentality I simply won't lose weight.

Even though I have a sleeve doesn't mean I can eat whatever I want. The weight will stall or will not fall as fast as I'd like. Once I'm at goal I will let loose and eat more normally. Until then, yes I'm going to "diet".

LilMiss, I am not trying to be argumentative, please don't misunderstand. You know best what works for you, I just want to make sure you are not unnecessarily depriving yourself of a power food.

I am not sure what nuts you are looking at, maybe sweetened nuts, like honey roasted or other nuts with flavorings (and usually some sugar)? In general, nuts are considered a low carb foods:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/snacks.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet

I really like the following site because it shows the ratio of protein/fat/carb in the little pyramid and it is easy to see what is low/high carb/fat/protein:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3086/2 -- almonds 6g/2% carbs per ounce (3g of those are actually fiber)

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3137/2 -- walnuts 3g/1% carbs per ounce (2g of those are actually fiber)

This is low carb and you should be save to eat them. 1%, the only lower carb would be no carb at all :-)

What I couldn't find was a definition of low carb, ie. a threshold value for grams of carbs.

Either way, good luck on your mission :-)

I didn't feel you were being argumentative in any way. Your question is a valid one. However, I've been here before, and I know that I need to be especially careful with snack type foods.

When I'm only supposed to be eating around 40-50 and 60 max grams of carbs per day, even the smallest amount adds up fast. However, nuts, seeds and Beans or worth the trade.

Thanks for the websites!