So I had an appointment with my nutritionist today for my 3 month check-in. It has been 6 weeks since I saw her, so I was eating a lot differently that last time we met... Since then, I've been eating more normally and adopted a lot of the "typical" rules we all share here - keeping carbs low, Protein over 60 grams, etc.

When I told her I was eating between 500-700 calories a day and trying to keep carbs under 40 grams, her eyes bugged out! She said that was way too low, "almost like Atkins!" Um, isn't low carb typical after wls?? She specifically works with bariatric patients at a top notch program, so I don't know why it was so shocking to her. Anyway, she told me to try to increase calories to 800-900, get at least 60 grams of protein, and that I should get 80-100 grams of carbs per day.

WHAAAAAAA?

She was adamant that that's how much it takes to maintain brain and physical function, especially after adding an exercise routine. Has anyone else had a NUT tell them this?? I don't know how on earth I'd be able to eat enough food to get in 60+ protein AND THAT. Anyone???

I just want to say that I don't count anything. I have a teeny, tiny tummy now. I eat protein first and then anything else I want. I can't eat much no matter what it is. I am 8 weeks out today and have lost 43 lbs. so far. I didn't have major surgery so I could be on a very strick diet for the rest of my life. There is no way I can eat even a fraction of what I could eat pre-op so what is the point of being a super freak about carbs or anything else. I feel great and the weight is coming off.

Just as a side bar comment, I have a good friend who has lost 65 pounds using low carb. Now, at about 155 pounds she has settled in on 140 carbs a day to maintain. I think that falls in line with the above comment about a husband who can still lose at 150 carbs what with the difference between male and female bodies.

With her story the devil is in the details. That 150 carbs are good carbs. If she takes in crap carbs, she starts to gradually gain and typically sees this during the holidays. We need good carbs. She's been at this for about 8 years now and has convinced me that veggies and whole grains are nothing to fear. Especially if you are only taking 700 claories a day and having those little things helps to make this an easier ride.

This is why I'm always careful to say that "carbs aren't necessarily bad, as long as they're healthy (ie, complex, non-sugary) carbs."

People seem to want to lump things like Pasta and ice cream (simple, unhealthy, "bad" carbs) together with things like vegetables, multigrain bread (complex, healthy carbs). They are not at all alike, from both a caloric and glycemic index perspective, and the end result of eating the same amount of calories in different types of carbs will be very different; you can eat 80g/day of simple carbs and gain weight, or 80g/day of complex carbs and lose weight. Same body, same metabolism, different nutrient.

This is why I hate the overly-simplistic "carbs are bad" thought virus that floats around just about every weight loss community. It just isn't that simple. I blame the Atkins craze (which has shown tremendous success at helping people lose weight, and not so much success at helping them maintain their weight loss, which is the really important bit).

I don't think carbs are "bad". I think I have a problem with carbs, I know I gain weight with carbs, and do not have room for Protein when I eat carbs. I know that I feel lethargic/listless when I eat carbs, and I don't care if it's "good, complex, healthy" carbs, my body is carb sensitive.

I don't care what anyone else does with their body or how they choose to eat post-op. I do know what has worked beautifully for me, and I don't plan on changing it.

If I worked out more, would this equation change? Probably. If I had room for more healthy carbs over protein, would I eat more? Probably. But, I do what is best for my body, and for how I need to maintain.

I did what I needed to do to get to goal, and figure out the rest later. Eating a balanced diet was pretty difficult for me during my losing stage. I simply did not have room for more than what I could consume from protein dense foods. It just wasn't physically possible.

I'm a meat eater, very carnivorous, more so than many of my female friends. I like it better than whole grains and even veggies. I love carbs, but I don't like the way they make me feel, and definitely do not like the added bloating, and capacity issues that I run into when trying to eat more carbs.

Women, especially those with PCOS, are specifically told to avoid carbs of all sorts because they are metabolically challenged. When we were looking into seeing the reproductive endocrinologist, I was advised to go back to low carbing even though I've never been diagnosed with PCOS. I honestly think people need to do it how they need do it. Also, some people struggle with making the best choice, or have food issues. Justifying eating healthy carbs in my mind is no different than justifying eating all those extra points on Weight Watchers. I remember telling myself "Oh I'll just eat this because I have 30 extra points for the week". Unfortunately, that justification led me to making bad decision the following week. We all have our own individual struggles, and issues with eating. I picked my battles, and my battle was carbs and justification. Everyone here knows I do not diet, deprive myself or forbid any foods in maintenance, but for me to instill better behaviors and really learn to listen to my body, I had to cut carbs, and focus on what would work for ME.

This is why I'm always careful to say that "carbs aren't necessarily bad, as long as they're healthy (ie, complex, non-sugary) carbs."

People seem to want to lump things like Pasta and ice cream (simple, unhealthy, "bad" carbs) together with things like vegetables, multigrain bread (complex, healthy carbs). They are not at all alike, from both a caloric and glycemic index perspective, and the end result of eating the same amount of calories in different types of carbs will be very different; you can eat 80g/day of simple carbs and gain weight, or 80g/day of complex carbs and lose weight. Same body, same metabolism, different nutrient.

This is why I hate the overly-simplistic "carbs are bad" thought virus that floats around just about every weight loss community. It just isn't that simple. I blame the Atkins craze (which has shown tremendous success at helping people lose weight, and not so much success at helping them maintain their weight loss, which is the really important bit).

Na. I think many of us who frequent these boards are mostly talking about the simple white carbs when we say carbs. My 20-30g of carbs come from dairy and vegetables. I simply do not do simple white carbs, but I am very early out. When I am in maintenance, the plan is to have a more normal diet, just in smaller portions. That's why I chose the sleeve.

Just to also play devil's advocate, my husband who has the 150g od carbs a day and loses is getting his carbs from sugar and pasta. He's addicted to carbs and used to have 300g a day. If I had 300g a day nomatter what type of carbs they were, I'd be a fatty Mcfatterson. That's why I made that point. Our bodies are just different. Period.

^^^^ and to add menopausal women. Last I knew men couldn't be in (peri)menopause or have PCOS. It can be very different for men and women.

Sure, all body types are different. Plus, generally speaking, limiting carbs (in fact, limiting ANY type of food) tends to limit calories -- which tends to produce weight loss. In fact, caloric deficit is about the only thing we know for sure produces weight loss, so anything that reduces calories tends to produce weight loss (whether it is healthy or durable weight loss is another matter entirely).

There is zero proof that extremely low-carb diets are any more safe and effective for durable weight loss than there is for extremely low-fat diets. They both have been fad diets for a long time, they both have adherents who will discount any evidence that the diet might be ineffective or overly simplistic (see: the confirmation bias), and they both have little to no uncontested evidence (large, peer-reviewed, repeatable, randomized, placebo-controlled trials) supporting their long-term, widespread efficacy. They exist primarily due to word-of-mouth in forums like this, not due to scientific consensus.

That's why my advice is always: talk to your doctor. If you don't trust your doctor, then you've got a problem, since you just had a major surgery...