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Is There Evidence That Low Carb Actually Leads To Better Losses?



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So, my original question had to do with finding objective evidence for low carbing improving success after weight loss surgery. Even without eating simple carbs (sugar, junk food, bread etc) it is still pretty easy to get carbs in. Carbs are in many of the Vitamin supplements, in fruits and veggies etc.

I find that when i try to stay under 40 TOTAL carbs per day I don't feel as good as when I eat a bit more of them. I have alot of weight to lose and want to do as well as I can this first year post op, but am not sure it is worth it to try to stay truly low carb as opposed to just eating Protein first. Once i am further along I plan to replace some of my higher carb Vitamins, but right now I have a liquid Calcium citrate and it adds quite a few to my daily total.

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I am very happy to find this discussion. I can't function without good carbs but was feeling bad because another group I belong to was all about putting yourself in ketosis. I don't like that idea but I haven't been sleeved yet either... 1/17/12 is my date. What I really need to focus on is what works for me and not worry about what others do, but then I started to fear I wouldnt lose.

In the eight years or so that I have been going to the support groups for my surgeon (between my wife's pre-op/post-op time several years ago and my own,) they never brought up the prospect of doing low carb diets other than the avoidance of simple carbs and junk food, and they have one of the best weight loss records around - so there certainly nothing essential about low carb dieting and the VSG or weight loss in general. The only time I have heard them mention ketosis is in reference to something that can happen as a result of fat burning, but was never something desirable to strive for.

I never controlled carb intake, and was averaged in the 80-100g per day range through most of the weight loss period, except for these past three months or so when i selectively boosted complex carb consumption to better fuel workouts, so that brought it up into the 120g range. There is nothing particularly wrong with things like bread, rice and even (heavens!) potatoes in moderation as they all have nutritional value that often doesn't come from other sources. I am seeing occasional references posted to thiamin deficiency, which typicaly comes from lack of grains; potatoes are one of the better sources of potassium (on the order of twice the potassium per calorie than low carb avocados, and about 50% better than bananas) and potassium is difficult to supplement without presciption. As usual, the whole grain products are preferred over the overly refined white products. They all have a place in a properly balanced diet - the key there being balanced rather than the carb overload diets that are all too common. After WLS, our diets are anything but balanced with our limited intake volume and Protein emphasis, and we can tolerate that imbalance for a while when we are losing, but we do need to bring that balance back in as we lose an move toward maintenance.

The weight loss industry in general (both the MDs and what passes for research that supports them as well as the infomercial crowd) go back and forth between low carb and low fat extremes, and have done so several times over the past century. Just as when low fat was the fashion of the day and they said that there were no good fats, that we don't need them and then they found that we actually do (but in moderation), now we hear the same thing from the low carb crowd. Nothing is really new, and we always have to re-learn the same things over again.

There will always be some therapeutic value for some to any kind of severly restricted diet - low carb is often prescibed to counter diabetic related issues - but that is far from recommending such restrictions as a cookie cutter (sorry!) recipe for success. My bro-in-law was on a Wonder bread diet for a while - white bread, white rice, avoidance of complex carbs, whole grains and fiberous veg. It did it's job (which was certainly not weight loss oriented!) but it was a restriction for a specific purpose. We have to learn what works best for us - some have triggers that lead to overindulging some foods while others have a weakness for overall volume. The ketosis game may induce some additional inefficiencies to ones metabolism that may help in burning fats quicker, or it may not - it's certainly worth a try, particularly if one is losing slowly or is starting out at a very high BMI and need to get the most from their sleeve, but there can be costs to driving one's metabolism down too low thru starvation. For me, assuming that the ketosis diet worked as advertised, it wasn't worth making goal in six months versus seven; however it may be worthwhile if made a difference between meeting goal or not given the year or two that we typically have to work with our WLS.

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My personal motto is " all things in moderation ". This has worked very well for me so far and I feel normal as can be.

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Last night my NUT told me to quit worrying, focus on my calories, Protein, and making good choices and the rest will fall into place. The limits she has put me on in those areas will take care of my worry about carbs. I love my NUT!

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My personal motto is " all things in moderation ". This has worked very well for me so far and I feel normal as can be.

AMEN SISTER!

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Last night my NUT told me to quit worrying, focus on my calories, Protein, and making good choices and the rest will fall into place. The limits she has put me on in those areas will take care of my worry about carbs. I love my NUT!

I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!!

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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