I am asking because it seems like most cut out carbs but its usually not very healthy to cut out all. But if that is how I can use my sleeve the best that's what I will do for this first year.

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I've been on a ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate Protein, low carb) diet for the last sixteen months and my health dramatically improved, including my cholesterol. I sincerely feel like anyone considering wls should go on this type of diet for at least a month and see if they get results from it before resorting to surgery. I fully plan on continuing with keto now that I've been sleeved. I feel like the two together will be the perfect match for my own personal weight loss goals.

It's not a very well understood diet and therefore gets a lot of criticism, but I do feel the majority of people would benefit from lower carb diets. I've actually often thought that post-op diets are more or less low carb and have wondered if the low carb itself has lent more towards weight loss than the actual surgery for some people.

My post-op instructions said no bread, rice or Pasta for the first 6 months after surgery...and since those were staples in my pre-op life...yes, you could say I'm going low carb. But I don't avoid carbs altogether. I have greek yogurt with FRUIT...I tend to eat my tuna or chicken salad with a few CRACKERS...I had a few sips of ORANGE juice, etc.

I think I'm managing to keep my carbs to under 50-60g/day...sometimes substantially less...sometimes more. My problem with carbs is they trigger my desire and cravings for more carb-laden foods. It's better for me to limit them as much as possible.

And...yes...I'm losing weight.

I too am hypoglycemic- I have to have carbs. I try to make conscious decisions when it comes to eating, but I am by no means keeping my carbs super low. I've lost 95lbs in 9 months. I'm doing alright for myself I'd say. I've got 14lbs to the dr's goal and 19 to mine. I'm happy to be where I am. It's worked for me and I'm of the belief that what works for one does not work for everyone. See how it works for you.

I did low-carb for as long as was feasible, which was for about 5 months. Everyone's definition of low carb differ slightly. For me it was below 50 grams. According to my nut, I was allowed to have up to 100 grams in order to stay in fat burning mode. I didn't try very hard to reach my low carb goals. As long as I reached for protein first my carbs were not very high at all. As I upped my fitness levels, I realized I was very lethargic and my weight training sessions were suffering. I started to up my carbs. Nothing crazy. I think the most I ever got was about 125 grams. As of now, I still reach for protein first, but if I feel my body needs some energy then I will indulge in something. I also try to balance things out a little more instead of doing all protein. For me, all methods I have tried have worked. I do know from experience that a low fat, high carb, low calorie diet DOES NOT WORK FOR ME. I have done weight watchers and been well below my points and have gained weight. So I will never, ever freely eat whatever carbs I want to. That will lead me down my sugar craving cycle.

I lost about 100 lbs without having to cut out carbs, but then plateaued and my doc gave me a low carb diet to do for 2 weeks, which broke the plateau. After this week, I will go back to eating some (not a lot) of healthy carbs (as in fruits, oats, etc).

I started at 296. I'm 5'8 and 203 now in a size 14! 9 months post op

Awesome. Congratulations. I am 5 months out before surgery doing research. I like what I read here. So much information. Congratulations on your weight loss.

Thank you everyone! I look forward to eating some fruits and oats one day!

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141lbs down in 11 months and still have plenty of carbs. Just not as much as before.

I don't eat rice, bread, or pasta. But I get carbs from fruit and vegetables, beans. But yes I allow a treat now and then like birthday ect, I just don't do it often.

My doctor recommends cutting carbs to no more than 50g/day when/if you reach a long stall. Other than that' date=' no restrictions on carbs! I find that when I focus on Protein, which is what I'm supposed to be doing anyway, there really isn't room for hundreds of grams of carbs per day anyway![/quote']

Low carbing is a really effective approach to melting off theweight in the first 6 months. Low as in 20-30 carb or less. However' date=' you cannot sustain the eating style much after 6 months because it is not going to be healthy for different physical processes in your body. Once you have dropped all or most of your weight, slowly transition into the consumption of good carbs fairly low to midrange on the glycemic nd ex. Always try and eat your carbs before noon. There is better chance they will get used for energy if you eat them in the morning rather then afternoon and evening. Little tricks like his where you understand how to optimize your body cycles with regards to energy processing will make a huge difference in your long term success.

Anecdotally, I ate very low carb for first 5 months where I was not very active. I had a good loss from surgery to that point. Essentially, I went from 360 to about 225. After month 5, I increased good carbs using little energy squares from nuts.com (chocolate paradise is the best). Needed these to help fuel my workouts. After month 6 I really added In good carbs from normal foods like green veggies and fruit. Had to wait until the sleeve was comfy with eating those fruits and veggies. Reached weight loss goal during month 7. In the last 2 months (month 12 and 13), I have added steel oats. This is an amazing good carb that gives you sustained energy when you are busting through a workout. Again, make good choices about which carbs you eat as well as the time of day you eat them and all will be well. I stopped really losing any weight in feb 2013 (month 7), but have still continued with my carb strategy almost daily. It has allowed me to execute on the super hard workouts necessary to reshape the body from a smaller version of my former 360 self into an inverted triangle shape strong guy who still weighs about the same amount (175-180 lb, average - 177 lb), but has much more muscle. Hard work and definitely worth it!

Understanding basic nutrition, when to eat your carbs and how to eat them combined with good fat and Protein will make you a smashing success in your weight loss and body shaping conquests.[/quote']

Thanks for your post!!