Carbs and Protein

[yves4 2]

Hi,

This is my first post. Nice to meet everyone. I am having the vsg on Nov. 10th and have a questions for those that lost 100 pounds or more. What is the total number of carbs and Protein did you have in a day during the first 6 months post-op?

Thanks!

[BigGirlPanties 957]

Carbs are a no-no... you basically, cut them out! I only have a "true" carb once a week, when we go out to eat, I have one lovely hot roll and savor every bite! But, that curbs me for them...

Protein is a must, but it's based on ounces as you progress... as a rule, we really aren't calorie counters.

You will/should find that your doctor will give you guidelines as you progress

Good luck

Edited October 30, 2014 by BigGirlPanties

[yves4 2]

Thank you! I was wondering if you count the total general carbs, like in the Protein shakes, yogurt etc....

[MistyAnnMoon829 387]

I find that for me, I don't count carbs. I track my eating on MyFitnessPal and monitor my Protein and keep my cals under 1000 (not hard to do TBH). I actually don't eat carbs, pretty much ever really. It is very rare that I eat anything made from a grain of any kind. I also find that I don't crave carbs anymore since I stopped eating them.

[Miss Mac 6,261]

Not true for everyone, but for me carbs are the devil. I am allowed one slice of bread or 1/4 cup starch per day. In addition, I can have one serving of fruit a day, and I can drink a cup of dairy milk. My past experience with yo-yo dieting is that carbs make me hungry for more carbs and got me into this mess.

So, if I have steel cut oats (8 gr protein) with 1/2 apple and cinnamon and 2 tbs. milk, the I will not have any carbs other than green veggies the rest of the day.

If I have and egg with a slice of bacon and 1/4 oz cheddar cheese for Breakfast, the I might have 1/4 cup tuna + egg salad on 1 slice of whole grain bread, then no carbs except green veggies with dinner. Both of my Snacks are Protein only.

If I go all day without carbs, I definitley will not eat any after lunch. NO CARBS for dinner.< /p>

But that's just me.

I agree that as you pare back carbs, sugar, soda pop, artificial sweeteners, etc..it does get easier because you are controlling the appetite monster.

[Katcloudshepherd 630]

I concentrate on eating Protein first. IF I have any room left, then I go for non-starchy vegetables. Carbs are now a dessert item for me. I can only indulge on an irregular basis. If I eat them---I CRAVE them. Don't want to go down that road. That's what made me have to have the surgery.

Blessings,

Kathleen

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Yep, I agree. It's all about the Protein now, with the occasional veggie if there's room in my sleeve afterward. Haven't had a bite of starch or refined sugar for 4+ months. And I don't miss them! I also pick the fat out of my meat before eating it, take the skin off my chicken, and only eat the occasional bite of fruit. This is what's so astonishing. I used to eat the fatty bite first, or grab any chicken skin off the platter when someone else left it behind, and could eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. In fact, I was hooked on Buffalo Wild Wings for months before my surgery. Now? Don't want 'em and don't miss 'em. If my wife and kid were out of town, it was a whole box of mac'n'cheese with a spoon right out of the pot - as a snack! Now, when I splurge, it's on on beef and turkey Jerky. That's a hint, by the way. Low fat, acceptable calories, and tons of protein! I've had a really crazy week and haven't been home for dinner all week. I've probably consumed a dozen 3-oz bags of Jerky this week, and still lost half a pound. Yay sleeve!

Edited October 30, 2014 by Rogofulm

[Recycled 2,182]

There is no "one" formula. The deal with Protein is.....if you keep the Protein up, it will preserve your muscle and more muscle will help you burn more calories. So, you'll lose more and not become weak and tired. Plus, it weighs more than fat and takes up less space so you'll lose inches and look thinner. If you're a guy, we try for even higher protein to gain more muscle mass. Ya know, the gender thing.

(of course I can't explain why I didn't care about muscle when I was fat).

Now about carbs. Like everybody says.... you don't want them. But you can't avoid them. When you eat anything striving for that protein.....you're gonna get some carbs. So don't fret, just try to avoid the stuff that is high in carbs and keep it as low as you can. The thing about Carbs is they cause you to crave more carbs and most of us were Carb junkies, so we won't be able to control it. So just avoid them like the plague, but don't panic when some slip in with your other food.

Edited October 30, 2014 by Recycled

[Freebird14 63]

Yep, I agree. It's all about the Protein now, with the occasional veggie if there's room in my sleeve afterward. Haven't had a bite of starch or refined sugar for 4+ months. And I don't miss them! I also pick the fat out of my meat before eating it, take the skin off my chicken, and only eat the occasional bite of fruit. This is what's so astonishing. I used to eat the fatty bite first, or grab any chicken skin off the platter when someone else left it behind, and could eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting. In fact, I was hooked on Buffalo Wild Wings for months before my surgery. Now? Don't want 'em and don't miss 'em. If my wife and kid were out of town, it was a whole box of mac'n'cheese with a spoon right out of the pot - as a snack! Now, when I splurge, it's on on beef and turkey Jerky. That's a hint, by the way. Low fat, acceptable calories, and tons of protein! I've had a really crazy week and haven't been home for dinner all week. I've probably consumed a dozen 3-oz bags of jerky this week, and still lost half a pound. Yay sleeve!

I measure out 1 oz portions of turkey jerky for an on-the-go snack. It's crazy how much that really is--LOTS of chewing. Very satisfying, but lots of sodium, so I try to keep that in mind when I'm planning my Snacks (maybe it's a bigger concern for girls than boys).

[TheCurvyJones 721]

I only REALLY concentrated on Protein and tried to keep my carbs around 30 Net (carb count - dietary Fiber = net carbs). My carbs were not bread, rice or Pasta or sugar... remember there are carbs in vegetables and sugar in fruit! Gotta count it all.

Most surgeons want patients to get in a minimum of 60 grams of Protein a day. I hovered around 65 most of the time unless I had more than one shake.

[chasingpolaris321 214]

I think this totally depends on your doctor and your past weight loss experience. My personal belief, that is in line with my surgeons, is that it is important to eat a varied and balanced diet, which includes eating healthy carbs like veggies and fruits and dairy (if you can). Protein is extremely important with this surgery to prevent lean mass loss, and I have found that with the low calories that I am consuming it is really irrelevant to track carbs because in order for me to overdo them I would not be eating enough protein. My myfitnesspal account does track them by default, and I can see that I eat a higher amount than many people on here. It has not been a problem for me at all and I am very happy with the weight I have lost. That being said, it seems like many people are triggered physically and emotionally by carbs and so if that is you then I see no harm in limiting and tracking them as long as you don't deprive yourself of things your body needs. WLS is about setting yourself up for a healthier lifestyle, and extreme restriction of the types of foods you eat seems counter intuitive to long term change to me.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

I kept under 60 grams of carbs per day (total carbs from any source, not net carbs) and a minimum of 75 grams of Protein per day. Those were the rules from my dietician so I followed them.

Edited October 30, 2014 by Bufflehead