I was just chatting w/ a support buddy and I realized how confused, I actually am when it comes to carbs. I know this answer will be different per person, but just as a general question, how many carbs per day, do you allow yourself? When counting those carbs, do we count the good carbs w/ the bad, does the amount of fiber erase some of the carbs? I'm flippin', confused!

On 8/11/2017 at 10:58 PM, jess9395 said:

Yeah like others have said, constipation is the biggest issue but it's actually a risk factor for colon cancer so pretty serious.

You can supplement with benefiber and psyllium husks (you need both soluble and insoluble fiber so best to use both supplements). I did both from early days through about the six month mark.

And yeah, too little fat and you can get gallstones. It's also the best for satiety.

Balance in all things.

I don't usually look at the fat content, which at some point started to worry me. The only thing I found my eyes really focused on were the carbs and protein. I'll do what you suggested and get liquid fiber, at this time I haven't had any issues with constipation, but it will not hurt to add a daily fiber supplement into my regimen. After reading a lot of these threads, I realized there are many things I could be doing a bit differently. Thank you, everyone!

I love when people on here are open to new info! So many just want commiseration or validation.

It will really add to your success, this kind of attitude. I know it did for me.

I'm eating about 100g per day of carbs ("good" carbs - plain oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, some brown bread occasionally) at the moment and still seem to be losing weight. I'm not massively active, but am fairly active and do lots of walking.

I used to aim for below 30g a day and was just protein protein protein. I found that I'd go all day eating perfectly and then at the end of the day, crave carbs like mad and end up just eating whatever was around. I did this before the sleeve when dieting, and started to do it again after sleeve when I was on solid foods. I noticed the pattern and thought...ok, maybe my body is telling me something? But clearly I need to do eat in a more structured way. So I started seeing if having a little carbs with breakfast and lunch, and a low carb dinner would have an impact on the cycle. Low and behold, it did. I figured that it was better to eat carbs earlier when I could burn it off, than refusing to eat them all day and then falling off the wagon at night and then feeling guilty.

So far, seems to be working ok. I figure if my calories are low (1200) it should be ok to eat a few carbs. I'm so used to trying to eat no carbs at all that it feels quite luxurious to actually "be allowed" to eat them!

Edited August 15, 20179 yr by NightPilgrim

I love when people on here are open to new info! So many just want commiseration or validation.

It will really add to your success, this kind of attitude. I know it did for me.

Amen, Jess! I came here for comrades who are on the same path and are serious about this life and changes we have to make. I am absorbing it all and adjusting to get where those who have made it to their goals are.

#GastricGameChanger

Sent from my XT1097 using BariatricPal App

I'm eating about 100g per day of carbs ("good" carbs - plain oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, some brown bread occasionally) at the moment and still seem to be losing weight. I'm not massively active, but am fairly active and do lots of walking.
I used to aim for below 30g a day and was just protein protein protein. I found that I'd go all day eating perfectly and then at the end of the day, crave carbs like mad and end up just eating whatever was around. I did this before the sleeve when dieting, and started to do it again after sleeve when I was on solid foods. I noticed the pattern and thought...ok, maybe my body is telling me something? But clearly I need to do eat in a more structured way. So I started seeing if having a little carbs with breakfast and lunch, and a low carb dinner would have an impact on the cycle. Low and behold, it did. I figured that it was better to eat carbs earlier when I could burn it off, than refusing to eat them all day and then falling off the wagon at night and then feeling guilty.
So far, seems to be working ok. I figure if my calories are low (1200) it should be ok to eat a few carbs. I'm so used to trying to eat no carbs at all that it feels quite luxurious to actually "be allowed" to eat them!

I'm glad you found what works for you! Legit observation and experimentation is terrific.

Sadly , I've noticed that there are a lot of carbs, even healthy ones, that I personally just can't do in moderation. Once I open the door on some of them (get thee behind me cheezits) even some healthy ones (looking at you oatmeal and whole wheat toast) I just crave more and more and start grazing and eating the unhealthy ones. Personally I do best without them in my life.

8 hours ago, jess9395 said:

I'm glad you found what works for you! Legit observation and experimentation is terrific.

Sadly , I've noticed that there are a lot of carbs, even healthy ones, that I personally just can't do in moderation. Once I open the door on some of them (get thee behind me cheezits) even some healthy ones (looking at youoatmeal and whole wheat toast) I just crave more and more and start grazing and eating the unhealthy ones. Personally I do best without them in my life.

*newbie disclaimer* This is so true for me. I try to stay somewhere between 15-30g net carbs per day. I try to keep it loose so I don't get overly restrictive--and the daily carb count fluctuates greatly depending on appetite. The type of carb matters hugely to me. Most of my carbs come from low glycemic veggies and a tiny bit of dark berries (1oz servings), some nuts, some dairy, some eggs. I have to get that fiber from veggies and nuts/seeds in or suffer with constipation--no matter how much magnesium I shove down my gullet. I can eat 32g of net carbs from leafy greens, and low carb veg and still lose even though I'm a little over my target. But, if I took in 32g of net carbs from Triscuits, pasta, potatoes, winter squash, bread/toast, etc, I will be screamin' hungry and will have huge issues controlling my craving for more, more, MORE--plus, I will gain weight overnight--about 2-4lbs of fluid!

(On fat, I generally want the best type possible including full fat dairy. But since I've been trying to fit a certain low calorie spectrum, I switched to some strategic reduced fat dairy...but I'm very particular about it. Fats for me include: some small amount of animal fat like grass fed butter, lard and tallow, but mostly extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nut oil for dressings, nuts and seeds and as my cals can go higher will include full fat dairy like small amounts of raw cheeses and sour cream/Greek yogurt. I don't eat a whole lot of dairy though cuz it is very insulinogenic and has more hormones than other protein/fat sources and with a hormone positive breast cancer history, that's not so good.)

Edited August 15, 20179 yr by FluffyChix

9 hours ago, jess9395 said:

I'm glad you found what works for you! Legit observation and experimentation is terrific.

Sadly , I've noticed that there are a lot of carbs, even healthy ones, that I personally just can't do in moderation. Once I open the door on some of them (get thee behind me cheezits) even some healthy ones (looking at you oatmeal and whole wheat toast) I just crave more and more and start grazing and eating the unhealthy ones. Personally I do best without them in my life.

In the beginning, I thought I could snack on Chees-Its and I stalled. When I had a follow up appointment, my Dr asked what I had been eating. Every day, I had a serving of those crackers, those amazing delicious ever so lovely crackers, and that is where my stall came from. Once I told them goodbye, I started to drop again.

Oh the little things, can have such a big impact on our success.

Edited August 15, 20179 yr by heycrystal2052

In the beginning, I thought I could snack on Chees-Its and I stalled. When I had a follow up appointment, my Dr asked what I had been eating. Every day, I had a serving of those crackers, those amazing delicious ever so lovely crackers, and that is where my stall came from. One I told them goodbye, I started to drop again.

Oh the little things, can have such a big impact on our success.

Cheez-its are SO good.lol I buy the 100 packs. I only eat about 10-12 crackers from the pack with All natural peanut butter. I may end up deleting them from my carb allowance.

Sent from my XT1097 using BariatricPal App

14 hours ago, jess9395 said:

I'm glad you found what works for you! Legit observation and experimentation is terrific.

Sadly , I've noticed that there are a lot of carbs, even healthy ones, that I personally just can't do in moderation. Once I open the door on some of them (get thee behind me cheezits) even some healthy ones (looking at you oatmeal and whole wheat toast) I just crave more and more and start grazing and eating the unhealthy ones. Personally I do best without them in my life.

Oh god, if I go near Triscuits, popchips, breakfast cereal, anything like that...it's all over. Good to identify your personal Trigger Foods and keep them out

Edited August 15, 20179 yr by NightPilgrim

Vegetables and fruit are carbs too, and we need a wide range for optimum health. I do fairly balanced macros. 40% carbs, 30% each protein and fat. Most of my carbs are veggies and fruit, but I eat whole grains too. When I tried cutting out all grains it led to cravings and trouble. We are each so different. Experiment and you will find what works for you.

We need the vitamins that can be found in wide variety of fruits and vegetables. There are other ways to get them, especially the ones in fruits which are very high in sugar. I am a big fan of veggies but not fruit during weight loss.

But definitely figure out what works for you. Just making the clarification that you don't NEED fruit. And veggies are a Arouca of carbs for sure, but all in all they are very low in net carbs. Fruits are much higher.

I'm getting 30-50 gm of carbs but I eat a Greek yogurt every day.