Good evening everyone,

It has been three months since my sleeve surgery and things have been going very well. I had a question for everyone in regards to diet: did you ever re-incorporate carbs back into your diet? If so, how long after surgery? If not, what substitutes do you use?

In the past three months I have not had any bread, rice, tortillas, or anything starchy...not even a cracker. And I will say, that is the one food change that makes me feel awkward or like I am missing out on deliciousness.

On 03/27/2022 at 20:06, New_me_2022 said:

Good evening everyone,

It has been three months since my sleeve surgery and things have been going very well. I had a question for everyone in regards to diet: did you ever re-incorporate carbs back into your diet? If so, how long after surgery? If not, what substitutes do you use?

In the past three months I have not had any bread, rice, tortillas, or anything starchy...not even a cracker. And I will say, that is the one food change that makes me feel awkward or like I am missing out on deliciousness.

I think it’s all a mind set. Either you want to go down that slippery slope or you avoid it. I’m hoping to avoid it - but temptation exists around every corner. Prepare yourself.

I'm 18 months out and I still rarely eat refined carbs. I mainly eat vegetables, lean protein (poultry, fish, pork, egg whites), and legumes. I don't eat a lot of processed low-carb substitute foods because they tend to be overpriced and often high in fat and calories, but I do have a few go-to substitutions:

• Cauliflower rice - I eat this several times per week and don't miss real rice at all. I buy the frozen stuff, so it's even faster and easier to prepare than real rice.
• Mr. Tortilla 1-net-carb tortillas (these are small and great for tacos).
• La Banderita carb counter tortillas (larger and great for wraps, and I cannot tell the difference from real flour tortillas).
• Mashed cauliflower - good substitute for mashed potatoes (with a lot of garlic and herbs, and low fat gravy).

Some people do some don’t. Some do low carb high protein alternatives. Some are careful with portion sizes & frequency. Many avoid them until maintenance. Some are allowed small portions while losing. My friend was allowed 1/2 slice of bread from about month 3 (but not allowed rolled oats which I never understood).

I still don’t do bread, rice or pasta at almost 3 years. Really don’t do starchy vegetables either (except carrots in stews, soups, etc.) They sit heavily in my tummy & fill me quickly. I’ve tried small tastes a couple of times over the last 2+years & have accepted they are not my best option. Don’t miss them much even though I was a big consumer before my surgery. They would have been danger temptation foods for me if I could still eat them easily. I do eat complex carbs (2 serves a day) of rolled oats & multigrain crackers. I had the rolled oats from purée & added the crackers in maintenance. If I want pasta I use fresh zucchini pasta & sometimes steam finely sliced cabbage instead of noodles in asian meals. I’ve ordered wrap free wraps at cafes & eaten just the fillings of sandwiches.

Check with your dietician. Consider alternatives (low carb or no carb vegetable options) for now or from maintenance. You know yourself best too. Whether you want to be able to include some carbs in your future. Whether you can tolerate them easily. Etc.

9 hours ago, New_me_2022 said:

did you ever re-incorporate carbs back into your diet? If so, how long after surgery? If not, what substitutes do you use?

Yes, and immediately (as soon as possible, really).

• I've substituted white bread with protein pizza mix that I bake into little higher-protein rolls - that's great with cheese
• I eat rye bread
• I eat multigrain protein bread

Do note I come from a culture that doesn't add sugar to bread; if I did it might've changed my opinion on bread in general. America has great keto bread, though. Franz' or whatever that brand is called.

• Rice sits pretty heavy with me, so I substitute cauliflower rice.
• I use the impastable pasta from this site, but I'll eat regular pasta, too, it just fills me up very fast for little protein value
• I love the mac n' cheese protein dinner from here, too - it's great with cubed ham, a little added cheese

I wish I made this more, but fresh springrolls with the rice paper you dip in water ... yum, and a nice substitute for heavier tortilla-based wraps.

And fruit. I eat tons of fruit. And popsicles.

In general, I don't believe in anything but a balanced diet that hits my protein goals. I've yet to meet a happy person who's been doing keto for any significant amount of years (the few I have met seem highly disordered eating-affected and do not seem happy. Imagine never having a glass of wine or you'd fall out of ketosis or whatever ... snooze).

My plan has had carbs from Pre-op to now. Most of my carbs come from 2-5 servings a fruit a day. I am not a pasta person (unless it Siamin soup ?) nor am I a bread person, so I usually eat rice and wholesome grains from crackers.

I am unable to eat bread, rice, pasta and potatoes yet. I get too full on the protein. I live in the UK and high protein alternatives are not available unless we pay heavily for them on Amazon. My dietician allows snack size packets of bread sticks [ I manage half a pack] They come in 20gm packs at 81 cals. Because they are crunchy they dissolve and dont sit heavy. They are good for a snack with some soft cheese. Van der Meulen Melba toast comes in tiny packets of 6 slices. I eat 3 and these are 13 calories each, great with egg or tuna salad. At the moment if I want this crunch in my life I have to leave out the cucumber and tomato that I love too ...... I love eating so little

49 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

I am unable to eat bread, rice, Pasta and potatoes yet. I get too full on the Protein. I live in the UK and high protein alternatives are not available unless we pay heavily for them on Amazon. My dietician allows snack size packets of bread sticks [ I manage half a pack] They come in 20gm packs at 81 cals. Because they are crunchy they dissolve and dont sit heavy. They are good for a snack with some soft cheese. Van der Meulen Melba toast comes in tiny packets of 6 slices. I eat 3 and these are 13 calories each, great with egg or tuna salad. At the moment if I want this crunch in my life I have to leave out the cucumber and Tomato that I love too ...... I love eating so little

Melba toast is good, though they hurt the roof of my mouth. I really like Wasa crackers. They have a good nutritional value, fiber, and they're a little softer than the melba toast. I like the sourdough 'flavor' of Wasa crackers the best.

I haven't advanced to crackers post op but they're a good option down the road.

Edited March 28, 20224 yr by LilaNicole20

I forgot about pasta in my previous reply… I haven’t eaten regular pasta since my surgery. Shirataki noodles are pretty good if you take the time to prepare them correctly, but it’s kind of an involved process and I’m too lazy to do it often. Zoodles (zucchini noodles) are ok; I prefer them cooked in the air fryer so they’re not so soggy. I love spaghetti squash (delicious roasted in the air fryer), but it doesn’t really taste like spaghetti.

Radishes are a good substitute for potatoes in soups and stews. They don’t have much flavor, but they have a similar texture.

I don’t do keto (super low carb) and I don’t think it’s sustainable long-term for most people, and also not necessarily good for bariatric patients because it’s a high-fat diet, but I do try to avoid sugar, white flour, rice, potatoes, etc. Most of my carbs are from low-starch vegetables and legumes.

Three years post-sleeve here and my body still doesn't like tortillas and I can only have a forkful or a single spoonful or potatoes, rice, or carbs.

I don't avoid or count carbs anymore - but I can't remember how long it's been. That said, there are some that don't sit that well with me so I don't eat much of them when I have them - like pasta, for example. It sits in my stomach like a brick, so when I do eat it, it's like half a cup.

edited to add that I'm seven years out (almost)

Edited March 28, 20224 yr by catwoman7

10 weeks post-op, and daily nausea, so I try to eat right, but it ultimately comes down to whatever will go down and stay down. I will get protein first, if I can, but the first month, my go to was mashed potatoes. The instant kind. I was afraid of, and still am, of anything with "sharp edges" Crackers. Salad. I don't know, it's weird.

17 hours ago, New_me_2022 said:

Did you ever re-incorporate carbs back into your diet? If so, how long after surgery? If not, what substitutes do you use?

I never really removed ALL carbs from my diet (i think that would be really difficult), but I did go ultra-low carb during weight loss phase, < 25g NET a day.

I didn’t really use any substitutes during weight loss phase, but i did try making cauliflower crusts…while good, i deemed them too much effort and just went without.

After goal (approx 7 months) I did start using more substitutes (shiratake noodles, chicken crusts, zero carb bagels). The noodles were good, but super filling, the chicken crusts are effing delicious and i have yet to enjoy any type of zero carb bread (its NOT bread!).

It took me a few months to lose my fear of carbohydrates, but by around 1 year (or was it 2?) post op, i started eating desserts and bread and pasta again. Granted i only eat really yummy bread or pasta (i.e., homemade by Mr.) but still.

Nowadays i dont put limits on my carbs anymore (im 3.5+ years out) and just keep an eye on total calories.

So far so good.

Edited March 28, 20224 yr by ms.sss

My program has never restricted carbs post surgery, in fact they encourage a balanced diet and higher calories compared to some of the programs out there. I eat carbs on a regular basis, but that is coupled with watching overall calories and prioritizing protein. While I eat carbs, it is also nowhere near what I used to eat. I don't eat a lot of bread. The exception is a light English muffin as part of my breakfast sandwich - for some reason those English muffins don't bloat me the same way as other bread. Rice might be a few spoonfuls, the same with pasta. My tummy really cannot handle carbs in large amounts so pasta is no longer the go to food it used to be.

I eat brown rice just 2 tbsp

I was advised to always combine a protein with a carb like pasta, rice or bread. Eat your protein first as well.