Carb Info from Susan Maria

Susan Maria posted this on the main board and I thought it was worth repeating here in case some of you don't get a chance to see it. I cut and pasted straight from her post: I just wanted to give some of you who are new to all of this renegade eating a little basis for why it is important for you to watch how many carbs you eat every day. It isnt something that just got pulled out of a hat... it is important. Carbohydrates and fat provide fuel for your body. When carbs are available, your body will burn them for fuel first as they are the easiest and quickest to transform. If you have excess carbs the body will store them as fat. When you cut off the supply of carbs, your body is forced to burn fat... STORED BODY FAT... and this is why you lose weight. So if you cant live without that cracker... just remember that you body will zap it and burn it as fuel, before any of that fat packed on your body. If you must have a piece of bread... just remember that you body will burn it before any of the fat you have jiggling on your thighs. Cant live without a handful of pretzels... well that is fine, but your body will stop burning its stored body fat and go after those pretzels you just ate. Visualization is important... I literally think about what is happening in my body when I reach for the hot bread they plop on your table at Macaroni Grill... I think about if that bread is better than burning some of the fat I am trying to lose. Bread or fat... hmmmmm. Is it worth it? By the time I wrestle with that a few minutes... my plate of chicken marsala is in front of me, thankfully ordered WITHOUT the pasta in a clear thinking moment of menu strength. I eat the moist chicken and mushrooms and there are no more decisions for a while. I would rather burn the fat... YOU would rather burn the fat... we all would rather burn the fat. Think about it when you put food to your lips... is this food going to interrupt what I am working so hard to facilitate.

Connie, thanks so much for this. Very helpful! Maureen

Yup...read that this morning on the main board... Unfortunately, at this point, the only way I can get "slop" (blenderized) down without that "dried hairball" feeling is if it's on a cracker. But I'm figuring that a meal consisting of two crackers HEAPED (openface) with tuna is MUCH better than pre-op soft D'Italiano bread with a LITTLE tuna in between two slices. My question is why exactly does that little bit of 'texture' get it to go down, but without it, it seems to 'clump'? Just very strange... Hopefully this 'dried hairball' stage will pass soon...I never even ate crackers pre-op! Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles