Carb help please

Can someone PLEASE explain the carb deal in words I can understand? I've heard, stay away from carbs, carbs are fine as long as they're good carbs, etc.  What is the deal??  I've been told because of my PCOS, I must be watchful of my carb intake, but what does that really mean?  And what is the difference between good carbs/bad carbs aside from sugar?  Can you give me an example of good carbs vs. bad carbs...and as WLS patients, how many (or few) should we consume in a day?? I hope this makes sense...because the whole carb thing confuses me, always has.  I thought I'd read somewhere to keep them under 20 a day, but 2 servings of skim milk goes over that amount...so what's the real deal? Thanks in advance for your help.

Ok I'm not totally straight on the carb thing but I'll try. Carbs provide energy, so we need them. Carbs that come from, chips and starches etc are the bad carbs. Carbs that come from Fruit and veggies etc are the good carbs. The bad carbs will give you energy that is short lived. They cause your blood sugar to go up fast (instant energy) but they also peak quickly, and then cause you blood sugar levels to plummet, making you tired and feeling hungry before you should be, so you usually grab more of the junk carbs 'cause they make you feel better (albeit short lived) and so the cycle continues.. The good carbs raise your blood sugar levels at a steadier rate and give you longer lasting energy. They also drop at a steady gradual rate, causing your blood sugar levels to drop at a slower rate, so you don't get that rush followed by the tired feeling you get with the junk carbs. You get your energy a little more gradual, but it lasts much longer. Get it? Hope this helps. God bless, Annette

Thanks so much Annette.  Can you tell me, what about carbs that come from whole grains??  Those are good ones then?  I freaked out a bit because I'm just starting to use fitday.com and my carb intake for today was near 100g.   I thought that was bad, but when looking over my list, I have no junk food, no added sugars, etc.  I'd wondered about the 20g carbs per day that I had heard mentioned before, and thought perhaps the reason my weight loss had slowed significantly was because of my carb intake.  Then again, I AM at 6 months now and was told to expect that. Thanks again.

For me it was more than I thought it should be. It depends on other factors like how much exercise you are getting in. I think (although I could be wrong) it's something like 1/3 of your calories should come from carbs. Do you have a nut? If so you should give her/him a call. My nut has become a good friend to me. She is great and is always there to answer any question from her patients :0)  God bless, Annette

Thanks again Annette.  I thought so too, but broken down on the pie chart, it IS 1/3 of my calories..soo.... :shrug:  I'd been considering making an appt. with my NUT, I think I'll stop considering and just do it.  I didn't go through all of this, only to not know what I'm doing and not be successful.  Shoot, I could have (and have) done just that on my own without the surgery.  While I love my surgeon, I wish I'd done more research pre-op as far as programs go, staff, etc.  He's great, it's his office staff that leave something to be desired.  Try getting a phone call back from someone.  I'd have chosen closer to home as well.  Ok, I'm off topic and headed toward a rant. :lol:  Thank you again for your help...it's much appreciated. Side note...do the Westland Walkers still meet, and if so, when?  I tried meeting one time and couldn't find anyone, but then again, I didn't know what anyone looked like. :lol:  I'd really be interested in connecting and Westland is not too far for me.  When you get a chance, let me know? 

i'm not expert but this is what i understand...

Carbs pack calories more densely than protein. in other words one ounce of carbs has more calories than one ounce of protein.

carbs cause an increase in our blood sugar which causes us to produce more insulin to process those carbs, after the carbs are processed we still have a higher level of insulin which produces hunger and that "crash" feeling.

"bad" carbs usually don't have much nutritional value other than calories. "good" carbs such as veggies tend to provide much needed nutrients.

there is something called the glycemic index which shows how quickly we absorb the carbs. if something is high on the index we absorb the carbs quickly. why this is important is that means we produce more insulin. if it's absorbed slowly we won't get the sugar spike and we won't produce as much insulin.

and there is a process called ketosis that many believe cause us to lose more weight on the same amount of calories. This is what Atkins diet is based upon. in order to be in ketosis we need to have a very low level of carbs in our diet.

i believe whole grains have more nutrients and are absorbed slower than processed grains. i'm not 100% sure about this but it's something easily researched.

So... we do need carbs. but we want to chose our carbs carefully.

Thank you Jay.  Is there some place where I can find out the net carbs of something?  Your explanation was very helpful.  Because I have PCOS, I became insulin resistant, which led to massive weight gain.  My body stored the carbs I ate as fat, and I eventually came to crave them...it was a vicious cycle.  I'd like to learn which to really stay away from besides just the white starches and sugar, and add the best carbs I can.  Thanks again for your help, it really is appreciated.

fitday.com will help you find out the carb content of your foods.

Thanks Jay, I use fitday.com.  I just meant finding out where foods rank on the glycemic index. :D

A good carb is a complex carb and it is low on the glycemic scale.  That means it would take some time for it to raise your blood sugar (hence it being complex to break down)  Some foods that would fall into this category are:   Oatmeal Whole Wheat Bread Brown Rice Other Whole Grains, etc... A bad carb is a simple carb and is high on the glycemic scale.  It's very easy for the body to break down and will raise your blood sugar at a higher rate than a good carb would.  Some foods that would fall into this category are: White Rice Pasta*    Junk Food (potato chips, pretzels, candy, etc.) *they are now making whole wheat pastas so not all pasta has to be sworn off* Hopefully this helps some.   Julie