Carb-a-phobic????

Hello I'm new but I'm just wondering a few things. I noticed so many people on this site are against eating carbs? Or are afraid to eat to many carbs? I'm not judging but don't we need some carbs inorder to have proper brain function etc. Isn't having some carbs a more balanced diet than cutting them out. I've done Atkins and it doesn't agree with me so I'm eating small amounts of carbs everyday as part of a balanced diet. I just don't want to stall my progress??  Plus a life without carbs?? I dont know?? Any advice guys? I may be lucky because I can tolerate most of everything I've tried so far.  LEt me know :)

Have a great day!!!

Carbs come in many forms.  I don't think any of us cut out all carbs, we just choose to cut out the simple carbs.

Thanks Tracey I mean complex carbs. I don't think I could function without them personally. It must be simple carbs that people are posting about. :)

I eat complex carbs all the time, I avoid the white crap and I keep my whole grain carbs fairly low as well.  As someone else posted, they only eat 1/2 slice at a time and that's what I will do as well.  A whole slice would fill me up too fast and then I'd not be able to eat my protein.

Yes, your brain needs carbs to function. THey are a necessary part of your diet, and you're perfectly right to have them in moderation. But, we're taught as part of the process to focus on protein, and have complex carbs rather than simple ones, such as bread and white pasta. When you do eat carbs, make sure they're whole grain and have lots of good stuff in them.

Hello Monica thanks. I do understand about the protien first, veggies next and carbs last :) I think after being on so many diets in my life I naturally choose complex carbs over simple ones. I'm really an everything in moderation kind of girl. lol  Maybe I've been misunderstanding all the "ahh I ate to many carbs" postings. I guess they are talking about simple ones only. I just want to be as healthy as I can be. I appreciate your advice and support :)   

when i moan about my carbs, its the simple ones i'm talking about. Some people are really hardcore about their carb intake, but i prefer to use moderation in everything.

Yes, carbs are definitely necessary, but we are supposed to stay away from white bread and pasta altogether and limit grains during the losing phase.  For example, instead of a slice of ww toast for breakfast, I'll have eggs and 1/4 to 1/2 slice of toast or Greek yogurt with berries and 2 T of high protein cereal.  I am one of those "ate too many carbs over the holidays" people and, for me, that means having a whole slice of ww toast, or cookies, or potatoes, or just more than usual carby stuff (which usually means I  haven't had enough protein and/or I've had sugar; I don't dump).

From watching the WAYEDT thread, I've noticed that people in the maintenance phase usually have a bit more carbs than those of us who are in the losing phase.

When my weight loss has stalled, cutting out the carbs (other than fruit and veggies) for a few days sometimes helps to kickstart things.  I used to be quite a carb junkie, so too much can creep back in pretty easily.

If you find that you are struggling with finding the right amount,you may want to meet with your nutritionist.  I'm sure you'll find the balance that is right for you.

Great advice thanks!

I wouldn't call it carb-phobic, I'd call it a recognition of the fact that carbs, specifically any kind of sugar (even natural sugars like fructose which is thought to be a leading cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) or grains ought to be regarded as junk food as they have virtually no nutrient value to someone who has had bariatric surgery.

It's not true that you need to intake carbs for "brain fuel". What is true, is that if there is glucose in your blood stream (that is, sugar, which is what your body turns any kind of absorbed carb into, even whole grains), your brain preferentially burns that sugar for fuel, and any excess gets stored as fat in the body. But when you have a complete absence of glucose in the body (meaning you are eating very low carb, less than 50g/day), the liver will break down fat stores into ketones which the brain can use equally as well an an alternative fuel to glucose. This is why you uniquely burn fat when your body is in ketosis, your liver breaks it down for your brain to use as fuel. Anyone who is overweight does not need to take in carbs for brain fuel, thier body has the ability to create it from their fat stores. Giving your body glucose to burn instead by eating carbs will only slow down your fat loss. Only someone without fat stores needs to take in carbs via their diet and a sufficient amount can be gleaned from vegetables and legumes/beans/nuts etc as you only need about 100g/day at most.

Grains, yes even whole grains, and even starchy vegetables and fruit, are a completely unnecessary part of the diet and ought to be thought of as pleasure or junk food. Post-op your body is not capable of absorbing many of the nutrients in them. Sweet potatoes are an excellent example. People cite them as being a 'health food' due to the high levels of beta-carotene (Vitamin A), but the reality is that a RNY post-op cannot absorb beta-carotene as the area where it is absorbed has been bypassed! There is nothing in these items that your can't get in a less calorie dense way elsewhere. If you need fibre, you can get psyillium husks or metamucil. The only reason to eat them is because you enjoy them, not for your health. I recommend the book called 'Wheat Belly' which was written by a cardiologist about the dangers of grains in the diet. It's an eye opener.