What's your take on sugar and carbs?

great topic.  from all the responses it appears avoiding sugar is pretty key to long term weight loss maintenance.  Yeah it was sugar and carbs that got me to 247 lbs.  And if you "are what you eat"  then at least 50 lbs of that was Reeses Peanut butter cups.  They have a whole new add campaign out right now that is just driving me nuts.    I think i was over 3 years out from surgery before i ate one again at halloween.  didn't send me into a frenzy but sure could have started a bad habit.   So I just don't eat the stuff except I allow myself a small serving of a dessert at holiday gatherings. I do think suggary carby fatty stuff has addicting qualities and we have to treat it accordingly.  Yeah I did not get fat on steak and broccoli.    diane

I'm only 11 weeks out so I don't have quite as much input. I do know before surgery bread, potatoes, tortilas and tortila chips were my go to! I feel like that is what drove me to eat! I was a bake, actually I'm still a baker, but homemade baked goods drove me as well. I make a mean outmeal chocolate chip cookies and there isn't a muffin or coffee cake that I can't make & I don't like.

Right now my carbs are beteen 40 & 50. I haven't have any bread or tortilas since pre op. I have had maybe a total of one sweet potato since surgery. Christmas Eve I did sample some of the cookies I made & New Years Eve I sampled a peice of my nephews wedding cake. Those samplings didn't drive me to want more sugar, however I know how good I feel with out all the carbs and sugar. My NUT doesn'ts stress low carb, but I feel like its whats best for me to optimize my weight loss right now. I do miss cookies, muffins and I'm craving a grill cheese, but I know its not in the cards right now.

Sugar and refined carbs = 

Carbs from vegetables, fruits and whole grains = 

 

psychoticparrot

Speaking from experience, sugar and refined carbs are quite addictive. I have also read many articles that have mentioned that refined sugar acts the same way as heroine (spelling?) on the brain. This would not surprise me at all.

As for how we (Mike B too) eat, I work hard at preparing meals that are protein heavy, and "good" carbs are included such as veggies and fruits. We also make sure our food is as high quality as we can find in our area (organic, fresh, etc.). I have also learned to bake using low carb ingredients. We do occasionally eat some bread and grain products usually from sprouted grains or Bariatric Foodie's protein baked oatmeal.

I  know that many of us in the WLS community are beginning to understand that the standard American diet, which is loaded with refined grains, sugar, and chemicals is making the obesity rate climb at a real fast pace. I walk through the grocery store and I see that almost the whole store is not stocked with real food, it is stocked with "food like substances."

I'll leave everyone with this thought, big food companies are not about your health, they are about their bottom line. Wheat and other grains (refined or not) and sugar/HFCS are cheap, which equals $$$$for the producers.

I'm a sugar addict and there's no way around it. If I think I can have a bite today, tomorrow it's two and the next day it's the whole bag.

Currently I'm pretty much following the Paleo diet plus drinking a high quality protein shake every day. I struggle with migraines and this seems to be helping. I've done straight low carb, but that didn't help. I think getting rid of everything processed and making sure I get plenty of green vegetables is what I needed. I make a few things that are sweetened with honey and eat fruits, yet my cravings are still under control. There are a lot of Paleo dessert recipes out there, but I don't trust myself with those!