Carb Talk

Okay my friends, I've been reading alot about carbs here and there. Good carbs vs. bad carbs, etc. I'd like to get some opinions, especially from the newer post-ops because they've been discussing stuff with her nuts more recently.  I've been told to try and keep your carbs under 100 grams a day. Then there is the talk about Ketosis being a problem for those who do eat under 100 grams a day.  I happen to be a carby person, but I think I eat more of the "good" carbs except when its close to that time of the month and I crave bad carbs. I tend to eat a lot of fruits and veggies. Especially fruits in the morning. Almost religiously I eat a Carb Master Yogurt every morning, which is 6oz, 80 cals,  2 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, 12 grams of protein, and 3 grams of sugar. I usually eat this with some apple slices, grapes, strawberries, or mandarin oranges. I know these are considered good carbs and are full of natural sugar. Do you think this is hurting me or doing it the right healthy way? They say were supposed to get a certain amount of fruit and veggie servings a day as well. I love, love, love corn, peas, and green beans. I usually have a serving at lunch and at dinner of either. Again, most are somewhat high in carbs, especially the corn. My love of goldfish, chex mix, soy chips, SF products,  and honey roasted peanuts are obvious carb no-no's but I know they could be worse. I could be eating cakes, donuts, candy, and cookies because I don't dump on sugars, I dump mostly over high fats grams (funny huh?).  Then there's the smoothie issues. I love the Pineapple Delite smoothies from Tropical Smoothie. I usually add a shot of whey to them as well. So you're looking at at least 200 cals and a lot of carbs from the pineapple. But I'm getting 24 more ozs of liquid and good protein. Then I hear how carbs usually increase your appetite so eating them in the morning can make me hungry all day long. I guess I'm just confused on whether I'm doing more harm than good. What's your thoughts?

Hi there, carbs are a  tricky thing. But just like you i get at leat 2-3 smoothies a week from tropical smoothies with the soy protein added to it and i am still loosing weight. I think as long as we watch what we eat the rest of the day we a good. When i get my smoothie that replaces my dinner because alot of nights i dont want to eat food .

Hey Amber!  You brought up some good points here.  I will give you info from my point of view.  My nut was great about looking at each individual person and their needs.  I was having problems with my blood sugar counts coming back low during blood work so she suggested I get a test kit and test my blood sugar for awhile and keep a food diary.  Ended up being that I have low blood sugar issues now and my body responds better to carbs so I have carbs with every meal.  I ususally focus on carbs from fruit & veggies but I also add in bread stuff.  I try to do the whole grain, wheat stuff like pasta, bagels, english muffins, sandwiches, etc.  And there are times where I don't because it is not available and such.

For the most part, the things you listed seem to be good carbs to me.  The only thing I might try and cut back on is the corn.  It is mainly a starchy, bad carb vegetable and it doesn't digest very well period.  The fruit sounds like good choices to me and the peas (also a bit more starchy but not overly so) and the greenbeans sound great.  Try some new things to add some variety.  I have found that stuff I would have never eaten before is now becoming somethng I really like now. 

Good Carb, Bad Carb

Thanks to the popularity of low-carb diets, nearly half of Americans say they are watching the amount of carbohydrates they eat. If you're among them, we're providing these 16 tips so your carb control is stealthy, healthy, and wise! Bear in mind that there is a huge difference between Cheese Doodles and oatmeal. Both might be categorized as carbs, but their benefits are on opposite ends of the health spectrum. What is a "bad carb"?. Here's the simplest answer: white flour, refined sugar, and white rice. More broadly, any food made primarily of a carb that has been processed in such a way as to strip out ingredients that hinder quick and easy cooking. Why are refined carbs a problem? Easy: They digest so quickly that they cause blood sugar surges that lead to weight gain and other health troubles. Here we'll give you ways to avoid troublesome carbs while still getting the fuel you need for good health. Carb-counting meets common sense, right this way... 1. Tell the waiter to hold the bread. At almost every restaurant, your meal starts with a basket of rolls, breads, and crackers made from white flour. If it's not put on the table, you won't eat any. Or, if you really need something to nibble on, ask if they have whole wheat varieties. 2. At Chinese restaurants, ask for brown rice, and limit how much you eat to one cup. In fact, some Chinese restaurants have started offering to swap a vegetable for the rice in their combo dinners, knowing that many people are on low-carb diets. At home, always cook brown rice instead of white. Brown rice hasn't been processed and still has its high-fiber nutrients. 3. Instead of bread, use eggplant slices to make a delicious sandwich. Broil two thick slices of eggplant until brown, then add mozzarella and tomato, olive oil and basil to one slice, suggests Nicole Glassman, owner of Mindful Health in New York City. Top with the other slice of eggplant and broil again until the cheese melts. 4. Wrap your food in lettuce leaves. Yes, skip the bun, tortillas, and bread slices and instead make a sandwich inside lettuce leaves. Glassman suggests going Mexican with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, salsa, and chicken; Asian with sesame seeds, peanuts, bean sprouts, cut up green beans, and shrimp with a touch of soy sauce; or deli style with turkey, cheese, and mustard.  http://www.carb-counter.org/

Hey Amber - Ok...I just recently met with my nut and doc regarding this issue, because I was concerned that with my running and trying to maintain I wasn't getting in enough carbs. Both indicated that recent studies show that we do not need the amount of carbs we originally thought that we needed.  In fact, both said that fruit really wasn't as good as what was originally thought becasue of all of its natural sugars.  Therefore, fruits are to be limited to low glycemic fruits like strawberries and blueberries.  Fruits like pineapple, bananas, peaches, cantelope were to be eaten very very moderately or not at all.  Especially during the losing phase.  Once you get to maintenance, then you can start to add them back in - in moderation.  Both suggested limiting fruits to on serving a day max. During the losing phase, they recommended keeping carbs below 100 grams, unless you are working out intensely.  For me, they both said that I was time to up them and my calories.  I kept mine between 50 - 75 and once I upped them a bit, I lost weight (yikes!).  But have leveled of again.  I also added 200 calories at the same time.  Carbs should come in the form of whole grains.  They both said to stay away from the 5 C's as they will hinder your weightloss and create the bad cravings: Crackers Cookies Candy Chips Cake Carb sensitivity and/or insulin resistance is present in 75%+ of people who are resistant to weightloss.  Therefore, the lower you carb intake (using mainly complex carbs) the easier it will be to lose/control you weight. Get rid of all of the "crumbly" carbs and avoid high starch foods such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, etc.  Increase your protein intake without increasing calories.  Increase water and get rid of ALL calorie liquids.  Avoid caffeine and artificial sweeteners.  Avoid high fructose corn syrup and food. Now artifical sweeteners...this I found to be VERY interesting.  When you use sweeteners like Splenda, the brain only tastes the sweet and tells the body to prepare for "sugar" to enter the body.  So, the body prepares for it, but find that it's not real.  Unfortunately, though, some of the hormones have already reacted.  So, even though we do not experience dumping and such because we didn;t have the sugar, our body still reacted the same way, which can cause the body to retain water or slow down your weightloss.  It was HIGHLY recommended that we remove these sweeteners as much as possible, because they cause the same cravings as sugar does (because our taste buds taste the sweetness) and causes the same type of influxes that sugars create - just not as bad.  This has been hard for me to do, as I love Crystal Lite Peach Tea, over water.  But....I'm trying.  Funny thing is though, before hearing this, I was talking to my friend and had commented whether the Splenda would slow or stop weightloss.  And then I found out that yes it will. Additionally, my doc indicated that we do not need as many veggies either.  They are good sources of fiber, but nutrient wise we get what we need from our vitamins.  So, he suggested limiting the starchy/carby vegies.  Corn is a no-no cause it's pure sugar.  It's what they feed pigs and cows to fatten them up. No doc says that Atkins (the REAL Atkins diet) was right on target.  Low fat/high protein foods, limited carbs and dairy. So, if your weight has stalled out, and you are looking to fix it, I would suggest that you ditch the goldfish, chex mix etc (even though they are better than donuts) and get back to your proteins.  Use fitday.com and log in what you eat.  Keep carbs between 50 -75 to lose that last bit of weight and once at goal, go to 100 and stay there (unless you are working out alot).  I think that just reducing the sodium would be enough to get your weigh going again.

Wow Jill... I just want to say that, for me, I think the thing about artificial sweetners must be true. Before surgery I would have tea first thing every morning with splenda and milk. After surgery (and the couple weeks before that) I stopped that.  I've recently started it again and maybe that has a little to do with my stall... Im going to have to quit it. Amber, being that I was diabetic before surgery and took insulin along with 3 other pills, I did my best to have almost NO carbs at all, so I can't help you there! Good luck with all of this great advice though girlie!  You look great!  thanks! xo J

Thanks, everyone! It all sounds like good advice. I guess there is some middle ground in between all spectrums. I think for me, one important thing that I need to quick doing is not eating too late. Last night I made sure to eat my dinner, have my dessert, and immediately brush my teeth so I wouldn't want to eat anything. I also walked alot yesterday and did some sit-ups right before bed and the scale resulted in a 3 pound difference this morning. I'm back at 199, heh. Whatever.  I think the fruits and veggies wouldn't be so bad if I follow up on my end of the deal by exercising properly and getting in all supplements & liquids. Giving up corn would suck. I just won't eat it as much. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hi Amber,  AAAhhh a subject near and dear to my heart.   Like you, I crave "bread" oriented type carbs for a week once a month....and I usually do indulge a little.  I like my fruits and vegetables too.  Nuts are actually great and I have probably the equivalent of a quarter cup or less a day of assorted, but I mostly stick with the Planters combination of almonds, cashews and macadamias.  Sometimes I splurge on cashews and I eat a lot of pistachios but get tired of them after a while.  My son is an elite athlete with a rigorous training schedule, so our house is "carb laden."   Generally, if I stay away from the stuff.....I want it less.  If the chex mix is open, it is a weekness and calls me....but I have a rule that I just pick at the cereal part which is whole grain....a necessity in our diets.  I do look for low carb treats all the time but have learned two things:  if it says "sugar free or no sugar added" a) I still look at the sugar alcohol content and go for the lowest options I can find....I swear the sugar alcohols make me want more.   The other thing is you never know when they're going to give you the runs and there goes your nutrition and your hydration right on out AND very often sugar gets replaced with fat.  and b) that along those same lines, if they're touting low carb and/or low sugar....look at the fat content....sometimes it's pretty up there.    I keep a supply of Atkins Endulge treats.  There's a coconut one, a peanut one and a carmel one.   Like little candy bars.  I allow myself up to one a day but I don't eat one every day.  It's just that I won't have any more than that.  As for smoothies, I've tried the better tropical smoothie ones and it's a waste of my money.  They're GREAT.....but I can never get down a whole one.  So I make smaller versions at home.  I also don't have these every day either.  In the freezer section now of many stores, you can buy a bag of mixed, splenda sweetened fruit that's made for smoothies.  I use a small low carb yogurt, a little of that fruit, some water mixed with crystal light of some kind and a scoop of Unjury protein in either strawberry, vanilla or unflavored.   OH.....the other carb "ritual" I have is whole grains either in the morning or before bed.  I have some whole grain every day.  In the morning I might have a slice of Arnold's Health Nut bread spread with a little coconut oil (this is great for you) or at night I might have a small bowl of cheerios with half a banana.  You look great!   It certainly seems like whatever you're doing is working for you!  .....Oh the other thing I read about carbs not long ago is that we HAVE to have some as a component to staying hydrated.  If your diet is all protein, there is very little for your fluids to cling to.  You need some carb in there as sort of a sponge to hold your fluids in place.  Makes sense to me.  I know I feel MUCH more energetic and healthier when I DO eat a little.  I probably don't eat 100 grams most days and I do try to stay with whole grains, fruits and non starchy vegetables.   Amy

Wow... So much information.  Thank you ALL... GOOD QUESTION AMBER.. You know what girl- you need to come back the support group meetings.  I haven't seen you there in a couple of months.  Amy, where do you find the frozen fruit sweetened with splenda?  I have been looking, but can't find it.  With me only being 3 months out, I still can't eat a lot of the carbs (bread,potatoes) without it coming back up, so I do pretty good with the carb thing.  Amber, your picture looks great... Keep up the good work everyone. It's nice to be on the loosing end now.

Hey girl, thank you! I know I do. I was actually thinking about going on the 12th. I would love to see everyone, but its just so hard with the kid at home alone. I don't like leaving him alone. I'll also don't like driving alone at night all the way from there to the beach, but I'll play it by ear.

How are you doing? Good, I hope!!! It's great to hear from you,