Carbs

Well I emailed my Nutritionist about how many CARBS I should have a day because I seen another post and wanted to know and this is what she wrote back to me.

well if you are counting the carbs from the labels of products - you need AT LEAST 180 grams carbohydrate for your brain to be able to function. some of that is going to come from fruits (15 grams carb in each serving) and vegetables (5-15 grams depending on vegetable) also so if you are eating those that is good. If you are drinking milk (12 grams per 8oz) there is some carb in there. and you are right that NOOOOO you don't need to worry about carbs - carbs don't make you fat.


I know how a lot of people worry about CARB counts and wondered if anyone has asked ther Nut. the same thing.

You should do what your instructions say for you to do.  Your program wouldnt have gotten me to where I needed to be, or kept me where I wanted to be.  *I* am SERIOUSLY sensitive to carbs and even many "healthy" carbs send me into triggered binge fits.

That being said, we are not all the same, our bodies function differently. Some of us need more carbs to function than others.  Some of us run better on less carbs, moderate protein, more fats. Some folks do FINE on way higher carbed diets than I could ever tolerate. Its not good, or bad, not right or wrong, its just the way we are.

Follow the instructions you were given.  If you ever find it isnt working for you (and you may NEVER find that!) then you know folks with other options.

Until then, you gotta weed your own garden and dont worry about anybody else's.

And by the by? My brain has been functioning fine on WAY less than 180 grams per day for 2 years, so - call me freaky, but there we are.

This isnt the same ol same for everybody.  We all gained weight, kept heavy, do/dont lose for different reasons.

First and foremost - do what the surgeon, who YOU handpicked to get you to your goal, tells you to do.  If you ever feel your diet needs tweaking, you have worlds of different folks, programs, situations here to get information from.

This tends to be a hairy subject because it gets painted with an EVERYBODY this or EVERYBODY that brush, and that just isnt true for EVERYONE.

You gotta find what works for you!  Good luck and enjoy the journey! Its surely something else!

I asked my NUT for calorie, carb, fat, and protein goals on Monday at my 1 month. She said "I don't want you to count anything but protein. Make sure you are getting in 70+ grams a day. But other than that, eat healthy, but eat slowly and until you are satisfied, then stop." I pressed and she laughed but refused to give me numbers. she just kept repeating that I physically cannot eat more than about 1,200 calories or so a day if I am just eating 3 meals a day like I am supposed to as long as I take at least 20 minutes to eat, and she is right. So she said anywhere between 800 and 1,200 calories is fine. She said to try to eat lower fat but not to worry about counting it. And with carbs same thing, she said go for lower carbs, but more importantly go for healthy complex carbs. Fruits, nuts, veggies, and even a little whole grain bread once in a while. Stay away from rice, potatoes, pasta, white bread, pretzels, etc....basically the "empty" carbs that just get broken down into pure sugar in the body.

Down 70 pounds in 6 weeks, so they definitely know what they're doing. So I listen. :D

For Carb Haters - Complex Carbs are a necessary component - the Refined Carbs are the ones to avoid.  Think about earlier humans - hunters, gatherers, not going to 7/Eleven for Twinkees & Slurpees.  Sugar is a necessary component - but the NATURAL, unrefined types.

Fruits and Veggies are on my daily menu.  I stay away from breads and other processed grain products - but that doesn't mean I never eat them.  If it is found in the wild - whole grains, fruits, vegetables - you can have them, in moderation.

I agree with the protein comment!  I stupidly took the 60 - 80 grams of protein a day as the amount I need, not that it is the MINIMUM.  The formula of 8 grams of protein for every 20 pounds seems to work for me.  When I upped my protein intake, I felt less woozy when bending over, and less exhausted after my exercise.

My workout routine is two hours of swimming - so I need more carbs & protein to keep the motor going.  Consider how hard you work your body, then go from there.  I try to watch my carb intake, and I use a food/exercise journal made for bariatric patients.

Brenda : )~

*chuckle*

I think you will be hard pressed to find any carb haters around here!

You really don't need to consume the carbs your body needs to function.  The body converts protein and fat to carbs to fuel the body.  That said, there's nothing wrong with complex carbs.  But I'm with brandilynn and  pretty carb-sensitive.  I FEEL better with the refined carbs out of my life entirely.  Still get plenty of carbs from veggies and dairy.  Doesn't mean I don't miss the bread, rice, pasta and potatoes, but they're like poison to my system.  So every time I see them, I imagine a little skull and crossbones written over them - that's my mind game.

One of the most challenging parts of this process is figuring out what works for you.  It's a series of tweaks and adjustments and one size definitely does not fit all.  If you can lose weight at the carb levels your nutritionist recommends, more power to you!  But if you find your weight loss is slow, stalled, or nonexistent, the first tweak I'd make is to reduce carbs.

As a nutritionist I can tell you that I would never ever again listen to your nutritionist if she told you that ridiculous crock of misinformation. I've followed low carb for 17 years and haven't eaten more than 100 grams of carbs in any given day in that time.

I'm working on my PhD and have no problems with brain functioning. This type of misinformation frustrates me because people who don't know any better believe this information and people who should know better perpetuate this silly myth.

If it were true, people who fasted for a day or more would have brain issues or think about people who do hunger strikes or even cultures around the world who don't eat a lot of carbs because they are unavailable in their climate (Eskimos, etc.). Here's some more information on this myth for you:

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/27575/brain-fuel-myth

My programs call for limiting carbs to less than 40 grams per day. I would not have lost any weight eating 180 grams of carbs per day. I monitor what I eat on myfitnesspal.com and track my water, protein and carbs. It's been my experience that when my carbs are too high my weight loss slows and then stops.

I lost all my excess weight and have maintained for almost a year without a problem. I still limit carbs.

Good luck,
George

Read 2 articles online today that I found very interesting about carbs. Confirms what you've already heard. You don't have to have carbs to live. Your body can use protein and fats to make its energy.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/is-skim-milk-making-you-fat-2479492/

http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201103/carbs-caffeine-food-cocaine-addiction?mbid=synd_yshine

Hope these work. The one on carbs being more addictive than cocaine was really interesting. If the posts don't work, I found them on Yahoo.