Question:
Calling all former Pre-Op CARB addicts...need your expertise....
I am the BIGGEST carb addict (well, maybe not the biggest...) on the face of the earth. For instance, without even thinking about it, I always gravitate towards breads, potatoes, you know...the starchy stuff. Now that I've been approved and my surgery is in one month (just approved for 7/7/03), I've been trying to choose protein-laden items over the carbs. I'm having a big problem with this. I cannot imagine EVER wanted to chaw on a stick of beef jerky, and i tried one protein shake (Met-Rx)and was not all that pleased with the flavor. MY QUESTION IS how many former carb addicts have made an easy conversion to the "protein" side after surgery, and how many are still craving the carbs (and have to fight the carb urge every day)? — sweetmana (posted on June 5, 2003)
June 5, 2003
Have you ever read the Atkins book? It gives a great explaination why we
crave carbs. When you eliminate them your body doesn't crave them. I am a
believer! I gained about 7 pounds in this last month. I went on the Atkins
diet 100% and lost the 7 in 6 days. NO CRAVINGS! and when I was eating them
(that's how I gained) I couldn't control myself.
— ZZ S.
June 5, 2003
I have been a Carb Addict all of my life. I tried Atkins and lasted only a
month, I also tried other protien based diets which did not work. It must
be the Irish potato gene which caused me to crave cereal, potatoe, bread
etc. I fought the carb addiction for 20 years. I am now 9 wks post op, down
37lbs and I no longer crave the carbs. After doing the pre-op laxatives and
liquid diet, then having the surgery, I guess I was finally
"de-toxed" from the carbs. I have had few crackers and half of a
piece of toast since the surgery, but it was by choice, not due to a
craving - I don't need or want more and rarely eat it. Best of luck on your
journey -
— M B.
June 5, 2003
Sweet One- Here is how you will beat your carb addiction: post-operatively,
your relationship with food changes dramatically and you will actually
crave protein over carbs (as your body will desparately need the carbs).
It is scary-- I was petrified b/c I could not imagine living a life in
which food was not central and which was dominated by my insatiable and
constant feelings of hunger. But 8 mos. out and having lost a bit over 220
pounds (with 30 more to go to reach my goal) I am finding that carbs just
aren't as attractive as the postive feedback I get.
It is a tough transition, but by already planning on how you will deal with
the change, you have made tremendous strides in beating those carb demons.
Keep us posted--- use the people who respond to your posting as your
resources. We have all battled the carb addiction and by helping you, we
will also be able to stay focused on what we need to you.
Good luck-- please keep me posted.
— SteveColarossi
June 5, 2003
Carb (and sugar) addict pre and post-op (I'm 13 months post-op now). Still
struggling every day with cravings BECAUSE I won't give them up completely.
This is the only cure because the more you eat of carbs and sugar, the more
you crave. There's just no way around this one.
— [Deactivated Member]
June 5, 2003
Your tastes will change after surgery. I cannot drink Met-RX - way too
sweet. I did order a bunch of samples ($1.99) from a website in order to
find the right drink. What has helped me is the Atkin's Diet. I had been
on it before and it worked pretty well. I find that I stay away from carbs
then I have an easier time avoiding "grazing". Also, it keeps my
head hunger at bay. Hope this helps!
— Jillian C.
June 5, 2003
Was, Am, and always will be a carb addict. I had hoped it would change, but
no luck. I love beef jerky, but it is alittle to expensive to eat as much
of it as I'd like. Yes, the carbs still haunt me. Thankfully I can't eat as
much of them as before. ;)
— Danmark
June 5, 2003
I'm with Joy on this one! I'm 10 months out and it is a STRUGGLE!! It was
easy at the beginning.... Build off your initial success and just never go
back!!
— jen41766
June 5, 2003
Me! Me! Anything butter would melt on. That was my criteria. Baked potato
with salad, baked potato & spinach, FRIES (maybe aburger to make it
look good), rice, pasta. The idea meal would be patatoes with rice &
pasta on the side, accompanied by bread. Does that sound about right?
Coming up on 9 yrs, and first all that went away, then it started to creep
back. I've learned to use protein supplement to keep the cravings in check.
We still NEED some of the things in carbs, so can't eliminate all but
sugar, really. I get my protein via shakes, my carb via food. But they
don't send me into ecstasy as they once did. I can still have the boked
potato & salad, but the portions are smaller AND the nutrition angle is
covered completely. I never was MUCH of a fan of meat, and fish is not
food (to me), so trying to have to eat meat first just to stuff my pouch
would never work for me. I still avoid milk & sugar and when ALL I
want is carbs, I drink a protein shake every 1-2 hours til I beat that
sensation back into the woodwork again.
— vitalady
June 5, 2003
Hi "Sweetie"- I agree with the other posters. I am still pre-op,
but did very well on Atkins for a few months. I'm not sure if there is
such a thing as a "former" carb addict, unless it is as some are
saying that our tastes change after surgery. I do know from Atkins, the
further you stay away from the bad carbs, the less you will crave them!
Good Luck! Mea, aka "Carbie Barbie" LOL
— Mea A.
June 5, 2003
I too qualify as a carb freak!!! The only way that I have been able to cope
with it is by not even going there post op. I have had no rice, pasta or
potatoes and bread just once. I say that at 4.5 months post op and I am
sure it will have to change down the road. I just want to get to my goal
and then I will incorporate it. I actually had my first post-op bread last
weekend and it was not as great as I had remebered it being! The carb
cravings for me have been much fewer than before and MUCH less in
intensity. I find that there are a few things that I substitute for carbs
that are very satisfying when I get that urge. My favorite and it is
hormonally influenced for sure is peanuts. I only want them once or twice a
month but they are very satisfying even if they are not the best choice. At
least they have some protein!
— Carol S.
June 5, 2003
I'm 6 months post, and I still fight it every day, but the worst time is a
week before my period. I can usually fight it off with protein drinks. But,
it's not like it was pre-op, that's for sure! I rarely eat potatos, never
eat rice or pasta, and only eat 12 grain bread. But, even with the healthy
bread, I don't eat more than 1 piece a day. Things change SO much post op.
I could never fight the cravings till now. If I do give in these days, I
get right back on the wagon. :)
— Diana L.
June 5, 2003
pre-op I couldn't imagine not eating fried taters, a yeast donut, or baked
potatoes, bread (I LOVED sandwiches!!!), but post-op (especially early on)
these things all made me ill. I've had one bite of donut in 10 months and
don't miss them one bit! I kind of miss the memory - if that makes sense,
but they don't really appeal to me. I still eat the others, but only a
bite or two along with my protein.
— [Deactivated Member]
June 6, 2003
Carbs are not the enemy, overeating is. My dietician wants us to have some
carbs everyday. They provide energy. We are encouraged to have potatoe,
or rice, etc at dinner. I eat my protein first and their usually isn't
much room left after that. I have no desire to overeat anything anymore.
Nothing really even taste good after chewing it 20 times.
— Gail O.
June 6, 2003
I was the biggest fan of bread, my big butt can prove it...but now i cant
eat bread because if i do it will expand in my friend the pouch and make me
feel ill for hours, thats the plus to this surgery behavior
modification!..alex
— Alexandria D.
June 6, 2003
YOU the biggest carb addict? Take a look at my pics! LOL!! Believe it or
not, the carb cravings go away after surgery. You don't want to eat
anything! lol! I didn't. That greasy stick of beef jerky won't be in your
hand, either! Yuck... too much fat. Whey protien is better tasting that
most soy protiens, and it doesn't have the hormones in it that soy does.
Met-Rx is okay, but I prefer TwinLab Super Whey Fuel. The chocolate royale
is awesome, especially if you add a teaspoon of cocoa (without sugar) and a
teaspoon or two of splenda (to suite your taste!). I actually put a scoop
of twinlab in my coffee and have mocha protien for breakfast! :~) Decaf
coffee of course! :~) Also, grab some detour bars... they taste just like
snickers and have 15 grams of protien per bar. Trust me, after nearly two
years of hunting for GOOD tasting protien supplements, I've been through
the gambit and these are the best two I've found. Now, everyone's taste
buds are different, but... snicker's are snickers!! lol!! You will still
have to fight carb cravings... but they aren't near what you are having
now. Carbs aren't all bad for you, either. For the first year after
surgery, stay away from breads, pastas, etc. Potatoes, after adding dry
milk and making them higher protien, aren't all that bad for you! Even
after surgery. They add that bit of "filling" that protien just
can't always give you. I wouldn't eat more than a teaspoon or two, and
ALWAYS eat your protien first. I make myself keep high protien snacks,
that way if I get a carb craving, I can eat something like a Detour bar (it
has only 7 net carbs), and it really takes away the craving. I do get
"bread" cravings every once in a while and will let myself have
three crackers or one slice of a high grain bread (usually, I can't eat the
whole slice). That does the trick! Especially if you slather the bread or
crackers with peanut butter or cheese to get that more important protien!
:~) Lots of ways to deal with this... see my profile or email me, okay!
:~)
— Sharon M. B.
June 6, 2003
As a new post-op, for most, the carb cravings go away and its just a
struggle to get in nutrition while you have no hunger. This is not
everyone, but most. Later on, though, the carb and sugar cravings do come
back along with the hunger and Joy is right, it is still a struggle! Some
battle it by not endulging at all, and others of us, me included, allow
myself some treats every day. I concentrate on protein first at every meal
but usually have room for a bite or two of carb, which could be a veggie,
some fruit or rice or pasta. But with such a small amount of room, its
literally a forkful or two. My problem is the white carbs like chips,
cookies, bread. I stick to whole grain breads (thats a good carb) and have
small amounts of the bad carbs. So far, its worked for me, and I weigh
every day to stay honest, but I will tell you, its true, the more you eat,
the more you crave. I would suggest you think carefully before having the
surgery to make the honest committment to yourself that if your cravings do
not stay away, you will have a plan that you will stick to post-op. It IS
possible to regain the weight and many have regained thru eating too many
carbs/sugars and other high calorie foods/drinks. It may be an easy
conversion for some, but I truly think those are the minority and I
wouldn't count on being one of the lucky ones.
— Cindy R.
June 6, 2003
Oh Boy! I wish I could tell you that it's an easy transition, but it has
been a killer on both me and my body! As a matter of fact, it has been the
biggest and most difficult thing I have had to deal with after having this
surgery--even over the pain. I'm only a month out, so I'm not eating meat
yet. However, I think my body is still used to the carbs because, believe
it or not, two of the things that I have found that go down and stay down
the best are Spaghetti O's and mashed potatoes. I'm convinced that my
body's carb addiction plays a major role in that. Not only that, I still
get weak at the smell of freshly baked bread (although I haven't had the
guts to try eating even the smallest piece of it), and I actually went to
the store a few days ago, bought manicotti, brought it home, cooked it, and
ate the ricotta cheese out of the center just because I was desperately
craving the flavor of pasta. At first I wasn't affected at all because I
really wasn't hungry for anything. But as time passes, little whiffs here
and there of some of my former favorite foods are making it more and more
difficult.
— Amanda S.
June 6, 2003
From what I've seen posted here, the individual body is what the deciding
factor is. Your body will tell you either it will want it. Or it won't. You
can get several brands of beef jerky that are fat free and or very low fat.
But the chewing, and chewing, and chewing of these gets your jaw and teethe
very tired and sore. I thought of it as a good source of protien. Was
practicing chewing it. I've changed my mind. LOL Plus if you don't get
even the smallest piece of jerky chewed, your pouch will tell you. I'm
still pre-op, but this site is a wonderful source for all of us to learn,
and believe me I'm still learning. Your thoughts are in my mind, and I will
be thinking of you as you continue your journey thru WLS. Keep up with the
posts.
— cinchouli
June 9, 2003
Carbs!!! Oh,how I would love them...my mind misses them, however, my body
doesn't. I still struggle with WANTING carbs, but my body just doesn't want
them. They are uncomfortable in my pouch. They are so heavy and I am
beginning to not even desire them at all. I am a little over 3 months
post-op and you will be very surprised at your new little tummy. It is
taking time for my mind to catch up to my stomach, but I am getting there.
I will tell you that I mourned carbs. I felt like a lost a close friend or
something. Trust me, though, it is all worth it. Good luck!!
— Karen M.
June 25, 2003
Hi, Sweet One! Hey, I don't know about you being the biggest carb
addict~~*G*;). I may have you beat. I'm trying to get 'delivered' from
these devilish carbs!! I'm doing my proteins~and I must admit, not as well
as I started out, but AT LEAST 60g/day. I'm getting bored with the same
foods and all. Let me know how you're coming along. I don't crave carbs
every day, but when the "gorilla jumps on my back, gracious, he really
hangs around for awhile." Hard to shake 'em off!!!
— yourdivaness
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