[MsVickie]

Im watching extreme makeover today. They have this fella on there that is more or less a fitness expert/ body sculpture. He stated that the Atkins diet should be flushed......his reasoning? Because......everyone needs carbs because..... if you dont have any yes you lose body fat and you lose muscle to. If you start introducing carbs back into your body you will blow up like a blow fish. Meaning putting weight back on and fast.

My surgeon brought this up to me Thusday also. He told me to limit the carbs but make sure I do have intake of them. He wants the portion contol measure followed. What is yalls take on this and do you have some sort of carb or not?

[A new me]

Vickie I do have some carbs in my diet. Not much but I do have some here and there. I mainly stick with my protien but like tonight for dinner I ate my chicken and then when I finshed that I had some mashed potatoes. I know some people eat bread and etc....So I do have them just very low in moderation. Hope that helps.

[MsVickie]

That did. I have seen people do a no carb diet. Remember when that craze hit here? Even the fast food resturants come up with a no carb food. I remember my hubby got caught up in that phase. He did the Atkins and gained 12 pounds ! LOL He didnt need to lose anything but was so highly upset he forbid to ever listen to another book !

[BreeChick]

ok this is one of those statements about atkins that really POs me bigtime. It's obvious these people that make these statements NEVER read beyond the 1st chapter about the INDUCTION part of the 'diet'!!!!

they need to read the whole book and BTW the low carb bit of it is geared to ONLY do for 2 weeks...did ya all know that one?

After that you find a setpoint where you continue losing weight but are adding carbs back in for a specific ratio that works for YOU

That ratio might be 80/20 (low # is the carbs) or it might be 70/30 or 60/40 which for ME when I was training was my perfect number and when I was really really pushing hard I could go even higher with a set point number of 140g protein and 65-70g carbs.

urgg..

sorry for the rant but it just irritates me because it shows that ignorance issue with so called 'experts' who don't read the whole book!

[DocSanae]

The basic fact is you DO NEED carbs, just as you need other nutrients.
There are certain essential nutrients that our body needs, but can't make themselves, as in building from scratch, building from the atomic particles into the shape we need. We have to get them in in an already set shape for our body to be able to use them to build and run our bodies. This goes for fat as well as protein and carbs. That's why, when you hit a stall, sometimes it's effective to up your fat intake just a little bit to start losing again.

You need to remember that our brain cells run on glucose and glucose only. It can run on ketones for a very short time, in times of lack of glucose, but this is only an emergency mode. The recommended daily intake of carbohydrates set by the FDA is 130g minimum. The precentage recommended is 45-60% of the calories of total intake. That's why % intake of the total calories lower than 45 is considered low carb diet.

For a weight loss surgery post op, protein comes first because the total intake is limited, and protein has the most essential nutrients that needs to come from the outside, and is necessary for keeping our body healthy. We have a set store of carbs in our body that will be a resource of what we need for a while, and it's the same with fat, which you will be burning to support the energy needs.

So, protein and fluids come first for the post op, but you do need to get some carbs and a little fat in as well in order to lose effectively.

[MsVickie]

Thank you so much. You put that in perspective for me. My dietitian told me that I would still need a little fat when i am able to take soft foods and after. They seem to think that keeps your Gallbladder from acting up as well. Thank you DOC for you help on this one. This show brought up alot of questions I thought I knew and didnt.

[BOOTS]

I Also Added Some Carbs Into My Diet. I Allow My Self To Have The Special K Protein Plus Cereal Or If I Dont Eat Cereal I Will Allow My Self Triscuits.

[Kenyar]

ok i hvae done atkins. and true o stopped at induction ( no carbs) because i lost weight FAST. also true that NIT having carbs is rough on your body and brain LOL. i would be in a fog. when i first started eating again after bypass my nut told me NO carbs. HUGE mistake. i couldnt think straight for a while until i added them back. and now i cant eat "white" stuff. i have to have whole grains/ whole wheat or I'll literally fall asleep.

on a side note, i dont think anyone should deprive themself of anything. you should in the end be able to have whatever you want, provided you can tolerate it and can control it with moderation.

[fr1endly2]

yeah i hear that about carbs.
BUT for me the trouble with the
carb are they do trigger eating in me
so for me that is reason enought for me
to keep them very lo.
when i put them in even healthy carbs
i loose control.
hang in there i think alot has to do with
what works best for different people. If u
find carbs are not a problem then i would
recommend u consume a decent amount.
I have carb problems and when i eat them
i get into bad eating patterns for the day.

[reducing bren]

Lisa - Thank God for you its only the day. I can still go on a major food hunt if I have too many carbs in a day, which I seem to do way too frequently. I definitely have control issues.



R-Bren