[Kenyar]

And I thought being able to eat would make things easier...HA!


Ok I am not sure if this falls under stupid questions or belongs right where it is but here goes. I am trying to get leaner. I want to cut as many carbs out of my day as possible, granted they are in just about everything but what is considered "low" carb? What is a "good" carb? How many carbs SHOULD we take in a day? and if I cut them too low I cant think straight so what do I do? I am trying to gain control here but am not fully understanding what it is i am controlling and how to do so. Anyone else confused?

HELP! (i LOVE that smiley!!!! LOL)

[Kenyar]

hmmm i guess the same goes for fat. how much fat should we have a day? whats a good fat as opposed to a bad one? i tried to ask this stuff of my nut and i was told dont worry about any of this. i dont think the one that i am seeing is what i need actually lol! she just makes lists of what i already eat and doesnt really make suggestions. the last time i was in she just asked me for an example of what i eat through out the day and didnt really modify anything. i guess i want variety and if i know what i am looking for i can eat different things each day as opposed to the same thing everyday forever. if anybody knows please share

[BOOTS]

Hmmmmmmmmm. Good Question

[DocSanae]

To put it simply, is it processed/refined or whole/natural?
I don't think I need to say which is better than which.
There are a few reasons as to why.
1) Whole/natural food have nutrients that we need, other than just carb or fat or protein.
2) With processed/refined food, there is no or little need for the body to work to break down the food into the particles it needs to use and build up our body, so it just uses without spending much energy. With whole/natural food, our body uses energy in breaking down the food into particles that we need for energy, maintain health, and build up our body.
2) The process of breaking down and then rebuilding into what we need in itself is very good for maintaining our health. We need to keep the machine running, in order for the machine to run smoothly at all times.

As for the carbs. The minimum recommended intake is 130g per day, as our brains use only glucose as the energy sourse, except in emergencies. That's why you get brain fog with very low or almost no carb intake. You are starving your brain cells. A very special feature of glucose and brain cells is that unlike other cells, brain cells do not need insulin to use glucose. Now, the 130g is in wholesome carbs, so part of that will be spent in breaking themselves down, and what your brain needs in terms of glucose, of course, will be somewhat less. However, in terms of glucose level in the blood for the safety of your brain, the level should be kept at more than 50g/dl. In other words, you need to keep your carb intake at the level where your blood glucose level will stay at over 50g/dl at all times.

The same goes with lipids (fat). You need a certain amount of "good" fat to build your body. As with glucose, the reference level is the recommended range (which most people think of as normal range) and the respective lipids should be kept within that.

Just about all natural produce (in this case meaning veggies, crops, meat, fish, poultry, fruits, etc) include all three of the major nutrients, carb, fat, protein to some degree. When we medically describe a produce as being carb or fat or protein, means that the largest amount of nutrient (other than water) that is included is just that. For instance, raw white rice is about 70% or so carb, but it also has water, fat, and even protein, though just under 1%.
With meats, the range of protein is 18-23% or so protein, 5-35% fat, depending on which portion the meat is, some carbs (if I remember correctly, I think it was around 5%) and the rest, water. In other words, with a lot of produce, not just veggies, the major content is water, rather than carb, protein or fat.

For the break down in distribution of nutrients in daily intake.
The standard recommended range is
Of the total daily calories,
45-65% from carbs
10-35% from protein
20-35% from fat.
As I said, this is the standard range.
With bypass patients, you need to concentrate on the protein first, so it should be around 35% of total calorie intake, and the remaining 65% from carbs and fat, so, both of these nutrients will fall into the lower end of the recommended range. Which is fine, as even with a 1000kcal diet, protein intake at 35% amounts to 87g.

Hope this answers your Q.

[Kenyar]

is this minimum recommended intake the same for bypass people as well as "normal" people?

[DocSanae]

When you make the calculation, it falls into about the same range.
For instance, the minimum required protein intake by most surgeons is 60g, then, a lot of you ar told to eat veggies next, and then carbs.
With a 1000kcal intake, 35% protein=87.5g, 45% carbs=112.5g carbs, 20% fat=22g
Needless to say, this clears the required protein amount.
With an 800kcal daily intake, 35% protein=70g 45% carbs=90g 20% fat=17.7g
This also clears the required protein intake.
The minimum daily cal that clears the 60g protein requirement is 685kcal.

[Kenyar]

this is going to keep me busy for a while lol!

as always thanks doc

[Jessica]

Great question Kenya!! I was wondering the same thing about carbs and fats. My doc says the same thing-too early to worry about that now.

Thank doc!

[Kenyar]

Originally Posted by Jessica

Great question Kenya!! I was wondering the same thing about carbs and fats. My doc says the same thing-too early to worry about that now.

Thank doc!

you know whats frustrating about this is that they say its too early to count and worry but that this is the time to establish new healthy habits....how can we do that if we dont KNOW what to eat and how much????

doc is a lifesaver