The Truth About Carbs
Disclaimer: I highly recommend working with a dietitian individually! If you need help finding someone licensed in your state, contact me and I will help. Dietitians differ so messages I share in this video may have differences from your surgery team. I see this as a good thing as you gather all information and views to put together the style that fits you best!
If you missed it, here is the link to Video #1 “The Best Meal Plan After Weight Loss Surgery.”
We aren’t surprised that carbs cause weight gain.
When we struggle with our weight…we usually associate carbs with something evil.
When we ask people what helped them lose weight we hear things like “I cut out all carbs.”
⇒ What is a keto diet? No carbs.
⇒ What is an Atkins diet? No carbs.
⇒ What is a South Beach Diet? No carbs.
So then…how are those different?
But, now wait a second. Isn’t there no such thing as a “bad food” and isn’t “diet” a four letter word? Don’t we NEED some carbs? What about whole grains?
It’s all too much information that leads to confusion. Oh and by the way….carbs are DELICIOUS and it’s much easier said than done to just NOT EAT CARBS. Ahem.
This is a video of my explanation on carbs…why they slow weight loss. Which ones are okay. Why we feel so hungry when we stop eating them.
Stay tuned I have another fun video coming in a couple days that I think is a super powerful reminder to us all.
Video Transcript:
Why is avoiding carbs so important?
Hopefully you have heard from your bariatric clinic to avoid starches and sweets. Sure, this makes sense when losing weight you have to avoid sweets, but what’s the big deal with carbs?
You may even think, oh it’s just not much, so surely its not that big of a deal. My portions are so much smaller now, so I can’t be getting in that many calories.
Or maybe you are having whole grain crackers or sweet potato chips to make a healthier option. I mean, whole grains are good, right?
Herein lies some controversy in the postop diet. I am a firm believer that minimizing and even avoiding starches or sweets can make all the difference in your weight loss success. I do have a video about why postop programs have different recommendations- check that out if you’re interested.
The best way I have to illustrate this is to talk about what our body uses for fuel.
In my mind, our bodies have two tanks of gas to use for fuel. In one tank we have carbohydrates, that is, starches and sweets. In the other tank we have excess weight or fat storage. When you have a weight loss surgery you are looking to burn fat.
When we struggle with our weight, it’s because genetically our body loves to burn from the carb tank. Its much easier if the body just uses what’s in here and never has to work hard to use anything from the other thank. So, what we need to do is empty out the carb tank in order to get our body to start burning from the reserves tank..that is…stored fat.
To do this, we have to avoid high starch foods like breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, crackers, oatmeals, cereals and so forth. Same is true for sweets like ice creams, brownies, cookies, pies, pastries and beyond. When we focus on a diet filled with lean protein sources and non-starchy vegetables, it’s amazing what progress we see in weight loss.
Our body does need some carbohydrates to function but we do get enough of the carbohydrates in vegetables, fruits, some beans and even protein bars. Starches and sweets are so addictive it’s not the best place to get in carbs, even if it’s whole grain or brown rice. You are probably wondering how many carbs you should have in a day, but i am not a fan of counting every little gram of food we eat because not realistic long-term. It gets exhausting and I prefer to keep it simple. Instead focus on the right foods and avoid the wrong ones. For more on that, check out the video about what I call The Stoplight Diet.
Fair warning, the first 3 to 5 days of reducing or eliminating starches or sweets from your diet, are the worst. You will hungry, maybe weak, tired, irritable and so on. Drink lots of water, go for a walk, take a bath, read a book and brush your teeth if the nighttime snackies are coming on. It will be worth it. Days 4 and 5 you start turning a corning and start feeling much better. energy is up, cravings and hunger is down and you are truly in a fat burning state.
I know this may be different from what you have heard in the past about weight loss or weight loss surgery, but I’m asking you to try it out. Give this lifestyle a chance, even if for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference in your hunger control and your weight loss. Eat three meals, a snack if you need it focus on lean solid protein and non-starchy vegetables. For a review of what these foods may include be sure to download the food list linked below and a dinner menu of your choice available on the website.