No Carbs after surgery?

Sarasjourney

I'm still going through pre-op and one of the required things is for me to see a dietician. On my last visit the dietician stated that I needed to begin cutting out ALL carbs as I would not be able to have them post-op. Her explanation was, carbs expand in the stomach and this would stretch out my stomach and null the surgery.

I've been carb-free for a week and I'm lower on energy and always a little hungry at the end of the day. I know post-op the hunger thing will stop because I'll fill up on proteins and veggies but my question is, is this really necessary? Do I have to be completely carb free or can I live on a low-carb diet?

Thanks in advance.

pattycakes726

I was sleeved last July. My nut discourages carbs, except for veggies and some fruit. I have found since surgery that I can't tolerate rice. Even small amounts cause pain and/or vomiting. I am able to eat bread, but I do so very rarely, and I usually stick to things like whole wheat sandwich rounds when I do have it. I don't know that eating carbs would stretch the sleeve, but bread and rice are essentially empty calories that you don't need.

I think you should try to follow your nut's advice as much as possible, but know that after you heal, you will be able to experiment with different foods and find what works for you. My diary is open if you want to look at what I eat. Good luck to you!

DJRonnieLINY

I really avoid processed carbs as they make me feel very uncomfotable. Have had very small amounts of pasta and bread (2 oz) but it really does nothing for me now. Not craving it at all and I was a MAJOR carb addict pre surgery.

Mangopickle

There are plenty of carbs in fruits and veggies for the rest of your life. Most of us are obese due to processed flour, potatoes, rice and corn. These are our Kryptonite foods. You will be able to eat more food if you don't eat them. They are very calorie dense and you will be only allowed 650 - 850 calories until you reach maintenance and even after that my maintenance calories for my age and ht are only 1200 per day. Simple carbs like flour, rice and potato convert rapidly to sugar causing gastric dumping and nausea. They are also extremely addictive-when you eat them you will crave them for the next 14 hours. this is what augments binges- you say to yourself "i'll just have a small bag of chips". We have all been there, we know what happens next. There is also the most important reason not to eat bread, rice, potato etc....they are the Number 1 cause of wt loss surgery Failure!! If you refuse to give up the carbs that are making you obese you will likely gain every lb back. Wt loss surgery does not cure food addictions, your mental cravings for your Kryptonite foods will still be there after surgery. Physical hunger will be gone for a while but IT WILL RETURN. For convenience when I work out of town I often grab a Lean Cuisine. All of them except Steak portobello have pasta, potato or rice in them. I simply eat the meat and veg and toss out the starch. Yes, this does mean I throw away half of the meal. I usually have a cheese stick or nuts to complete my meal. It is key that you stick to your new 70%protein25%veg(no potato)5%starch lifestyle to maintain your wt loss and nutrition. If the thought of never eating pizza , fettuccine, waffles, biscuits and fries ever again makes you panic I would recommend you really work on this. The surgery is easy compared to the strength you will need to walk away from your favorite binge foods. 50% of wt loss surgery pts regain all their wt-BUT 50% do not!!! This surgery has been a wonderful gift. I have lost 56 lbs so far and have stopped all my meds except 1. I wear a size 14 now and I can walk for ages and not get tired. My food diary is open so feel free to look at what I eat. Good luck!

Sarasjourney

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I was worried about no carbs as I wasn't sure how my body would react and it seems I'm still getting over not having them in my diet anymore. It's not too hard and I believe in the long run it'll get easier for me to not crave them as badly. I just wanted to know if the dietician was correct because I had one before her who was wrong on many things and would not work with me. I like to fact check. Thanks again!

bikrchk

I eat carbs, but not at all like I used to. I eat protein first and if there's any room left, I might get a bite of potato or bread or whatever. Rice, (other than sushi rice for some reason), does not sit well anymore, but that's my only problem food. I still "want" bead things sometimes, but I don't crave any of that like I used to. It is kryptonyte to me no more! Typically, once I get that bite or 2, I'm good for a long while. I LOVE my new relationship with food,! I can have a favorite in tiny amounts without being controlled by it. This is freedom at its best!

MyOwnSunshine

I avoided non-fruit and veggie carbs during my losing phase. Now that I'm maintaining, I can eat carbs. I do not like bread or pasta, as they do not "sit well" in my sleeve, so I eat very little of those. I do frequently eat brown rice and occasionally eat potatoes. I eat oatmeal almost every day.

Your dietitian (and everyone else who screams about "stretching your sleeve!") are wrong. There is nothing in published scientific literature that supports the theory that sleeves can be stretched. Once your sleeve heals, what you get is what you get. Some surgeons make them a bit bigger, so you can eat a bit more, and some make them smaller and tighter. Carbs do not "expand" in your sleeve, neither does carbonation. Soft food or carbon dioxide gas cannot exert enough pressure to permanently stretch the smooth muscle tissue of the stomach.

I do have dumping syndrome if I eat too many sweet/fatty/rich carbs. I can eat small portions of sweets, but too much will make me miserable.

I would say that I eat on the healthy end of normal 2-1/2 years out from my sleeve -- mostly meats and veggies, some whole grain carbs, a few sweets or treats in a week, a cheat meal consisting of a burger or pasta once a week, small-to-normal-sized portions. I could easily eat 2500+ calories if I didn't pay attention, but it's not too hard to stay under 1800, which is where I maintain if I don't workout. When I'm lifting heavily and running, I can maintain on 2200 calories and find I need the extra calories to fuel my workouts.

garber6th

My surgeon's group also touts no carb and no sugar after surgery. I am 4 months out and the only carbs I have had were from a couple of small bites of mashed sweet potatoes at Christmas. They didn't disagree with me but they didn't really do anything for me either. Like a lot of people, I was definitely a carb addict prior to surgery.

I have a friend who had gastric bypass surgery and she had some regain. She says it all started with one cracker, it went down easy and she kept eating more crackers and more carbs. Personally, I will avoid that kind of slippery slope.

DJRonnieLINY

Thank you for the response Sunshine, nice to hear from someone a bit further out. I am following a similar path and find that I do need the fuel when I work out hard and that if I choose high calorie or high fat foods, or graze, I could easily consume 2500 calories in a day (Christmas and Super Bowl Sunday for example). My sleeve was 9/26/13.

Most days I finish 200-250 calories below my MFP goal (net after exercise) somewhere in the 1,300 - 1,700 range. Weight loss has slowed a bit but remains steady and I feel stronger and fitter.

capecodgirl50

I think not having carbs after surgery is a good thing. Afterall, we all will go or have gone on this journey to be healthier, fit and hopefully live a long and active life. That's what I want to do.

I know I will not eat the carbs I used to once I get sleeved. Why sabotage this great tool! I don't want to be this way for the rest of my life. It's not fun. I have read other message boards and questions are coming up - can I have the same foods I had before? The way I see it is that those foods have put us in this situation. Why want to go back there.

So, personally I will choose not to have pasta, and such once I get sleeved.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not putting down anyone's comments here - this is a great message board and I have learned and continue to learn a lot - but don't sabotage yourself. I did that before when I lost a few pounds. - gained them right back.

Ask your dietitian or nutritionist and follow their lead.

pawoodhull

I am 2.5 years out and still eat very few carbs simply because once I get the protein in, there is very little room left for anything else. My go to snack is popcorn, but other then that, I really don't eat them a lot. I was told to avoid rice for the first year because even cooked rice will expand in the stomach and could cause sever discomfort. I was also told no carbonated anything because it would case sever discomfort. I'm not a pop drinker anyway, so this wasn't an issue for me, but my favorite flavored water is carbonated. I take a few sips and then shake the carbonation out of it. As for stretching, if done right, there is no stretchy part left, so restretching isn't supposed to be possible.

Really, carbs aren't something you need to worry about if you are working the plan correctly. Protein first, then if you still have room, veggies and maybe some fruit.

groisamomma

Your taste for foods will change after surgery. You may not crave what you once thought you wanted.

Sarasjourney

Your taste for foods will change after surgery. You may not crave what you once thought you wanted.

My problem isn't the cravings because I wasn't eating a very high carb diet to begin with. My problem is I feel like my food choices are that much more limited because I don't eat a lot of vegetables and having the same thing several days in a row gets frustrating for me. I'm stuck eating nothing but meat and vegetables and still come out hungry. (remember I'm pre-op so I still have my whole stomach to fill)

I'm just concerned and not so sure I can keep it up especially as I'm going through the "low carb flu" right now.

Mangopickle

Your taste for foods will change after surgery. You may not crave what you once thought you wanted.

My problem isn't the cravings because I wasn't eating a very high carb diet to begin with. My problem is I feel like my food choices are that much more limited because I don't eat a lot of vegetables and having the same thing several days in a row gets frustrating for me. I'm stuck eating nothing but meat and vegetables and still come out hungry. (remember I'm pre-op so I still have my whole stomach to fill)

I'm just concerned and not so sure I can keep it up especially as I'm going through the "low carb flu" right now.

Don't limit yourself, you can change. Just because you didn't used to be a big veggie eater should not stop you from becoming a food adventurer. Be brave , try new things. You are missing all the wonderful flavors and textures of hundreds of nutritious foods. You can do this. Good luck!

MyOwnSunshine

Agree. Don't compare pre-op to post-op. The surgery will definitely change your tastes in food. Even though I eat some carbs, I don't eat them at every meal and feel just fine. Once you have surgery, you will be doing all you can to get your protein in and have a few bites of anything else. Whether those few bites come from veggies, fruits or a few bites of carbs (much later on) becomes kind of irrelevant.

Just take things one step at a time. As you can see from the replies you received from people at all stages of surgery, the guidelines from different surgeons vary, the food preferences of people vary, and food tolerances vary. Advice and comparative experiences are always interesting, but the most important thing is to be compliant with your surgeon's plan.

Repeat, because it's the most important thing: YOU need to be compliant with YOUR surgeon's plan.

I found cognitive behavioral therapy with a therapist that specializes in disordered eating to be invaluable in this process. I would attribute my ability to eat in moderation and to be less obsessive about food than ever before to the counseling that I received. It sounds like you are struggling with "head hunger" issues even before surgery, so you may find it helpful as well.

shirleygirl910

You can't cut out "All" carbs. Your body need them, it just doesn't need refined carbs.

The drs at Kaiser said very rarely can you sleeve stretch. Those who are eating more and gaining usually are grazing and eating empty calories. They've learned to eat around thier tool.

I had surgery July 2010. My best advice is the first year is a learning process. Learn to eat healthy and don't try to cheat. Get good habits down. Find exercise you like to do. This is a life journey. If you are thinking of it as a short term until you lose all your weight, you'll more than likely fail.