IMPORTANT: I DO NOT think low-carb eating is necessarilly good or right for everyone and I AM NOT ADVOCATING FOR IT.  I do think that my health was better in the years i stayed away from sugar and flour, and i think i am carb-sensitive. Whether it’s genetic or from years of yo-yo dieting is anyone’s guess.  I’m posting what I learn, what I think, and what i experience for the benefit of others to learn, think, and make their own inquiries and decisions, if they are so inclined.

So:

My goal for myself is around 25-50 grams of carbs a day, but if i go over i don’t freak.  My goal for my husband is around 100 both because he’s a bigger person with a lot more muscle and because he has a very physical job.  Roughly 15 grams of carbs per meal for me, 15-30 for him.

As we progress, depending on the results, i will adjust these amounts.  We are not controlling fat or protein consumed except to try to meet our minimum protein requirements and we are currently working on getting protein, carbs, and fats at every meal, never just one.  The only exception is my protein shake.

For those who may be interested, i’m going to write a little about my low-carb experiment to date, and i’m actually going to write a little about my DH, who is on board as he has a little extra weight around the middle he struggles with.

For the last week I replaced his usual bread with a low-carb equivalent, one of my few concessions to non-whole-foods (the other being splenda, for now).  I eliminated pasta for the week, which is very unusual for us, and replaced it with spaghetti squash.  I have been cooking a lot of protein and using a LOT of oils and fats in our diet, as well as a lot of non-starchy vegetables.  Whole food proteins have ranged from a roast chicken to beef tips to locally made italian sausages.  We have been using commercial spaghetti sauce (Ragu), which has a small to middlin amount of sugar in it, i didn’t actually read the grams on the label.  He had a bagel one day for breakfast.  We switched to higher fiber, high-ish protein, mid-lowish carb cereals – he’s taking special K high-protein to work, I’m eating an organic whole-grain twig-type cereal in small amounts a couple of times during the week.  Continuing to supplement protein as usual, for me about 1 scoop a day. He has Boars Head lunch meat for lunch, hoping to find a more chemical-free solution for him soon.

We both have been taking probiotics every day.

So.  in a nutshell, i’ve lost 1.5 pounds in the 4 days since i last weighed.  He looks like he may have lost some weight.  He has, more importantly, had 1) much improved sleep – no more early morning wakenings 2) much reduced symptoms of IBS which plague him like hell.  (IBS for those who aren’t familiar is Irritable Bowel Syndrome – he goes to the bathroom (poo) constantly, experiences cramps and intestinal upset)

Then, last night, after we both worked out, in a moment of weakness justified by a perceived need to carb-load, i chose to indulge us in a loaf of focaccio bread with dinner, followed up with some popcorn.  And, he forgot to take his probiotic.

These were the results:

1) I was hungry ALL night, even though i’d eaten adequately and had relatively small amounts of bread and popcorn.  my sleep was very restless.

2) DH was up all night.  he woke up 3-4 times and got up at 5:30am (on a saturday).  His IBS has been killing him.

could it be a coincidence?  it certainly could.  however, considering that pasta and bread have been staples in our house up until this last week, and this last week was the FIRST time in many years DH has put together more than a day or two of good sleep and freedom from IBS, i’m inclined to think it is not.

It is true that he also failed to take his probiotic and that might have caused or contributed to his problems also.  He was taking the probiotic the week before, however, and still suffered some of these symptoms, although his IBS had improved, his sleep had not.

MORE WILL BE REVEALED!  i will post an update on our situation when and if enough has developed to make it worthwhile.  i also plan to post a synopsis of my most recent read on Diana Schwarzbein’s theories, she makes a reasonably compelling argument for the inclusion of carbs in the diet, but she does not cite or justify her assertions against ketosis and on reading the current clinical research I do not believe she relates correct information.  However her general philosphy of promoting physiogical balance is hard to dispute.  Anyway as they say about good intentions… we will see if i can get it together to do this.

My surgeon reiterated for my yesterday what I have long observed about weight loss (and in general progress on anything I do in life).  It’s episodic. You lose a little, you pause, you lose a little more.  It is NOT a straight line.  If there are people out there who lose at a steady rate all the way to goal, more power to them, but I believe they are the exception not the rule.  The normal state of affairs is losing some, pausing, and then losing some more. That’s even if you are doing everything right.  That’s even if you are doing the maximum you should be doing to lose weight.

If you start out with unrealistic expectations, you are going to terrify yourself and make yourself miserable every time your body “pauses” as you are going forward.  It’s avoidable stress.

I know there are folks out there who hit genuine walls and are needing and looking to make adjustments to their eating, their nutrition, their exercise, whereever those adjustments need to be made to get them going again.  That’s real too.  But I don’t think those type of plateaus are the same thing as the normal, expectable staggered pace of ordinary weight loss.  It’s kind of like the difference between a momentary “blah” mood we all have, and depression.  Everyone feels blah at some point in their day, or at least is not having a peak experience.  But depression is a disorder that needs to be treated.

I know this journey is scary.  I get scared too.  I’m scared right now.  It’s hard to get your hopes up after years of failure and losing faith with yourself, at least so i find it.  It’s so easy to believe the other shoe is gonna come down any minute.  So I’m saying this in the spirit of comfort, not correction.  Unless you are grazing all day and eating stuff you know you should not be eating, YOUR WLS WILL WORK.  it WILL work.  sometimes, quickly, sometimes slowly.  but it’s definitely delayed gratification.

1) fat-storing happens in the presence of insulin.

well, actually what penetrated my grey matter today is that fat-storing *only* happens in the presence of insulin.  e.g. – low insulin levels, no fat storage.

huh.

2) insulin happens in the presence of carbohydrates.

oh, yeah, you can see where this is going.  please, if you enjoy your carbs and are doing well on your program with your WLS, please please don’t take this as in any way critical of what you are doing.  i am totally on board with everybody  having different bodies and different genetics and different metabolisms and i am NOT a one-diet-fits-all kinda gal.  in fact, that’s one reason why i am spending so much time perusing articles on metabolism and nutrition.  i LOVE my carbs.  love… love…. LOVE them.

but this train of thought just makes too much sense for me, with my history, to overlook.

3) if you eat an extremely low-carb diet, and

3a) eat low-fat high-protein, your body converts the protein to glucose, which is basically the same fuel source created from carbohydrates.  therefore your insulin levels will be higher than:

3b) if you eat middle-protein *high fat* (and low carbs), your body switches to using ketones for energy almost exclusively.  And, because your insulin levels remain extremely low, the fat *CANNOT* be stored as fuel.  it WILL be burned.

4) going with 3b, because your body is now *most* efficiently burning fat for fuel, you will burn more body fat assuming you are also following a relatively low-calorie diet.

This came from sundry internet articles which are not, i guarantee you, peer reviewed and possibly belong in the uni-bomber category of flakes.  BUT… from my amateur knowledge of nutrition, biology, metabolism, and the bio-chemistry of metabolism, this actually makes sense to me.

The author(s) recommended a caloric ratio of: 10-15% carbs, 20-30% protein, and 60-70% fat.

OK – YES I LIKE TO PLAY WITH MY FOOD!!! and this is my version of playing!  Now I invite you to chime in!!!   do you agree?  disagree?  i can tell you right now this makes so much sense to me i am about ready to trash my dietician’s low-fat high-protein concepts right out the window because that has never EVER worked for me and i can already feel it’s setting up cravings like crazy.  the funny thing is i crave… you guessed it… fats.  not carbs.  THAT is wierd.

SO – feel free to beat the contents of this post to a bloody pulp, i truly will not mind.  i am inviting debate and conversation, not preaching.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?

EDIT: ok the way this breaks down by caloric intake is roughly:

600 calories per day
= 40-47 grams fat
= 30-45 grams protein
= 15-22.5 grams carbs

750 calories per day
= 55 grams fat
= 47 grams protein
= 24.5 grams carbs

1000 calories per day
= 72 grams fat
= 65.5 grams protein
= 31.25 grams carbs

If you look at the protein counts, by the ratio proposed, you would have to consume *at least* 1000 calores a day to make the minimum 60 grams (roughly) recommended for most post-RNYers.

cookware:
1 12-inch fry pan
1 oven-safe casserole dish

Oven preheated to 350-375 degrees

1) in large pan, medium heat, melted 2 ts butter to coat pan, sauteed onions until started to become soft. this is one place you could probably save fat; lower heat, take more time, use pam
2) tossed in 2 crushed cloves for 1 minute
3) cleared a spot in middle of pan, added a little butter, tossed in chopped mushrooms, let sit stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes, reduce heat if pan starting to brown out
4) cleared a spot in middle of pan, added a little butter, tossed in 1/2 of spinach
5) when spinach wilted, cleared a spot in middle of pan, added a little butter, tossed in 2nd half
6) when 2nd half wilted, tossed in chicken, stirred, added some salt & pepper to taste
7) while chicken heating up (in this case it’s rottiserie so it’s already cooked), put cooked rice in bottom of casserole dish. sprinkled feta and cheddar in thin layer.
8) spread veggie/chicken mix over rice/cheese in casserole dish.
9) added most of the rest of the cheese (feta and cheddar) into chicken layer, stirring slightly to mix. did not have much issue with this layer getting mixed into rice layer. I did it this way b/c adding cheese to hot pan is invitation to cleaning disaster.
10) top with layer of tomatos and then sprinkle remaining cheeses over tomatos.

baked for about 20 minutes until cheese was melted and tomatos looked cooked. Friggin AWESOME!!!! hubbie loved it! and no complaints from pouch about the chicken!