Well ladies, get ready to have your minds blown. (First of all to debkay if you read this), I am still very interested in WLS but I want to find out a little more about this low carb stuff. This is the one thing that I have not tried.

What is this??? I really don't have a clue how to do this program. What kind of meals can I eat. I am from the South, meat and potatoes kind of girl, bagels, cereal, etc.

Will someone please write back to me and tell me how to do this program and give me some menu ideas, snacks, etc. What foods do I need to avoid. I need info, info, info. My son also wants to try this diet or program of eating with me also. Somewhere in my memory bank I remember kidney failure associated with this program, any truth to this.

I'll be checking back, I sure hope someone can clue me in.

Thanks, Teresa

Hi Teresa,

For me, this is the only thing that really works. The chicks have posted a summary on the home page that can help. There are also a number of sites that relate to low carb eating. Just go to google and type in low carb diet. However, once you have some idea of which diet guru you like best... Adkin, Suzanne Somers, Schwarzbein, just to name a few, then head to the library and check them out.

I do a mix of a few programs plus WW, so that is working for me. I'm from the grits loving south, but I am now so very used to avoiding the really starchy carbs and I don't miss it at all. Candy can be a little more troublesome, but as long as I stay completly clear, I do well. I eat very balanced meals, just very little starchy or sugary foods. Try it... You'll not believe how much better you feel, and that waistline can just melt!

Teresa, there are so many different food plans out there...it was like shopping around for me. I had to find the one that worked best for me. I started off my low carb eating by doing the Suzanne Sommers plan which worked really good for me for a while. Now I am kind of doing my own thing which is a combination of Atkins and Suzanne Summers (I forgot how her last name is really spelled) Sometimes I just have a couple of eggs in the morning and I am not hungry until lunch time (anytime I just eat eggs in the morning I am full for quite a while, but if I have cereal, I have to have a snack sometimes celery and a little cheese whiz or a little bit of peanutbutter) then at lunch I have a salad with protein like Chicken or turkey or tuna with REAL blue cheese or Ranch dressing, or I buy some low carb bread and have a sandwich or anything with just protein and veggies and maybe a little bit of cheese (I am a cheese addict) and for dinner usually something about the same thing. This site has some great low carb recipes and there are a LOT of cookbooks out there with great recipes too.

I think the kidney failure or problems results in people that don't follow the plan the way they should and just do TOTALLY cheese and meat. You have to balance it out with veggies and a little fruit and not just take one little part of it and run with it. There are a lot of eating plan menus in a lot of books. Body for Life is another really good low carb and exercise plan. I would even go to the library or the bookstore and spend some time looking at different plans and seeing which one will fit your lifestyle and what you are looking for...

according to the woman who runs the obesity program i'm in for the wls, the reason people get kidney problems is BECAUSE THEY DON'T DRINK ENOUGH WATER!!!!! minimum of 64 oz a day. little or no caffeine. no soda. you can use flavored waters, herb teas, decaf anything, SF powdered drink mixes.. store brand,crystal light, whatever you like.

and teresa, it's a good idea to go low-carb before the surgery anyway, since any surgeon will want you to lose some weight beforehand.

it's not that hard. honest!!!! first, there's no real need to get special low-carb products. just shop the perimeter of the grocery store: fresh vegs, some fruit [not apples or pears, but melons and berries are fine, and others as well], meat, cheese, dairy [but be careful with the yogurt, as it has lots of carbs for reasons i just don't get].

and, it's the eating plan you'll be following after the surgery anyway. so go for it!!!!! and if you think you're carb-restricted BEFORE the surgery, just wait.. you'll get even fewer afterwards. at least until you hit your goal.

check out the 'what we ate today' threads. lots of info and ideas there. and sometimes even i post what i've eaten, if you want to get an idea of post-op life. but for some reason deb doesn't post that info. now, why is that??? deb, are you holding out on me????!!!!!

breathe, teresa. you're sounding a little tense these days. it'll be ok. i promise.