im wondering if im eating 2 much pasta and thats my problem with the slow down on the scale. i would honestly say i eat pasta 4-5times a week is that 2 much? i still count it as part of my calorie count for the day. am i going wrong here? if it is 2 much how often should i be eating pasta a week? sounds kinda stupid but im learning i just had my surgery 7/07 any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

From what I have learned recently, it isnt the calories, but the carb count in pasta that isnt good for people who had wls.

I am sure a veteran will jump in here and give you all the info you need. The neighborhood is VERY helpful.

Hugs

Krista,

Ok I am going to answer this and some here are probably going to be suprised at my answer. You are only 5 months out from surgery and if you are eating pasta 4-5 times a week there is no way you can be following the guidelines of your surgeons office. I answered your other post in exercise and fitness and you were wondering about gaining weight after an increase in exercise. I would be very careful about what you are eating as I am sure you are still on your way to goal weight.

I do eat pasta and ride a bicycle 150-200 miles a week at very high intensity but even I dont eat it more than 2 times a week. But I am also seven years out and work extensively with a sports nutritionist. With all this I even have problems at times with weight gain. If you feel that your activity level requires carbs pasta should not be one of them. If you must, make it a vegetable source as there are many but even this in your case should be an ocasional item in your diet. The other problem is that the pasta you are consuming is taking the place of other foods that are critical to your weight loss.

damon

do u think that is might be the reason for my stop in weight loss? i will definatley stop with the pasta and limit it to once a week. i do have a huge problem with the protien and the water i have alreasy been in the hospital for dehydration. i go back to the surgeon this week and i bet ill get the Talk for all the pasta i eat. i used to be a major sweet tooth and i dont do that or drink the pop anymore so i guess i compensate with the pasta. im just so frustrated. i was reading other posts and i just put 2 and 2 togther and thout CARBS>>>>> i guess its trial and error thanks for the help....

Hi Krista,

I love my pasta... I think in a former life I must ahve been Italian or something, but since my op I have not been able to eat pasta. It makes me sick.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I may never again eat it. I still have the pasta sauce (meat bits for the protein, plus the cheese) and occassionally if I feel like a treat I may have one spiral of pasta but that is it.

I know from past experience that carbs are my problem, they are the main reason I ended up where I did so to be honest I am not that disappointed that pasta makes me sick. It helps me remember NOT to eat it. Why continue to do something that is going to have a negative output... such as being sick or putting back on the weight you have so diligantly lost.

Believe me I know it can be hard getting all that protein and water in... its still a daily struggle for me... some days I succeed... some days I fail (mainly water that is) but I keep trying.

Definitely try to cut back on the pasta. My suggestion is to cut it out completely until you are in maintenance phase, then try adding it back slowing when you know you can maintain that hot new looking bod!

Paula

Krista, I too believe that while you are in the losing phase, pasta is something you should rarely eat. If you have to eat it, see if you can find a brand called Dreamfield. It tastes exactly like regular pasta but has only 5 carbs per serving. The problem with pasta is that you can eat so much of it, you don't control the portion and it is so high in carbs per serving that you just don't get full on one serving. My suggestion is that you don't eat any pasta at all for a week, count your carbs (meaning don't replace the pasta with another carb loaded food) and see if you start losing again. I suspect that you will and then you will have your answer.

Yeah, no pasta while you're losing. Keep it meat (chicken, seafood, beef pork etc), tofu and cottage cheese type dairy (more protein than carbs) and cooked veggies with a little fruit for a treat. This will keep you losing weight steadily. As you get closer to goal weight, SLOWLY, carefully start adding back in whole grains. If you had the bypass surgery, you're going to want to keep white processed foods out of your gut. White flour pasta, white rice, potatoes are all "empty" calories for someone who has malabsorption and restriction issues. You have to maximize the nutrition you're getting and there just isn't times and space for the extra stuff.

Sorry to deliver the bad news. I loved pasta too. Now that I'm at goal weight, I do indulge a little every once in awhile. I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. I do make it for the family, and I eat the meat sauces that go on pasta, just I leave the pasta out.

Good luck, and best wishes. Even if you decide that my advice isn't for you, I support you in whatever decision you do make!

My doctor told me that my diet should consist of approx. 80% protein. Once you've eaten your protein, you can add in what you want.

His [dumbed down so I could understand] reasoning was that your stomach is smaller so you need to get as many vitamins and minerals as you can in a small amount of food. Pasta has no vitamins, no minerals and is basically just empty calories. Same with bread, white potatoes, etc.

So...long answer short...If your diet consists of more than 20% pasta (or whatever), then Yes, you're eating too much.

That being said, I TOTALLY understand how hard it is to keep away from the carbs. I'm a HUGE carb addict (not pasta so much - I'm a bread fiend. Bread, cookies, cake, candy, etc.) The best thing I did was do this 5 dpt. I've turned it into a "diet" (I did Days 1&2 for 5 days; incorporated Day 3 for 2 more days; and am now starting to add in soft protein along with the soups). I haven't craved carbs since starting! You might want to give it a try to see if it will get you back on track and headed in the right direction.

thanks for the advice im following it i still dont know why i didnt think of that.i guess i fell off the horse and im going to get back on it.. just sent my hubby to the store to get my protien. my family says to stop worrying about loosing weight that i look great and im looking thin and that i need mental help if i want to keep loosing. i say this is a life style change and i want to do it for myself noone else. i think they are getting jealous cuz they are overweight. i will get to my goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would be the last one to tell anyone they couldnt eat pasta again. Never is a long time and I have not and will not buy in to the fact that carbs make you fat. Everyones diet is going to change and must be based on how their lives are lived. For me I could not survive on a WLS diet with my activity of choice and level of exercise that it consist of. do I still have weight issues at times? Yes I do and have learned how to deal with it but I definately did not eat this way in the loosing phase.


Do I think the pasta could be causing the stall in your weight loss? Yeah it probably is going to contribute but you have other issues it appears. If you have trouble with protein you are going to have trouble in building lean muscle mass as protein is the building block for lean muscle and helps repair it as you break it down. Water is also important as without it you have dehydration and risk injury and it also helps flush out unwanted chemicals and such.

As far as protein I recommend you find a high quality protein powder that weight trainers use as most of them have added suppliments and nutrients that promote not only lean muscle growth but also help to burn fat. I tried many throughout the years even preWLS and the one I use now is quite good and has 29 flavors. It is Cytosports Musclemax and is of the highest quality and there are others out there also. None of this will matter though if you cant get the proper hydration. Hydration is the one factor in success that cuts across all forms of exercise without it you fail.

I, too, noticed that after I had done the 5DPT, and had gotten on a routine of protein shakes, I felt less of a need for carbs. For the most part, they make me feel sick, but occasionally I indulge in 1/2 - 1 ounce of Barilla Multi-grain pasta -- 17 grams of protein per serving...I can't eat a whole serving, but it doesn't make me sick like regular pasta, and it tastes great. I'm a year out, and I might eat it once a month.

Good luck w/this!

Marianna has it right, from what I understand. That is, unless you are a
competetive athelete like Damon, it's not about counting pasta into
a limited number of calories for the day, but about consuming empty calories
via the carbs in the pasta.
Everyone out there in the health world is starting to suggest we focus
on the RED when choosing to eat pasta. This is to say the majority of
what fills the small plate should be the solid protein... meat and the red sauce;
not the pasta. Pasta is just another carb. It's the red sauce and protein in it
that are the healthy part.

I would have to agree that pasta, bread, white flour items should be limited or avoided during your phase of wls. Carbs are a problem for most of us so you are not alone. The important things is that you asked the question so you are trying to do better. Congrats on taking control again!

NurseKrista, I too had issues with carb control immediately post op and wonder whether/not it led to a long period of plateau in my weight loss. As a diabetic, I have other issues with major carbs as well. Just a suggestion that worked for me, I have found the South Beach diet plan, which is essentially low carb, very WLS friendly. What I really like is that there are cookbooks out there with recipes and meal plans, SB products are readily available in the grocery store, and it is fairly easy to pack breakfast, lunch and snacks to work with minimal effort. I limit my fruit, whole wheat pasta, and carb selections to 2-3 times per week and really have lost weight since I have learned about the glycemic index of certain carbs. Just a suggestion - good luck to you!

I like to put my pasta sauce, when I make pasta for my guys, over a vegetable. Spaghetti squash is ideal for this, but I have used green beans (french cut & not mushy work well), carrots, zucchini. I'm sure some others would work as well. And, this isn't eaten before my protein is down. I certainly wouldn't have pasta more than once a month, definitely not weekly. You are still in the weight loss time and should be more worried about getting in your protein, water, exercise & vitamins. Counting calories doesn't even figure into my life in this stage. My little Lucille doesn't have room enough that I have to worry about counting calories. I'm wondering how you are even getting in what you do need if you are having pasta 4-5 times per week?

I would totally avoid using the South Beach Diet as the basis of my diet, Krista (no offense intended to you, Buckeye; you have to do what you have to do). You can get the LAWLS recipe book here on the site & it has a ton of good recipes. There are also lots of free recipes here. Remember, you should be sticking to the rules: protein first, no snacking, drink your water & exercise. I don't believe it hurts to use some of the SB products and ideas, but follow the WLS plan. What did your nutritionist & surgeon's office say about pasta? Mine does not list it as something to be consumed.