Balancing act....? for the Vets!!

Good morning everyone!!

I am hoping that some of the vets can help me out here.  I posted in May that I was thinking about a revision from VSG to RNY.  Keith and a few others stepped up and told me about MFP and 800 cals/40g carbs a day.  I've been trying.  Really trying hard.  When I moved from Buffalo, NY to Wilmington, DE I had lost 65#.  I'm now at 70 down

Here's my dilemma.  I'm Bipolar.  I have been instructed by my psychiatrist not to go TOOOOO low on carbs.  (Carbs are needed to carry the meds I take to my brain)....Does anyone else here have this problem or know how to balance it out??  I want this weight off!!  My psychiatrist doesn't know how much carbs I should have per day, just knows that I need some.  The nutritionist that works with the Dr. down here doesn't work with patients unless they are pre-surgery, so I am lost.  So I am reaching out to the community here to see if anyone might have a suggestion. 

I will also let you know that when I did lower my carbs, I got to about 50g a day, it did screw my meds up.  I've been fighting racing thoughts for about 5 weeks now...

I appreciate any help you wonderful ladies and gents can be.  Thanks!!

Ok, I am not a doctor of any sort, so I cannot debate the you need carbs to carry meds, but seems like fats would do the trick too. So you should ask about that. If you increase your fats with salmon, avocado, almonds, nut butters, etc. seems to me that it should do the trick. But if you actually need carbs, then instead of going low carb, go slow carb. You still cut out all the crap, sugar, white flour, bread, high fructose corn syrup, fruits, etc. But you keep whole grains, you keep brown rice, you keep low glycemic fruits. Do not forget fiber is a carb but you do not digest most of it, so eating lots of fiber on your low carb diet would carry your meds and still keep you losing fat. If you eat black beans and brown rice once a day or steel cut oats for breakfast (or when you take your meds) you should accomplish your doctors objectives without affecting your weight loss.

Your scale is down and that is a good thing. I don't know all the research and I would never argue with your psych but it seems to me that your symptoms should be less on a low carb diet. Most specfically on a ketogenic diet which is low carb, moderate protein, high fat.

You might try to find a nutritionist in your area that has some experience with this. Nutritioniists are not very expensive and it might be worth getting with one for a couple sessions to find the right balance.

Thanks for the info.... I did ask about the fat as I know fats do carry a host of vitamins, but for the meds I am on.. I was told by him and a prior nutritionist that I need some carbs.  I will try your suggestion... switching from the quick carbs to slow, less processed carbs, and see if this helps.  I appreciate the help!!!!!

I have successfully got into normal BMI in 10 months... I did NOT go low carb... one IMPORTANT thing to remember that carbs are energy... so to "offset" any weight gain due to eating carbs, you MUST do enough activity to burn them and some off...

I'm not talking about any pansy water aerobics and walk off the pounds DVDs... HEAVY WORKOUTS...burning at least 750 calories a day extra over what your body burns on it's own...over 1000 is preferable...

I ate carbs more generously than most here...  Carbs IMHO are not bad.  The problem is, however, if you consume too much at one sitting it will flood your sytem with insulin.  This in turn stores calories to fat, triggers cravings, and also has hunger kick in. I would at 15 net carbs at a snack and 30 net carbs at a meal.  I would space these about 2.5 hours apart.  I am pretty tall, so you may need to adjust your amounts to suit your needs.  Log everything and look for trends to help you find an optimal spot for you.  Keep your overall calories on plan and hit your protein targets.  

Forgot to mention... I would choose unproccessed options that were low on the glycemic index.