Hi all! I lost about 80 lbs on low card - no carbs at all except from veggies. Now I've reached a plateau and I've also become quite sick of maintaining a diet so low in carbs. I'm gone from home most of the day and it's a pain to carry around that kind of food.

I have about 40 lbs. more to lose and I'd like to do it while also eating some complex carbs. Can you please help me here? I'm really confused as to what to eat here especially when I walk in the supermarket and look at the wall of breads available. Do I want whole grain, stone ground, rye, all kinds of nuts and seeds in it, etc.

Also, what kind of oats are OK? Cooking time isn't a problem. I know that instant isn't good because it raises blood sugar very fast but I'm not sure exactly what to pick out that is the purest form without too much processing. I need similar help in terms of beans and other complex carbs. What should I look for and which ones are the lowest on the glycemic index.

Thanks!!

Rolled Oats, Steel Cut oats, sweet potatoes, yams (yams are not the same thing as sweet potatoes. they are lower than sweet potatoes in glycemic index. they can usually be found in asian markets), brown rice, etc. Some can argue but I don't think bread isn't the best choice for starcy carbs even if it is whole grain.

Hi Sineea, can you show us an example of your diet? Maybe show us what each meal looks like? That way we can look at it and then suggest what (and when) to insert into your meals to help you begin adding in complex carbs.

For example, for starters you could simply add 1/4-1/2 cup (measured dry) oatmeal into your breakfast. For now just pick up some old fashioned oatmeal (the canister with that guy in the big hat on the front). Measure out the amount in a measuring cup, put the oats in a bowl and add water. Put the bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minute, take out and stir, put back in for another minute or so.

(Add other ingredients to it depending on your preference; you could stick a couple raisins in there or - and this is what I prefer - 3-5 packets of Splenda.)

In addition to complex carbs, if you're not already eating any I would strongly urge adding fruit into your diet. Breakfast is also a good starting point here; you could add a small fruit serving in your first meal. Grapefruit, orange, berries, etc.

See, I've been avoiding all fruit (although I love it!) and all starches (potatos, pasta, rice, bread, corn, carrots, peas, etc.). Usually I would eat scrambled eggs and tomato in the morning, and chicken or turkey or pork with a vegetable or salad at lunch and dinner. For example I would make a stir fry with diced chicken and add frozen vegetables like peppers and broccoli and cauliflower. Or I would bake chicken and eat it with steamed vegetables, stuff like that, just no carbs.

What I'm looking for is to be able to eat some carbs, say, as a side to a meal or a bread on a sandwich. It's also a lot more convenient to bring a sandwich to work than baked chicken and vegetables!

I am very sensitive to sugar though, they call it insulin resistant... my bloodsugar goes up quickly and then drops low if I eat sugars, especially fast acting. Now, I'm not a diabetic - my bloodsugar is never too high, in fact it's always too low (never goes above low 90's). It has been explained to me by an endocrinologist that I produce too much insuline as a result of sugars that I eat, and therefore it is stored on as fat. He advised me to eat low carb so that I don't have the sugar to invite excessive insuline.

So, I would like to know what carbs out there are the "good carbs" that won't drive up blood sugar but are filling and have fiber. The problem I've had with fruits is that their sugar is released very fast into the bloodstream.

I would like the names and brands of some healthy breads, vegetables, oats, etc. that haven't been processed to the point where they become fast acting sugars. I've heard before that to make bread be "bread" it has to be processed to where most of what is in there are fast acting sugars, despite the label saying it's whole grain. I heard that brown rice is no better than white rice in how fast it raises blood sugar. I do think, however, that you can buy stuff that is as close to whole as possible out there, I am just not sure what it is.

Thanks!

Is your opinion on fruits based on actual experience, or just that you know sugars are bad and fruits contain sugars? Have you tried different fruits? You mentioned in your post carbs that are low on the glycemic index. Many fruits are actually low. Even though fruits have sugar, the sugar is fructose. Frutcose is a special sugar in that it is not readily converted to glucose, the sugar that raises your blood sugar. You might try different types of fruits because most diabetics (and I have worked with many full-blown type 2 diabetics so their condition is far more sensitive than yours sounds) can tolerate fruits.

Also, your concern is insulin. Hopefully your endrocrynologist explained that insulin isn't just released by carbs. It is a common misconception that high glycemic foods = high insulin. While it may be true, in some cases low glycemic foods actually release more insulin. It's interesting because you mention a low carb diet. Protein and fats actually release insulin as well ... so if you are trying to manage insulin, your issue is more complicated than just the glycemic index.

As one final note ... your blood sugar is impacted based on the entire meal, not just the food. In other words, while pure maple syrup may be higher on the glycemic index than brown rice, if that maple syrup is on whole grain french toast, the fiber in the bread, and the protein and fats in the egg, both will slow digestion and make the entire meal lower glycemic.

Here is a comprehensive list of foods by glycemic index ... most people believe that anything under 55 is good for management of blood sugar:

http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

Simple and complex carbohydrates are still mentioned a lot but this is outdated thinking ... it really is more complex than simple and complex, pardon the pun.

Jeremy