After all the lo-fat programming that has been drummed into our heads, it is a bit difficult to get a handle on the whole carb thing. I finally simplified it like this:

~ if it contains sugar, it has carbs
~ if it contains flour, it has carbs
~ if it's a plant product, it pretty much guaranteed has carbs
~ if it's a milk product, it has some carbs (milk=bad, cheese=good)

Next time you go to the grocery, pick up some products and read the label. You'll see <B>Total Carbs</B>, and under that you'll see <B>Fiber</B>. Not meaning to be graphic, but fiber ... umm ... well, it doesn't exactly digest, if you know what I mean! And it doesn't raise your insulin level. So, to get the total number of "countable carbs" in a food, you deduct the fiber from the total carb count.

This is all very basic -- the books and articles explain it better than I ever could! But hopefully this gives you a mini-primer of the carb picture.

Also (climbing onto my soapbox), if asked, I would definitely <B>discourage</B> you from the gastric bypass surgery. A friend of mine had it in early January, and I've lost more on Atkins in 6 weeks than she has in over 2 months. She's also experiencing severe side effects. A recent issue of <I>People</I> had a very sobering article about the catastrophic results some people have had.

Losing at a slow, steady pace -- drinking plenty of water -- getting plenty of exercise to tone your body -- these are the keys to not having a kangaroo pouch when you reach your goal weight. (Or so I'm told ... and am hoping!)