Talk to me about low-carb diets?

[Bluebabe75]

OK, 11 weeks and 2 days until our holiday and I am still struggling to get motivated. Have more or less decided to write off the rest of this week and focus from Monday now.

I am a total carb addict and I'm wondering if I would get better (i.e. quicker) results from cutting out carbs. But, I don't really want to do a no carb diet as that isn't sustainable for me in the long term. Plus, I don't really understand what other foods contain carbs - I can cut out the obvious things like bread, pasta, noodles, rice, potatoes to some extent, but won't I be hungry if I just eat protein and veg? Or will I lose weight if I just reduce the amount of carbs I eat (i.e. cut out bread and try and have at least one carb-free meal a day) which I think will be more sustainable for me. I can't see what I can eat for breakfast if I don't have cereal / toast as I don't really have time to cook.

Also, what about exercising? If I don't eat enough carbs, will I still be able to run?

Help and advice appreciated please! I am still debating whether to try this or focus harder on the calorie counting (or go back on WW, but I really cba )

Thank you

[mrsdunny207]

I know they work but tbh I'm not a believer in following a plan which cuts out food groups if you intend to go back to eating them. i know for me I couldn't cut out carbs long term (although potentially limiting them in the evening or going for brown versions rather than refined white might be OK) otherwise as soon as you go back to eating them the weight piles back on...

BB you know healthy eating works for you and I think you could do it sensibly without counting and still lose a bit before holidays.

[Elvisola]

Have a search for a recent thread about dieting without dieting or something like that.

Mr Nonsense and Cheeky Biscuit gave loads of advice about losing weight healthily and I dropped a stone and have kept it off really easily. I think Chell is still maintaining as well.

Think the fundamental rules are protein at every meal, including with snacks (have almonds with an apple for example) and a no carb meal a day, I did it at dinner.

I don't really think about what I am eating now i just seem to make better choices and it is really sustainable as a result.

[mrsdunny207]

ps - try not to write off any day (or a week) as you have given yourself permission to eat crap and will probably eat lots worse than a normal day... Helski really helped me take ownership of my decisions and make better food choices without following a diet per se (just need to re-focus myself at the moment too)

[Rosa]

I went a bit mental when I realised I really had to face a low carb diet for my health. I didn't think I could do it. However nine months in, for me there is no looking back, I cannot imagine eating bread again (and I was a carb addict before, seriously).

It is easy to understand what you can and can't have really. Anything with sugar or gluten is out for me, which takes out almost all carbs, aside from those occurring in fruit and vegetables.

If you have plenty of protein with your meals you don't get as hungry, I don't really snack at all anymore, which eliminates the problem of snackfoods, which in general are bad/rubbish.

Eating all the fresh vegetables makes you feel so much better in general, and its nice to know you are dong good things for your health as well. When I see bread now, my automatic thought is not that it looks yum with a load of butter on it, but it is a waste of eating, and doesn't bring anything to my health.

As a side effect of the change in diet, I dropped a stone that I'd struggled to shift for over ten years without even really trying. It was hard to get my head around never eating any of my favourite foods again, but they've slipped from my mind really and I can;t imagine going back.

I imagine it would be very hard to cut sugars and gluten without eliminating them altogether, as your body needs to get used to not having them iyswim.

[*Holly*]

I am just cutting out the really obvious ones for now, I think if you are a carb lover it will make a big difference.

Im also cutting out coke :( and sweets. I am allowing low carb vegetables and some fruit as I will die without the sugar and im not desperate enough to give up completely. I guess cutting out the main carbs and refined sugar will be a good thing regardless for the time being!

[Mrs B]

I ate low-carb the whole time I was doing WW. I also ran and later cycled on a low-carb diet. Have noticed that now I'm eating it again, am very bloated and lacking in energy.

You can eat some, just not every meal; maybe try eliminating bread and pasta to start, as wheat and yeast can be particularly bad for stomach issues, bloating etc. There are carbs in things like milk and some veg, so you certainly will be having some. And I find that protein fills me up much more than carbs, without the subsequent sugar-crash. Hope that makes sense!

I'm back on Monday too, giving myself til after this bike ride. You can do it sweets!

PS Eggs - they are a godsend!

[*kate*]

Since November last year I've lost over a stone relatively painlessly (and tbh, most of that was between Nov and March). My DH has also lost nearly 2.5 stones since January.

I initially started by cutting out biscuits/crisps and crap, and extended that to cutting out bread and pasta, couscous etc. The first week was really hard because I love(d) carbs but it got easier after that. I still ate rice, but in far smaller portions than I used to, and never ate anything like that for my evening meal. Yes I was hungry the first week or so, but you get used to the feeling fairly quickly.

After I reached my "happy weight" I introduced those carbs back in, but in more healthy forms, ie whole meal bread and all bran instead of toast and cereal. I know that when I eat white bread or too much whole meal bread I end up bloated and uncomfortable and always regretting it. I won't ever go back to the way (or amount) I used to eat.

Something else that's helped is by eating more veggie recipes. We now only eat meat a couple of times a week and it really does make a difference. Also, eating a little earlier in the evening and never eating bread, pasta or rice with my evening meal.

And My Fitness Pal was invaluable too. We both religiously used it and only stopped tracking about a month ago. Im sure MFP was the only thing that spurred me on to do a bit of exercise because I could SEE that exercise = more to eat

Good luck x

[Bluebabe75]

BB you know healthy eating works for you and I think you could do it sensibly without counting and still lose a bit before holidays.

Thanks honey. Good advice I think... I probably 'can' do it without counting, it isn't as if I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I think I need to track again (whether it is MFP or WW) at least short-term to deal with the bad habits I have slipped into, but maybe after that I can do it myself.

ps - try not to write off any day (or a week) as you have given yourself permission to eat crap and will probably eat lots worse than a normal day... Helski really helped me take ownership of my decisions and make better food choices without following a diet per se (just need to re-focus myself at the moment too)

More good advice I definitely need to make better food choices than I have been doing recently. Will try and track from tomorrow and, even if I am not dieting, it might stop the binge eating.

Have a search for a recent thread about dieting without dieting or something like that.
.

Will have a look for that thread. Definitely sounds more sustainable

You can eat some, just not every meal; maybe try eliminating bread and pasta to start, as wheat and yeast can be particularly bad for stomach issues, bloating etc. There are carbs in things like milk and some veg, so you certainly will be having some. And I find that protein fills me up much more than carbs, without the subsequent sugar-crash. Hope that makes sense!

Bread is definitely my biggest issue. Am ok with pasta (we only have it once a week at most and I only eat 50g dried weight) but I could try eliminating it. Is rice bad too? And couscous / egg noodles? I will probably still eat some potatoes as they don't make me bloat

*kate* - That sounds like what I want to do in the longer term. You have done really well

[Skipping Girl]

Just quickly as lots of good advice before me (loving the inspirational advice from mrsdunny). My DH is on a low/no-carb diet. I don't want to no-carb totally so I have toast for breakfast, sandwich etc for lunch but dinner is always a salad and meat of some description or something from this cookbook (downloaded to Kindle).

Kat
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