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Does low carb work for everyone? Tell me about your successes

7 replies

MayimBialik · 05/04/2013 20:46

Pretty much what the title says really. Are you guaranteed success if you do low carb? How do you feel? Healthy or week and ill? How much weight have you lost?

Thinking of doing this but I'm a carb lover!!

OP posts:
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MummyNoName · 05/04/2013 22:16

I'm a carb lover alsoSmile
Been on the Atkins since tues morning and I've lost 6lb!

It's quite easy if you have the motivation and its strange to eat fatty food and not count calories. But I can't argue with 6lbs!

I have just eaten half a piece of whole meal bread with butter though. Blush As i do feel a bit peeky. Today is the only day I've really craved carbs though.

Had a mild headache, more a slight dull ache on day 3. And apart from feeling a bit crap right this minute (though a little better now I've had some bread), its really not bad. Don't feel weak at all.

Had pork belly salad for dinner yesterday and today. Mackerel salad with soft boiled egg for lunch. Really tastySmile

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MummyNoName · 05/04/2013 22:22

And drink lots of water.

2 litres a day min.

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beanandspud · 05/04/2013 22:36

I love carbs and am following the SW plan as I can have unlimited pasta, rice and potatoes. The weight is coming off but it's 'slow and steady'.

I have tried low-carb in the past and it wasn't for me. I lost half a stone really quickly but I didn't find it sustainable as a way of eating. It probably doesn't help that I don't eat meat (do eat fish) and I just found it really boring. As soon as I went back to eating any carbs the weight went back on.

Saying that, I know a lot of people that swear by a low-carb diet, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, it just wasn't for me.

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Bartlebee · 05/04/2013 22:43

I think it's a great woe - fresh non processed food, feels v healthy. I know loads of mners get on really well with it.

I however can't do it long term. I do a lot of strenuous exercise and find low carbing leaves me with no energy.

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EMUZ · 06/04/2013 00:35

I love it. I feel great and energetic Smile
Also do a lot of exercise so I do have sweet potato (more primal/Paleo)
Loss of nearly 9kg since January

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teaandthorazine · 06/04/2013 08:56

Everyone who tries low-carb is a carb lover - it's love of carbs that helps put the weight on in the first place!

No-one is 'guaranteed success' on any particular WOE. And some people find they don't like LC - but most people get on well with it and find it very effective. IMO, it works best when you understand the 'science' behind it - what our body actually does with the food we eat etc, and why sugar and processed carbs aren't good for us, why fat is, etc. So I would recommend getting hold of a book like Escape the Diet Trap by Dr John Briffa, or the Primal Blueprint (slightly different approach but v interesting on why sugar, grains etc really shouldn't be part of our diet).

You may feel a bit crappy for a couple of days as your body realises it's not getting regular doses of sugar! But this passes and the majority of people find they have significantly increased energy and well being.

I love low carb. Once you've done it for a while I guarantee you will wonder what on earth possessed you to eat low-fat, high-carb junk in the first place!

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nappyaddict · 26/04/2013 11:09

I've lost about a stone. I am not strictly primal or low carb but I try to follow it as best I can. I try to cut out sugar (including honey), grains, legumes and potatoes.

Grass-fed beef and butter is not only better for you but tastes a million times better. Ghee or clarified butter has less casein than normal butter so it is often tolerated better.

It is a great way of eating for me because I don't feel deprived. You can make things taste rich with oils, butter, cream and cheese. After all plain bread, rice and pasta isn't exactly something to look forward to is it, it's the sauces you put on it. I just put those sauces on my meat and veg instead.

I also allow myself a recommended amount of 3 squares or 30g of 85% or higher dark chocolate a day and a large glass of good red. The one I drink is 13% and an "allowable" daily serving is apparently 273ml. They both have health benefits and they are a nice treat to look forward to.

If you have a coffee machine put dry ingredients (cinnamon, cocoa powder) on top of the coffee in the filter rather than adding it into the liquid coffee. I use 2 tablespoons of ground coffee, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of cocoa per mug. It's much more flavorful than adding it after the coffee's brewed. In my coffee I now have some vanilla extract, a dollop of extra thick double cream with a teaspoon of cocoa and a teaspoon of cinnamon sprinkled on top instead of milk and sugar.

I've got a long list of snacks that I can fall back on when hunger kicks in.

A selection of the following usually:

Berries with cream
3 squares (30g) of dark chocolate - 85% plus
Hard boiled eggs
Sticks of cheese
Nuts
Fruit dipped in nut butters
Our version of mini pancakes (make pancake batter by mixing a big spoonful of nut butter with a mashed up banana and two eggs. Place greased metal cookie cutter on frying pan and pour in batter)
snoworneahva's version of cream cheese pancakes (will post recipe at the bottom)
Pork scratchings
Strips of chicken, smoked salmon, ham
Canned tuna
Prawns
Lettuce wraps with sandwich fillings, left over chilli/bolognese, curry etc
Avocado
Yoghurt
Beetroot
Pickled onions
Olives
Sundried tomatoes
Those stuffed peppers and cubes of cheese you can get in jars of flavoured oil
Veggie/salad sticks and dips (nut butter, cream cheese, mayo)

Cream cheese pancakes

50g cream cheese
2 eggs
1tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon - ( I add 2tsp as we love cinnamon)
1tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix together using a stick blender. You can make them without coconut flour and baking powder to make something more like a crepe.

Spoon a tablespoon of mixture onto an oiled heated non stick frying pan. Like all pancakes you need to play a bit to achieve the right heat and figure out when best to flip over.

Philly comes in small snack sized portions - it's perfect for this, they have a really long shelf life, so you'll always have the ingredients at hand.

Frozen blueberries with more cinnamon cooked in micro till they go jammy work well with these.

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