Okay, I need to lose some weight before my holiday in 4 weeks time, I want the photos to evoke happy memories not make me cringe. I'm thinking of going down the low carb route, partly because its so far removed from how I usually eat (even when losing weight) I'm hoping it will shock my body into rapidly losing 3 stone.
Seriously though, it will be a completely new way of eating for me. I love carbs - pasta, potatoes bread mmm not to mention cakes and chocolate, no surprises that I'm fat. I will be doing this with the intention that it is just for four weeks but who knows maybe I will make it a longer lasting diet change if the benefits are to be believed (I suffer from some PCOS-y type symptoms so I'm hoping low carb (as well as overall weightloss) might reduce these). I was planning to combine it with 5:2 for the month, does anyone see that this might cause any problems?
My only real concern is I'm going on holiday to Italy with my foodie family, there's no way its not going to be a carb fest - or would I want it any other way. Is 4 weeks low carb followed by a week of pasta and gelato going to make me feel ill? If that's the case then I'll just stick with my tried and tested calorie counting.
I'm planning to start today, I haven't eaten yet because I'm on a nightshift and need to go food shopping in bit. Was thinking maybe keema for dinner with cauliflower, chicken salad for during the night and maybe some full fat yoghurt before bed in the morning. Does that sound okay?
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Low-carb diets
holiday in 4 weeks, need to be slimmer
masquerade · 23/08/2014 16:13
Other will come along to tell you more about 5:2 and low carb. I just wanted to say that 4 weeks of low carb followed by high carb will not make ill but you might feel bloated and regain some of the lost weight and the high carbs will kick you out of ketosis. Italian food is so much more than pasta, so there will be lower carb options if you wished. I am currently logging some Italian ideas on the paleo for weight loss thread (ignore fruit and potatoes for low carb 
). Enjoy your holiday. :)
I think pick one diet either low carb or 5:2 (or calorie counting for that matter) and keep to whichever one you choose as much as possible on holiday so that your tummy doesn't bloat and ruin your efforts. I have done this on hol and its fine, its when I get back from hol things unravel 
Omg I've just weighed myself and I'm a whole stone heavier than I expected 
I didn't even intend on weighing, but then came across a battery for the scales. Please, please, please let them be inaccurate. I haven't used them for almost two year so they could be right?! I'm back at work tomorrow so I'll have to check there.
Other than that I've made a good start with low carbing. Combining the start with nightshifts seems to have been a good idea. I couldn't tell if I was feeling rubbish from the lack of carbs or just the common nightshift grogginess/headaches. I resisted all cakes and crisps available 
I also tested my urine during Sunday night and I know is one of the aims of this sort of low carb diet, so was pleased with that.
I know there'll be lots to chose from favadicacao, but its the pasta I'm looking forward to!
Out of curiosity I entered the food I'd eaten into MFP and interestingly the calorie count was pretty much what I would aim for if trying to lose weight my normal way.
Thanks yumyumpoppycat, I might have a look at that after my holiday but I'm going to just stick with simple low carb-ing for now.
Scarily my scale were right 
I honestly didn't think I was going to be more than my usual fat weight, I don't feel it and my clothes seem to fit the same. I checked at work though and the scale are calibrated regularly there so they definitely don't lie! Anyway, I lost a couple of pounds over the couple of days after weighing and I've decided now I'm not going to weigh myself until Saturday.
I'm finding this diet quite interesting. Its made me very aware of exactly how many carbs and how much rubbish I was eating (obviously to put on nearly a stone without noticing!). I haven't struggled with hunger at all and have enjoyed some delicious meals - keema, chicken and leeks in creamy sauce with roast veg and butter paneer have been my favourites so far. I'm not really missing the carbs that much, its taking a little bit more effort to plan meals as they'd often be carb focused so I maybe miss that ease, but not the actual taste and not the full feeling they give. Even my daughter said after I commented on what a big plate of food she had eaten (chicken and roast veg) that she didn't feel really full though, just normal (she's 10 she doesn't know I'm low carb-ing).
I've had a couple of slip ups, a few bits of potato one day and two cadbury's roses one morning at work - stayed in ketosis though.
Then there was the child's birthday party, two hours drive away so not much opportunity to eat other than what was provided, which was typical - sandwiches, pizza, pastry, crisps, cake. I had a small plate, and a glass of wine. Was not ketotic when I got home that evening, but was by the morning and went back to low carb the following day with no difficulty. This makes me think this could definitely be a way of eating I could continue long term after my holiday, and I've set myself the goal of being 2.5 stone lighter than when I weighed in last week by Christmas.
The only thing I've struggled a little bit with is the unpleasant ketotic taste in my mouth, it seems to be improving now though. I also need to make a conscious effort to drink more water.
I'm definitely looking a bit slimmer anyway. Will be interested to see what the scales say on Saturday!
I've lost 4lb since I weighed myself even better is 2 inches off my waist and my hips! I've stuck to low carb all week with ease. I'm still not managing to drink enough water though, I only usually drink water anyway, but not as much as I should be. The ketotic taste has gone now.
I'm going to see family tomorrow so I don't know how easy/difficult it will be foodwise.
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