No more diets - moderate carb

[user1471514421]

Hi everyone

After reading lots of threads on here, I decided to stop using 'diets' to control my weight. I decided to try moderate carb, I am only about two weeks in but am so much happier and have lost weight.

Plus I am also not starving most of the time! Thank you mumsnet

Good for you, I hate the word "diet". I cut way down on processed carbs and also potatoes, rice and bread last month - was never hungry and lost a stone. I've got more energy, and it was easy. I don't eat separately from my family, but will have a load of green veg instead of pasta with the meatballs.

Cam you explain more about what 'moderate carbs' is? Sounds maybe what I'm looking for. I find low carb too restrictive and its leading me to be either on it (and eating very little) or off it and effectively binge eating cakes.

Hi Electionpondering, mine is similar to what feemcgee has said, no bread, rice pasta, sweet stuff but I still eat fruit. Aiming for 90g of protein a day.

I have lost 2lbs so far, and need to lose another 6 to get to goal.

I wish you luck, its worth a try, not being hungry is a major factor

I find eating more protein stops you from feeling hungry. I've cut out all junk carbs, but still have small amounts of wholegrain pasta, rice, ryvita crackers and rich tea biscuits as they're low calorie. I've lost 6lbs. I still eat a bit of fruit.

Well done! You could probably up your protein a little if you wanted as well - aim for around 2g of protein for every kg you weigh.

Moderate carbing = cutting right down on sugar, grains and refined carbohydrates like bread, cereals and pasta. Getting most of your carbs from vegetables.

I’ve been doing it for a couple of years and have felt great - no more bloating or feeling heavy and sleepy after meals. I used to be a total bread fiend, I could eat half a loaf of fresh bread in a sitting easily and craved it a lot. Now I have no cravings.

I read Michael Mosley's Fast 800 book - didn't stick to 800 calories a day, probably ate up to 1500 daily. Not all carbs are bad, you can get what you need from veg. He basically says to aim for each meal to be as nutritious as possible - eat fat and protein with each meal to fill you up. Fat is not bad! I eat a lot of eggs, fish, chicken and meat. Hardly any fruit apart from berries, plenty of veg though.

I think this is what I do- like feemcgee above, I started off doing blood sugar diet/fast 800 and lost 3 stone, and now I do a higher calorie version of it (so around 1300 cals today) but still follow the main principles of no bread, pasta, rice, grains, sugar, potatoes etc. It works for me as maintenance but if I want to lose I do need to be more strict.

It is the closest I've ever been to the 'lifestyle change' rather than diet approach, and it works well for me. I just know which foods I can and can't have and it just sort of happens.

I'm astonished at the weight loss plus the lovely now bloated feeling. Cant believe I had it so wrong for so long

I'm just getting into this, have cut carbs out of lunch and just having chicken salad etc and fruit, which fills me up. Need to tackle dinner next as its so easy to do pasta/potatoes for the kids. I need to just not have that element myself! What do people do for breakfast?

This is what I've been doing! I've lost nearly a stone since the start of May. I haven't cut anything out completely, as the moment I do that I crave it intensely. I avoid starchy carbs for two meals a day and don't snack, or if I have carbs just limit the portions. Carbs are my favourite so no way low carbing was going to work for me, and I am losing baby weight so I need it to be slow, steady and maintainable.

UnderPompeii I normally have eggs, sometimes with grilled tomato and mushroom. Other days fruit yoghurt and nuts. Both quick and easy

isn' it amazing? All our mothers were cutting out tatties and bread to trim their waistlines in the 70s!

I have only ever done one "diet" which was the Pig to Twig low carb when that first came out and it worked for me, but I loved bread more! That was about ten years ago, maybe a bit less
Lately I am heading back to low-ish carbing in a similar way to the OP....and trying to minimise gluten too, as I have thyroid and auto immune issues and again I am feeling fresher, losing weight, regaining my waist and sleeping so much better

potatoes are really my only starchy carbs and combined with smaller less greedy portions of everything it works for me.

I've just started the Diabetes UK low carb programme, which starts off at 120-150g of carbs a day. I prefer it to vlcd as I'm veggie so get my protein from lentils and pulses.