Low carb is changing my life.

[cheeseisthebest]

Posting this in chat as hoping it will be helpful.

Bit of backstory- I was diagnosed with high blood sugar and pre-diabetes several years ago. The advice then was just to cut down on sugar which I did and saw an improvement.

Couple of years later I went back to Doctors as I felt hungry all the time, high blood sugar and pre-diabetic again. The advice now was to cut out sugar and carbs.
I've tried and tried over the past couple of years but finally something has clicked.
Since 1st Jan I've had no carbs or anything sweet. This is a massive deal for me, I'm working at home, stressful job and homeschooling and food has always been my comfort and I just love sweet stuff.

However I feel full, so I'm eating less, I've lost almost 4lb, my mood is more stable, I dont think about food constantly. I'm enjoying treats like cheese and cream (in moderation!) I'm really hopeful that I've finally cracked this.

I'm not sure why its different after so many attempts but I really dont want to end up with a serious health condition (type 2 diabetes) that is one of the few health conditions that you can have control over.

Just wanted to share in case this is helpful to anyone.

[TheChosenTwo]

I had temporary success with low carbing a few years ago and after the initial adjustment was made, didn’t feel hungry anymore. Then fell of the wagon and never got back on it.
Trouble is, my teen dds are older now, we tend to eat as a family of 5 altogether and I’d hate them to get wind of the idea that I thought carb avoiding was a good idea/something they should be doing too. I feel like I’d be demonising an entire food group and encouraging them into faddy fussy ways.
I have definitely pulled myself away from 3 carb heavy meals a day though!
Well done OP, it’s great to make a decision for your health that you can feel paying off

[YogaLite]

I also eat low carb and since lockdown1 reduced food intake and lost nearly 3 stone. Basically, I have light breakfast, then fruit or veg/dip for lunch (small portion), early dinner about 5 and a desert about 7.

In between the above, I would only have herbal teas.

But I noticed something really interesting:. even if I feel hungry when going to bed, I wake up and I am not hungry at all. It seems that if I get past the early feeling of hunger, the body seems to pull energy from the stores in my body .

I then wake up in the morning still not hungry and could last till midday, although I usually eat breakfast (1 egg omelette with some extras) about 8-9.

That feeling when hunger stops gives me almost like endorphin high. Similar thing happens when I go for a long walk and get beyond feeling hungry and could carry on for hours without food, just with some drink.

Once I realised that the initial hunger subsides after a short while when fat stores come into play, i learned to love the feeling that comes with it, knowing that the fat somewhere it's melting

I am now in the ok range (just), my stomach is flat but now I know how, I want to shift one more stone, which I think will come from my thighs.

[MrsTaytodarling]

Can I ask, is it low carb high fat?

[Mylittlepea]

Oh and I no longer suffer indigestion & acid reflux which was terrible pre-keto.....I used wake up in the middle of the night at least twice a week with the most awful acid in my throat. Totally disappeared now.

[Mylittlepea]

@Shinyletsbebadguys - amazing, incredible weight loss - well done. Keto is a way of life and for the first time in my life I don’t snack or feel the urge to eat the minute I wake up.....my annual bloods all came back perfect too, after a year on keto and a family history of high BP, high liver fats and cholesterol. All normal and food I love to eat every day......

[Bythemillpond]

I will have a look at Dr Jason Fung

[Bythemillpond]

The reason I am not eating is I don’t feel hungry. Add on a stomach that feels knotted and the thought of food making me nauseous. I don’t know how to eat more.

I was doing well in the first 4 weeks but then the stress started and it all went wrong

[Smelborp]

I’ve been low carbing since the end of November and I’m over 20lbs down now. I feel so much better. I LOVED carbs, all of them but I’ve been able to enjoy other foods, I don’t crave them them anymore and I don’t feel hungry or like I’m missing out.

I’ve always been so cynical about diets but I’m feeling pretty evangelical at the moment.

[Bythemillpond]

I wish I didn’t have the side effects. The first few weeks were great. I love the food and the weight was coming off. If someone could say if you stick it out for a week or 2 weeks you will feel like collapsing but you will come through the other end and get over the trembling sensation/palpitations and shaking I would try to carry on.

[Shinyletsbebadguys]

I agree OP, it always makes me smile on MN when people claim it's just faddy and it can't be done long term. There are some people on here who are desperate to vilify it. 2 years keto here then switched to low carb for maintenance.

Lost 8 stone. My recent blood tests (with the exclusion of iron...ive been anaemic since a child ...even low carb won't fix that) and my blood tests were dead on for the first time. Family history of diabetes and heart disease. My cholesterol ratios were perfect (fortunately my GP is particularly good at understanding cholesterol so congratulated me on my ratios ) . Everything else was exactly right which I consider an achievement given what they were previously.

I have more energy , my mood swings disappeared within weeks.

I don't necessarily believe it suits everyone but for me it was almost a magical solution. All my aches and pains disappeared, my relationship with food became so much healthier because I stopped being desperate for food or using it self medicate.

It's tough at first don't get me wrong but blimey it has worked wonders for me.

[Bythemillpond]

I am vegetarian too and I am struggling. I felt great doing this initially. The weight was falling off but I seemed to have plateaued for a month and my energy levels are dipping and I have found I can’t get over the shakes and tremors.
My husband put his hand on my stomach last night and said it felt like I had palpitations. He thought I had my heart in my stomach and it was beating at 10,000 beats per minute. He was quite worried about me. He asked if I should go to A&E. I was exhausted but my body wouldn’t stop shaking and I had eaten really well over the day.

I think I might come off it for a while and try something else.

[IdblowJonSnow]

I could ditch bread but not pasta. I'm vege, don't know what the hell I'd eat other than eggs and vege sausages?!

[1990s]

I’ve done low card successfully before and found it great, but I am a veggie ideally and I had to break it and eat some meat to get my protein high enough.

I don’t really want to do this again, every just says “lentils, Greek yoghurt, cheese, eggs, all sources of protein” but even incorporating all things like that I don’t get enough to be the right gram ratio to my bodyweight.

Do other vegetarians use protein shakes? Can anyone recommend one? I feel nervous that they seem like a processed unnatural thing.

[Sunnydayssoon]

I am in awe of everyone's achievements and feel inspired to start! So much so that I've stocked up on some delicious nuts from M&S,which I appear to have absentmindedly opened!!

I have such low energy levels atm, am heavier that I have been in years and am sleeping badly. I'll have a good read for food ideas and hopefully start tomorrow.

Thank you op!

[supercee]

Exactly @mumofone2019 I know how it works, what foods are low/med/high carb, I avoid sugar, get my carbs from non-starchy veg, don't go daft on the dairy, get the good fats in and if having a slice of low carb bread then it'll be a once maybe twice a week thing rather than every day. Same with a measured portion of low carb pasta.

I only eat probably two meals a day and if one is a bit carbier then I'll make the other less so. All better than mainlining pizzas and takeaways and bottles of wine which I was doing in the run up to Christmas

[Userzzz]

You’ve motivated me to try and start low carbing today. Thanks OP, love hearing these positive stories.

[Bythemillpond]

mumofone2019

I started off having nuts and seeds with Greek yoghurt a few days per week. Cheese omelette with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms a few days per week and a vegan 1/4 pounder with salad, broccoli and spinach each night but as the weeks progressed I became full after having just the omelette or just the seeds and nuts and couldn’t face anything else. If anything I could only manage one meal per day.
The problem is I don’t know for certain that it is the diet or just the circumstances surrounding my stress which is making me shake.

[Eckhart]

I think if you're eating just about enough carbs for your body, or not quite enough, it'll really make you feel rough. Your body will still be relying on carbs for fuel, but not having enough to give you much energy, and your fat stores will still be sealed away tightly by the insulin your carbs are releasing.

Different people have different requirements too. Some people can get away with eating a considerably higher amount of carbs than others. I think understanding what's causing your shakiness and knowing what to do to rectify it is part of getting to know your body in a low carb way. It does involve a bit of a rough ride for some - that's just trial and error though, rather than cause for giving up.