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.

I am rethinking the carbs. I don’t think I was eating more than 20carbs per day.
I think low blood sugars is definitely a problem for me.
I have done the low carb diet with a couple of glasses of juice added in.
Still not lost any more weight but haven’t put any on. Going to look into adding the carbs from the juice to different meals to see if it makes a difference
I have though lost 5 inches off my waist

@Bythemillpond

You're rather missing the point of low carb if you're topping up your sugar levels with juice. That sends your blood sugar through the roof. You might as well have jam on toast.

'Low blood sugar' is a symptom of relying on carbs. Your body hasn't learned to use fat to top up blood sugar (gluconeogenesis), so, when you don't ingest sugar, you feel the need to. There's no blood sugar 'peaks and troughs' with a proper low carb diet. That's part of the joy of it. You get hungry, but you don't feel like you're going to keel over if you don't eat NOW.

Tbh I am going through a really stressful time at the moment so I wasn’t sure whether the shaking was stress related.

How does my body learn to use fat to top up blood sugar. If I powered on through would the shaking stop and how long does it take to get through

I wasn’t hungry my stomach was in knots.

Barenaked noodles (brand name, I forget what they actually are!) Are a decent substitute for pasta/rice.

I agree OP, my daughter in law is a type 1 diabetic, was very badly obese. Since going on low carb she's lost half her body weight and the blood sugars are amazing.

I've been low carb for a good few years now. I do have the occasion carb-feast (its usually marmite on toast that gets me) but there are more and more low(er) carb versions out there now. These rolls are virtually indistinguishable from normal bread rolls: seriouslylowcarb.com/collections/seriously-low-carb-food

@Bythemillpond

I wasn’t hungry my stomach was in knots.

It takes a week or two for your body to learn to use its fat. It's faster for some people than others, and happens at a different rate depending on what proportion of your diet is carb.

I always picture fat as being in a jam jar, and the insulin being released when you eat carbs as being the lid. The more insulin your body is used to relying on, the tighter the lid is screwed on, and the harder it will be to remove. Your juice is screwing the lid down whilst your low carb diet is trying to unscrew it. If it's only half off, you'll struggle because you don't have your usual fuel and you can't fully access the 'new' type either. You can make the shakiness last for AGES like this!

If it's overwhelming and you're really stressed, maybe now isn't the time? The lower the carbs the better, given we don't need them at all and they don't nourish us, but that doesn't mean we should just stop dead right now. You have to pick your time - it's a task you need to concentrate on.

@Isisiris

Barenaked noodles (brand name, I forget what they actually are!) Are a decent substitute for pasta/rice.

I make a kind of ramen with those - miso, noodles, prawns and chilli 🤤

Someone mentioned jelly earlier. If you use zero sugar jelly and make it with water and double cream you get a nice pannacotta style dessert.

@InterfectoremVulpes Ooh, what split of water and cream do you use?

Eckhart
I might just stick to what I am doing for the time being. I think later on in the year might be better as at the moment I feel like crying most of the time or walking out to live under a bridge. Trying to keep everything together

[quote Eckhart]@InterfectoremVulpes Ooh, what split of water and cream do you use?[/quote]
I usually do it with about 250ml of boiling water, allow it to cool a bit (to prevent curdling) and then add a whole small pot of cream (around 250-300ml i think)

Works really well with lime jelly with added lemon zest if you like something a bit zingy!

Thank you. Trying that tomorrow

I loved low carb but unfortunately it caused such severe constipation including compaction (tmi) i had to give up.

I also missed the variety of food and cooking. I could live without the bread etc but really missed having colour in my meals and felt so many of my usual meals were high carb through the sauces and bright vegetables. I really missed beetroot.

That happens when you don't eat enough fat, @AlexandraPeppernose

You don't have to cut out veg. A high proportion of their carbs is fibre, which we can't digest, so it doesn't count.

I also missed the variety of food and cooking. I could live without the bread etc but really missed having colour in my meals and felt so many of my usual meals were high carb through the sauces and bright vegetables. I really missed beetroot

I find my plate is more colourful now than before. Meat and salad is much better than beige buffet.

I find my plate is more colourful now than before. Meat and salad is much better than beige buffet

Yes, absolutely. Avoiding anything beige is quite an effective way of dropping your carbs.

mumofone2019

if you are drinking fruit juice you are completely defeating the purpose of low carb, which is controlling insulin levels so doing low carb and then drinking juice probably isnt a great idea

I realise that. It is just that I feel so terrible when I start getting the shakes and added to all the stress I am under I need to feel the best I can otherwise I think I will collapse in a heap.

I was fine the first few weeks as i was eating well and did feel good but then the shakes started and my stomach felt like it was being scrambled and I felt so dreadful that I ended up having a glass of juice and felt so much better.
Not ideal but I couldn’t think of what else to do to stop my whole body from shaking.

I've had great success loosing weight when low carbing. But I just can't keep it up and then when i start to have carbs I seem to out on weight twice as fast.

@AlexandraPeppernose

I loved low carb but unfortunately it caused such severe constipation including compaction (tmi) i had to give up.

I also missed the variety of food and cooking. I could live without the bread etc but really missed having colour in my meals and felt so many of my usual meals were high carb through the sauces and bright vegetables. I really missed beetroot.

I'm surprised your plate is less colourful. The only colourful vegetables I can think of that you can't eat or should at least limit on low carb are sweet potatoes and beetroot. Most carby things are mostly white or beige surely? I know things like sweet corn and peas are quite high in carbs but as long as you don't fill your plate with them I can't see an issue eating them. All other 'permitted' vegetables are all colours of the rainbow :)

@colouringindoors

I've had great success loosing weight when low carbing. But I just can't keep it up and then when i start to have carbs I seem to out on weight twice as fast.

Can you alternate? Have a period of low carb, then a deliberate day off every now and again? Your body will find it easier and easier to switch from carb to fat as fuel if you do it over and over, and it might make 'being low carb' more bearable... you know, if you know you can have a croissant in a few days?

I had great success with low carb when I first tried it out (like most diets). It's the only way I lose weight, feel better and quickly too. However in recent years I haven't been able to stick to it for long despite knowing the science, benefits etc.

So now I'm gojng to give it a bash but if I want a Diet Coke, or lower carb versions of bread/pasta or a baked treat made with sweetener I'm going to have it, despite what the purists say. I'm 2 weeks in and feel better and less bloated already. Going to try and keep the treats to planned treat days, like payday rather than 3 times a week. I'm in this for the long haul and I can't live my life never having pizza again and my only oat milk latte first thing is the one thing I'm really enjoy so that's staying.

Find what works for you. If I find my weight loss stalls I'll obviously have a look and see what I can strict up but you have to be able to stick at it. In my humble opinion!

@supercee Almond milk is keto. Not that I disagree with anything you've said; just, for your coffee, in case you didn't know :)