Anyone else not been able to stick to a low carb diet?

[Housemartinshappyhour]

I tried to do a very low carb, high protein diet for around 3 weeks.
No bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, anything.
No cakes or crisps, etc.
No dairy milk
I'd have grilled bacon and eggs or veggie sausages for breakfasts, protein with salads and veg for lunch, same for dinner.

3 small snacks a day, nuts, seeds, cheese, fruit etc.

I'd also have protein shakes and bars, but they're very expensive so I've stopped

In 3 weeks my skin improved, stopped being as bloated and lost 1kg.
However I'd have a cheat day once a week where I'd eat all sorts of rubbish.

I just couldn't sustain it however. My diet was awful previously and I'm just on a more relaxed version of it now.

I eat wholemeal/rye bread only, have porridge with non dairy milk and honey for breakfast, sandwiches on wholemeal bread, brown rice, potatoes etc.
If i want a packet of crisps or a cake I just have one.
Haven't put weight on, I know it isn't as healthy as before and part of me feels guilty.
Do you think I should try to revert to the previous eating plan?
I just can't imagine doing that for life, it also became more expensive I think.
Does anybody else follow a keto diet permanently?

On the low carb diet I found myself constantly thinking about what I was eating. I didn't get hungry as often but everything had to be very well planned and I just found myself thinking about food a lot more

I find low carb works for me to keep weight off and appetite down, but I don't think carbs are unhealthy as such. I don't crave carbs like others describe.

Even white bread, processed junk, cakes etc aren't 'bad' if they're eaten as a treat/in moderation.

It's whatever works for you! Everyone is different.

I lost weight last year, a stone, on Fast800 which is a low carb diet which is meant to be done for 3 months.

I still do it but every day is a non-fast day !

I've checked my bmi on the NHS calculator and followed the advice as to how to lose weight. I calculated my daily calories on the NHS website too. The advice for weight loss was to stick to the lower end of the daily calorie intake which, for me, is 2200 calories. Balanced diet.

Last week I had lost 1 and a quarter pounds.

Today I had two boiled eggs with wholegrain toast for breakfast. I also had another piece of wholegrain toast with low fat cream cheese and low sugar marmalade. Tea with milk in it.

Lunch was whole wheat spaghetti with pancetta, courgette strips, spinach and feta cheese. Yummy. (From Dr. Michael Mossley's Fast 800 recipe book)

Tea was pork chops with apple and leek (Recipe from the same book). Delicious.

I decided to have new potatoes as well as vegetables with it.

Tomorrow I will have smoked salmon for breakfast, followed by wholegrain toast, light cream cheese and low sugar marmalade. Tea with milk to drink.

I feel a million dollars when I’m on it. Just can’t stick to it long term. Can do it for a few weeks. Then something always happens and I can’t get back on track.

I feel well rested, more alert, more motivated, weight drops off me. I don’t crave food all the time. I don’t understand my own brain sometimes.

You only lost 1kg in 3 weeks on it, so why worry about it? It wasn't a roaring success, you stopped it, but have improved your diet overall.

Sounds ok to me

I did low carb when I was 20. Stuck to it for ages, lost loads, looked and felt great.

Over the years (I'm now 40) I just can't stick to it again despite seeing how well it worked previously and I understand the science behind it. It's so frustrating.

I am fairly sure most people can't stick low carb long. Or low calorie !

Have to make sure you're eating a decent amount of fat when doing low carb, e.g. cream in coffee, oil on salads, butter on veg, fatty cuts of meat (e.g pork belly, oily fish etc) strawberries and cream for dessert and so forth. The fat is what gives the satiety.

Oh I couldn’t manage a day without any of those things! Apart from dairy milk which I don’t drink. I’m trying to count calories but the plan has an emphasis on higher protein targets and I’m only hitting about 2/3rd of what they recommend a day but I’m within my calories and usually over target for carbs and fibre because I eat a lot of fruit and veg. I really don’t find protein fills me up in the way people claim.

I've got a stone off or just over since January by eating less carbs and filling up more on protein etc.

I have either eggs scrambled with mustard and no milk for brekkie or just a coffee

Snacks are normally pepperami and a mini babybel light and then a small handful of nuts.

I try and eat a salad of some sort like peppery with a small amount of strong cheese and dressing on it.

Il sometimes add crispy bacon bits to it but quite often I'm not hungry enough by then.

For evening I have eggs,cous cous,or chicken sausages or a chilli made with low fat steak mince etc.

I drink two litres of water a day Aswell

I definitely feel fuller but less bloated and more energetic but this week already I've been craving carbs so I'm not eating enough protein to fill me up.

I also hard boiled eggs and have one of them as a snack

It's bloody hard op but I've had weeks where I've eaten a lot more carbs and weight stays the same and I feel like crap and then get bak on it again.

It's working for me

Been on low carb for three years to control my diabetes. For me, the trick is to not have treat days - the benefit of the treat is far outweighed by the three or so days it takes to get back to some sort of equilibrium.

If you need a salty snack (and you do need to ensure you’re getting enough salt), perhaps peanuts rather than crisps?

Over time, your taste buds adapt, and you’ll find sweetness where you didn’t previously. And sweets, cakes and biscuits just taste so horrifically sweet you won’t want to eat them!

I do think it takes more mental energy to low carb but it definitely works for me.

You have to prep stuff in advance and be willing to eat lots of veg and get a bit creative.

It IS easier just slapping some meat between two slices of wholemeal but if you're starved an hour later then it's pointless.

I tried it for a week and wasnt happy with how much meat it led me to eat, instead of my usual veggie pasta/rice/noodles/rice diet.

I've done low carbs for about a year now but I choose and make a conscious decision to eat high carbs occasionally. I don't beat myself up, i just continue the next meal as normal.

I find it easier to eat very unfussy food and eat the.same thing regularly - which doesn't bother me and means I'm not constantly thinking about food because I know what I'll be having !

Gone from size 18/20 to a 14.

I want to tear people's heads off when I cut my carbs. I've come to realise that my body is trying to tell me that I can have them in moderation, just don't over-do it.

For me, stick with portion control. Even if you cut out 1/4 of your portion that can reduce weight.

I also find it a right faff to prepare no-low carb stuff. I have a child and a stressful job, adding more to my working/home life is not what I need!

I did keto and now low carb. Been eating this way for about 3 years. I honestly don't miss carbs at all. They make me feel rubbish and up my hunger.
I don't find it more expensive either tbh. I eat lots of nuts, veg, chicken and fish. Very little red meat.
I do have carbs occasionally, like if we are out for a meal and there is no way to avoid them. If I really fancy something carby I have it.
I like cooking though so have made a lot of low carb alternatives like ice cream, cake, flatbreads etc.
i lost 2.5 stone and have so far kept it off.
End of the day though this way of eating isn't for everyone. You have to find what works for you.

You didn't really do low carb if you had a cheat day each week... You need time to flush the sugars out of your system so to speak. If you want to try for real, do exactly what you describe but without the cheat day for about 3weeks. Then see if you still can't stick to it.
For me, when I started keto, all cravings went away by week 2. It was overnight, literally!

This is not even remotely low carb though. Two slices of toast, spaghetti, potatoes and apple. My blood glucose would be through the roof if I ate like this on a daily basis.

Damn quote fail that was @ToffeeNotCoffee

I've tried no carb and It made me feel shit especially with going the gym, I had zero energy. I don't eat crisps and things like that but I have jacket spuds/mash etc in moderation.

I’m not a diet evangelist by any means. What works for me, may not be suitable for you. I thought I would share my experience on keto (kinda same thing a slow carb) and what happens when I fall off.
I have been low carb (medical keto) for about six years. I lost about 66kgs that needed to go. Any time I have gone off the diet, I have ballooned almost immediately and then had to start again (because I am never going there again!). The point of low-carb diets to lose weight is being in a constant state of ketosis. Once out, it takes 3-5 days to get back into it. Your cheat days are where you are going wrong.
In my own experience there has been a “magical” period of 3 days, 3 weeks and 3 months… (Which according to addicts, is similar when detoxing.) After three days, your body is in ketosis. (This is when the keto-flu symptoms kick in if you don’t get enough salt in your diet or have sugar-free electrolytes.). After three weeks (no cheat days) you are no longer craving sugar and your portion sizes naturally become smaller. After three months, it’s something you simply don’t think about because it’s become a lifestyle. You easily walk past what would have been “treats” in restaurants and supermarkets and no longer feel like you’re denying yourself. You have lost weight, and feel in control of everything because you have an arsenal of recipes and food that work for you.

I recommend using the MyFitnessPal app to track your intake so you can really see how things add up. (The free version is fine, btw.)

My skin, hair and joints are all so much better when I am on keto.

I'm currently doing keto.
Only 4 weeks in, but I had about 150lbs to lose when I started.
I've done calories control, shakes, weight watchers. This is the first time in a long time I feel like I can really stick to something.

I lost 15lbs the first week.
Put 2lbs on the 2nd week.
Lost 3lbs the 3rd week (but that includes the 2lbs I'd put on!).
And lost 8lbs this week!

I'm combing it with one meal a day though, so I'm not constantly having to plan foods, I've already got used to it as I'm not craving and starving all day. It's easier to portion and calorie control because I can't physically eat as much in one sitting.
Also its cheaper because one meal (even a high quality, expensive meal) is cheaper than the biscuits, takeaways, cookies I used to buy).
I haven't eaten any sugar and only carbs from green veggies in 4 weeks, I'm just as proud of that as I am the weight loss. But I'm a binge eater, sweet things are a bit of a trigger for me.

But really, you need to find something that works for you.
I'm sticking with keto for now because it's the only eating plan that doesn't make me cry!
But we're all individuals. If its not working for you, try something else.

I've been eating low carb for over three years now, but I eat a lot more fat than it sounds like you did, which fills me and stops me feeling deprived.

However, your current diet sounds healthy, so why worry if it's working for you?

@Supersee I could have written this! I did keto years ago. Weight fell off and I felt great. Can't remember what happened that I fell off it but I have tried many times to do it again and I just cannot stick to it for more than 1week 😢

I got diagnosed diabetic so went low carb. I got my blood sugar under control and went from a size 18/20 to a size 10.
The cheat day is what is making it harder for you. Carbs are addictive and they make our brains happy with dopamine so the more you eat the more your brain craves. If you stop feeding your brain the dopamine the the cravings stop so if you have a cheat day you just start the cycle again.
pok I have the added incentive with my health but after about a month I found a low carb high good fats diet easy. You don’t feel hungry if you eat lots of the right things as protein fills up you for longer than carbs. The weight is gone and has stayed gone.
I carb count so eat no more than 60g of carb a day. No sugar, No pasta, white rice( I do eat very small potions of brown every now and again)bread, stuff that comes in boxes or packets and for other reasons I don’t eat dairy apart from no sugar probiotic yogurt once a day. I eat meat, green veg, berries, salad, nuts and drink plenty of water.
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