Right, that’s it, I’m going carb free

[Newshoesrubbingmyfeet]

It’s the only thing that’s worked for me in the past. So tired of feeling tired and ill, looking awful and having no confidence. I’m a larger size 16 now and really need to lose it and go back to how I was, I felt amazing slimmer, physically and mentally, could wear what I liked instead of hiding away feeling ashamed.
My plan is to cut out bread, potatoes and pasta completely. I’m guessing a little rice would be ok and some cereal/oats?
Any tips please? 🙏 I’m getting desperate now and feeling really low

My tuppence...

Intermittent fasting
Cut out UPF and sugar as much as possible - this is key!
Mediterranean style diet - mostly plants, moderate amounts of lean protein, and small portions of unrefined carbs (especially vegetables and lentils), healthy fats and dairy.

Plus exercise, especially weight training. Not necessarily to lose weight, but to facilitate a healthy lifestyle and prevent deterioration of health and fitness as you get older. Lots of good workouts on YouTube, including:

Lucy Wyndham Read for beginners
Heather Robertson, Rebecca Louise, Growingannanas if you want more of a challenge
Caroline Girvan for weight training with dumbbells - she is excellent - can't recommend her enough!

I think when you hit your 40s you have to reassess your diet, our body changes and so does how it handles food.

The only 'diet' that I lost any significant weight on (probably coz I kept it up for longer) is one I made for myself! We all know the eat less, burn more, count calories, reduce sugar and carbs rules etc etc
I find when I diet and really restrict calories after a few days my body goes 'oh we are in a famine, lets hold on to all the fat' and I just stagnate. I find I have to keep my body confused!!

So I did a mix of 'completely carb free fasting half the day' days with some low carb days (so cutting out obvious carbs - bread/pasta/potatoes/rice) and then the odd day of eating whatever I want even doughnuts and baguettes. I don't eat low fat anything as they have to replace the fat with something and it still takes awful! Drink more water as I am normally rubbish at that. I don't drink alcohol much. A big night out every couple of months and the odd glass of wine maybe every 2 weeks.

My weight has crept back up (every day seems to be some sort of 'treat' day in work etc) so I am about to start doing the above again. I feel like the above is sustainable long term as it's never too long before I can have a meal with carbs or a treat meal out etc.
I think I am going to do (mixedup and depending on what I have on each day)
1 x almost fasting day (so just cups of tea/water) so after early dinner one night to then eating a late dinner the next day.
2 x carb free days
2 x low carb days
2 x normal days allowing carbs

I am not a runner or very sporty at all so I am going to try and do some body weight stuff to help build up muscle.

Week 1 - May '24 Low Carb Bootcamp. And off we go! | Mumsnet

I’ve been doing it for about 6 weeks, feel much better and can tell my body shape is changing (I don’t weigh myself) and my clothes are fitting better.
Some days it’s fucking boring though!
I’m usually okay with eating from a much smaller selection but over the weekend I found myself being really unenthusiastic about my meals. Still sticking to it though.
I’ve just cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, not really eating a lot of fruit but I am eating some. I’m not hardcore low carbing, I suppose im just eating ‘less’ but we are a family who would usually have at least 2 types of those carbs every evening meal. And now I’m not.

After trying most things I started 16.8 intermittent fasting and have been amazed at the results. No food groups cut out, very easy to sustain and days off plan have barely any impact on losses. Its slow and steady which puts people off I guess as the quick fix is more popular.

Don't go carb free! You need to include veg, salad and (some) fruit to ensure that you are eating nutritiously.

Would a guava a day be allowed? I'm just having some strawberries or raspberries, but would love a guava! Not bothered by bananas, apples etc.

Only thing it works for me too. Lost 25kg in a year and a half (I know it doesn't go as fast for me than other people) of that year and a half , the first year I did very low carb- around 50gr a day (not quite keto as I wasn't eating a lot of fat but more protein, veg and around 20-25% calories from fat) then after I started doing just low carb , so no more than 100gr a day, now I just limit: tortillas, bread, potatoes, cereals,rice and pasta so I would only have that once a day, for example if I am planning to have a wrap for my dinner or anything with pasta or rice, I will try and have soup or salad, eggs or tuna or just something very light with hardly any complex carbs. Limit process foods a lot.

It only doesnt work when you stop doing it. This is true of any diet, WW, SW, Fast 800, low carb, keto, whatever. So you need to find the one that works for you. For some people, this will be cutting back on carbs. It doesn't make it wrong just because it wasn't the best way for you.

Yes, people describe low carbing as a way of eating, not a diet.

When I have gone back to eating carbs, my body feels different, bloated and heavy.

I'd love to get to a stage when I can reintroduce wholemeal bread/brown rice/beans etc but currently when I do that I start eating lots of carbs again.

Yup, it's the best way.

I did Keto for a while and felt like absolute shit. I had no energy at all. Our body needs some carbs.... Maybe ease into it, Op. Giving up sugar would be a really positive start.

Interesting what your DH was told recently about slimming groups. I was with WW for a year last year and apart from a stone lost around Easter time and the odd few or couple of pounds here and there I actually found it worse for healthy eating. At one point I was eating porridge oats (20g or less) with water plus blueberries for breakfast. I came on here to a weightloss thread and now I have skimmed milk with them.

I agree with you re white carbs cutting out or reducing them. I think for me personally I need a small amount of carbs when losing weight but equally I could cut them out.

Also, if you do a roast chicken, do two. Then portion out the second one for snacks and lunches. One thing I hated was the lack of fruit. Mangos, pineapples etc are off limits as too high in sugar. I think I had a few blueberries a few times a week. But yeah, I'm a sugar addict. This diet makes you have basically no sugar.
Another lush dish is steak in cream and mushroom sauce, or you can slow cook beef and add cream and mushrooms for a stroganoff type thing. Just don't use any thickener, like flour, cornflour or even bisto.
Lots of protein and a fair amount of fat does make it seem more indulgent and satisfying than some other regimes. Problem is as soon as you add the carbs in the weight will escalate. As the diet itself is high in fat and energy with often no real calorie counting.

My best friend did or is doing keto and lost over a stone and a half recently. However, as lots of people on keto do when they start they go hard on it which of course isn’t great for them long term. I did ask her what she’d do to maintain.

She’s now back on keto but not as strict as before.

Does a low carb flour like almond work as a thickener?

I do low carb sometimes. There's no denying it works. Many years ago I did the vegetarian low carb diet. A book by Rose Elliot.
It was basically eggs for breakfast, cheese salad for lunch and veggie sausages with cauliflower rice for tea. I lost half a stone in 2 weeks but was miserable. There's no way I can sustain eating like that.
If you eat a lot of carbs, say over 300g which is a normal diet, you'll notice a difference if you half that or go under 100g carbs per day. But it's tough. Eating out is not really an option. You have to plan ahead too.

I'd rather up the exercise and cut out sweets and most alcohol. It's a lot easier.

Another thing to add is it's very expensive. Compared to more varied diet with beans, pulses and carbs. I guess that in itself might make you eat less, lol.
No wonder people lose weight quickly.
No processed carbs
No natural carbs
No sugar
No fruit
No juices
No jarred sauces, ready meals
No tinned and packed soups
No deep fried food in batter
No McDonald's, pizza or KFC

But yeah, you have to be so regimented to maintain it that strictly. I'd say as a kind of boost for a few months maybe.
It's probably better cutting down on processed foods and unhealthy carbs (in my case wheat makes me feel a bit grim), but not eliminating anything, especially not fruit and veg.

I find that cutting out refined carbs and highly processed foods as much as possible makes me feel a million times better and also helps keep the excess weight off. I do eat plenty of green leafy veg and salad though, and I love cheese and yoghurt, which do have some carbs in them.

Op
Are you me?

@drusth I actually don't know, good idea though. I love almond flour. I guess you wouldn't need much, but it is just ground nuts so the thickness would be more gritty maybe? I've found just the juices of the meat and cream, sometimes lemon etc works well enough.
I love making almond flour cookies. They've got honey though so not really low carb, just gf.

OP come join us here - really supportive group with lots of advice, I've lost over a stone since last summer and your timing is perfect as a new BC is starting today!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/low_carb_bootcamp/5073782-week-1-may-24-low-carb-bootcamp-and-off-we-go

I think you'd be better off switching to whole grains rather than trying to ditch carbs altogether. So whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, grains like bulgur, farro, millet, etc.

Start eating normally, proper food, drink in moderation, no sugar, full fat food, but check your portion size. And walk, a lot.

That's sustainable.

Depends how low carb you want to go - guava is actually pretty high in carbs though, with 14g carbs per 100g