Totally Carb-free diet - bad idea??? - need some advice from slimmers / nutritionists please

[Astrophe]

My Mum has been on a totally Carb free diet for about 10 weeks now, and I am a bit concerned for her health.

She definately needs to lose weight, and has lost about 8kg so far on this diet...but I can't see how this way of eating is healthy - surely she needs fibre? She even refuses to eat fruit as its 'too high in carbs' apparently, and eats no bread, potato, pasta, rice etc at all.

I don't want to discourage her from losing weight, but wonder what I can sugest as a more healthy alternative? She says other things 'have not worked' for her, although I'm not quite sure what she has tried, apart from WW years and years ago.

I think she finds this diet attractive because the rules are very easy. I've looked at the Slimming World website as I thought of sugesting it (she would have to do it online as wer are not in the UK), but tbh it looks quite confusing, and I think it will put her off.

Any sugestions?

Thanks

Totally carb free? As in no fruit? Unless she is doing this with the advice of a dietician, I think it sounds a bit risky.

What is she eating?

I suppose, you can probably get most of your nutritional requirements from veg, pulses and dairy - fibre, protein, vitamins, minerals, calcium but even so, I think it doesn't sound very wise.

I agree, I can't see how its healthy in terms of getting fibre, or vin terms of heart health - this diet doesn't take account of fat at all, so she eats fatty meat, fried eggs etc.

She mostly eats salad, tuna, eggs, then just meat and veg for dinner - but no potato etc, and no pulses as they are 'too high in carbs' apparently.

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I thought unrefined carbs (eg wholemeal things rather white bread, no refined sugars, but fruits are ok) - were the things that keep your blood sugars on an even level. So having none must mess up that.

Also I think you are losing muscle rather than fat.

this might be worth reading [I don't know who the guy is that wrote it - but most of what he writes sounds logical.

Isn't this what the Atkins diet is?

I think also that a "good" diet is made up of about 1/3 unrefined carbs.

I'd be worried about her cholesterol etc, from the fat, but it's not an outrageous diet. If she's getting fibre from salad and veg, then she may well be ok. Carbs, refined or not, are mostly quite higly processed foods, they're not what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate, and they're not, strictly speaking, necessary.

yes, I guess it is atkins by a different name (I don't know much about 'diets' at all really).

Anyway, I brought it up with her this arvo, and sugested she look at slimming world. She wasd quite offended, says I am not being supportive etc etc. She did sday she is eating a little fruit now to help with 'digestive issues', so thats something. She also showed me two cookbooks she got yesterday, both which show low carb recipes but with a little carb - pumpkin for example (which she hasn't been eating), or some lentils or fresh corn (which she also hasn't been eating) so I tried to be v positive about the recipes, which to me look a lot more balanced than what she has been eating.

Something like the Low GI cook books might be goo for her. I think they go for slow release carbs rather than none at all which would be healthier.

wrt the cholesterol, I ended up doing Atkins by default for a few months when H jumped on the bandwagon. During that time I had a cholesterol test and whilst the levels were high, the result given the balance between good and bad was "enviable" according to my GP. Which isn't to say I reccomend it at all

The trouble with carb-free diets (well, all diets really) is that they fail to address the real reason why people are overweight -- their lifestyle. Unless your mum makes a long-term choice to eat more healthily and exercise more, then as soon as she starts eating carbs again the weight will go straight back on.

Faddy diets like this are a recipe to long-term weight gain and misery. Can you encourage your mum to join the gym, get out and about, and look at how she can eat sensibly (a balanced diet with good portion control) on an ongoing basis?

Yes, the only way to lose weight successfully (ie keep it off) is to re-educate yourself wrt healthy eating and exercise.

How old is she?

Agree with the others- she needs to eat sensibly and that means including some whole foods- such as porridge for breakfast with skimmed milk, potatoes- not high in calories as long as they aren't fried, roasted, or covered in butter etc- and pulses.

Fatty foods will give her many more calories than carbs, and she will not lose weight as much as she could with a balanced diet.

OK, without going into too much detail, it is fine, as long as she is eating plenty of leafy green veg and other low carb veg and healthy proteins such as fish, chicken and not too much red meat and plenty of water.

I know you'll hear a lot of negative stuff about low carb diets but actually, there is no evidence that they are bad for you, quite the reverse in fact.

You don't actually need carbs, the brain can run just as efficiently using fat.

There is an excellent book called "The Diet Delusion" by Gary Taubes, a medical journo, that I read when I was looking into low carb diets. I am convinced that it is safe.

It is not faddy either - once the larger amount of weight has been lost, you are supposed to introduce higher carb veggies and fruit back into the diet along with pulses and wholegrains.

My parents have been on a low carb diet since May last year, both have lost weight and had their cholesterol levels improve. Their doctor is perfectly happy with them.

I found it was the only thing that worked for me. You have to be very strict for the first two weeks then you slowly start to introduce carbs. When you reach the point where you no longer lose weight but stay the same that is the right level of carbs for you.

I lost about 2 and a half stone about 5 years ago and it has stayed off. It has re-educated me about food. The only time I went very heavily into carbs was when I was pregnant. Lots of walking with the pram and breastfeeding meant the weight just fell off!!

Interesting opinions, thanks everyone.

I think its her attitute thats a bit worrying. She is over 60, has a very inactive lifestyle. She doesn't normally eat badly, but never excersizes, not even walking.

So she likes this diet because there is no excersize involved, and because the rules are easy. She wont drink any milk or eat much dairy, but wont listen to sugestions that she needs to make sure she takes calcium.

Anyway, I given her my two penneth worht, sugested she look at Slimming world or at least include a little more fruit and grains, and take calcium tablets. I don't think she will, but she is an adult, so I think its time for me to but out now.

Interesting opinions, thanks everyone.

I think its her attitute thats a bit worrying. She is over 60, has a very inactive lifestyle. She doesn't normally eat badly, but never excersizes, not even walking.

So she likes this diet because there is no excersize involved, and because the rules are easy. She wont drink any milk or eat much dairy, but wont listen to sugestions that she needs to make sure she takes calcium.

Anyway, I given her my two penneth worht, sugested she look at Slimming world or at least include a little more fruit and grains, and take calcium tablets. I don't think she will, but she is an adult, so I think its time for me to but out now.

there is lots of calcium in green leafy veg.

Also if she would eat tinned sardines there is lots of calcium in those because of the bones.

She can have soya milk it is very low carb, and you can get a kind which is enriched with calcium.

HTH