Are low carb & low sugar basically the same?

[alwaysthepessimist]

I have been advised to try a low sugar diet but when I am researching it seems to be low carb that's popping up - I have for years always done either slimming world or weight watchers, tried 5:2 but it doesn't really suit so am prepared to try the low sugar/carbs thing but I am probably overthinking it....so can someone explain the difference?

Who’s advised you to do this? Carbs and sugar are sort of the same (I live with a T1 diabetic we’re all about the sugar in this house!) but in diet speak I’d say there’s a big difference between cutting out added sugars and things like chocolate, and cutting out healthy and nutritious whole grain carbs and potatoes which is really just unnecessary.

@KirstenRaymonde - I am really really struggling to lose weight now that I have hit the menopause, I saw a consultant yesterday who suggested that I might want to try a low sugar diet to see if that helped, as it isn't something I have ever tried before I am prepared to give it a go for a couple of months to see if it does help but researching it I keep coming to low carb, I find it all very confusing - is there an idiot guide somewhere for people like me or do I just learn over time what I can & cannot/shouldn't eat?

Not the same, though sugar is a carbohydrate.

Low carb - no potatoes, white pasta, white rice, white bread. If you follow a low GL/GI diet, then you can have wholemeal equivalents.

Low sugar - what it says.

I follow a low GL diet but do carb-cycling, so one day a week I will eat some simple carb food, such as white pasta or cake.

...and cutting out healthy and nutritious whole grain carbs and potatoes which is really just unnecessary.
Actually I'm type 2 diabetic and am low carbing (I'm eating less than 20g of carbs a day, which means I can eat lots of salad and vegetables but no fruit, grains, potatoes, rice, pasta or bread - whole grain or otherwise) and my blood sugar is down to normal levels for the first time in 15 years, plus my cholesterol and liver function have returned to normal. If I eat anything carby, even whole grain stuff, my BG will be out of control for 3-5 days afterwards.

@UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername you’re right, I should have put a caveat - unnecessary for the vast majority of people, clearly there will be medical exemptions but whole grains and whole plant carbs are healthy for most people.

OP - for an idiot guide on what to eat I’d highly recommend the book The Wellness Rebel by Plantbased Pixie - she’s a train biochemist and nutritionist who’s written about the real science of food. The Diet Myth by Tim Spector would also give you a different perspective on what to eat. If in doubt, the ‘eat food, mostly plants, not too much’ is a good one to live by.

I drastically cut the amount of refined sugar I was consuming earlier this year and dropped a stone very quickly. If you read the packaging of most day to day foods you will see almost all contain sugar in all its many guises (make sure you know the other names). Naturally you will cut out a lot of carbohydrates through this alone because they have sugar added to them. I would highly suggest reading books or watching youtube videos by Gary Taubes and Dr Jason Fung. There's also a film called "That Sugar film" it will really open your eyes.

I'd say the difference is in ketosis.

With low carb I am keeping my total carbs low enough that I enter ketosis and stay there for days, weeks, months.

With low sugar I am just trying to cut out the high glycemic index foods that are often junk. I would still eat some potatoes, wholemeal bread, beans, bananas etc.

I use low carb to lose weight and when I like the clear head it gives me.

I use low sugar when I want to eat and drink "normally" with other people. Also when doing much heavier physical exercise than usual because I find low carb worsens my performance (though this isn't true for everyone).

I eat high sugar over high days, holidays and poor-me whinging days.

wow ok thanks all - it isn't simple but I will get there, I am happy losing bread & potatoes but I would like to keep wholemeal pasta & brown rice or couscous and bulgur wheat but I now need to start limiting the amounts I am eating - years of slimming world & their mantra of 'eat as much as you want' has done me no favours, my portion sizes are way off what they should be!

When you realise that Slimming World and Weight Watchers want to keep customers, and therefore it is in their interest to keep you overweight, it makes you realise their true purpose.

Have a look at the Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley (and the thread on here which is v friendly). There's a website that explains how it works too with lots of recipes on it.

Good luck.

It's a stupid trick but when I face a portion size problem I do a hard to eat diet. I only eat things that are somewhat hard or time-consuming to wolf down. Apples, raw carrots, steak etc. I would avoid bowls of rice etc because I could consume a mixing bowl's worth and barely notice what I've done.

I also recommend getting MyFitnessPal (free app) and recording everything you eat for a few days/weeks. You will soon see where you can reduce carbs/sugar in your diet.

The old adage of your dinner plate being divided into 3 and the largest proportion of calories being carbs is bad nutrition and has been thoroughly debunked.

A new low carb bootcamp starts on May 12th. It's on another thread and full of supportive people. The spreadsheet lists the foods you can eat, which keeps it simple.
Also Diet Doctor LCHF website is a good resource.

I live with a type 1 diabetic and a type 2 diabetic who has followed the low carb high fat diet advocated by Diabetes UK. He is now in remission from type 2. In addition type 1 diabetics who carb count will often follow this diet because they can lower the amount of insulin they have to inject. Blood sugar after eating tends to be lower , we were told after the type 1 was diagnosed to eat good carbs and frankly I am not sure that is good advice, low carb seems to better suit and give better control of blood sugars and better weight control. Sorry I know I have diverged but I do think it can be beneficial for most people.