Vegetarian low-carbing - calling all veggie low carbers for moral support!

[ghosteditor]

I'm going back on the veggie low carb bandwagon after putting back on 8-10lbs in the last few months, following an injury. I lost 30lb+ last year (post-natally) but could do with getting rid of this sneaky half stone.

I need some more recipe inspiration so please share!

Hi all, I really new to this , in fact today is my first day. I've no idea if I'm doing the right thing, I've taken advice from posts on here. So, for breakfast I had 2 boiled eggs mashed up with butter. For lunch, an egg, a Quorn sausage, a tiny bit of cheddar, a teaspoon of peanut butter with celery. Does that seem low carb enough?

For dinner tonight I'm planning courgette and mushroom stroganoff. Oh and I've used cream in my coffee.

That sounds great.

I had greek yoghurt with chopped nuts and seeds for breakfast, Waitrose crustless quiche with coleslaw and salad out for lunch (sounded like the best option as I didn't fancy the volume of cheese in the feta salad), coffee with just a tiny splash of milk, cauliflower and spinach with roast style quorn pieces in a cheesy sauce (made with Philadelphia and grated cheddar) for dinner.

Hi newlark - welcome :)

I don't like cooking, so I have to find things that don't take too long!

I don't eat Greek Yogurt, it seems to stall me.

I have cut right back on Quorn & Tofu as well. I tried upping them to up my protein, but I just stalled.

Other than that, what you eat as a veggie lowcarber, is pretty much what I eat - minus the fish & eggs.

I have developed the art of a very tasty salad though :)

I also eat an avocado most days, with Food Dr seeds.

Feelin Hi :) That all seems pretty good :) I would make sure I had some 'greens' with dinner though.

Chipping, I had half a courgette with my stroganoff. It doesn't seem right having all this food including creamy sauces and being able to lose weight. I've not felt hungry all day and feel like I've eaten loads. Are you sure you lose weight this way? :)

Oh and how do you get a sugar fix? Can I use honey?

Yes - weight loss this way, great isn't it!! :) But you need to get nearly all your carbs from veg.

Part of what you do, when you cut out carbs is reset your body to burn fat. When you are fat burning, you stop getting the 'sugar' cravings - you just have to 'get through' this first bit. Do NOT have sugar, honey or anything else - they are all carbs. If you really really really must, have a piece of 85/90% chocolate, I think Lindt is the lowest at about 19g of carbs per 100g but honestly, you are far better off not doing that.

Ok, no sugar it is. I ll be amazed if I lose weight though. I feel so full and I've eaten yummy foods. I miss fruit though, I love fruit.

You will lose weight :) Have you read the Bootcamp rules?

Ok, I'm on it :)

Hi all, can I jump on this thread. I'm another veggie low carber. I've been doing this for nearly three weeks now, did great my first week but put two back on my second. I'm scared to get back on the scales but clothes are def not getting looser either. I'm doing the IPD and an finding it so easy to stick to but was maybe eating a bit too much cheese so am trying to cut back on that. No drinks except gallons of water, 2-3 cups decaf coffee either black or with cream or peppermint tea.
I do retain a lot of water and am feeling quite swollen around my fingers and ankles so might try some dandelion tea but if anyone else has any other ideas of where I'm going wrong please help!

Oh and I've got ketostix and am def in ketosis but the colour is quite dark.

I'm day two and still finding it goes against the grain to eat so much fat. I had 2 boiled eggs with a little mayo for breakfast (very strange) then celery stick with a spoon of peanut butter for a snack because I was hungry and for lunch mackerel with coleslaw (no idea of this is low carb but needed to be used up) then a Greek yogurt with a couple of crushed walnuts. I find if I do the 5:2 I can lose a couple of pounds overnight. I actually feel a bit bloated. I will of course give it time. I'm also cycling daily and going to the gym so I do hope to see some results. I'm very impatient just in case you haven't noticed :)

Cheesybake - The most important thing here is that you get OUT of the dark bit, you should only ever be in the two lightest ones. You need to drink more water - even more than you are now. Minimum of 2.5 litres a day, but more if you are quite a bit overweight. There is a chart, but basically - just keep glugging. Try that tomorrow, you mustn't stay in the dark bit OK.

IPD is fine, but there are a few things in there that made me but I can't remember what they were now?! Try reading the Bootcamp rules and get the book 'Escape The Diet Trap' by John Briffa - that explains a lot of the 'why's'.

If you want to write down what you have been eating, I might be able to help you see why you are gaining, not losing, so early in the game!

feelinlucky - LOL :) Check that your mayo is low carb - some are high and not good. Check the peanut butter - is it low carb or high? Check your yogurt (Total full fat is about 3.5g per 100g) but it makes me stall, I can't eat it. From now on check the carbs on anything processed - even the coleslaw, they vary wildly and, of course, make your own when you can so that you know exactly what's in it. Unlike other ways of eating, low carbing is not forgiving - you can't mix carbs and high fat. So even things like the coleslaw can stop you losing weight as your body wont be fat burning if you are giving it too many carbs to burn.

Oh, very important question, can I have chip shop fish if I don't eat the batter?

feelinglucky you do realise this is the vegetarian low carb thread

Haha, yes I'm a pescetarian and realised afterwards I should have posted that question on the other thread :)

Sorry, that was meant to have a

Thanks Chipping, I drink loads of water, that's the problem. Today I've had at least 6 pints of water and 3 500MLS bottles! I've just done a ketostick and it's between the 2nd and 3rd darkest. I have always been prone to water retention, seen the doc and not due to any kidney issues just one of those things. I've got pills to take for when I feel I need them but hoped not to take them when on this but had to last night as I was so swollen it was uncomfortable. My water retention is def worse when lc-ing.

I think diet wise I was prob eating too much cheese, the IPD say have as much as you want so I did have cut back a bit so will hopefully see a bit of a difference!

I am going to stick at it, I can see it works for so many people and am desperate to be one of them. It's just frustrating as I know I've stuck to the rules (as laid out in IPD) not sure how to get my letostix paler too. Will that affect my loss rates?

cheesybake - being that far in ketosis is a worry. Do you test when you aren't low carbing? Have you been tested for diabetes?

Haven't ever tested myself before this so don't know if that's usual for me or not. I've had loads of urine tests this year but that was looking for infection not anything else, don't know if diabetes would show up.
I'll maybe nip to Lloyds chemist tomorrow, I think they do checks. Do you know if lc-ing would affect the result?

Shit! Just looked up the symptoms of diabetes and it says recurring thrush infections. I've just treated my third in as many months! Bloody google doctors, think I might phone my gp in the morning.

Cheesybake - Low carbing is brilliant for diabetes. I have gone from HbA1c of 9.3 (high) to 5.8 in April (normal but highish normal) to 5.3 in August (normal) all due to low carbing.

(HbA1c is a measurement of how much glucose is adhering to your blood cells, on average, over a 3 month period)

Please go tomorrow and get checked. I can't tell you how important this could be.

I had started to have this re-occuring itching... as soon as I stopped eating carbs, it went, the only time I have had it since Jan was when I ate something with sugar in it.

Well, just back from the chemist and I don't have diabetes which is obviously great news but still in the dark about why my ketones are so high. I've phoned for a docs appointment and will just keep drinking my usual gallons of water till then!

Hi all, I wonder if I'm eating too much fat. I still can't get my head round this :) do feel free to ignore me. B: Greek yogurt with tiny splash double cream to flavour. Celery stick with soft cheese roulade (not got a clue how to spell but checked carb and was under 3g) L: 2 egg scrambled with a knob of butter and splash of cream (trying to use it up before bbd), raw spinach and a smidgen of that cream cheese again. I was still ravenous afterwards and had celery stick with a spoon of peanut butter. d: aubergine and cauliflower curry with spinach. I drenched the aubergine in olive oil. I just cannot get my head round all the fat. So much fat. I fell I should be putting weight on not taking it off. Weighed myself this morning and no weight loss since Tuesday. I'm bring patient, I promise :)

cheesybake that's brilliant news I am really pleased for you. What was your reading? When can you get an apt? Those K's are scarily high!! I am surprised they didn't give you one today - did you tell them about the K's?

feelinlucky you might find the soft cheese isn't doing you any favours. Apparently hard organic cheese is the least problematic. I think blue cheese stalls me and philidelphia - which is a bugger as I love both. I tend not to have celery & PB too often either as I don't think that was helping me. (Did you check the carb count of your PB?) It does take some people a while to 'switch over' to fat burning, until then just eat when you need to, but accept you might not see a loss for a little while then you'll get a good one.