No / low carbon, would this work?

[Stitchinbitchin]

I've been advised by my GP to start a low - no carb diet. I need to do this, I am v.overweight and need surgery.
This will be massive for me, carbon are my thing.
I plan to do 16/8, as they're mostly my eating times anyway.
What I was wondering is, could i do low-no carbs during the week but have them on a weekend? Would that work or would it counter act all the good work in the week?

I think it would be the equivalent of this tbh. Consistency is key with any diet.

Why has the doctor recommended low carb, specifically? The answer to your question depends on that.

I used to eat pretty healthily with a fairly stable weight kept in check by lots of exercise.

I started low carb and it's set off a horrendous deprivation mind set so now when I am 'off' I easily eat 4,000 calories to try to make up for what I'm missing. I am now stuck in this binge eating cycle and hate it.

Be careful before you do something that drastic as it could backfire.

Which carbs are your " go to " For treats? You can replicate most things and of an the duets I find very low carb the fastest and easiest to lose weight. I can drop 26lb in 6 weeks easily. But I'm bipolar and before you know I've gone manic and undone everything 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

First Low Carb Bootcamp of 2023 - the sign-up thread! http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/lowcarbb_diets/4699118-first-low-carb-bootcamp-of-2023-the-sign-up-thread

I'd really recommend joining the low carb boot camp on here, the posters who set it up are very knowledgeable about this type of diet

Haven't been on for a while so didn't realise I had answers, thankyou all.
My Dr wants me to do it as I need to losea fair bit, he seems to think this is the best way, cutting out sugar completely. I'm hoping for a knee replacement but not even on any type of list yet, it's obviously long process. It's threw me really, I was all for calorie deficit but he seems to think this will be better.

So the "bad" news is that low carb/Keto doesn't work well with "days off"

The good news is if you stick to it you will quickly lose your taste for sweet stuff and also your appetite reduces and for most people their brain fog reduces so you feel much better in yourself

When I started low carb, I read the diet and thought "this is bonkers, it's the antithesis of everything I thought was healthy eating" and then I thought I would give it a try as my so-called healthy eating low fat, plenty of starchy carbs diet was actually putting weight on! I lost about 10lbs in the first 2 weeks and eventually lost 4 stone whilst eating out regularly within the low carb guidelines

Isn't it the idea that you will achieve a calorie deficit via reducing carbs, though? Rather than it being one instead of the other?

Over the last fifteen months I have slowly but surely lost a great deal of weight, from BMI above 40 to within the healthy range, using the MN's own low carb bootcamp approach in the link upthread.

The combination of clear, easy to follow rules with the warm and really supporting posters made it really very doable for me.

The first few days were not easy. I was a total sugar junkie so went through what I can only describe as 'withdrawal' from sugar when all I could think of was eating something sweet. On day four or five, I woke up and that screaming voice saying 'eat sugar, now' was just switched off.

I'd now describe it as stepping off the blood sugar rollercoaster. Some people just don't deal well with sugary and starchy carbs. People who do have good blood sugar reactions just don't understand. They can see nothing difficult about just eating less. They don't get that drive to eat carbs that comes from being on the blood sugar rollercoaster.

Eating my fill of leafy green vegetables alongside meat (esp fatty cuts) and full fat dairy means that eating has become a genuine pleasure, one I can enjoy in moderation.

It's been a revelation for me. I'm only sorry that I didn't understand this approach before.

Once my blood sugar was stable ( yes, I checked using a continuous glucose monitor ) I found it naturally, even easy to do intermittent fasting, which helps with the weight loss.

It was genuinely interesting to discover just how many reasons I had for eating which were not related to hunger. The approach taken by Gillian Riley in her work https://www.eatinglessonline.com worked very well with low carb in order to unpick all the non food related reasons I over ate.

Yes, I do wish that I had got the hang of this way of eating sooner. We did something similar back in 2006 when DH was diagnosed with T2 diabetes. We did a half hearted version and reverted back to the old high carb ways so lost the gains (or rather losses).

It certainly sounds as if the recommendations might well work well for you. I earnestly encourage you to give it a go. All the best.

@FinallyHere Thanks so much for this. I feel exactly like the old you. I crave carbs and sugar. Ridiculous I know, but that's just me. I feel stupid saying but, it feels so daunting cutting them all out. Do you ever have carbs? Did you reintroduce them?

@Stitchinbitchin

Yeah, I eat bucket loads of leafy green veg, which are carbs. It's low carb, not way carb way of eating.

Plus meat especially the fatty cuts, full fat cheese, creme, yoghurt, butter, real Mayo. Mmm, it's a diet and yet I can eat my fill of belly of pork with crackling.

And, anything with butter tastes amazing.

For example, if I wanted eggs Benedict for a lovely weekend brunch, I'd make it over a pile of buttered spinach rather than a muffin.

I can easily eat out, no having to fuss about low fat anything or serve the salad without dressing. I just avoid any potatoes, rice, bread etc.

The only thing that can be tricky is the number of places, fast food, service stations where literally everything is highly processed carbs.

After the first week or two, you notice those blood sugar swings are gone, so I can easily survive for ages without needing to eat. I used to be the sort of person who needed food, where I'd get hangry if I didn't eat. Now, that just doesn't happen. I do eventually feel a low rumbling in my stomach. It's CNN low key android im too busy it just goes away. No harm done, back in a few hours.

A.maz.zing

I've added a link to the most recent bootcamp thread. At the very top, there is a link to the 'spreadsheet of fabulousness' which sets out the ten key rules all in one tab. The other tabs provide loads of other information, including what to eat, and what not. Also some meal plans.

Jan '23 Low Carb Bootcamp - the final weigh-in http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/lowcarbb_bootcamp/4757120-jan-23-low-carb-bootcamp-the-final-weigh-in

I won't deny that I do sometimes think with a pang of regret of the excitement of buying foods which I would then binge eat. And feel really sleepy afterwards, not to mention the serious regret. Promising myself I wouldn't do it again and failing myself in that promise.

Even if this way of eating didn't have loads of health benefits, I would want to keep to it because it just feels so good to be taking good care of myself. It find it really builds my self esteem to be looking after myself and feeding myself well.

Hope you find it works for you too.

You will read from the threads in the low carb boot camp that it's normal to have a big weight loss in the first week or two, then a stall and then slowing reducing weight. I've only ever weighed myself monthly so have always registered some sort of a loss, even if a fraction of a pound.

All the best.

Thanks again, feel a lot more positive now. I'll go and join the thread.