Starting A Low Carb Diet?

[woopsidaisy]

Hi. I recently gave up smoking and have put on about 10 lbs,I was 10 lbs overweight anyway,so that means 20lbs to lose.
I have cut out the carbs for the last few days,just eating fruit and veg-which I love. This has helped me to lose that feeling of bloating and "fatness'. Have lost 3 lbs.
But I actually know nothing about a low carb diet. What can I use to substitute pasta and rice?
Can anyone recommend any good websites for info?
Oh,I do run and swim also,and have increased these too.
Thanks.

Just check the packet for the carb count - nuts are actually pretty high - and you don't have to eat that many!

BIWI, I lost 3 pounds this week.

Weighed in this morning, is there anymore I can do to speed things up or is this to be expected now?

Is this week 3 for you, Spots? If so, that's still pretty good going. Safe/sustainable weight loss is usually said to be 1-2lbs per week.

Just a word of warning. It is not uncommon for weight loss to slow/stop altogether in weeks 4 and/or 5. Probably something to do with your body 'catching up' with the huge loss you've achieved so far!

Don't panic if this does happen. Just keep doing what you're doing, and then it will start again.

Are you staying on Phase 1, by the way, or have you moved onto Phase 2?

This thread has motivated me to get back on the LC wagon properly, so I also took a deep breath and got on the scales this morning!

I'm going to dig out my copy of TIPD and read that again as well.

Week 3 is starting today. I am just too impatient then! I'll watch out for week 4/5 (thanks, I probably would have been sobbing into my decaf tea and lactofree milk). I am trying to up my time on the crosstrainer, but my God it's hard.

I'm staying on phase 1 until I lose two stone and then will go onto phase 2, I can see myself living pretty much day to day on phase 2.

Did the scales give you bad news?

They told me pretty much what I suspected! 10.10, which is still 5lbs down from where I first started many weeks ago.

My target (ultimately) is 9 stone, but at this moment in time my key goal is to lose the flabby stuff around my middle so that I can comfortably fit into size 12 tops instead of size 14.

And as soon as the scales start with a 9 I will be woohooing very loudly!

Not too bad, so. At least you know how to do it and when/how much you'll lose. When are you starting?

I'll be woohooing very loudly along with you! I can't wait to fit in my old clothes. I am eyeing up a frock I want to get on fleabay.

Do you know offhand any brands of low carb soy sauce? It's mentioned in IPD but when I looked at the side of my bottle it has gazillions of carbs per 100g. I want things other than oil to put on salads.

What is the "right" amount of carbs per 100g I should try and stick to? Less than 5?

I do less than 4g per 100g

Not really sure if there's such a thing as the right amount - some foods are denser than others, so for your 100g you don't get very much others are different - compare lettuce with potato,for example!

As a rough rule of thumb, when buying anything processed, I have seen people say 4g and under as a guideline.

SMS - I started today. DH and I have a long weekend away at the end of May, so that's a good target for me to aim for.

Re soy sauce - IPD recommend Tamari I think. I use Kikkoman because I like the taste - but have no idea how many carbs are in it! Being realistic, you would be using a very small amount, would it really be that carby?

According to the carb counter on this site soy sauce is 8.3g per 100g - but brand isn't specified.

Hmmm I'm not sure, I'm quite apt at following the rules but get a bit lost when it comes to extras like this. I remember custy linking to a great low carb website. I might google for it and see if it has anything.

Hi ladies, I'm contemplating starting a low carb dietn what do yoeat for breakfast?

Hi pecka, I seem to mostly eat leftovers in the mornings, but there are many more things you can eat - meats, cheeses, veg, it gives you plenty of options.

OK, one 1lb on this morning! I def don't understand that, maybe I shouldn't weigh myself every day?

Eggs are my saviour! I usually have 2 boiled eggs. Sometimes I might poach them, sometimes I have an omelette (with cheese, or ham, or mushroom). They are quick, virtually zero carb and highly nutritious. And because they are protein, also very filling.

SMS - daily weighing is only worth doing if you can cope with the fact that your weight will fluctuate, so some mornings it will be higher.

If you can't cope with this, then best to weigh just once a week. Don't torment yourself in this way!

Have you measured yourself? Sometimes you can lose inches without losing pounds - odd, but true.

Spots - me too. Gutted as want to get 4 off by Friday now!!! Impossible!! Eating barely zero carbs now, no nuts, no coleslaw, hummus.

PEcka - I eat eggs and bacon for breakfast. Do it in microwave, takes 4 minutes (3 eggs in bowl with dab of butter 2 mins in microwave, 3 rashers bacon on kitchen towel on plate 2 minutes in microwave, combine shove in gob )

TGB - when you say you're eating barely zero carbs now, what do you mean?

You are eating salad/veg, aren't you? There is no advantage to going below the 20g carbs per day, apparently - and you will be missing out on valuable nutrients too!

And TGB, how much have you got to lose?

Are you drinking lots of water?

Have you stopped the red wine?

Bear in mind what I told SMS - it is very, very common to find that weight loss stops or even reverses in weeks 3,4 and/or 5. So don't despair!

Thanks BIWI, I think I am definitely going to stay away from the scales for a few days.

I did try measuring myself at the beginning with DH's metal tape measure. It was a very awkward procedure and resulted in a cut back and squiffy measurements. Maybe I'll invest in a material one (where do you even get them?)

I sympathise TGB. I wish I could eat eggs, I can't stand the texture though, they make me retch. Would add so much variety.

Hi BIWI.

Yesterday example:

eggs bacon

tuna salad

pepperami and cheese snacks

out for dinner had baked goats cheese and chicken wrapped in brie and pancetta

did have 2 gin and slims and 2/3 glasses of white so I know that buggered it

Scales were veering between 2 and 3 pounds this morning so still the same.

I am still of a mind that (compared to the carb mania of my usual diet) this is the complete dramatic opposite and I thought I would have lost more. Have definitely plateaued.

Bloss

and yes drinking loads of water....

How long have you been doing it?

Well the first thing that strikes me is the amount of salt you must be eating - bacon, pepperami, pancetta (as well as these being processed meats) and cheese. Lots of people do have a problem with dairy - so try cutting out the cheese, or at least cutting down.

There is also very little veg/salad in there.

Also, the thing with alcohol is that it's not so much the carbs (although the wine does have carbs), it's the fact that the body uses alcohol as its first source of fuel - so it will use that before it even considers burning fat.

So if you want to lose more, I'm afraid it is about knocking the alcohol on the head! (I know that much, much more easy to say than do, btw!)

And how much do you have to lose, TGB?

That's interesting, is it better to get the fats from mayo or oil then? I have been chucking cheese on everything and eat quite a lot of salami.