Low carb.... does it work?

[aChange4me]

Can any suggest one suggest a good website/book to point me in the right direction of what can/ cannot be eaten? Can you eat some carbs (wholemeal bread etc) or do you have top cut it all out.

Thank you

lots of versions of low carb. some allow wholemeal bread eg south beach, others don't allow wholemeal bread but allow fat free diary eg dukan and others don't allow any carbs eg atkins.

so it depends. yes it does work but need to work out what will work for you.

btw - a very low carb diet impairs brain function

It does work, especially combined with exercise.

But you're either on it or you're not; you can't really lapse at weekends or for treats.

Thanks for the replies.

Hmmm... see I like to have a day at the weekend when I can relax a tad!

I did the atkins a few years back and felt awful but that was NO carbs.

I exercise quite abit at the minute, but am obviously eating loads 'cause I'm really struggling to shift any weight.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Wouldn't any diet work combined with exercise? rather than deprivation of a particular food group?
Eat less do more = weight loss.

It absolutely and totally works. On April 1st I weighed 12st 7lb. Today I weigh 10st 13lb and am still losing.

As BelfastBloke says you have to commit to it 100%. It won't work if you eat carbs as a treat.

I have totally cut the 'beige' food group out of my diet. No bread/pasta/potatoes/rice whatsoever. I eat lots of lean meat and fish and tonnes of vegetables and eggs. I eat fruit but stick to berries as most fruit is quite high carb. I have also cut out caffeine and drink 3 litres of water a day.

Still have alcohol once or twice a week but have changed from wine to gon/vodka with slimline tonic.

Wow Bunny, that is really great. Well done.

Perhaps I need to be stricter with myself beacause exercise wise I'm doing well but seem to be eating loads so not losing weight.

Did you follow a 'plan' Bunny?

No formal plan. I find the common sense approach better for me than paying for weigh-ins etc.

Have been going to the gym 3/4 mornings a week. Not eating at all after dinner. Snacking on homemade soup. Basically just breaking the terrible habits I had before (eating all stodge/mayo/takeaways/too much vino).

DP has even lost half a stone by default thanks to the changes we've made

You've inspired me. And lucky DP, wish I could lose weight by default! Ha

So, I'm clueless...What can/can't I eat? Is it true no low fat dairy?

Thanks for your words of wisdom Bunny, I need a kick up the rear-end!

I have been doing my own compromise version.

No rice, potatoes, wheat, rye etc.

3-4 apples or pears or portions of berries a week, no other fruit.

Lots of veggies but no startchy veggies like parnsips etc

Lots of fat free dairy (around 500g a day) provided no added sugar.

Oatbran each day for fibre.

Now in maintenance eating more fruit, and adding some carbs esp carby veggies.

It works for me.

I eat hardly any bread/pasta/rice/starch in the week.

I don't eat it after about 6pm.

I do drink wine a bit in the week.

I eat loads of veg and a fair bit of fruit (I can't cut that out).

I eat normally at the weekend but find I don't want to go crazy.

I find eating soup or something lentil/pulse based at lunch keeps me going.

Just protein and salad in the evening.

It's dull but being very busy in the week and knowing I don't have to stick to it at the weekend helps a lot.

Thanks forever.

Please will you give me some meal examples. At the minute I have;

Breakfast- banana or a bowl of special k

Lunch- Beans on wholemeal toast/ tuna salad

Tea- Prawn pasta/ chilli/ spag bol

Also snack on fruit as well as other crap!

Can you eat out/ have a takeaway?

Thanks so much for your help.

Castle, thats good to know I can have fruit/ salad etc. Seems less restricting than I predicted.

And weekend treats is another plus.

Thanks

Breakfast - either:

2 eggs and 100g natural yoghurt with 20g oatbran
or 200g natural yoghurt with 20g oatbran and 50g defrosted summer fruits or blueberries.
or 2 eggs plus 90g white fish

Lunch - big plate of salad with either mackeral, tuna, cottage cheese, smoked salmon, salmon, etc

Dinner - lean protein and stack of veggies.

Snacks - apples/pears (although limit to one piece of fruit a day, sometimes no fruit, def no bananas), 25g nuts, yoghurt, 25g lower fat hard cheese, latte, couple of slices turkey/chicken.

Eating out is fine, go for meat/fish and salad.

Try with fruit (lower sugar ones) and see how it goes?

not bananas