Starting a low carb diet - anyone interested in going for it with me?!

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

I did this very successfully indeed for about 6 weeks in the run up to the summer break. I have been trying to lose weight for a while and was doing OK but then reached a plateau which was when I decided to try something new. And I easily lost a stone doing this.

It was hard in the beginning, for about the first week, then I sort of settled in to it and it just became how it was. And I like the rules of it, because you just can't cheat on it. But it was sometimes hard juggling what the family were going to eat.

I have been cutting down since Tuesday, but will be going for it completely on Monday 5th. I want to lose a stone. Is anyone interested??!!!

Do you make the dukan bread BIWI? It makes eating much more "normal" for me (better toasted) - also corny's Mama Lupe tortillas are delish and very useful.

Apologies for my absence, we've been in Ireland. A land not really known for low carbing. so BIWI, I am right off plan with you.

Please excuse my name it is in homage to the lady who took my beginners crochet course. She said I was a loose hooker. I guffawed but seemed to be the only one who found it funny

I shall be back properly v soon!

I'm cross with myself because no-one else is stuffing high carb stuff in my face - just me.

I just can't seem to gather the will power together to really focus and do things properly. And I'm going through one of those stupid "why do I have to do this? Why can't I eat chocolate like everyone else?" phases.

Do you have a recipe for the Dukan bread, cardoon? I might give something like that a try.

BIWI - When I started this, I decided to do it for a month and then see how it was going as i couldn't face thinking I was doing it indefinitely. Now I'm doing it until I reach goal so another 4 or 5 pounds. Do you have something you are particularly aiming for?

Well sort of - holiday (hopefully - fingers crossed!) in Barbados next August.

We will be going with friends, and I will look like an elephant next to her!

But it's almost too far away/too much weight to think about, IYKWIM? It just seems such a Herculean task - so I self-sabotage. It is a totally stupid thing to do

BIWI, you are absolutely right, next August is too far away, whatever diet you choose to follow, it is too ambitious to see it as a whole. Maybe you should break it down into smaller, more achievable targets?

It is a month until the MN Christmas do, that could be a definite and achievable target?

What I'm thinking is that you aim to create smaller stepping stones that lead you to next August. And what a fab ultimate target that will be - brilliant holiday!

Chocolate! That is amazing!

I had a blow out over the wkend and felt much better for it! I'm back on it now but I just need to get to 20th Nov. I should be a slim line goddess by then! Or I'll be drowning my sorrows on a vodka slim line!

Thank you all - I'm just in a bit of a hole at the moment. I know what to do and how to do it - I just need to do it!

The MN party is a definite target (especially as I have nothing that fits to wear and don't want to have to buy something).

I'm out tonight and have a party to go to on Saturday, so will have to navigate round both of those, and then will start again properly on Monday, giving me almost four weeks until the party. I shall start with the 3 Day Experiment (3 days of eating only lean protein, as little fat as possible and no more than 5g of carbs per day - a sort of vicious version of the Dukan attack phase!), and then back into 'normal' low carbing. Or the Harcombe Diet, if I can face going without coffee!

You go for the MN Party as an achievable target BIWI, especially if you don't want to buy anything new. I lost about 10 lbs in a month when we first started this and it made a noticeable difference. A focussed month will do the same for you.

Dukan bread

I do 10/10/5 tbsp for the first 3 ingredients to make it a little less eggy and once it's cooled I slice it thinly and freeze it in small amounts.

I prefer it toasted (almond butter, sardines, cheese...yum) as dark as possible to make it crunchy............how I miss le crunch!

I tell you it feels like a big cheat but I've been having on alternate days and still losing [hsmile]

Back on the low carb on Monday and possibly not a moment too soon!

I'll be rejoining you again if that's ok.

I was in hospital with DS2 for a week and lived on a diet of white toast, cereal, crisps, sandwiches - you get the idea

Any way, am now 10st 13lb.

None of my clothes fit. I'm planning on starting low carb and the shred on monday.

I've decided to just 'go with the flow' so to speak, in the knowledge that I'm back on plan on Monday.

Thank you all for your kind words last week

I'm away for most of the week, at my dad's, so will have to be careful, make sure I go shopping so that there are low carb options in the house!

Back on this 100% or as they say on the Apprentice 110%

No messing, a dedicated month now with the MN Christmas do as my target.

Morning kotinka!

I don't think it's made any diffeence to mine - although as I'm per-menopausal, mine are all over the shop.

I'm back on plan now, although I'm mindful that I have a few days (over the weekend as well) up with my dad and DB/SIL, which may prove tricky. SIL is huge, and has a real bee in her bonnet about dieting in general (despite having qualified as a WW leader many years ago), and me dieting in particular, so I always have to be a bit covert about it, which can present its own challenges!

I also have a cunning plan which I'm going to put in place once I'm back, focusing very much on the Christmas meet up.

BIWI - I empathise with having to be covert! I always have to be covert about dieting which proves more difficult with the low carb diet than others because one of DD's great friends (they are 14) is anorexic, and has some very low times indeed requiring hospitalisation. She started by dieting and taking control over her food intake, when they were in about Year 5 and then there has been a spiral of decline. In addition there is a lot of talk in her peer group about dieting, who is fat, who is not. I just don't want to talk about dieting with DD which may sound daft. I also hate talking about weight loss, I hate it when people say that I've lost weight esp when she is there, I'd really rather not talk about it. Do you think that is sensible? It does sometimes strike me that if I was open with her it might be better rather than hiding it. DD is a healthy weight and loves sport, rowing being her thing, so at the mo she has to carb load as she trains 6 times a week.

Look forward to hearing about your cunning plan!

I do think the low carb diet is the hardest to fit into normal life, when you have a do or something to go to, it is hard to maintain, whereas a simple low cal one, you could have a bad day then counterbalance it. But the low carb suits me at the moment, although I need to do some more specific shopping.

and kotinka, nothing has changed in that department for me, sorry for you though.