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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

The Pretty Extraordinary Low Carb Diet Thread

999 replies

QueenStromba · 22/02/2012 16:17

A continuation of The Rather Amazing Low Carb Diet Thread.

OP posts:
AngryFeet · 14/03/2012 11:51

Custy - target weight 9:3, current weight 9:7.2
RatherBeOnThePiste - target weight 9:13, current weight 10:4
BIWI - target weight 9.00, current weight 10.10
kotinka - Start 266lbs, Target 154lbs, Current 229lbs (37lbs loss)
Cardoon?
goingmadinthecountry?
Febes - weight lost so far 5 st 9lbs 13st 9lbs this week
countessbabycham - weight lost so far 3 lbs
QueenStromba - weight lost so far 47.5 lbs
fluffy123 - weight lost so far 56 lbs GOAL
mejon - weight loss so far - 31 lbs - goal weight = no idea!
smokinaces - weight loss so far 27.5 lbs
Rillyrillygoodlooking - weight loss so far 2kg
wantanewname - weight loss so far 9.5lbs
WentworthMillerMad - weight loss so far 21lbs
FreeButtonBee - target weight 9:10, weight loss so far 6lbs
supersalstrawberry - weight loss so far 2lb, goal 17lb
Spamspamspam ?
OneLieIn - weight loss so far 4lbs
openyerlugholes - target 9.6, current 10.8
Getorfmoiland - starting weight 12.3, target weight 9.13, current weight 10.12
CointreauVersial - starting weight 9.9, target 9.0 (-ish), currently 9.4
DizzyDancing - weight to lose, 6 st
BornToShopForcedToWork - TW 9st, CW 13.2st - 6lbs lost so far
AngryFeet - Starting weight 13st 11.75, Current weight 13st 3.25lb, goal weight 9st
PostBellumBugsy - lost 1 stone 2lbs since Christmas. 12lbs to go.
Flipflopflap- Weight loss so far 8lb, goal 1st in total.
debs39 TW 8st10 CW 9stand 3/4!!!!oz
PrincessTamTam - start -12.58, target - 10 (ish), current -11.87
TheRealMrsHannigan - SW:12st 6lbs, CW:12st 2lbs. TW: 9st 7lbs
Renaldo Start 13 st CW 12.75 target 11.5
SeriousWispaHabit 16.5lb lost

GetOrfMoiiLand · 14/03/2012 13:00

Wow wispa that is really good.

I am sorry you're feelin down jax - hopefully you will feel better soon.

I kicked the scales this morning and hurt my toe - 2lbs back on. Those 3 bastarding pounds keep going off and going back on.

I have my old problem though - haven't been to the loo since Friday. I took 4 senokot the other day - nowt.

You have confirmed what I thought about maltilol - it was too bloody good to be true.

Still no sugar free jelly or options - I have got a bottle of diet coke on my diesk but I resisting due to citric acid comments upthread. I have read elsewhere though that you can drink Pepsi max or coke zero because theu have malic acid in instead. I don't know how true this is though. Probably best avoided altogether I reckon.

RatherBeOnThePiste · 14/03/2012 14:07

Cottage cheese isn't so low carb I think?

I'm having smoked mackerel which is coated in peppercorns so is sort of hot and some salad

Not sure about later, but back in ketosis

Beautiful day here

vnmum · 14/03/2012 14:28

I have STS this week but it is TOTM so ok about it. I came out of ketosis for some reason and then I read the post up thread which said that menstrual cycle can knock you out of ketosis. very strange but seems to have happened to me. I have tested again 2 days later and even though my appetite is down etc there are still no ketones showing on ketostix. very odd.

I have just had to make some bread in the machine for kids packed lunch, when that is finished the smell is going to drive me mad. I will have to be very strong to resist,lol

lemniscate · 14/03/2012 16:50

Hugely frustrating day today. I work from home as a contractor and my computer died. So instead of 8 hours solid work which I really needed as I have a deadline next week and only 3 working days left to meet it, I have spent 6 hours of my day commuting to the office (I live 90 mins away so 3 hours was just car!) to get IT to look at it and eventually change it for a new one. I had so much to get through today and have been able to do nothing. I cried in the car :( I would normally be weeping over a bar of chocolate right now and I have really felt the need for comfort eating. I had a hurried lunch of smoked mackerel and a bit of salad at 11am before I rushed to the office which is nowhere near substantial enough for me, and then this afternoon I have been so snacky - so far had some hazelnuts, some pork scratchings, a bag of those terrible chicken tikka bite things (I actually vowed never to eat them when I saw them advertised as they looked so fake but it was either that or a Crunchie!) and now I'm home troughing some taramasalata with celery. Major food cravings, but I have somehow managed to avoid carbs. This may make me feel better tomorrow but not right now as all I want is cake and chocolate. I now have 45 minutes to complete a day's work before I pick my DCs up...

BIWI · 14/03/2012 18:10

I am now 12 lbs down! A big drop this week, so I'm not expecting any more movement, although obviously hoping for some! (Downwards, that is)

Custy - target weight 9:3, current weight 9:7.2
RatherBeOnThePiste - target weight 9:13, current weight 10:4
BIWI - target weight 9.00, current weight 10.7 (and a half!)
kotinka - Start 266lbs, Target 154lbs, Current 229lbs (37lbs loss)
Cardoon?
goingmadinthecountry?
Febes - weight lost so far 5 st 9lbs 13st 9lbs this week
countessbabycham - weight lost so far 3 lbs
QueenStromba - weight lost so far 47.5 lbs
fluffy123 - weight lost so far 56 lbs GOAL
mejon - weight loss so far - 31 lbs - goal weight = no idea!
smokinaces - weight loss so far 27.5 lbs
Rillyrillygoodlooking - weight loss so far 2kg
wantanewname - weight loss so far 9.5lbs
WentworthMillerMad - weight loss so far 21lbs
FreeButtonBee - target weight 9:10, weight loss so far 6lbs
supersalstrawberry - weight loss so far 2lb, goal 17lb
Spamspamspam ?
OneLieIn - weight loss so far 4lbs
openyerlugholes - target 9.6, current 10.8
Getorfmoiland - starting weight 12.3, target weight 9.13, current weight 10.12
CointreauVersial - starting weight 9.9, target 9.0 (-ish), currently 9.4
DizzyDancing - weight to lose, 6 st
BornToShopForcedToWork - TW 9st, CW 13.2st - 6lbs lost so far
AngryFeet - Starting weight 13st 11.75, Current weight 13st 3.25lb, goal weight 9st
PostBellumBugsy - lost 1 stone 2lbs since Christmas. 12lbs to go.
Flipflopflap- Weight loss so far 8lb, goal 1st in total.
debs39 TW 8st10 CW 9stand 3/4!!!!oz
PrincessTamTam - start -12.58, target - 10 (ish), current -11.87
TheRealMrsHannigan - SW:12st 6lbs, CW:12st 2lbs. TW: 9st 7lbs
Renaldo Start 13 st CW 12.75 target 11.5
SeriousWispaHabit 16.5lb lost

BIWI · 14/03/2012 18:11

lemniscate - that sounds like a real bugger of a day. Well done for resisting the Crunchie!

duchesse · 14/03/2012 18:26

Good afternoon ladies.
I would like to join your bootcamp thread please.

I weigh 69kg at the moment Blush and ought to weigh 58. No matter what I do I do not seem to lose any weight. Can you kind people point me in the direction of any website I could investigate? I tried low-carbing for a couple of weeks last month and went from 67 to 69kg in that time (2kg! in a fortnight!!). I must be doing something wrong. Please help.

I need to know basically which vegetables are yeay and which are nay. And if any fruit is acceptable. I cannot survive on meat alone or I quite simply stop going to the loo. Nor can I eat eggs (slight intolerance).

RatherBeOnThePiste · 14/03/2012 18:28

Ooooo hello Duchesse!
You need one of the professionals on here to advise.
BIWI - you are going great guns!

BIWI · 14/03/2012 18:39

Hang on, duchess - I have a list somewhere ...

BIWI · 14/03/2012 18:52

I can't find the list but this site should help you

Basically, you can eat any meat/fish that is unprocessed. Other meats/fish that have been processed (e.g. bacon, sausages, ham, etc you need to be careful of - it's amazing how often sugar has been added, along with other high carb ingredients. Check the ingredients on the packaging.

If you're doing Atkins, or any plan which has a super strict initial phase, then you need to restrict your carbs more severely. You should aim to get your carbs from vegetables and salad. Low carb veg is usually green leafy stuff - broccoli, asparagus, celery, leeks, salad leaves, spinach.

If you're not on a strict phase, you can eat most veg - but be careful of onions, tomatoes, carrots - and definitely avoid potatoes.

As far as fruit is concerned, it depends on how strict you are again. In Atkins induction no fruit is allowed. In the next phases, you can have berries - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries. Rhubarb is also good, but only if you sweeten it with Splenta/Stevia rather than sugar.

You don't have to eat only meat - that is a fallacy that the media love to promote. You can eat a lot of vegetables and still stay low carb.

One key part of low carbing is that is is not a low fat diet. If you try and do low carb and low fat you are unlikely to lose weight. I know that this seems totally counter-intuitive, but it is absolutely true.

It's a really, really good idea to read some of the low carb books to get a good idea of the thinking behind it - especially as most of it will be completely different from the advice you've been given before on any other diet!

Where are you getting the weight that you 'should' be from? How tall are you?

BIWI · 14/03/2012 18:54

Splenda, not Splenta!

BIWI · 14/03/2012 18:55

Rather - I know! I am dead chuffed with how it's going. For the first time in a very long time I am really, seriously and absolutely in the zone. Going to the gym - and especially having the personal trainer is really helping to keep me focused.

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:09

I'm 5'6 with a tiny frame. I was last 57kg at 33yo- that was always "my" weight. Now 11 years on and 2 stone heavier and I feel horribly heavy and unwieldy.

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:11

I'm guessing that alcohol is right out [sigh]. And I'm eyeing my Caro (basically barley cup but with chicory) consumption carefully- think that will have to go as it has toasted cereals in it. Can I have unsweetened cocoa instead?

BIWI · 14/03/2012 19:13

You haven't got much to lose, so weight loss will be slower. The huge losses that the media love to report generally only happen for people who have a lot of weight to lose.

If you're going to do low carb, you need to commit to it and certainly longer than two weeks.

But you shouldn't, in that time, put weight on - although I presume that will depend on what you're currently eating/drinking. What is your diet like at the moment? What would a typical day's eating/drinking be for you?

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:16

I got scared when I saw the weight creeping up! At that rate it would only have taken a bit over a month to put on a whole stone. And it seems to take me ages to get into ketosis or even feeling vaguely hungry- 3 or 4 days. I could not eat anything for 2 days and still not get there.

And it just occurred to me that 2.5 years straight after DD3's birth I weighed 63kg- it's just crept back on in that time. I only weighed 73 kg at term with her.

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:22

Typical breakfast would be a 5 fruit smoothie and a large cup of unsweetened Caro. That lasts me till lunch. Then at the moment a typical lunch would be leftovers from previous evening but not in such large quantities as at dinnertime- usually some kind of roasted or grilled meat or fish and vegetables or salad or peppers etc... Very occasionally something potatoey. I don't like rice or pasta anyway so don't eat them. Evening would be similar although sometimes if DH is cooking something like spag bol with mushrooms in it that I only eat the sauce of. Tonight we are having smallish baked potato, grilled salmon and steamed vegetables. DH's cooking so not sure which vegetables.

I had a very bad day today though as had toast with peanut butter and banana for breakfast instead of smoothie. Also had slice of straight out of oven bread with cheese and onion. And had two homemade crumpets with marmite this afternoon as was trialling making them.

BIWI · 14/03/2012 19:27

But you're not exactly fat, are you! At 5 foot 6 being around 11 stone isn't massive. (And I can say that as someone who is 5 ft 2 and has just managed to get down from 11 stone 5!)

Why do you want to lose weight? I know that may sound an odd question! But is it just because of the numbers on the scale, or is it about clothes no longer fitting you?

How much exercise do you do/how active are you?

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:32

I now have 2 pairs of trousers that fit and am unwilling to go up to a 14. All my other clothes (mostly bought around 2005) have been sitting unworn in my drawers since 2007 roughly. Even the 2 pairs of trousers that fitted are tight around the tum now. I have a very slender frame and 11 stone is most definitely fat for me. I have a not insubstantial behind and thighs. At H&M I would be a 16 at the moment.

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:35

At the moment exercise is mostly quite heavy gardening and (beginners) rowing 2x week/ergs. I need to start running again- I feel a lot better when I run regularly but could only do it when DD is at nursery- she goes twice a week but I do the rowing one of those days. I have a slightly dicky thyroid (been on medication since 2009 but hypo since I was...33) and broke my ankle last year so not been very active in the last 14 months.

BIWI · 14/03/2012 19:35

What about exercise?

And what are you drinking? (Soft as well as alcohol!)

(Sorry for all the questions, btw, I'm just trying to figure out what would be most helpful Smile)

BIWI · 14/03/2012 19:36

X-posts!

Could the thyroid problem be responsible?

duchesse · 14/03/2012 19:37

What I mostly drink is Caro. I sadly think it's going to have to go- I need to drink water instead. What I've noticed is that despite drinking about 3 litres (mostly caro) a day, I really don't pee all that much. Am wondering whether the extra weight is actually fluid retention and how to combat that if it is.

BIWI · 14/03/2012 19:40

Wow! Have just Googled Caro, and the carbohydrate level in that is really high! 60g per 100g. You could be consuming a huge amount of sugar, effectively.

If you suspect fluid retention, the answer is to drink more water.