The Pretty Extraordinary Low Carb Diet Thread

[QueenStromba]

A continuation of The Rather Amazing Low Carb Diet Thread.

I appear to have gained 1/4 of a pound this week. I did have a chinese last night but I don't think that would cause be to hold so much water overnight would it? My thinking is that if the chinese won't cause me to retain loads of water then I must have not lost anything this week before having it.

I am thinking of using up my strawberries and cream that are in the fridge today (i am the only on in the house who eats them) then go back to basics with induction to make sure I'm not sneaking anything extra in. I'm also going to weigh my maximum allowed cheese so I don't go over because I have a feeling I have been.

Well done renaldo and BIWI and welcome all newbies

vnmum, monosodium glutamate, that is used alot in Chinese food, can cause water retention. Not sure if your chinese was home cooked or a takeaway, but if it was from a restaurant or takeaway, then the MSG could be causing you to retain water.

Thanks postbellumbugsy. It was a takeaway. I thought i was reasonably safe with chicken chop suey and beef satay skewers. oh well, you live and learn.

getorf I did the body fat calculation on the site you linked to and I am 28.75% fat which is acceptable and not too far off what my scales say but you are at athlete level! You skinny minnie

DH came out as 30% which is obese for a man but to look at him you certainly wouldn't say he was obese or even very much overweight, i mean his 32inch jeans are starting to go loose on him. anyway I think it was his incentive to get back on the wagon he dropped off last week.
It would be interesting to do that site with skin calipers though as they are meant to be most accurate.

Lots of water to drink for me then so I can flush away my water retention

However, vnmum - a bit of perspective - it is only 1/4 pound! You can easily gain/lose that during the day, if you've been to the loo!

2 lbs on since Saturday morning :( :( thought at first was water but seeing as it hasn't shifted I think it must be fat! Haven't been to ahem, toilet since Monday morning tho (sorry tmi!!)
Also if I look at my weight chart since jan correctly I'm in my week of the month which is always impossible to lose and/or always go up.
And I sound like I'm making excuses!!

vnmum yes I am going to get the callipers as the body measurement thing is not necessarily accurate - believe me I aint no athlete!

creamtea I have that embarassing problem, sometimes go days without going to the loo, am sure it effects weight loss. I still mean to get some of those psyllium husks but keep forgetting.

creamtea - if it's your TOTM, yes you may well have put on a couple of pounds - but it won't be fat, it will be water retention.

Combined with constipation - the only solution is drink more water!

BIWI I know it is only 1/4lb but if its a 1/4lb of water then it still means a sts, IYKWIM . I'm not overly bothered, it would have been nice to have a loss every week but I know from previous posts on here that that doesn't happen.

getorf I have psylium husk, just forget to take them so I too don't go that often which doesn't help matters. one of the instructors at my gym said the only accurate way to assess body fat % is to weigh you submerged in water. Somehow I don't think that is going to be easy to get done.

Does anyone know of any low carb ice cream recipes? I am trying to plan ahead for the warmer weather because when the sun was out today i was thinking of ice cream so thought if I make some for me and have it in the freezer I don't need to feel like i'm missing out

Hello all - can I join in please?

I'm just finishing week 1 of Neris & India, and actually kind of loving it! I've lost 5lbs this week, most of which I assume is water, but the main thing is I feel lighter and less bloated (well, not bloated at all in fact) and have loads more energy.

Today's menu was:
B - handful of blueberries, handful of almonds
L - Two small slices of homemade frittata (eggs, onion, peppers, mushrooms, pancetta, asparagus), a couple of small lumps of cheese, a few olives, a couple of baby tomatoes
D - chicken breast with a cheese, bacon and mushroom sauce (Tesco's Simply Cook range but 0.2g carbs per portion - result!) with courgettes sauted in butter and wilted spinach

I've been drinking lots of water and nettle & peppermint tea. I've not had tea with milk for 4 days - this is a BIG thing for me, I didn't think I'd be able to function without a cup of Yorkshire Tea first thing but apparently I can

Does this menu look okay to you all? I'm 5'7" and want to lose about a stone and a half.

vnmum - there is an icecream recipe in Idiot Proof Diet which is basically eggs, double cream and vanilla with a bit of splenda

500ml dbl cream
1 vanilla pod split lengthways

5 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons splenda

• bring cream and vanilla pod to the boil then remove from heat, set aside for 5 mins

• whisk egg yolks and splenda together until pale and thick

• scrape vanilla seeds into cream, then whisk cream into egg mixture

• pour back into pan and cook on low heat for 4-5 mins until custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. don't boil!

• strain into a bowl and leave to cool

• put into icecream maker and churn, or into freezer and whisk every 30 mins for 4 hours to stop ice crystals forming, then leave to set

sounds delicious!

Getorf - I have always had the prob! Previously taken laxatives but don't want go down that route. Am also sure it affects loss, with you there.

Biwi - isn't totm, is about half way thru cycle. I've been monitoring in relation to weight loss and have observed:
Week 1 - week of actual totm - weight loss
Week 2 - start on pill again (if on pill) - slight weight loss
Week 3 - half way - no weight loss or gain
Week 4 - pre totm - bloating/water on

Well that's the rough pattern so I've seen it.
Another tip - NHS iPhone app called bmi tracker - you add your details and everytime you weigh it updates your own bmi and weight chart, which you can see all your weigh ins and the trend of your 'graph' - this is where I noticed the monthly patterns.

Just checking in or I shall lose you all! This thread is nearly done, it has been busy

Quick visit for weigh in before I head off to the airport - 3 days in Marrakech just me and DH to celebrate 5th wedding anniversary :) I shall try not to pile all the weight back on, promise!

Anyway, 1.5lbs off in an up-down week (good food wise apart from mothers day trifle, but weight seesawing) so I've reached my half stone in 2 weeks more importantly ive now lost 6cm off hips, 5cm off tummy, am under 80kg for first time since DCs and am not craving sweet things!

Have a good few days everyone. I'll be back on Monday morning.

Sounds lovely, lemniscate - have a fab time!

I'm a bit glum this morning.

I'd lost one of the 'feet' from my scales, which are suppose to make weighing more accurate if you use them on carpet. Weight Watchers very kindly sent me a replacement set for free, which I fitted this morning. And to repay me for the complimentary delivery, the scales are now telling me that I am 3lbs heavier than yesterday.

And I thought I was on the verge of losing my first stone as well.

I realise that it's about the accuracy (or otherwise) of the scales, and I know the weight is going down generally - but it's hard when I've been working so hard at this to see a higher number. Why couldn't they have been inaccurate in the other direction?!

thanks for the recipe teaandthorazine. I might have to get the idiot proof diet cookbook if it has lots of nice recipes in.

Well done lemniscate, good inch loss there. Enjoy your holiday!

I seem to have started with a cold, so no gym for me as feel crap but it does seem to have curbed my appetite

Oh, and I know that it also reflects the vagaries of daily weighing, and there is every chance that the scales will drop down again just as quickly - which has been a pattern for me.

I just didn't want to see that bigger number this morning! I wanted to be able to celebrate reaching the 1st stone off.

Morning ladies. Have dropped down to 13st 0.75lbs now so an 11lb loss in just over 4 weeks . I need to try and get more exercise in but life keeps getting in the way so the 3 zumbas in my diary each week often end up being 1. Still I spent 2 days tidying my house which counts I guess!

3 weeks till my trip away and was hoping to be 12st 7 by then but this weight is coming off more slowly and steadily than expected so I think it will be more like 12st 10 at the best.

I am feeling good though and still not craving carbs at all which is great

Biwi - don't be :( the curse of the scales - you are right (as you've already told me this week!) the weight could disappear as fast as it arrived. And it didn't actually really arrive its just the scales working differently with the adjustment. I was p*ssed off yesterday as 2lb up since sat, so felt sorry for myself and had a bad day involving a scone (naturally) and a flap jack. Woke up this morn feeling bloated and fat yet scale advised me 1 of those lbs now off. It is a complete random science sometimes!
Am sure you will get your stone by Monday, don't get disheartened.

Ok, If I join you?

I have been doing WeightWatchers and am fed up - I'm lucky to lose half a pound a week (Ok, weekends are a bit of a wine fest, I admit)

Have just done three days of low-carb, and am feeling great - no hunger, no cravings, no reaching for chocolate when the DC come home from school.

I am planning to do a few really strict Atkins type days per week, and a couple where I eat a few carbs. Today, I shall make a huge salad, with avacado, egg and cheese for lunch and then have fajitas tonight (will allow myself one tortilla)

Do any of you include wine? Can't imagine getting through the weekend without any!

Thank you, CT1. Just feeling a bit pathetic about it all today.

But I won't be deflected re food. I'm am truly in the zone and genuinely have no interest in scones or flapjacks!

Wine, on the other hand ...

welcome devilinside
Just be aware that if you are eating low carb high fat then have some carbs your body will start burning the carbs instead of the fat and will store the fat. The two ways of eating don't mix. By doing strict atkins you are getting your body into ketosis so it burns fat for fuel, if you then eat some carbs you will be out of ketosis so a cycle of doing that will probably not be very productive. Also some people feel crap when they are going into ketosis so wouldn't want to be in and out of it all the time. Once you are in it, your appetite will suppress and you won't want carbs but the cravings can return once you eat them again.

I also did WW, lost 3 1/2 stone but couldn't seem to shift my last stone and a half so started low carbing and am loving it. The fact that I don't crave chocolate or cream cakes (which I would use my 49 points on) is a blessing, and I can eat tasty rich food now without worrying. I do miss Jacket potatoes occasionally but not enough to want to jump off the wagon for.

oh, I don't drink so not sure about the wine but a few others on here may know more. From what i have gathered it is quite carby and vodka or gin with diet mixer is better although your body burns the alcohol first before the fat

Hello all

I've been follwing this thread for a while and actually low carbing for 10 days. I am getting along OK and have lost few pounds. My mad cravings for sweets and carbs have eased right off and my skin looks a lot smoother so it's all good from that perspective.

BUT I am so tired - physically exhausted - all the time. This morning I left my phone at home and climbing the two flights of stairs to go back and get it had me clinging to the banisters and my legs aching. This is not normal for me - I love exercise and am pretty energetic normally despite carrying a lot of extra weight.

Not sure what to do, will this stop?

welcome hellon
Some people find themselves tired for the first 2 weeks as their body is switching to fat burning. Are you eating enough fat? as that is what your body needs for energy.

Maybe you could post a few days menus and then people on here could see if there is anything you're missing.

HellonHeels, I felt really awful for the first two weeks. I had full on carb withdrawal & felt like I was walking through fog with lead weights tied to my legs. It does pass & then you will feel more energetic.