The Unbelievably Good Low Carb Diet Thread

[QueenStromba]

The previous thread was getting a bit full so I thought I should start a new one while we could still link between them.

That's a great post, ilovemyteddy. And well done on the weight loss - that's fantastic

Thanks BIWI. I'm not sure what happened to my paragraphs - they were there when I previewed!

You were right about not drinking enough water which caused my weightloss to slow down. Have drunk gallons since Monday and was 1.6lb lighter this morning.

I'm making the shepherd's pie from the recipe thread this evening. Potatoes on one half (poor DH - who has lost 21lb since I started this diet - is missing his spuds!) and celeriac mash on the other - with a demarcation line of sliced tomatoes

Blimey! Poor DH indeed! Did he need to lose 21lb?!

Kate re: breakfast - I'm not a big breakfast eater anyway so originally found a low-carb version tricky. I tend to have a protein shake, mixed with with water and double cream. But... the trick is to not think of breakfast as a time that needs special 'breakfast' foods - just eat anything (as long as it's low carb!)

So you could try:
leftovers!
ham or smoked salmon and cheese wraps (hard or soft cheese)
cold sausages
bacon
eggs! - boiled, scrambled, fried, poached
frittata - I make one about once a week and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days
fullfat yoghurt (Total is good, or Lidl apparently do a great low-carb one) maybe with some berries (blackberries/strawberries/raspberries/blueberries)

But BIWI is right (naturally ) - if you're eating sandwich wraps, apples and carrots then it's not a low-carb diet. It might be lower than you'd usually eat but those things are still full of starch and sugar and will still produce the insulin response in your body that we are all trying to avoid.

IMO, because lots of aspects of this WOE are a bit counter-intuitive (eat fat! ignore calories! etc etc), it's v helpful to read up about the science behind low-carbing, if you haven't already. It's the only way to get your head around it and make sure you don't sabotage yourself before you even start. Have a look at John Briffa to start with and see what you think.

I may have to name change again ...

BIWIisright

Yes he did need to lose a bit of weight after a massive Christmas of entertaining!! He was a bit when he got on the scales in January!

I think he's about right now, but he wants to lose another 7lbs. Since our house is a cake/biscuit/crisp free zone, and neither of us drink much (apart from at Christmas, during which much was consumed) he shouldn't have too much trouble keeping on the straight and narrow!

It's so much easier when you have someone who is doing it with you. My DH eats like shit most of the time - never eats breakfast, is often too busy for lunch so just has a chocolate bar from the vending machine, and then eats whatever I put in front of him in the evening. He drinks as much alcohol as he wants.

Yet still he was managing to lose weight! One of the final triggers for me getting back on to the low carb wagon was when I realised that I weighed more than him! Bastard.

I weighed more than DH when we started dieting - not now though

He's a bit at my new WOE but he's appreciative of the results!

Ilovyteddy that is amazing, I'm so impressed. Trying really hard and drank at least 3 litres of water today. Will keep on trying and keep you posted

hello please can I join your group - you seem to have some really good ideas for food. I'm very overweight and worried I may be getting diabetic, as I feel so lethargic and unhealthy, so I want to try low carb for the first time.

Trouble is I'm veggie ( I eat dairy but no fish) so high protein is harder. In the past I've had celebrity slim shakes which I liked but they are highish carb, so can someone recommend a nice tasting low carb alternative? I heard My Protein Starwberry Cream is nice, anyone tried it?

This is such a change for me - can I really eat a tub of Philly Cream Cheese with celery? Is there one book that has easy recipes for veggies?

Thanks

myrosie - join Bootcamp www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1461440-BIWIs-Bootcamp-Week-3-Weigh-In-New-Starters-Welcome?msgid=31551081 and have a look at some of our recipes

apples and carrots are carbs? I actually didn't know that!

Urgh, this is so hard. So basically its protein and green vegetables?

Hi all - well done on your weight loss ilovemyteddy!

I'm almost a stone down now - hovering at 12st1 and a bit so need just over 1lb to get my official first stone :) Plus I now weigh the same as DH so I nearly weigh less than him for the first time in 10 years! :o

I have really noticed the difference with my running. I was out in the rain with my running group this morning and I wasn't stuck at the back any more :) Part of it is because I have been training for my 10k, but part of it is also because I am carrying a stone less of weight round with me!

Just had a lovely lunch from the IPD cookbook - roasted butternut, feta, olive, pinenuts and salad with vinaigrette. Super easy and totally yummy!

Kate - protein, fat and mainly green veg, and lots and lots of water. You should probably buy a copy of the Idiot Proof Diet guide by India and Neris which is very helpful and 'friendly' about the whole thing. And then the Briffa book is good on the science behind it (not too sciencey!)

Just to give you an idea, a typical day for me in the early weeks was:

Breakfast: Omelette with goats cheese, mushrooms and spinach
Lunch: Stir fried veg (peppers, cabbage, bean sprouts, broccoli with ginger, garlic and chilli) and prawns OR salad of chicken, avocado, bacon, parmesan, tomato, green beans, olives, spinach and dressing
Dinner: Salmon with creamy leeks and broccoli OR steak with stuffed mushroom and spinachy salad

Snacks if needed were a few lumps of cheese, slices of salami or some nuts, although I didn't always need a snack.

Kate - what did you think a carbohydrate was?! All fruits and vegetables have carbs in them. Fruit has more because of its high sugar content.

A low carb diet is - in order - fat, protein, carbohydrate.

I thought, it was just bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, that kind of stuff. None of which I'm actually that bothered about eating.

I'm gunno try my best! though, silly baby, making me put on all this weight!

To be fair I think it's an easy mistake to make to assume that fruit and veg is fine, without exception. We are fed the 5 a day message endlessly, after all! I am a total advocate of low carb and still find myself thinking stuff like 'but surely a massive fruit salad won't do any real harm - fruit is uber healthy isn't it?!'

Kate if it's any help, today's menu is:

breakfast - choc nut protein shake with two spoons of flaxseed
lunch - several pieces of sashimi (tuna and salmon)
snack - handful of plain almonds, a couple of small chunks of cheese
dinner - roasted aubergine, courgette, green pepper and onion served with chicken breast fried - skin on and crispy! probably have a green salad or some green beans too to increase veg intake
and half my body weight (hmmm I wish!) in plain tap water

no White carbs or sugar (obv), plenty of lovely fat, plenty of non-starchy veg, protein and WATER :slosh:

it's the easiest way you'll ever eat - once you get your head round the basics. India and Neris is where I started - it's v readable.

Very true, teaandthorazine - it's difficult to believe that fruit, really, is not always a great choice!

teaandthorazine - what make and flavour of protein shake do you use please? Do you mis it with water (and possibly cream) or milk. I'd like to have that for my breakfast on work days.

Still trying to get my head round low carbs, I understand milk is high carb, but cream (thicker the better) is low carb. Is that right?

As a veggie (no fish), I'm wondering if low GI might be easier for me, rather than low carb

Hello myrosie - I use Impact Whey from myprotein.com in chic nut flavour. I tried a bunch of 99p samples first and tbh liked pretty much all of them but thought this was the one I'd get least bored of! A kilo bag costs about £14 plus postage - waaaay cheaper than holland & barrett and by all accounts nicer too.

I mix it with water and then double cream. I actually kinda look forward to it! this morning I also added some flaxseed but that might be a step too far Protein shakes have been a real
lifesaver in the morning - I just don't do breakfasts really...

And yes, double cream is the best. Milk is a no-no on a low carb diet. Easiest way to think of it is lower fat=highercarbs. Cream all the way!

sigh... that would be CHOC NUT, blardy iPhone

Hmm, i've never thought of having a protein shake for breakfast. I might give it a go though.

& so Avoid low-fat things?

I'm going to plan all my meals for next week so i can get in with the weekly shop tomorrow.
So far, I've got are Egg's and chicken + Veg..

This sounds a bit too complicated for me, however WW is rubbish, IMO

thanks for info on shakes, unfortunately they are out of stock of samples at mo, I'll email and see when theyll have some, sounds just right for me.

Kate - seriously - get over to the Bootcamp threads and the recipe on in particular - there's loads of info/support over there about what to do/buy/cook.