Low carb for those of us who aren't hardcore enough for Bootcamp/Atkins induction etc

[QueenStromba]

This is a thread for anyone who wants to eat fewer carbs but has either failed on plans than start out really low carb or just doesn't want to eat very low carb for whatever reason. I'm of the opinion that the high carb diet recommended by the government is the cause of obesity and related diseases and that any reduction in carbs will boost health.

While the Bootcamp threads are fantastic, I think a lot of people find it difficult to dive straight into eating very low levels of carbs which leads to giving up by day five. I did this myself when I first tried low carbing last April. I wasn't even trying to eat induction level carbs, just cut out the obviously high carb elements of my diet (rice, potatoes, pasta, bread etc) and I still nearly killed my housemates. It was about six months before I tried low carbing again and I went about it in a completely different way and have ended up eating induction level carbs through preference.

First I cut down my carb portions slightly in each meal, waited a week or two then cut down the portions even further so I was only eating about half the starch element that I had been in each meal. The next thing I did was completely remove the starch from one meal - I think it was breakfast I did first. I had been eating a poached egg on a slice of toast with a slice or two of lean bacon and some mushrooms or spinach - all I did was cut out the slice of toast and replace it with more veg or an extra egg depending on how hungry I was feeling. Once I was happy with that I started on dinner. Instead of rice I had cauliflower rice, instead of potato mash I had cauliflower, swede or celeriac mash and instead of noodles/pasta I had either shirataki noodles or thin ribbons of courgette. For the first while I still mixed in half a small portion of e.g. rice with my cauliflower rice. I normally made enough dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day. I lost really well on that without worrying about how many carbs were in veg and I still had milk in my tea and berries with yoghurt. I also had a couple of beers a week and the odd slice of cake or whatever. I only went very low carb after doing a lot of reading and deciding that eating a diet very low in carbs and high in fat (including saturated fat) is the healthiest diet for us.

[colette]

Thanks qc, it seems to have settled down. Am wondering if everyone has defected to the the slightly harder core LC threads

[quirkychick]

Hi colette. I would definitely check out multivits/minerals. Also some of the low carb sites might help eg. dr briffa's blog, mark's daily apple, arthur de vaney. There are more, I'm sure, but they might inspire you or have some advice re: hair thinning. hth.

I have to say I feel loads better low carbing. I like that I'm not so desperate to eat so can be much more flexible with regard to meals.

[colette]

I think I am starting to become a bit de-motivated .Carbs are creeping in, I got a bit paranoid because I felt my hair was/ possibly is thinning and have heard it can be linked to lc. Have bought some multi vitamins - magnesium ok as they have selenium in.
Really think I need to get back on track

[quirkychick]

I have been tired with the return to school: early mornings a bit of a shock! I am trying to get enough sleep by going to bed early. Also I have started taking vitamin d as the sunshine has decreased. I hope it will help.

No weight/inch loss but I have lost 3% body fat & gained 3% muscle this month, so feeling pleased. Especially as I'm limited to what exercises I can do till shoulder rotator cuff heals fully.

[HermioneHatesHoovering]

[squoosh]

Has anyone else experienced tiredness as a result of low carbing?

I've been happily low carbing for weeks now but in the last seven days or so I just feel so tired, which is unlike me.

Anyone else felt this way?

[quirkychick]

I am trying to only weigh myself once a month atm. I have a good bmi but want to reduce body fat. I am doing loads of walking now it is term-time and trying to (sensibly) up the weights for my arms/upper body as my shoulder slowly recovers. I can lift 2kg but used to manage 5kg before grrr. I am intermittent fasting as well which I might up if I haven't lost any fat. Resisting giving up wine/coffee/dark choc/dairy. Not that I have loads of those either!

I am planning to have omelette with shallots/peppers/cheese served with homemade salsa & avocado for lunch. Yummy.

[bbcessex]

Sorry to hear your ds is been poorly thinthinker

[bbcessex]

Well it seems like cutting out the wine has done the trick... 4lbs gone in 4 days, thank goodness. Sadly will be limiting wine to weekends now.. Shame!

[quirkychick]

Well done on weightloss thinthinker. I hope your ds is better soon.

[ThinThinker]

mon am 12 st & 3/4lb
thats 4 1/4lb lost in wk 1
sorry ive been missing, ds in hospital, ok now,
had wine fri and sat and some fast food (fried rice, i was desperate and it was the only option near hospital)
this morning ive discovered riverveiw sausages from cost co
1.25 gm carb for 5 sausages,
im having 5 (353 cals) and water for breckie before heading back to hospital,
feeling positive about this low carb diet

[quirkychick]

Posted too soon!

I succumbed to a hot chocolate today as it was chilly. Drank half and had a horrible sugar crash afterwards. It felt like a dreadful hangover!!! Good incentive not to do that again.

[quirkychick]

I do like coconut, though, topsi. So for me that's a plus. Apparently it is an excellent form of fat too. Only put in 20-30ml in my espresso coffee.

I thought there were issues with soya, fermented eg tofu, miso is ok but soya (isolates?) were not very healthy. Prepared to be corrected, though.

[Netguru]

Soya milk is even more low carb than cream.

Tucking into low carb trifle.

Sugar free jelly
Ground almonds (as cake)
Custard powder (no sugar added) with canderel and soya milk
Double cream.

Bowl which would serve 8 large portions - 60g carbs total

[topsi]

potato?

[topsi]

Does coconut milk not make everything taste of coconut?? MMM just had my coffee with cream and berries and greek yog.
Yeah think that in the past we used to eat carbs but much less and much less refined.
I play a game in the supermarket looking at peoples trollies and seeing how many refined carbs they have in there. Like when you see an advert for KFC on a bus stop and every ingredient in their 'family meal deal' is refined carbs - the bread crumb stuff on the chicken, the sugar in the beans, the sugar in the drink, the fries which are probably made from some sort of powdered up potatoe. Our diets are becoming a disgrace!!

[quirkychick]

Sorry topsi, no idea!

I spoke to 2 other people doing a similar diet yesterday, from a gut health point of view. One had been using it for her son who had adhd/asd tendencies and was talking about how the way we process grains has changed; from soaking/fermenting to make them more digestible in the past, to just grinding them up and how this can cause "leaky gut". We also talked about how much better we all felt without grains, potatoes, sugar...

Nice to meet some people in rl doing the same thing! Trying to convince dp, he has ibs and is very attached to carbs. Going very slowly but he eats so much less sugar, now.


Read something in one of the supplements about how important it is to eat protein at breakfast for adults and children and how cereal is awful. It is how people used to eat, eggs, bacon, kippers etc.

I have just discovered coffee with (unsweetened) almond milk or coconut milk as an alternative when I run out of to cream. Yummy!

[topsi]

A quick question, how would one go about ordering a low carb meal on a plane? Would it be best to ask for a gluten free meal?

[quirkychick]

Sausages for kids, too high carb for me.

[quirkychick]

I have just added boursin to dp's shopping list! Great idea squoosh. We're off to a barbecue this am. Our local co-op has loads of yummy meat bargains with local gluten-free sausages and aberdeen angus burgers. I think it will be an all day (low carb, obs) eating/drinking fest .

[squoosh]

I've developed a bit of a Boursin habit in the past couple of weeks. It's so tasty on slices of cucumber and also used in creamy sauces.

Mmmmm, garlicky.

I must have a search for the black pepper version, lend a bit of variety to my addiction.

[quirkychick]

herbaceous I think it is called carb flu! It does get better, it took me 2 1/2 wks to adjust. I feel so much better now my blood sugar is stable. I used to absolutely have to eat breakfast 1hr after getting up whereas I get hungry now but not so desperate for food ready to commit murder.

[herbaceous]

I had been feeling very lacking in energy for the past few days, like I was wading through treacle. Today, I feel much better. Though I did have some rice last night [spanks self].

[geranium72]

Hi everyone

I'm doing really well (6lbs off in 4 days) and am not missing bread and sugar at all really. The key is making sure you have lots of butter, greek yogurt, cream, olive oil etc- it fills you up

I'm not calorie counting at all generally having greek yogurt, berries and some nuts for brekky or something egg based like an omelette, a big salad with meat or cheese, avocado, olives and a nice dressing made from olive or avocado oil for lunch, and then meat or fish with veggies for tea

Also having the odd piece of v dark choc and the odd glass of wine. I feel so much more energetic already!

I'm not feeling hungry in between meals at all

[QueenStromba]

I think most people have problems with wheat really. The good news is that the longer you go without wheat, the less you are bothered by it. I really can't imagine eating pasta or bread now. If you think you have a problem with wheat but can't imagine never eating it again then have a read of Wheat Belly - it will put you right off the stuff.

You guys talking about it has made me realise that my keratosis pilaris has gone too :)

I've found quite a good looking cookery blog - not all the recipes are low carb but a lot of them are.