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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.

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

679 replies

QueenStromba · 06/07/2012 22:02

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.

OP posts:
Badvoc · 27/07/2012 11:20

Thanks for the reply.
I dont ike coconut or mushrooms :(
I feel like I am pretty limited on things I can eat and now even more limited due to low carbing...
When I say I dont like them - they make me sick so not just being fussy
(although I am fussy!)

QueenStromba · 27/07/2012 11:32

jollymary you'll lose weight and feel better than you have in years. As for the expense, there are ways to make it a bit cheaper. Whenever I'm planning to cook something with chicken in it, I buy a whole chicken for about £4 and roast it with some veg the first day. Next day I strip off whatever nice bits are left and put it in a salad and the day after I stip off the not as nice bits and put it in a soup or a curry, then the rest goes in the slow cooker for stock. Roasts in general seem to work out cheaper than packets of smaller bits.

Also, the cheaper cuts of meat tend to be the most nutritious and best for this way of eating because everyone is so fat phobic. If you can stomach the idea then offal is really cheap and good for you - I eased myself into the idea with shop bought pate and now I make my own really cheaply with chicken livers. If I ever stop raiding the reduced section for long enough to get short on meat in the freezer then I'm going to try heart next. I also do stews in the slow cooker with casserole beef.

OP posts:
QueenStromba · 27/07/2012 11:36

Badvoc cold meats make good snacks, as do nuts (as long as you won't go mad with them). As for breakfast, the easiest thing to do is just make extra at dinner time and heat it up in the morning - I don't know why we all have this idea in our heads that we need to eat special food just because it's morning.

OP posts:
QueenStromba · 27/07/2012 11:37

CrunchyFrog - make sure it's lo-salt you're putting on your food since you are likely to be low on potassium as well as sodium if you're craving salt.

OP posts:
Badvoc · 27/07/2012 11:49

hmm...pate? Never tried it!
Is it ok on low carb?
What could you have it with?
I roasted a chicken yesterday and had it with salad and it was lovely.
Had meatballs last night too which were very tasty.
Just a total 360 on my usual diet so its going to take some getting used to!!!
Can I ask? do you have a veg curry recipe?
Also soups?
Is there a good low carb cookbook you recommend? I have looked on amazon but the reviews are not great and many of them seem to be from the US and include ingredients that are hard to get over here?.........

squoosh · 27/07/2012 12:10

I think blogs are the best way to go for low carb recipe inspiration

thelowcarbrecipes.com/
www.kalynskitchen.com/
www.atkinsandme.co.uk/category/recipes/

squoosh · 27/07/2012 12:11

I'd forgotten about pate!

I'm going to make chicken liver pate this weekend. No crackers though sadly.

Badvoc · 27/07/2012 12:13

thank you!

colette · 27/07/2012 12:14

I love a really good pate but am also wondering what to eat with it ?

squoosh · 27/07/2012 12:37

I suppose it could be smeared on slices of cucumber.

QueenStromba · 27/07/2012 13:41

It does work really nicely with cucumber slices - replicates the crunch of crackers nicely. These are quite good too.

OP posts:
colette · 27/07/2012 14:45

Thanks QS

They look lovelyShock would feel I was having an indulgent treat !
If I am buying pate rather than making is there anything I should look out for eg. some sort of carby adiditives ?

QueenStromba · 27/07/2012 15:11

Just look for pate that is about 3g of carbs per hundred grams or less I know Waitrose have a few that fit that description. Tesco have a pate with mushrooms and a chicken and chorizo pate which are below 3g.

OP posts:
jollymary · 27/07/2012 15:24

Thanks for all advice and encouragement, have not had any grains or potato or banana for four days now, feeling well! Do find berries a bit tart, though, John Briffa suggests a drizzle of honey, just hope this doesn't stop the weight loss. Only thing am weaning off is milk. Also, how many nuts is too many nuts?! Reluctant to start weighing stuff, am currently munching a small handful of mixed walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts per day. Definitely have more energy and sleep has been transformed! Starting to think I can really stick to this...

Olympicnmix · 27/07/2012 15:27

Squoosh, thanks for those links. Just looked at a recipe that uses soy flour - has anybody used it?

colette · 27/07/2012 15:43

Thanks QS- am definately buying pate this weekend .

JollyMary - Sainsbury's do some 'snacking' blackberries which are really sweet. I'm not usually that fond of blackberries but these ones are different, ate the whole pack .

NoGoodNamesLeft · 27/07/2012 16:00

I'm on my third day now of primal eating and wow - I've discovered that I've been living with a constant, low-level of hunger for years, because now it's gone!

It's such a weird feeling to actually be satiated with food. All I've had today has been a small, leftover portion of tuna in homemade tomato sauce with courgette 'pasta', coffee with a bit of single cream and homemade guacamole with about half a small sweet potato's worth of crisps, which I made by slicing thinly and frying in olive oil. It took me ages to be hungry for lunch, which I've just finished, and I can't imagine that I'll be hungry before 7ish tonight. Amazing!

Viperidae · 27/07/2012 16:25

Please ladies, let me join in and HELP ME!

According to my BMI I am morbidly obese Shock but I really struggle with eating. I have failed (as most women have!) at WW and SW and like a lowish carb way of eating but find on strict low carb I feel so empty somehow. It's not properly hungry, but is uncomfortably empty, which leads to me caving in and hoovering up whatever I can find.

It's not helped by DD (beautiful and size 10) who has body image issues and has decided she needs to lose weight for a holiday so is being very focussed and disciplined. I am cooking low carb for her so the food is all here but it just doesn't feel enough for me and, if I add anything to it, she thinks I am not supporting her. She has become the Stalin of the carb world, which is making me feel judged. Her strictness and criticalness is undermining me but she feels my lack of discipline and weakness (as she sees it) is undermining her. Nightmare!!!!

I'm going to order the John Briffa book but would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions. An example of a current planned diet day is:
B: Bacon and scrambled eggs or poached egg with smoked haddock
L: Chicken or tinned sardines, salad with mayo based dressing
T: Roast chicken with stir fried veg or slow-roast belly pork (from Sainsbury's but checked carbs were low) with roast asparagus and green beans
But last night I followed it with a handful of macadamia nuts followed by the rest of the pack, a bar of chocolate and too much rose wine Blush

HELP!

squoosh · 27/07/2012 16:52

Grin Stalin of the carb world.

Badvoc · 27/07/2012 17:32

Viper...
If I have understood the book correctly the haddock word be better than the bacon with the egg for breakfast.
I had roast chicken and salad with mo yesterday and it was scrummy.
Stirmfrynis a very good way of low carb cooking.
Good luck!

Badvoc · 27/07/2012 17:33

Can someone let me in on the courgette pasta thing??

squoosh · 27/07/2012 17:34

Courgette peeled into ribbons acts as a spaghetti substitute.

Badvoc · 27/07/2012 17:37

Hmmm...yes but - bear with me - how word one do that? With a knife? Peeler? Do you cook as you would pasta?

squoosh · 27/07/2012 17:39

With a vegetable peeler you can cut it into pretty thin slices. Haven't tried it myself ye but I'd imagine it's best just give it a quick blanche or maybe a quick dip in a frying pan with some chilli and garlic.

Badvoc · 27/07/2012 17:46

Hmmmm sounds lovely.
Have been munching on some cashews and I think thats helped with my salt intake :)