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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.

What diet works Low Carb or Vegan

18 replies

Mollyeyes · 30/12/2020 00:44

Hello everyone

I need to lose at least a stone and wondered which diets worked for you? I don’t want to eat a lot of meat/fish everyday so concerned I will have to do this with low carb, anyone did it by being mostly vegetarian? Love to know good websites for easy recipes too. Does going vegan work to losing weight? Thank you

OP posts:
Herdwick · 30/12/2020 00:52

I don't think it really matters, just eat less generally.

A healthy, balanced, calorie controlled diet and getting into good sensible eating habits is the safest and healthiest way to lose weight.

I lost a stone and half over a few months by:

Cutting out snacks
Vastly reducing my alcohol intake
Mostly eating what I wanted at mealtimes but just eating less of it.
increasing the portion size of veg on the plate but reducing carbs/protein to the recommended daily amounts.
Getting a decent nights sleep so I wasn't craving pick me up food and drinks the next day.

Okay so the last one fell by the wayside a little over Christmas but I'm back on it next week Grin

WouldstrokeTomHardy · 30/12/2020 01:06

Dunno but one of my DDS is vegan and does a bit of running and loads of walking. Youth is on her side obviously but her body, skin etc are stunning.

She has all the wanky stuff like flax seeds and quinoa but it seems to do her good. Suppose hammering fruit and veg would make you look and feel good though.

MrsTerryPratchett · 30/12/2020 01:08

It's quite difficult to low carb vegetarian. However, low carb works for me.

LeGrandBleu · 30/12/2020 07:14

I am VEGan with the emphasis on the VEG part. A big big emphasis on the VEG. If you don't fall into the trap of the Frankenstein-foodlike-substances of fake bacon, fake chicken nuggets, and avoid the ultra processed vegan crap (doritos, oreos, ricecakes of any flavours, crisps....), and most importantly don't have a 50-shades-of beige-diet made of white pasta, white rice, white bread and other processed grains, you should see some great results.

However and this is important , a vegan diet requires planning and some education if you don't want to become malnourished. You MUST supplement with B12 and I would say to also add algae sources EPA-DHA, zinc, iodine drops (unless you eat seaweeds) and vitamin D.
Don't go nuts with nuts is another piece of advice. 1 Brazilian nut per day will cover your selenium needs. If you want to lose weight, you should avoid nuts or have no more than 1 ounce per day.
I use cronometer.com (it is free) to make sure my nutritional needs are covered. Soups, green smoothie, rich salads made chick chickpeas, tofu,

In the end, any change of diet that cut out processed grains, refined oils and reduce sugar will work. Not too much fruit, so not an apple every hour or 4 bananas per day. Be mindful.

sadsaddersaddest · 30/12/2020 07:31

(Very) low carb works for me.
I love meat but I could make it work with a vegetarian diet by eating lots of eggs and cheese.
I have never tried going vegan.

Hollywhiskey · 30/12/2020 08:18

I am veggie, don't eat dairy and only have eggs from my pet chickens. Low carb seems terribly restricted to me and the thought of it, even for one day, makes me want to cry. What about potatoes and bread and pasta?
I lost a lot of weight last year (like 35 lb) after having a baby.
The main thing with any diet is it needs to be something you can stick to for the rest of your life or you'll just put the weight back on. There are always people on here singing the praises of intermittent fasting, very low calorie diets, no snacking, no chocolate, low carb etc but whichever you pick needs to be a long term solution.
80/20 rule where you eat mainly nutrient dense food and some chocolate/pizza/whatever you like every day (as long as it fits your calories which are the maximum calories you can lose weight on, so not 1200 unless you're tiny and sedentary) walk lots, that type of thing.

PurpleDaisies · 30/12/2020 09:08

I put weight in going vegan-it’s just as easy to eat badly but you just eat different junk food!

Low carb makes me miserable. I usually just weigh pasta/rice etc for a smaller portion and eat more vegetables to compensate.

Mollyeyes · 30/12/2020 17:07

Thank you all for your wonderful stories and advice. Can you advise on veggies, for those that say eating lots of veg how to stop them from being plain and boring please

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 30/12/2020 17:22

Do you like spice? That really helps. Also lots of herbs, garlic, ginger etc.

I don’t often eat plain veggies, they’re usually in curries, stir fried, in chillies etc.

LeGrandBleu · 30/12/2020 19:17

@Mollyeyes I am French so loving soups is in my DNA, from the onion soup to pumpkin- carrot and homemade tomato soup.
I also eat a lot of salad with knowing how to do a vinaigrette the key (take an empty jam jar, a spoonful of Dijon mustard, salt, extra virgin olive oil, lid on and shake then add some vinegar and sometimes also chopped cherry tomatoes. Or the same with nutritional yeast instead of mustard)
I don't buy salad in packet, they taste of nothing, only fresh and never iceberg. Try endives, chicory, radicchio.
When doing a salad, learn the order and the combinations.
Start by chopping the tomatoes and some red onion or spring onion on top, then sprinkle rock salt and a small dash of olive oil, mix and let sweat, while you prepare and cut the other ingredients.
Green beans are lovely in salads, especially with onion, tomatoes and black olives. Chickpeas marry well with tomatoes and cucumber cut in cubes. Carrot are loverly grated with fresh chopped parsley. Celery is fantastic with a freshly squeezed orange vinaigrette (cut the stalk lengthwise so not bigger than 1-2 cm, slice as thinly as humanly possible, sprinkle some salt, olive oil, the juice of the orange or two if small, a tiny dash of sherry vinegar, mix and let sweat in fridge. Enjoy)

For cooked veggies, garlic, rosemary and soy sauce are your new friend.
Cook spinach in water. Drain, let cool, squeeze with your hand the water. chop, a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, crush garlic, and sauté the spinach.
Kale chips in oven
Artichoke with vinaigrette
Roasted anything in the oven from sliced zucchini to sweet potatoes
Asparagus (fill pan with 1 cm water, lay asparagus, forget about them until water has evaporate, quick dash of soy sauce, shake pan, done)
Cauliflower steaks in oven
Celeriac chips in oven
...........

I recommend the book "on the side" by Ed Smith for ideas and variety. Not a vegan book but just swap butter for oil
How not to die cookbook has also nice ideas.

10kaDay · 30/12/2020 20:18

@Mollyeyes

Thank you all for your wonderful stories and advice. Can you advise on veggies, for those that say eating lots of veg how to stop them from being plain and boring please
Hi Molly - when you eat less processed food, your tastes adapt to the milder taste
PurpleDaisies · 30/12/2020 20:20

when you eat less processed food, your tastes adapt to the milder taste

I couldn’t disagree more! You don’t need a milder taste. Just add your own extra flavour.

LeGrandBleu · 30/12/2020 20:39

Just stop and think. You wouldn't eat a chicken breast or a streak that went straight from packet to pan without any oil/butter, salt, pepper, rosemary or other herbs or spice.

It would be totally unpleasant to eat, yet people make that mistake with veggies and then say they don't taste good.
I enjoy a fennel or ripe tomatoes as it is, and don't believe it needs anything but for many veggies , a bit of work on them makes all the difference

BibbityBobbityBellend · 30/12/2020 20:46

There's no science in it. No fancy diets. Just burn more than you consume. Be in a calorie deficit. You could eat nothing but toast and still lose weight as long as you're in a consistent deficit.

Herdwick · 30/12/2020 20:56

@Mollyeyes

Thank you all for your wonderful stories and advice. Can you advise on veggies, for those that say eating lots of veg how to stop them from being plain and boring please
Salt, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs and spices.

carrots with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon

Broccoli with black pepper

Sweet potato with chilli or cumin

Baked Cauliflower with garlic and black pepper

Asparagus/ carrots/ courgette/ beetroot roasted with garlic or balsamic vinegar.

Mediterranean veg generally

Roast peppers

Whole baked squash

LeGrandBleu · 30/12/2020 21:32

@BibbityBobbityBellend

There's no science in it. No fancy diets. Just burn more than you consume. Be in a calorie deficit. You could eat nothing but toast and still lose weight as long as you're in a consistent deficit.
Sorry you are wrong. There is science: if you lose weight by eating the wrong food but just less of it, you won't change your gut microbiome and therefor incur in the well known yo-yo effect. But if you change what you eat and select high flavonoid food such as veggies, you will change your gut bacteria and not gain the weight back as easily. www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro.2016.189
BibbityBobbityBellend · 30/12/2020 23:33

@LeGrandBleu - Semantics. The thread is about weight loss not maintenance. Obviously I'm not recommending a diet of toast alone. For the rest of the OPs life... 🙄

LeGrandBleu · 31/12/2020 00:35

There is plenty of science on processed grains, refined oils, ultra processed food.
You can find it all in the book the science of skinny

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