Anyone else out there doing a Low Carb diet?

[JumpingDizzy]

I've just started it yesterday. I'm not following a definite diet just cutting down on carbs. I must say I'm not hungry at all but it is early days.

I only need to lose a stone so it'll probably come off slowly?

One thing I'll miss is mashed potato. Has anyone any tips on a mash alternative? I've heard mashed cauliflower but any others?

I have done low carb many times over the years but cant do it now as it makes me ill.

I lost 5 stone the first time I did it.

I used to eat omlettes, chicken salad, tuna, jelly and cream and poached eggs.

You will be surprised at the difference it makes in the first week. Good luck x

Ps Some veg have a lot of carbs in. If you google it you can find the carb content of every food. I did under 20 grams of carbs a day but under 40 is probably a good start.

does this only work if you cut out all carbs do you know? i have been trying to do low carb ( idiot proof idet but in hte 1 days or so since i have been doing it have had a very few things i should not have - i wonder if this in effect udoes all the effort put in and perhaps i would be better with a general WW type diet . im just so bored with low fat diets though and have a lot to lose so thought i would try this instead . any experience /views welcome xx

sorry message should have said 10 days or so - even i can stick to a diet for 1 day

Pipsqueak.
I started this diet a while ago, fell off due to personal problems, but when reading around it, I found out that by not eating carbs your body stops producing insulin, which prevents the food turning to fat. In order for your body to stop producing insulin you need to stick to below 60g of carbs a day, but ideally below 40g. What sort of things have you had that you shouldn't? Maybe we can come up with some alternatives.

I did find that I was a lot less hungry, less bloated and less lethargic whilst on it, and when life settles back down I am going to go back to it.

JumpingDizzy.
Can't think of anything to replace mashed potato off the top of my head. I know the veg you need to avoid is mostly root veg, as this tends to be high in carbs, so mashed carrot, parsnip etc are no good. I will keep thinking and see if I can come up with something.

A couple of replacements I did do:
Instead of noodles/spaghetti, I cut leeks into long thin strands. (courgettes (sp?) are another idea for this, but I can't stand them )
When making 'lasagne' I replaced the pasta with thin slices of aubergine, ending up with a kind of cross between lasagne and moussaka.

hi lonely - thanks for replying and sorry that you are having some ishoos at the moment . i hope this resloves itself soon . is it anything MNers could help with? now to my poor willpower .... I have had a piece of toast i just scoffed left over from dcs breaksfast and a quantity of pretzels whilst standing around at a drinks party not sure how to tell the carb value of food - is there a recommended way? also have had raosted squash but thought that was ok ? i agree that i dont feel hungry doing this but not sure if i will be able to stick at it it feels a little restricted bt i am happy to give it a few more weeks -

Nah, am agency worker and have had time in and out of work since August which has meant money ishoos. The present job has been extremely hectic, leading me to working more hours than I should, which has led to ds playing up (am single mum, me work more, him in afterschool/holiday club for longer), and me just being so tired I haven't the energy to do anything including cook.

Was this all in one day? If so, just write the day off Ummm, piece of toast is roughly 20g of carb, pretzels are about 65g carbs per 100g. 70g of butternut squash is about 5g of carb.

I use this to help me work out what carbs are in food, and this and this to help me understand the theory behind low carb diets and for meal ideas.

I use the diet because I am addicted to carbs, especially pasta, and know that it is a big reason I don't lose weight. I can't just have a little portion, so I decided to all but cut them out. If you aren't happy it is less likely to work for you, so it may be worth looking at a different diet. I found once I started thinking I could find ways of having favourites just without the carbs in, and got used to it. For instance the other day I did a chicken and veg korma. Ok, the sauce is on the higher side, but still within limits, had a couple of chicken thighs and loads of veg in the sauce, felt full but not bloated or lethargic after (i do when I have rice with it) and didn't miss the rice either. Ummm, sausage casserole, just without the potatoes, stews without root veg (can you tell I tend to use my slow cooker), 'spaghetti' bolognaise, just using leeks cut the full length instead of spaghetti. Omelettes or scrambled eggs with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes (can add meat as well). Let me know if you want other ideas, and what sort of meal ideas you want and I will have a think.

thanks lonely - sorry about the work problems . child care and working comittments are one of my problems too - have dh but he works away most of the time so not the same but similar and am used to the constant guilt too ! i just remind myself that i am a role model for my dds and they will understand that women can work and ahve careers and be mums too - also they get nice things and teh occasional treat becuae of it ! thanks for your suggestions on the books i will have a look for these at the library . i have read the india knight book and it is very good for helping you to think about why you over eat but does not really expalin much of teh science behind this way of eating . the last thing i need is to be eating what is a relatiely high fat idet and the miniscule amount of carbs i have when i slip up meaning i put even more weight on . it sounds like this could be a risk but i like the relatively simple nature of the diet and the fact that it cuts out the foods i find it hard to limit ( bread /spuds/pasta) so i think i will persevere a little longer ... i can see what you are saying with the recipe selections and if you look at it this way it is not such an enormous change ...will let you know how i get on . good luck with the work and thanks for your tips

I've tried low carb many times but always ended up feeling ill.

I'm now doing the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet and it is the best thing ever - wish I'd discovered it years ago.

With this diet it is not necessary to go into ketosis, it works by controlling the body's release of insulin, which is the fat storing hormone.

I've tried low carb (Atkins, Idiot proof diet etc) and though I tried to love them it just did not sit well with me - I always felt weird and deprived and desperate and obsessed with food and carbs.

It's a low carb breakfast and lunch (and a low carb snack if you need it) and then a normal dinner where you can eat whatever you want as long as you finish eating within 1 hour.

So a typical day would be:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach or low carb Greek yog with ground seeds.

Lunch: Chef salad with bacon and mushroom and blue cheese dressing.

Dinner: Freshly homemade fruit/veg juice, chicken mayo brown bread sandwich with side salad of red cabbage, sweetcorn, olives and cucumber and olive oil vinaigrette followed by grapes, banana and a chocolate cookie and coffee.

I can honestly say it has revolutionised my attitude to food since you can eat anything you want at the evening meal, though it should be a "feast" and not a "binge" and it should be well balanced.

I can have a tub of ice cream in the freezer and not finish it for weeks, I can have brownies and they last the week rather than the day...I'm eating a wider range of heathful foods with maybe 10% or less "treats".

I don't spend all my time thinking about food and I'm losing weight steadily, and I feel GOOD for the first time in years.

Thanks for all your replies

It's a bit worrying that the low carb diet can make you feel ill? I wasn't planning on being on it too long. I haven't done the ketosis start as I can't handle that.

Thanks for the tips lonely. Last night I had stir fry made by dp using shredded cabbage, king prawns, peppers onions etc.. plus seasoning. It was delicious

I like the aubergine idea re:lasagne. Dp was going to try it layering cabbage instead of pasta? I'll tell him this idea too.

this site looks interesting

Think I'll try that as I love broccoli.

WOW!!! I did the creamed cauliflower with sausages and some carrots tonight and it's delicious. So easy to do too.
I used 1 head of cauli, boiled in water and little salt until tender, then I drained it and let it steam over the pan (turned off) so it wasn't too 'wet'. Then I stirred in 2 huge serving spoons of creamed cheese, 2 crushed cloves of garlic and loads of ground black pepper and mashed it all up together. It is soooo gorgeous, can't wait to eat it again. I'll try it with broccoli too.

can anyonen help me with why i am not losing weight whist low -carbing - i have been following idiot proof diet and "feel" as if i ahve lost a few pounds as clothes a wee bit looser etc but no real evidence on the scales whihc i confess is really pissing me off! have done this for about 3 weeks now so would have expected a bit more success . i tend to have ham / toms or boiled egg for breakfast . meat of some sort for lunch with loads of veg and then salad type thing for tea or normal family tea minus the pots / carrots etc . am feeling bit disillusioned but should i give it a bit longer ?

anyone?

Pipsqueak, on re-reading my IPD today I see that tomatoes are only allowed in small amounts to start with. I've been doing it for a couple of weeks though not weighing myself and have definitely lost some weight. Clothes that didn't fit me fit now, and my upper arms are less fat.

You aren't eating any root veg are you?

hi swedish mum I am eating all veg except pots , carrots , peas and corn as i thought these were the only ones to avoid in the IPD. i wonder if i missed something? do you think i should avoid others too ? thanks for the advice by the way and glad this is working for you

Pipsqueak, I read phase 2 week 4, and it says we told you not to eat too many tomatoes before. I never saw that bit tbh...
A friend told me to stay right off coffee (even decaf) as that will help, so I'm trying that as I haven't given up caffeine yet . She says it should make a big difference.

thanks swedish mum - will have a re-read of the book and see if i have missed anything else!