Anyone on a no / low carb diet? Does it work? What meals do you eat?

[MaggsS]

Hi,

I need to lose around 2 stone and a friend of my husband has said the best way to lose weight is to cut out carbs.(He is a football trainer)

Has anyone done this?

Does it really work?

Would be interested in your opinions please

tonight stir fried spicy king prawns with a a whole bag of stir fry veggies and some sweet and sour sauce, with glass of wine and two squares of fruit n nut. Tomorrow I am planning smoked haddock with a pile of spinach or cabbage and a runny poached egg on top. You could have a big steak with salad or loads of broccoli, have sag paneer (yummy creamy spinach with cheese if you haven't tried it) with a takeaway curry. Cauliflower cheese with roast dinner...once you start thinking about it, its not difficult to find things that stop you feeling deprived. Good luck!

I lost 2 stone in 2 months on Atkins.

Had a Sainsbury's Chicken Caesar salad every day for lunch. Eggs for breakfast.

Two months of the same breakfast and lunch ? You must have been so bored! Have you touched eggs or chicken caesar since?!

I'd definitely recommend Slimming World. There's so much to eat, you can have treats, the weight come off at a rate of around 2 lbs per week and you have the support of the group and the consultant. Also, the weight stays off !

I have tended to avoid them since, yes. Although I think I could do it again.

It wasn't absolutely every day, but it was mostly. I was simplifying because the OP asked what people ate.

Because the weight was coming off so fast I found it helped my limited range. You can do anything for a limited amount of time.

The Atkins cereal bars with chocolate were a lifesaver.

Thank you all so much for you advice.

You meal ideas do sound yummy sleepwhenidie.

When I do give it a go I'll watch the eggs then

Hi Maggs, Just thought id let you know, my book came today, its really good. Id reccomend it, Charles Clark The new high protein diet, can get it off amazon for less than a pound second hand or a fiver new, I ordered mine on sun and arrived today!

Lot of what he says about carb rich low cal diet rings true and he not so strict as atkins, you are still allowed 40-60 grams of carbs a day, so can still have one slice of toast a day if desperate!!

Anyway good luck and if you fancy a read, the book is well worth it.

Thanks. I will take a look on Amazon tonight.

I really want to lose weight before our hols next month, about 2 st should do

I did Atkins in 2004 and it worked brilliantly but I can't think what to have for breakfast now- any suggestions?

(Then I used to eat the Atkins "cereal" bar with a coffee with cream but now with two kids they'd be wanting to eat it too!!)

Have managed two days now - I'm getting there

I did the charles clark one a few yrs ago and lost shed loads

Have put a bit back on.

I had one slice of soya and linseed toast for breakfast with cheese on.

Tbh when you are on the diet you aren't very hungry ...must search out the book again.

And I had a gin and slimline every night

oh good to know ggirl, I got the charles clark book off amazon earlier this week, just reading through it and trying to think up some meal plans ready for when I start.

Did you find it easy enough to stick too, Im going to bed every night counting down the days until I can have a V+T (on the cambridge at the mo).

How you finding atkins Ruby?

I have been doing low carb diet for one week - and have lost 2 pounds!! I am hoping it is not just a blip, and will keep going!

I am having porridge with dried fruit and no sugar, with skimmed milk (I am osteopaenic so need the calcium)for breakfast. Salad plus chicken or similar for lunch, and ditto for dinner. No potatoes, pasta or bread.

I am getting used to it. I hope I don't get too bored with the salad.

I am doing a roast dinner tonight, as DS1 has just come home for a couple of days, and I will just have the chicken and the vegetables.

It's fine, ta Flourybaps - am just wondering what to have to eat this evening, cos I have had eggs, bason, huge chicken salad, cocktail sausage (or 4) and an orange jelly so far.

I know when I did Atkins back in 2004 I printed off loads of recipies of the Atkins site and ate pretty well I think - I got the Charles Clark book ordered from Amazon too! So hope to see something cool in there!

Where do you get the soya and linseed bread from ggirl? That sounds interesting!

soya and linseed bread -you can fiind in sainsburys and waitrose and prob any supermarket

charles clarke plan was easy imo as I could have toast for breakfast ,salad for lunch and normal dinner but without carbs and a drink in the evening.

You can have vodka and tonic on it as long as it's slimline tonic .

3littlefrogs - if you're eating porridge and dried fruit then you will be eating a lot of carbs!

Can I just point out, as a low carber for over 5 years (on and off!) that it's not about eliminating carbs, but reducing the carbs that you get from foods like sugar, potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. Your carb allowance should come from veg and salads, and a limited amount of fruit (rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in particular).

Read the Atkins book if you can, as it does tell you about the theory behind it - it's only the first 2 weeks that are especially strict.

The Charles Clarke book is good, as is India Knight and Neris Thomas' book "The Idiot Proof Diet" which is also a low carb plan - but written by two women who actually used it to lose weight. It also deals with the psychological aspects of eating and weight loss.

And the low carb site mentioned above is good, although it's pretty quite. If you go there, you'll see me - I'm Alison P!

Yes - I know the porridge and dried fruit is carbohydrate, but it is the only carbs of the day. I was advised to substitute it for toast because the oats help my cholesterol. It is impossible to get everything right!

Ah yes, that would be the holy grail!

I can't wait for my new book to cook new exciting things.

BUT
I had an little square of my yiayia's lemon cake this afternoon (am mortified! didn't even manage a week without sweeties !!!)

Almost a week on "induction" now - just waiting on Charles Clark new book to arrive then I can get stuck into it!!!

Hi all,

Well im off the cambridge diet now and into charles clark, new high protein diet. Seems to be working ok so far only Im obviously scared to death of putting the 20lbs back on that I have lost..... eek!

If anyone can be bothered it would be so helpful if you could post what you are eating each day on your low carb diet so we can give each other some ideas.........

Today for me (im allowed one peice of bread per day)

Breakfast, 1 toast 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch, chicken salad and mayonaise
Tea, steak, garlic ginger pepper. Mashed swede and broccoli.

Just having 2 vodkas and slimline tonic