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Like i wrote in my other thread, i want to lose 20 pounds (at least) and after reading reading reading A LOT, i decided low carb is the best for me.
This is my first diet ever, so i greatly appreciate any advice, success story or help from people who does or did LOW CARB. Im in my second day and could use advices, recipes, experiences, etc.
Im NOT interested to be convinced to not do this diet: i already decided ill do this diet and i will stick to it, at least for a month, then ill see.
But anything you can say about experiences with this diet and encouraging will be apreciated. Thanks!
These are similar-ish, but Paleo prioritizes veggies more than most low carb choices. And adds extra (healthy) fat to keep you much fuller. I also appreciate the Paleo focuses on whole foods, where many low carb plans use fake approximations of the high carb foods.
I also find that Paleo recipes are pretty tasty, whether you go hardcore or not.
Make multiple veggie side dishes for a meal. Like if your main course is stirfry, add another side in that is veggies. Maybe some sort of raw chopped salad, in addition to the stirfry.
Breakfast is tricky.... mix up textures and such. I hope you like eggs!
I don't have experience with low carb because I don't think I could sustain it, but I just have to say you should not be calling it a "diet." "Diets" are things that people do to temporarily lose weight. Lifestyle changes are things that people do to permanently lose weight.
I'm all for trying low carb and I wish I could sustain it and I wish you much luck but just think about how long you can do it and how miserable you might be on a daily basis and whether you want that for the rest of your life. Do you want to lose this weight permanently, or just for an occasion? I mean to me, I would like to go low carb, meaning just get rid of the refined white stuff in my life, like white bread, white rice, pasta, and cookies. And I think I could sustain that if I really tried and was really motivated.
But I'm not willing to give up my coffee creamer which is at about 40g of carbs a day right there.
Like i wrote in my other thread, i want to lose 20 pounds (at least) and after reading reading reading A LOT, i decided low carb is the best for me.
This is my first diet ever, so i greatly appreciate any advice, success story or help from people who does or did LOW CARB. Im in my second day and could use advices, recipes, experiences, etc.
Im NOT interested to be convinced to not do this diet: i already decided ill do this diet and i will stick to it, at least for a month, then ill see.
But anything you can say about experiences with this diet and encouraging will be apreciated. Thanks!
I reduced carbs to lose weight and combined with exercise, was successful. By successful, I mean I have maintained the weight for more than two years. I wouldn't mind losing another 20 pounds but I'm not too concerned about it. I feel more fit, have more energy, than I did before I started.
My advice: Don't go "low carb." It's a catch-phrase, a marketing term, that means whatever the Guru-Of-The-Month tells you it means.
Instead, take stock of what you're currently eating. Figure out - is it mostly carbs, with proteins next, and fats after that, and "who the heck knows what" after that?
Of the carbs you're consuming, what are they? Are they mostly sugary processed foods? Starches? Fruits and veggies? If they're mostly starches, then cut that by 50%. You do NOT have to eliminate anything unless you have a medical condition. Needing to lose 20 pounds isn't a medical condition
But if you're having a lot of starchy foods - bread, pasta, pizza, etc - just eat half of however much you're eating of those foods now. If it's mostly sugars, try to eliminate 3/4 of them, while still enjoying 1/4 of them.
If it's mostly fruits and vegetables, try to find different fruits and veggies that have fewer sugars and starches, and switch 50% of them to the new ones.
Then - add more protein. If you're not a vegetarian, then enjoy some salmon, chicken, even steak or pork loin. A "single serving" of boneless meat is 4-5 ounces, and 4 ounces is 1/4 pound. Uncooked. So keep that in mind when you start portioning yourself. Four ounces of fillet mignon is a rather small piece of meat. It'll fit in the palm of your hand. But you eat it slowly. Take tiny forkfuls. Put the fork back down on the plate while you chew it (that's a BIG help in becoming full without stuffing yourself by the way - don't hold onto the fork while you're chewing - don't prepare your next bite til you swallow the current bite).
Mostly - all the starches should be halved, the sugars should be quartered, the proteins and low-sugar fruits and high-fiber vegetables should be upped.
Don't be afraid of fats - a little butter, olive oil in your salad, a splash of oil to sautee some mushrooms, etc.
And most importantly - if you feel like you're craving something that you haven't touched in weeks - then find a way of giving into the craving without being a glutton about it. So - if you've "deprived" yourself of potato chips because you can't eat just one - then tomorrow, go to the nearest convenient store. By a single-serve pack of chips. Go home. Open the bag. Pour it into a bowl. Set the bowl down at the dinner table. Tuck a napkin into your collar. Light some candles. Make a big deal out of it, and enjoy the crap out of that bag of chips. I promise it won't make you gain another 20 pounds, and you'll feel silly for having craved it in the first place
I have been following a low carb diet and I have lost about 50 lb. I use the word diet in the sense that a diet is the makeup of what a person eats, not in the sense that it is a temporary way of eating. There is no real consensus on what constitutes low carb. Some people say under 100 g per day, others say under 50 and yet others say under 20. You have to figure out how YOUR low carb diet looks.
I like Paleo but I do not agree that it prioritizes veggies more than other low carb diets. I love that Paleo puts an emphasis on whole foods. I don't love that it permits some foods that are almost pure sugar like honey. Like I said above, you need to figure out what your low carb diet it. Whatever low carb diet you follow I do recommend eating mostly whole foods.
I would also give the following advice to anyone eating low carb:
Allow yourself 3 weeks to adapt to a low carb diet. I DO NOT agree with the person above. I would say you need three weeks of eating exclusively low carb to be fully adapted to it. Every time you eat a potato chip or a bowl of pasta you are starting over.
Do not start a new fitness routine while you are also starting a low carb diet. Your body needs time to adjust to one change before you start another. If you already work out you may find that your workouts are temporarily more difficult. As I said above, please give yourself 3 weeks to adjust. Your endurance will come back.
Make sure most of the carbs that you do eat come from vegetables. I am not sure why people think that being on a low carb diet means no vegetables. Processed low carb foods should not be a big part of your diet. In fact, I would say that you shouldn't eat ANY low carb processed foods for the first 3 weeks.
Don't worry about calories at first. If you don't lose weight you may eventually have to count calories but during the adaptation period I wouldn't worry about calories. If you are following a ketogenic diet your appetite will naturally decrease once you are adapted.
Like i wrote in my other thread, i want to lose 20 pounds (at least) and after reading reading reading A LOT, i decided low carb is the best for me.
This is my first diet ever, so i greatly appreciate any advice, success story or help from people who does or did LOW CARB. Im in my second day and could use advices, recipes, experiences, etc.
Im NOT interested to be convinced to not do this diet: i already decided ill do this diet and i will stick to it, at least for a month, then ill see.
But anything you can say about experiences with this diet and encouraging will be apreciated. Thanks!
My first questions would be how are you setting up the diet and are you doing any exercise to go along with it?
Low carb/ketogenic diets can be great, and I've used them before with great success. There are some things you have to take into consideration though, that usually aren't an issue on other diets.
Thanks everyone for your telling your experiences! Its been very helpful and im reading and taking everything into consideration.
To add more info about my diet: im doing excersise. Im walking to the university or work (depends on the day) every day of the week, a total of 5 miles. At first, everything hurt, but i think after almost three weeks my body got used to it, and now its getting easier. My idea was to add two days (thursday and friday, in where im not as busy as the other days) of the week to also jog, but now that i started the dietm i want my body to get used to it first.
My approach to this diet is more like Momma_bear says (cause i think thats the best approach for me) in the sense that i have FORBIDEN FOODS. i couldnt do what anonchicks suggest, i just dont think it will work for me.
The forbiden foods are: pasta, rice, ALL sweets and sugar, ALL flour, bread, cereals, legumes.
I will NOT eat any of this at least for the first weeks. Not even a small candy or chewing gum.
I will, however, eat carbs in the form of vegetables and fruits, according to their values. I made the list in the freezer of the value in everything and i know that banana or grapes are high in carbs (so ill barely eat them) and berries are low, etc.
My first goal was to eat less than 100g of carbs a day. It was mostly to convince my SO that this is doable, but in reality, the last few days i ve been consuming around 70g.
Thanks everyone for your telling your experiences! Its been very helpful and im reading and taking everything into consideration.
To add more info about my diet: im doing excersise. Im walking to the university or work (depends on the day) every day of the week, a total of 5 miles. At first, everything hurt, but i think after almost three weeks my body got used to it, and now its getting easier. My idea was to add two days (thursday and friday, in where im not as busy as the other days) of the week to also jog, but now that i started the dietm i want my body to get used to it first.
My approach to this diet is more like Momma_bear says (cause i think thats the best approach for me) in the sense that i have FORBIDEN FOODS. i couldnt do what anonchicks suggest, i just dont think it will work for me.
The forbiden foods are: pasta, rice, ALL sweets and sugar, ALL flour, bread, cereals, legumes.
I will NOT eat any of this at least for the first weeks. Not even a small candy or chewing gum.
I will, however, eat carbs in the form of vegetables and fruits, according to their values. I made the list in the freezer of the value in everything and i know that banana or grapes are high in carbs (so ill barely eat them) and berries are low, etc.
My first goal was to eat less than 100g of carbs a day. It was mostly to convince my SO that this is doable, but in reality, the last few days i ve been consuming around 70g.
What do u think about this plan?
I think your plan, as you state it, is not sustainable. It's not a plan. It's a deprivation diet, which is what most people are trying to warn you against.
Secondly - I think you are not understanding basic nutrition. You -are- eating sweets and sugar if you're eating fruit. You might not be eating a lot of sweets or sugar, but you are eating some, which is contrary to your claim that "ALL" (caps yours, not mine) sweets and sugar is forbidden.
What proteins are you eating, what fats are you eating? How many calories total is your daily menu, on average?
What are you doing for strength and fitness? Walking is great for cardio, but it doesn't do much for most of your body other than your calves.
Thanks everyone for your telling your experiences! Its been very helpful and im reading and taking everything into consideration.
To add more info about my diet: im doing excersise. Im walking to the university or work (depends on the day) every day of the week, a total of 5 miles. At first, everything hurt, but i think after almost three weeks my body got used to it, and now its getting easier. My idea was to add two days (thursday and friday, in where im not as busy as the other days) of the week to also jog, but now that i started the dietm i want my body to get used to it first.
My approach to this diet is more like Momma_bear says (cause i think thats the best approach for me) in the sense that i have FORBIDEN FOODS. i couldnt do what anonchicks suggest, i just dont think it will work for me.
The forbiden foods are: pasta, rice, ALL sweets and sugar, ALL flour, bread, cereals, legumes.
I will NOT eat any of this at least for the first weeks. Not even a small candy or chewing gum.
I will, however, eat carbs in the form of vegetables and fruits, according to their values. I made the list in the freezer of the value in everything and i know that banana or grapes are high in carbs (so ill barely eat them) and berries are low, etc.
My first goal was to eat less than 100g of carbs a day. It was mostly to convince my SO that this is doable, but in reality, the last few days i ve been consuming around 70g.
What do u think about this plan?
The minute you start 'forbidding' foods from your diet, especially as many as you have, you have started on the road to failure.
Like i wrote in my other thread, i want to lose 20 pounds (at least) and after reading reading reading A LOT, i decided low carb is the best for me.
This is my first diet ever, so i greatly appreciate any advice, success story or help from people who does or did LOW CARB. Im in my second day and could use advices, recipes, experiences, etc.
Im NOT interested to be convinced to not do this diet: i already decided ill do this diet and i will stick to it, at least for a month, then ill see.
But anything you can say about experiences with this diet and encouraging will be apreciated. Thanks!
I have posted my story a couple of times here.
I gained 30 lbs last winter and went to see a doctor about it. Doc told me to stay away from heavy carbs (I eat a couple of pounds of raw vegetables a day and plenty of proteins, fats, dairy.)
I was trying to loose weight on my own and was cutting down my fat consumption.
I simply cut out heavy carbs and I am loosing like 1% of body fat pier month
(bread, any flour product, rice, heavy limitations on potatoes and beer, I gave up processed sugars years ago). I cheat on this diet by eating fruit . I have put my Gym membership on hold. The only exercise that I do is make sure that i do 15000 steps a day (my phone has a pedometer)
Some-one on these forums has suggested this web site. It has a meal planner that will help you estimate how much carbs you consume pier day.
I do about 160g-170g of carbs a day that come from dairy and raw vegetables and an occasional chocolate.
I have posted a couple of times an idea that instead of following a fad diet from a self help book one should consult a doctor who will make personalized recommendations based on test results.
For instance, mom, dad and I went to see a diet doctor, mom was told to eat more carbs and less meat while dad and myself were told to take it easy on potatoes and bread while we enjoy our daily steaks
Hope this helps
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