how many carbs do you eat? advice needed..
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tashatashae wrote: »to my understanding its best to set yourself up with something you can sustain
I totally agree -- sustainability is key. I set my carb target to 100g/d, and I lost 40lbs, got to a normal BMI, and both my blood sugar and lipid markers are now in the normal range. But ...
I was keenly aware of which foods were problematic for me. I cut out all baked goods, even low-carb baked goods. Recognize which foods are causing cravings and overeating for YOU. Avoid your triggers.
Forgive me for saying so, but you talk about "sweets" like an addict would.
i am addicted to it i fight it everyday and i will win .. i cut myself down to 1 a day. i use to have to have it after every meal than just random. i think i have a eating disorder of some sort or a addictive personality.0 -
My wife & I didn't do cold turkey. We both eased into LC.
I CUT BACK to 60g carbs per meal, stayed there a few weeks then dropped to 45 a meal.
It took a while but I'm down to less than 18 carbs a day now.
It's a great WOE, the further down the rabbit hole I went the easier it got.
I've had Diabetes for 32 years & LC finally gives me a handle on it.
As far as weight loss goes it ain't too shabby either, I've lost 83 lbs, my wife's lost 53 lbs.
OR 
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you low "carbers" are kinda hardcore i like it! thanks to everybody who has responded or will respond.
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tashatashae wrote: »tashatashae wrote: »to my understanding its best to set yourself up with something you can sustain
I totally agree -- sustainability is key. I set my carb target to 100g/d, and I lost 40lbs, got to a normal BMI, and both my blood sugar and lipid markers are now in the normal range. But ...
I was keenly aware of which foods were problematic for me. I cut out all baked goods, even low-carb baked goods. Recognize which foods are causing cravings and overeating for YOU. Avoid your triggers.
Forgive me for saying so, but you talk about "sweets" like an addict would.
i am addicted to it i fight it everyday and i will win .. i cut myself down to 1 a day. i use to have to have it after every meal than just random. i think i have a eating disorder of some sort or a addictive personality.
We're here for you if you need support.
You'll see many posts here about "falling off the wagon." Willpower is tricky. You can use willpower to fight the urge to visit the bathroom, for example, but eventually the urge always wins.
IMHO, if you can find a satiating substitute for your trigger foods, you'll no longer need to rely on willpower. I recognized my snacking behavior. Rather than fight it, I embraced it and simply found better snacks.0 -
tashatashae wrote: »tashatashae wrote: »to my understanding its best to set yourself up with something you can sustain
I totally agree -- sustainability is key. I set my carb target to 100g/d, and I lost 40lbs, got to a normal BMI, and both my blood sugar and lipid markers are now in the normal range. But ...
I was keenly aware of which foods were problematic for me. I cut out all baked goods, even low-carb baked goods. Recognize which foods are causing cravings and overeating for YOU. Avoid your triggers.
Forgive me for saying so, but you talk about "sweets" like an addict would.
i am addicted to it i fight it everyday and i will win .. i cut myself down to 1 a day. i use to have to have it after every meal than just random. i think i have a eating disorder of some sort or a addictive personality.
We're here for you if you need support.
You'll see many posts here about "falling off the wagon." Willpower is tricky. You can use willpower to fight the urge to visit the bathroom, for example, but eventually the urge always wins.
IMHO, if you can find a satiating substitute for your trigger foods, you'll no longer need to rely on willpower. I recognized my snacking behavior. Rather than fight it, I embraced it and simply found better snacks.
I found it easier to add trigger foods to my "Not in my house! list"
You'd get a kick out of me shopping, I shop off a list.
If it ain't on the list - it ain't going in the cart!
(Exception to rule: My Sweetie has final say on cart) OR
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tashatashae wrote: »i exercise i don't eat candy i like to bake so i like baked goods. i don't see myself eating a whole bunch of meat all day im just trying to cut where i can. the medical issue is not a "issue" yet and i don't want it to become one .. my acl was 5.6 when i was pregnant 3 months ago. to my understanding its best to set yourself up with something you can sustain. cooking for my toddler, husband and my newborn when he gets a little older, 25g is not going to last a lifetime. even when i was gestational diabetic i got to eat carbs just a certain amount every meal i didn't count calories though so it was easier for me. also i have acanthosis nigricans which is showing me something is going on in my body.
*** BINGE TRIGGER WARNING - SPECIFIC FOOD CONTENT WARNING - PLEASE SKIP IF THIS BOTHERS YOU!!! ***
The Acanthosis Nigricans tells me that you are most likely insulin resistant (it's a huge sign of it) or another metabolic syndrome. As does your attitude towards sweets. And your belief that you won't be willing or able to succeed lower carb. None of these statements are judgments in any way. Just statements.
But, let me tell you know I this, because I used to be is so very like you. While I did not have gestational diabetes, I did have all kinds of hormonal craziness. At my heyday, I was eating king-sized candy bars as if 2-3 bars was a serving. Multiple times a day. I couldn't function without the influx of sugar. And no matter what, I wanted them. Even if I wasn't hungry. I used to bake. When I made banana bread, I didn't make one loaf, I made 8 or so, because a loaf was a serving to me. I'd buy double chocolate muffins, planning to eat one or half of one, and eat the entire package. I could eat nutella with spoon, and a tub or more in a sitting. I remember one time having 4-6 large jars in the pantry. My ex used to call it my liquid crack.
And it doesn't stop there... Pasta? 3-4 plates was nothing. At one point I ate almost 2 large pan pizzas by myself... anything I made, I made in quantity. double and triple batches of macaroni and cheese. After a time, the huge block of velveeta and an entire package or three of pasta. It might last 2 meals. A family size bag of chips could last 1-2 sittings. Chips and salsa - I used to buy the largest containers of eat and eat that for meals...
I could go on and on and on, but hopefully I've made my point.
I'm 5'4" tall, 39 years old, female. At my heaviest weight recorded at my doctor's office, I was 319 pounds (in 2010). I'm currently 249 pounds (I just had a gain of a few pounds after a setback). Eating lower carb (your level is finding what works for you) is possible, if terrifying at first. It can be maintainable and forever, and healthy for your kids (they don't need bread and sugary treats for health), etc. It just has to be reasonable AND maintainable, as you said.
Meat is not critical to eating lower carb, but it does help. Finding what vegetables do and don't affect you. For example, I'm thrilled to know that I can eat tomatoes without too much trouble, despite the fact they're higher carbs... I can eat potatoes once in a blue moon in small portion. Foods to not have to be gone forever unless we can't find a way to control ourselves around them.
When you eat this way, your taste buds change. I now really enjoy foods I used to completely hate - or eat things daily I would have never tolerated trying before. And I'm going to give you a small bit of tough love here. If the "medical issue" is enough to be labeled and acknowledged, it is already an issue. It is just not raging out of control screaming for medication or hospitalization, etc. I had to accept that denial I'd been using myself.
And just because you were allowed to have a certain amount of carbs while pregnant and having GD does not mean it was the most healthy thing for you. You seem to have found a decent amount of balance, though, ti have made it through, and that is wonderful.
I too, burned myself out on bacon and eggs. I'm finally back to eating eggs, but bacon has been on a 4 month or so hiatus from my diet. The key is to not think of how you have to get rid of things - but rather how you can tweak the things you already eat to make them healthier. It's not as impossible as it seems. And i know it does seem impossible.
It took me over 6 months, recommendations from my endocrinologist, not to mention my PCP who had already been asking me to cut carbs for years, to even warm up to the idea that this was possible, doable, and maintainable. And it is. I researched and asked a million questions. I got my head in the game. And then I tore through a huge box of chocolates I got on after Christmas clearance over three days and just hit a wall. I realized I didn't want to keep living like that. So I decided to change.
I still eat some junk, I still eat out. I still eat things I shouldn't. I still eat off my plan sometimes, but this is not a slow thing to change. This is real life, and crap happens. The biggest things I would say is love yourself, forgive yourself, ditch guilt, and make the better decisions whenever possible (not the best decision, because we all know that's not possible all the time - we live in reality - but a better decision as often as possible).
Listen to all the folks here. Pick different things to try. Start at 100 grams of carbs. Figure out what foods make you feel good and what doesn't. Decide if you want to drop some. Maybe drop to 90 grams of carbs the next month. Maybe not if you lose weight and feel good at 100 grams... Maybe you'll find you feel better lower. Or higher. Only you can tell. But try to make changes only once every 4 weeks so you can see what's really working. It's all about you and your journey. Accept that in having two very young children at home, you're going to have to use some convenience foods and batch cooking. Just make them the better ones you can find. I still eat pepperoni quite often. Is the processed stuff good for me? No, not at all, but it's better than all the old junk I used to eat... LOL
And work on changing how you think about dropping your carbs. Think about all the things you can do, you get to do, and you want to do again or eventually, like with your kids and hubby... Focus on where you're going, not where you've been, and your load will lighten. Dropping your carbs will give you more energy and make it easier to keep up with your bundles of joy!! Good luck and ask us all a million questions. Unlike what I've experience before here or elsewhere, this group is all about lifting each other up and helping others succeed, too! It's not a competition, and anyone attempting to help will work to keep your best goals in mind and give advice based that direction.
Good luck.0 -
@KnitOrMiss Fantastic Read !!!! THANK YOU!0
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I agree with everyone here! A year ago I was telling my friend there was NO way I could ever give up pasta, bread, or sweets. I would never stick to it. Then I tried it. Now it's just habit. I look at cakes and candies and associate them with pain and inflammation. Bread just feels weird in my mouth. If I want bread, , like for a sandwich or something, I use a low carb tortilla, however there is something called CarbQuick that you can use for low carb baking. Until my cravings went away I had to find substitutes. Sugar alchohols are great as sugar substitutes. Erithrotol is a good one. Stevia is not bad. I used Almond flour for pie crust. Non fat, sugar free, instant pudding made with heavy whipping cream instead of milk is a great pie filling or good right off the spoon for the random sweet craving. My family loves it, and they have NO idea its sugar free.
However, just because LCHF works for me, does not mean its for everyone. I hear what you are saying about being able to keep this up for a lifetime, but I think if you gave it a month, you would be surprised.
Start where you feel comfortable. If you think you can do 100 grams a day, go for it. Any change is better then none.
Kudos to you for reaching out and for finding a starting place you can live with.
Good luck!0 -
I don't think the people here are hardcore. I think we all recognize those "allowances" we tried to keep when we first started were the same ones that caused us to fail in the long run. They just want you be succeed. It's one thing to have 100 grams of carbs each day from vegetables and nuts. It's quite a different thing to pick 100 grams because you want to allow baked goods. Some of us even found that we had to get super strict.
I was always a sweet eater, but I didn't initially mind quitting those to get healthy. My problem was breads. I would bake several loaves a week, or bagels, or rolls, or anything else I desired. The thought of quitting bread was just too much for me. But, I quickly learned that 50 grams of bread carbs and 50 grams of vegetable carbs were totally different in how I responded to them.
There's nothing wrong with setting a goal of 100 grams. Just be aware that trying to make room for a lifetime of "just one treat a day" is like trying to quit smoking but thinking you'll be able to smoke just 3-4 cigarettes a day for long term success.0 -
well maybe i should keep doing what i am doing everything in moderation 1200 calories plus exercise but no more than 1500 .. keep researching check my acl in 3 months and go from there right now im at the high end of normal . im just not going to do all or nothing its not going work.. i'm losing weight pretty good now. right now i add my protein my goal is 100g with the reminder of the calories i than add veggies/fruit than carbs. and 150 calories allowance for a snack . recently ive been drinking tea at night to help with my sweet tooth.0
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I don't think the people here are hardcore. I think we all recognize those "allowances" we tried to keep when we first started were the same ones that caused us to fail in the long run. They just want you be succeed. It's one thing to have 100 grams of carbs each day from vegetables and nuts. It's quite a different thing to pick 100 grams because you want to allow baked goods. Some of us even found that we had to get super strict.
I was always a sweet eater, but I didn't initially mind quitting those to get healthy. My problem was breads. I would bake several loaves a week, or bagels, or rolls, or anything else I desired. The thought of quitting bread was just too much for me. But, I quickly learned that 50 grams of bread carbs and 50 grams of vegetable carbs were totally different in how I responded to them.
There's nothing wrong with setting a goal of 100 grams. Just be aware that trying to make room for a lifetime of "just one treat a day" is like trying to quit smoking but thinking you'll be able to smoke just 3-4 cigarettes a day for long term success.
This covered about everything I came to say.
I was a serious sugar addict but I caught myself from completely ruining my health pretty early. I was hiding candy around the house and in my car. Looking for any reason to need to run to Walgreens real quick if I realized I was out. I was looking for my next sugar hit all day long and planning it out and making sure it was easily accessible. My husband noticed I had a big candy issue and would often comment about how he thought I bought candy a lot and how it was a bad habit to be eating so much of it. So I would sneak away and grab mouthfuls whenever the slightest craving hit.
My turning point was when my reformed drug addicted niece was released from prison and I had a great conversation with her about her recovery and her plans and goals. I couldn't help but hear this voice in my head that was telling me "Damn! This kinda sounds like me and sugar!" How she talked about having to deal with the constant desire to numb reality and she knew she would fight it every day.
Later, I was thinking about how positive she sounded and how far she has come and how strong she really is to be where she is today. I told her that during our talk. Then, I had a craving for candy. I didn't have any and I needed to find an excuse to go to the store. Then it hit me. Was I not a strong enough person to tell myself no?!? My niece fought a much harder addiction than my sugar desires! I found myself feeling disgusted by the thought that my whole family wanted her to get clean and wants her to stay that way and I can't even say no to lemonheads!
I had already learned about Keto and kept putting it off because... candy. I didn't want to give up candy. I thought about doing higher carb, you know, so I could have "occasional" candy. Just tiny amounts of course... So I wouldn't feel deprived. Ha! I was kidding myself.
I decided then that was it! I was done! I was stronger than that and I was going to prove it by going a full month without candy. If I could do that then I could do Keto. I know I cut out pasta and bread during that time too but I wasn't tracking anything that first whole month. I was focused only on no candy at all. Not one tiny piece. And I did it! It was great! My will power got me through a couple weeks and I think the lower carbs must have helped to a point the rest. But, I didn't lose the cravings completely until I went to 20-25g a day. At that point, I knew I could keep this up indefinitely. Everything became sooooooooo much easier at that level for me. Even now, if I creep up over 30 for a few days or even if I just have sweet flavored things that are really sweet and have too much of it... The cravings kick right in! I think it's like getting tiny doses of a drug... It's just enough to remind your brain that it wants more.
This is a tricky thing to beat if you don't go all in with everything you've got. If I hadn't approached it with the addiction mindset, I would still be chomping down box after box of my favorite sour candies on a daily basis. I know that is a fact!
I didn't want that candy more than I wanted to hold firm to beating the addiction. I needed to win that battle. It was making me question my strength as a human being. I felt week and stupid for caving in so much before. For hiding it and sneaking around to eat it. I couldn't believe I didn't realize how wrong that was before. But it was addictive behavior. It doesn't usually make sense. I wasn't going to break into houses to steal copper like my niece to support my habit, but I didn't have to, it was too easy to get. It's readily available EVERWHERE, all the time!
I'm sorry for going on so much. This is a subject that I'm really passionate about. I know you can beat the cravings. I know you can have this feeling of strength and pride for good choices made over and over again just like I have been enjoying for the last 5.5 months.
I want you to succeed. We all do. And what I know is that you can't bargain with yourself on this subject. Or you'll be like my Dad who was always "cutting back" with the intention of quitting smoking. Didn't actually quit until his lung cancer diagnosis though.
I highly encourage you to try a month of Keto then adjust carbs up slowly to see if cravings stay under control. It's totally ok to do it the other way. But I fully believe in the lower the better for this kind of control. I fought off the cravings that whole first month, then one week at Keto and BAM! Cravings gone! I technically did it the way you are planning, but I think I worked harder than I needed to that first month because of it. You will need to rely more on will power. I had my inspiration to help me. I recommend finding something to draw inspiration from for the beginning.
If you want to add me, you can see what kinds of foods I usually eat and I'm happy to help in any way I can.
You can do this!
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tashatashae wrote: »well maybe i should keep doing what i am doing everything in moderation 1200 calories plus exercise but no more than 1500 .. keep researching check my acl in 3 months and go from there right now im at the high end of normal . im just not going to do all or nothing its not going work..
Did you just talk yourself out of it?
I hope not. You might be truly AMAZED at how you're able to control the cravings if you give it a real solid go. You can "re-train" your taste so that lesser sweet things will taste more sweet to you. It just takes the decision to do it and the help of appetite control you can achieve with the presence of ketones, which you will have under 100g. The more ketones you're making, the more control you will feel over this.
If there was a pill that you could take that would help you achieve control over your sweet cravings, would you take it?
If you had to take the pill for at least a whole week, while also not eating sweets, before it started working, would you still take it?
What if after 2 weeks of taking the craving pill and not eating sweets out of pure will power, the pill really kicked in and it was much much easier to resist and then week by week, it got easier and easier??? And as a bonus, the pill had some other effects of mental clarity and energy and lower insulin levels and with long term use there would be many other health benefits...
Sounds better in pill form but you can have that result without one.0 -
It sounds like you are conflicted about cutting carbs. Why not try this? Don't think of it as cutting carbs think of it as increasing protein and fat. Try eating a LOT more protein and fat. You may find that you are so full and satisfied that you don't need to eat the baked goods. I am very new to LCHF and still learning as I go. This group has been very helpful and welcoming. You can find strength and knowledge here. For me I have found that eating a large, protein/fat breakfast sets me up for success through the day. In the long run your kids and your husband will also be healthier if you stop baking all of those treats. While they may be tasty, they are basically poison for the entire family and setting everyone on a path toward obesity and maybe worse. You are already experiencing those issues or you wouldn't be here. Take it slow if you must, but in the long run your whole household will be better off.0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »You can "re-train" your taste so that lesser sweet things will taste more sweet to you.
This is so true. The other day I ate an apple (mostly because my wife was freaking about my total lack of carbs) and it was THE best thing ever. My mouth was literally watering as I washed and looked at the apple. It was sweeter than any candy bar or whatever. I definitely can see myself slowly re-introducing plant based carbs as a treat. I hope to be able to eat something like an apple, or really great orange once a day.
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For the last 6 weeks I've stayed from 25-50 carbs/day. Upped my protein a little because I've started lifting, hopefully won't have too much excess that might turn into glucose.
I got rid of everything in the house that was high carb, that helps as I'm not having cravings.0 -
Found some very informative stuff in this post. I'm also farily new at this. Is it hard yes but not near as bad as I thought.
Good luck to all.0 -
To the OP, sorry you asked a very simple question and I never answered it. I am trying to stay around 25 carbs daily. I'm actually trying to be just about zero carbs to kick-start this thing. But even eggs have at least one carb per, so it's hard to avoid all carbs. I think anything below 50 is a pretty go place to be.0
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when i did a 100g of carbs when i was pregnant i was spilling ketones in the purple range. what happens when i have to taste the food i make for my family? i will never stay in active keto i would think... do any of you have very young children under 4?
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daylitemag wrote: »To the OP, sorry you asked a very simple question and I never answered it. I am trying to stay around 25 carbs daily. I'm actually trying to be just about zero carbs to kick-start this thing. But even eggs have at least one carb per, so it's hard to avoid all carbs. I think anything below 50 is a pretty go place to be.
Large eggs actually have 0.42 grams of carbs, on average... Just saying.0
