Going with a Low Carb Plan

javablondie

5. I tried a vegan diet and my medical condition got worse. Apparently, I need meat and animal fat to be healthy.

If in fact you do better on low carb... it wasn't the meat. Vegan are quite high carb.

What?

javablondie

Hi! I'm new here. I've tried a whole bunch of different diets in the past. This time, I've chosen to go with a low-carb high-fat diet as presented in Barry Groves' book, "Natural Health & Weight Loss." His program seemed like a good idea because:

1. In the past, I've been able to eat cream cheese by the brick and not gain weight.
2. I've found that I'm less hungry on a high-fat diet.
3. If I eat bread or cereal of any kind in any amount, my weight will generally go up the next day. Whoever it was that decided that Americans should have 6 - 11 servings of grains a day was misinformed, in my opinion. For me, that's a prescription to gain weight.
4. The macro-nutrient numbers of Barry Groves' diet are similar to the ketogenic diet recommended for epileptics. Although it hasn't been tested yet, it has been suggested that this same ketogenic diet might be good for a medical condition that I have.
5. I tried a vegan diet and my medical condition got worse. Apparently, I need meat and animal fat to be healthy.
6. I haven't been hitting my calories goals or even my carb goals since I started here, but apparently I've been getting close enough to do the job. I've been losing weight since I began tracking my foods.

I like the fact that I can adjust my macro-nutrient balance for my tracking. That makes it easier to see how I'm doing.

Sounds brilliant. I can totally relate.

bonkers5975

I've lost my last 65lbs on the Primal Blueprint, and even that stopped working for me. I am moderate in all my food choices, and I am highly active, and yet after 106lbs lost (you'd think I'd know what I was doing by now! ) suddenly I can't budge an oz. And haven't been able to for months.

I thought I could go back to healthy whole grains, baking my own bread, and all that jazz, but then the tummy aches and bloating, and, oh yeah, well within calorie range but there's an added 10 lbs on the scale all of a sudden!

So I'm lower carb whether I like it or not.

Low carb seems to be a dirty word around here. Yet we will stuff our faces with "fake" products, but as long as we're following the pyramid, it's all good! /end sarcasm/

Be healthy. I have no choice in that I can't do grains, whole or otherwise. But I eat a family garden every week. I have the kids at the checkout in the grocery store commenting on how healthy my food is, and asking me for recipes on eggplant and spaghetti squash! You know why? Because I buy fruits and veggies and chicken and fish and eggs and nuts and seeds. How is this unhealthy?

Best of luck to the OP, and I think you'll do great. Some of us don't have the option of eating what we want. Some of us have to be scientific in our approach, because "everything in moderation" just does not apply.

Oh, a multivitamin is also a good thing, and I take a psyllium fiber supplement as necessary, too.

janiepumphrey

It's also possible that you might be sensitive to gluten without realizing it. I saw lots of improvements in my health when I went grain-free but later I discovered that gluten-free grains don't bother me in the same way (rice, quinoa)

bonkers5975

Same here.