no carbs

Hi there!

I have been on a low carb diet for around two years now, starting due to my I.B.S rather than the weight loss side of things.
it is sustainable if you enjoy what you eat and don’t try to kind of bully yourself into keeping them out.
I stick to around 20 - 30g a day which suits me, but you may want to go a little higher to start and lower if you need to.

I did lose 47lbs cutting down my carbs, although it was not my main goal, it was rather nice!
However when cutting down carbs your energy levels go down quite a bit in the first week or so.

I tend to stay a away from the "Atkins" style diet, as much as I want to be slim, I don’t want to damage my heart with the fatty foods the Atkins diet is based around.

Totally natural foods tend to be a little lower in carbs.
eggs, meat, fish, and although some veg is high, celery, asparagus and some others aren’t.
also vegetarian food can be quite low, quorn is low in carbs and saturated fats.
For fruit, berries, strawberries (which are also a negative calorie food) strawberries, raspberries etc.
Good fats are from your nuts, almonds, walnuts and peanuts are very low in carbohydrates.

I can’t really deal with food in the mornings, so I have a protein shake by a company called "AvidHiPro" they have a range of snacks, shakes and soups which are healthy and low carb.

Some really good reference sites for carbohydrate counting are

http://caloriecount.about.com
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com
www.ourcivilisation.com
www.simplyrecipes.com


Hope this is helpful, and good luck

Have you ever try using sprouted grain products? These types of products would be the better for you type of carbs when you eat them. Ezekiel brand is one of them. They have breads, muffin and cereal products that you may enjoy w/o the guilt. Check in to your local health food market or health food aisle at your local grocer. You will find some really yummy, good for you low carb options that you can eat when you get the urge. Trader Joe's (if you have one in your area) has sprouted breads that are a little more affordable. I like my spouted bread sandwiches panini style. Good luck to you & I hope this helps.

Have you ever try using sprouted grain products? These types of products would be the better for you type of carbs when you eat them. Ezekiel brand is one of them

Man, that stuff is delicious.

I do low carb. It helps me from feeling hungry all the time and also helps me moderate my blood glucose.

as for breakfast, I typically choose one of the following:

1. 2 eggs over medium, cooked with a little bit of butter, and one cup of berries...either blackberries, raspberries or blueberries. 3 cups of water. note: blackberries and raspberries give you 8 grams of fiber per cup...so that's nice too. (this is my most common breakfast)

2. one package of instant oatmeal with one cup of berries. 3 cups of water

3. one scoop of protein powder mixed with water and then one cup of berries...or sometimes I skip the berries and have two scoops of protein powder mixed with water. 3 cups of water (in addition to the water used to mix the protein powder)

berries have a low GI value and the extra fiber is nice...plus they taste good

bump

Carbs are not the enemy.

There's countries (and regions of the world) where people live longer than anywhere else on Earth.

Guess what? Their diets include healthy carbs. Of course they have a strong focus on eating local and they get plenty of outdoor activity. It's all about balance.

Read the Primal Blueprint.... It's not CARBS it's all the processed carbs we scarf that effect out blood sugar that's the enemy

I absolutely agree. I don't need to read that though--but I agree it is a good resource for some. I'm a healthy weight and very active. I eat as clean as possible. I also suggest reading 'Eating Animals', 'Animal. Vegetable. Miracle.' and anything by Michael Pollan. I also have been volunteering teaching kid's programs at a farm for the past 12+ years. Learning is a constant process!

When I first started my weight loss journey, I limited my carbohydrates to about 75 grams a day to induce a large loss of water weight so that I could exercise without the pain caused by lugging around 308 lbs. I lost 30 lbs., mostly water, the first month, and it helped spur my exercise routine. I should also point out that it's very easy to stay sated because calories are coming from fat and protein. I could eat 5 pieces of bacon, 3 eggs with cheese and red bell peppers, and a glass of milk, and be good until dinner.

From my research, it appears that the body, regardless of size, only needs around 50 grams of carbohydrates a day during weight loss to avoid significant gluconeogenesis, where the body risks losing lean mass. If a person is involved in weight training or endurance training, I believe those numbers change to about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. For example, I have about 175 lbs. of lean mass, so I take in roughly 175 grams a day, on average, because I engage in strength training, on some level, nearly every day. For someone who just walks, or performs other low-intensity exercise, there is apparently no practical need for anything above 50 grams a day.

To encourage the body to burn fat most of the day while using glycogen and sparing muscle during intense exercise, you can try eating most of your carbohydrates within 2 hours of exercising. Anecdotally, that's made a significant difference in my exercise performance and body composition.

Parenthetically, you'll hear some people say that the brain needs at least 120 grams of glucose a day to function properly. Your brain can run on ketones, just fine, when you're on a low carbohydrate diet. It's how epileptics and people with Alzheimers disease are able to function better -- they have trouble using glucose for brain activity; therefore, they are on high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate diets.

i've just looked at my food diary and most days i'm around 100-120 g carbs per day(unintentionally though, I tend to gravitate toward protein and fats, i'd rather have a good steak and big azz salad than potatoes)

i meet my macros (1600-1800 cals a day) through lean meats, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes and LOTS of vegetables. when i make my protein pancakes i do put 1/3 cup of dry oats in them though, i eat those about 2-3x a week. i also have 1/2 LIGHTLY PACKED brown jasmine rice with my lean meat for lunch 2-3x a week as well.

sunday is my cheat day and i carb up like a mofo then....usually a homemade hamburger with a good ciabatta bun and some french fries. knowing that i've worked hard all week and sunday is my rest/relax/cheat day gives me something to look forward to :laugh:

i've just looked at my food diary and most days i'm around 100-120 g carbs per day(unintentionally though, I tend to gravitate toward protein and fats, i'd rather have a good steak and big azz salad than potatoes)

i meet my macros (1600-1800 cals a day) through lean meats, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes and LOTS of vegetables. when i make my protein pancakes i do put 1/3 cup of dry oats in them though, i eat those about 2-3x a week. i also have 1/2 LIGHTLY PACKED brown jasmine rice with my lean meat for lunch 2-3x a week as well.

sunday is my cheat day and i carb up like a mofo then....usually a homemade hamburger with a good ciabatta bun and some french fries. knowing that i've worked hard all week and sunday is my rest/relax/cheat day gives me something to look forward to :laugh:

Hear, hear! Your entire plan, with the cheat day, is a recipe for success. You're burning fat most of the time and then resetting your leptin levels on Sunday. That's smart.