LOW CARB DIET HELP

I tried and was successful with a low carb diet but I quickly gained back 30 of the 50 lbs. I lost. I could not sustain long term and always felt deprived. Now I'm counting calories instead, still being smart about carbs--I average btw. 100-120 per day. Quinoa, whole wheat and other grains, and even the occasional potato have helped me keep my sanity! I try to keep dinner carbs to a minimum. No, I'm not losing as fast as I did but I am losing consistantly--16 lbs. so far this year . I was borderline diabetic and my numbers have improved greatly! Of course, you need to do what you, and possibly your doctor, think is best for you. Good luck on your journey!!!

I don't understand all the low sodium being thrown about. Low carb you hold less water and lose a fair amount of salt via this. Some low carb diets even recommend a glass of broth daily to keep up sodium levels so too much sodium really shouldnt be a concern.

Your body LITERALLY needs carbs. Too many have tried low or no carb it and it backfired. I eat 45% carbs, 45% protein, 10% fat.

Carbs are just about the one thing in food your body does NOT NEED!

I'm not saying that means we should go without, but the body can survive without them.

Survive but not function very well. YOUR BRAIN SURVIVES ON CARBS!
And thats interesting seeing as your veggies and fruits have carbs, so do meats.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/carbohydrates-do-more-than-make-energy-for-your-bo.html
http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/shocking-but-true-your-body-needs-carbs-after-exercising/
http://www.indoorclimbing.com/carbohydrates.html
http://www.skinnytwinkie.com/2011/02/healthy-carbohydrates-your-body-needs/

Yes....you need carbs to be healthy and in GREAT shape.

Low carb snacks:

Boiled eggs
cheese (sticks, string, spready triangles)
crab sticks
prawns
jerky/ pepperami
nuts
olives

Sweet potatoes are also a miracle carb food! :happy:

I didn't say low carb. I said a miracle carb food. I don't do low carb, I do healthy carbs. Sweet potatoes are great for people who want energy, and a healthy choice for it...i lift, i need the carbs and potassium.

I did the low carb thing off and on for awhile - it was too hard to stick with.

The major red flag here - as many have said - is that you are having trouble with it right off the bat. Any approach ANYONE makes to weight loss, should be with the intent that you can do this every day for the rest of your life.

if whatever diet approach you are doing, is NOT something you can live with - as a lifestyle change - FOREVER - then chances are you may/will lose the weight, but, since you can't live that way, the minute you feel you are FREE from the dreaded 'diet', you go back to what you were eating BEFORE the diet - and - guess what - all the weight comes back, plus some - for other reasons I won't mention here now.

NO DIET should EVER be a temporary mindset. Temporary approach means temporary results. Do you want Temporary results?

All this said, there IS truth to refined carbs spiking blood sugar and triggering cravings. So if you focus on eating mostly unprocessed foods, lots of fruit and veggies, Protein and healthy fats, you find that you aren't hungry, you FEEL better, have more energy, and CAN do that in most cases for the rest of your life. Additionally, when you eat like that, and you are focusing more on calories in/vs out, then you can allow yourself high calorie days - or treat days once a week, which makes it not feel like a diet. It makes it livable.

Yes!

I did the low carb thing off and on for awhile - it was too hard to stick with.

The major red flag here - as many have said - is that you are having trouble with it right off the bat. Any approach ANYONE makes to weight loss, should be with the intent that you can do this every day for the rest of your life.

if whatever diet approach you are doing, is NOT something you can live with - as a lifestyle change - FOREVER - then chances are you may/will lose the weight, but, since you can't live that way, the minute you feel you are FREE from the dreaded 'diet', you go back to what you were eating BEFORE the diet - and - guess what - all the weight comes back, plus some - for other reasons I won't mention here now.

NO DIET should EVER be a temporary mindset. Temporary approach means temporary results. Do you want Temporary results?

All this said, there IS truth to refined carbs spiking blood sugar and triggering cravings. So if you focus on eating mostly unprocessed foods, lots of fruit and veggies, Protein and healthy fats, you find that you aren't hungry, you FEEL better, have more energy, and CAN do that in most cases for the rest of your life. Additionally, when you eat like that, and you are focusing more on calories in/vs out, then you can allow yourself high calorie days - or treat days once a week, which makes it not feel like a diet. It makes it livable.

Yes!

OH ! and the irony here is when I am doing this right - when I am really focused, I have a HARD Time getting my carbs in. LOL that always blew my mind. Fruits, veggies, lean meats as a general rule are just NOT heavy carb foods. I remember lamenting on not being able to eat ENOUGH carbs. why? because when you cut out a lot of the processed foods, say bye bye to the carb overload. Even oatmeal, and fruit, are not as carb heavy as you think. why? because you can't EAT a ton of those things. It's not like you can sit down and eat 2 cups of oatmeal... You get full WAY faster. but try to sit down and eat 2 cups of ice cream. have 2 cups of a milk shake, 2 cups of gourmet coffee drink with chocolate and sugar for example. one serving of yams (had for lunch) is so crazy filling. I sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over it - and YUM!... enjoy your food, enjoy the way GOOD food makes you feel. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat processed, sugar laden junk and how crappy you feel.

I am just coming off of a week long Stress Eating break. Work was insane and hours were insane and I had no energy to focus on healthy food choices. I ate crap, felt like crap, and could not WAIT to get back on track today. I've had breakfast and lunch, am STUFFED to the gills, feel GREAT, and have plenty of calories to last the rest of the day. THIS is what FEELS AWESOME! to be happy, full, energized, AND on track to lose again. That's addictive, motivating, and habit forming :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Thats great !! I didnt know that sweet potatoes were a health choice for carbs...are there any others ?

Does anyone think that colon cleasners are a good idea to jump start a diet ?

I would say no. I'm not so sure colon cleansers are what they claim to be - though that's my opinion. Spend a day eating oatmeal, apples, and toss back some black coffee - prunes if you want too. You won't have to worry about colon cleansing then

if you're looking to push the scale results, eh, well, I'm not so sure if what you see is really going to make a difference. Here's the thing, if you do have a lot of .. ahem.. stuff to cleanse out, and you jump on the scale and lose 5 lbs. Guess what? it's not fat. It's just stuff that was in your intestines. The scale is fickle anyhow. If you want to do the colon cleanse for psychological purposes, as it may LOOK good on the scale, go ahead. There's a chance you may lose some bloat, so your pants may fit looser too. but it's not really fat.

all my opinion - but Ive done them, and watch my husband do this cranberry juice cleanse where all he could drink was this cranberry juice concoction. eh. no thanks. I'll take my real food, and some oatmeal and an apple any day. Tastes better, is more filling, and doesn't leave me jonesing at the food commercials on TV. :flowerforyou:

Thank you for posting the question and for all the answers. I've been "Stuck" and just yesterday decided to cut back on carbs to see if it would jump start me. I appreciate all the advice and links I've found under this topic.

I try to stay 100 or less for a day. I do subtract my fiber to get my net carbs. You can look at my diary to see what I eat. I think I eat pretty well. Some days I have a few more, but for most part I'm there.

Low carb isn't for everyone. Until you've depleted your glycogen stores after prolonged low carb changes, you'll crave bad stuff because your body would prefer to burn easy energy like glucose. Took me two weeks (once I was in ketosis) to stop craving bad stuff. Once my body started burning ketones, I started to feel like I've been fueled more efficiently.

All in all, I think if you just take a step back and look at the way certain foods make you feel and tailor your diet to that approach, you should find something sustainable. Best of luck!

Please don't listen to people that say you should abandon the low carb diet. Every "dieter" struggles, and processed carbohydrates cause a host of problems for women. Once you reach your goal weight you can, and should, bring back the fruit and higher carb foods slowly, or else you'll never be able to maintain it. I'm sure you've heard it all before, but I am fairly angry about the modern industrial demands and corporate culture that have created a generation of women struggling with diabetes and weight-related issues. Your body is strong and resilient, it has the capacity to make another human being, and then to independently create food to sustain that child's life. And they've managed to concoct food substitutes that interfere with this powerful process.

If you really get a craving for chips, etc (my weakness), there are soy based substitutes that taste pretty good. It still doesn't compare to the natural protein and carbs you get from lean protein and vegetables. I love to make salads with the rotisserie chicken they sell at Costco, baby cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and then a slightly indulgent dressing. You can squeeze a little tangerine juice on it to get that sweet taste with minimal carbs. I like Nitrate free, uncured turkey bacon, laughing cow cheese, and salmon sashimi. I also buy Naked Nectar Juices and water them down by 90% - they still taste pretty sweet. Stir-fry made at home is low carb and filling (even though it's hard to not want the rice!). Polenta is fairly low in carbs and w/ some sauce is my pizza snack substitute. I always use baby veggies, they's just more tender and flavorful, and use as much fresh herb as possible. I just buy one of those $3 basil plants and keep it outside, cilantro on hand at all times and fresh thyme.

When it gets really hard, remind yourself that any diet that allows you a nice lean steak or pork chop isn't the worst thing in the world.

Good luck!

I did the low carb thing off and on for awhile - it was too hard to stick with.

The major red flag here - as many have said - is that you are having trouble with it right off the bat.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you here. If someone has been eating a high-carb, low-fat diet for years, their body needs time to adjust to a reduced-carb diet. It may take several weeks, and some experimenting with the amount and type of carbs. It also requires changing old habits, and that can be even harder. I think that may be where the OP is. She knows what to avoid, but needs help on what to add and how to prepare it. Several people have provided good sources for recipes and ideas for snacks.

NO DIET should EVER be a temporary mindset.

<snip>

All this said, there IS truth to refined carbs spiking blood sugar and triggering cravings. So if you focus on eating mostly unprocessed foods, lots of fruit and veggies, Protein and healthy fats, you find that you aren't hungry, you FEEL better, have more energy, and CAN do that in most cases for the rest of your life. Additionally, when you eat like that, and you are focusing more on calories in/vs out, then you can allow yourself high calorie days - or treat days once a week, which makes it not feel like a diet. It makes it livable.

Totally agree with you.