Seriously struggling with low carb

critty1542
critty1542 Posts: 1
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Dr. recommended low carb diet and I have been sticking with it but there is just such a little selection of food that I will actually eat that is low carb. I hate nuts! Right now I'm in the beginning stages so carbs are seriously limited and I'm never able to get enough protein. I'm tiring of eggs and chicken. I eat most meat fine but often work 10-12 hrs a day and have a child that is involved in after school activities so it is hard to actually cook every day. I prepare a few days worth but since I don't like most of the foods that are low carb I am eating the same things all the time. Have had success with low cal/fat diet in the past but don't really want to go against my Dr's instructions. I do not crave the carbs and sugar or anything am just tiring of the monotony. Also, I'm trying to keep it fairly low cholesterol as in the past I have had a few borderline cholesterol tests. I have to watch the bacon and only eat the whites of the eggs. I need fiber and if I eat too much cheese that causes a whole other set of problems. Any ideas are welcome!

Replies

  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    Well I would definitely discuss it with your doctor

    If you really wanna stick with low carb:

    try all meats, red meat too
    do you like PB?
    cheese sticks
    lots of veggies

    I do low carb 6 days a week so I know its hard to keep em low!
  • kettlewitch
    kettlewitch Posts: 277 Member
    Jut out of interest, why would you be recommended low carb? Are there medical conditions that need this?
  • Tracy184
    Tracy184 Posts: 74
    I like to have a protein shake in the morning. They're really fast, and you can add in some pureed strawberries once you can have a few carbs.

    I also love my NuWave oven. I throw 3 pieces of turkey bacon in there sometimes and continue getting ready for work until it's done. You can throw in frozen chicken breasts or whatever in the evening too. My boyfriend made fun of me for buying something from an infomercial, but we both use it all the time.
  • Frappuzzino
    Frappuzzino Posts: 342 Member
    I have insulin resistance and tried having a goal of 100g of carbs every day last week. It is so much harder to get an adequate amount of calories on low carb diet. From what I have experienced, as long as you are avoiding bad, processed carbs (pasta, sweets, etc) you will be fine. I mean, you can eat 100g of carbs worth of veggies and it wouldn't matter because they're vegetables, lol. As long as you're eating good, low GI carbs you should be perfectly okay.
  • Kidsmommado
    Kidsmommado Posts: 1
    You may consider checking out the zone diet. It's low carb. Go to your library and get some of their cookbooks. I would suggest eating 40-30-30 (healthy carb-protein-healthy fat). For protein, try cottage cheese, yogurt, or protein powder shake with fruit. Healthy carbs...veggies, fruits (in moderation). Healthy fat...olive oil, avocado, natural peanut butter (w/out all the sugar). You can have lean cuts of beef marinade them and grill it up! Make turkey chilli or fajitas. Double the meat and use it on a salad the next day or with your eggs for breakfast. Lots of options just try to plan out your eating plan. If you have a menu for the week, you'll save money and time. instead of sour cream try Greek yogurt. I can't even tell the difference anymore and I'm a total foodie!! This is the time of year to be motivated. Awesome fresh veggies, fruits and herbs to choose from and the grill is no longer buried in snow.
    I hope this helps:)
    Best of luck.
  • Jrh2os
    Jrh2os Posts: 28
    I had a similar experience with low carb (also a recommendation from a doctor). I hated eating so much meat and heavy foods, really missed fruits, vegetables and bread and never really felt good. I did lose weight, but my cholestrol went up.

    Now I am on a low calorie diet (1200-1400 calorie) with exercise and I feel great and am seeing good results. I'm only losing about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds a week, but it seems to be consistent. I don't feel hungry and I can eat the foods I love (smoothies with fruit, yogurt and spinach, homemade bread, spaghetti with tomato sauce and pizza) as long as I track my calories. I think the important thing for me is that this is a "diet" that I could stay on for life. Obviously once I hit my goal weight, I'll need to increase my calories a bit.

    I don't think that low-carb diets are for everyone. You may want to talk with your doctor and propose an alternative.
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
    Do you not like salads and vegetables? What about:

    Strawberries
    Blueberries
    Nuts
    Peanut butter
    Ground turkey
    Salmon
    Mozzarella cheese sticks
    Portabella mushrooms
    Spinach (cooked or raw)
    Stir frys
    Shish kebobs
    Turkey bacon
    Vegetable omlettes
    Greek yogurt (no or low sugar added)
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
    Also, alot of people misunderstand low-carb. They think they cannot have vegetables. The trick is to have fruits and vegetables that are higher in fiber. What you are looking to cut is your overall amount of NET carbs. You find out the net carbs of a food by subtracting the amount of fiber. For instance, say a serving of broccoli is 6 carbs, but contains 2 grams of fiber. 6-2=4, which means you are ingesting 4 NET carbs.
  • Frappuzzino
    Frappuzzino Posts: 342 Member
    Also, alot of people misunderstand low-carb. They think they cannot have vegetables. The trick is to have fruits and vegetables that are higher in fiber. What you are looking to cut is your overall amount of NET carbs. You find out the net carbs of a food by subtracting the amount of fiber. For instance, say a serving of broccoli is 6 carbs, but contains 2 grams of fiber. 6-2=4, which means you are ingesting 4 NET carbs.

    I see the same thing with fruits as well. That's why I think low GI is much better than low carb. :)
  • merzback
    merzback Posts: 453 Member
    Seriously- doctors are NOT dieticians, and I got rid of diabetes without going low carb. Carbs are not your enemy, no one food group is if eaten in moderation!
  • deathtaco
    deathtaco Posts: 237
    Dr. recommended low carb diet and I have been sticking with it but there is just such a little selection of food that I will actually eat that is low carb. I hate nuts! Right now I'm in the beginning stages so carbs are seriously limited and I'm never able to get enough protein. I'm tiring of eggs and chicken. I eat most meat fine but often work 10-12 hrs a day and have a child that is involved in after school activities so it is hard to actually cook every day. I prepare a few days worth but since I don't like most of the foods that are low carb I am eating the same things all the time. Have had success with low cal/fat diet in the past but don't really want to go against my Dr's instructions. I do not crave the carbs and sugar or anything am just tiring of the monotony. Also, I'm trying to keep it fairly low cholesterol as in the past I have had a few borderline cholesterol tests. I have to watch the bacon and only eat the whites of the eggs. I need fiber and if I eat too much cheese that causes a whole other set of problems. Any ideas are welcome!

    Check out my diary.
    After the first 3-4 days of no processed carbs, you really don't care. You can get away with 100g and still be fine...I just choose to keep mine really low. Veggies are the bomb. Don't eat nuts anyway, too high in calories for the little bit of satiation they provide. Go pound a burger instead!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    You might check out the Atkins website for recipes. They have a lot of good ones both in the official recipe section (http://www.atkins.com/Recipes.aspx?searchmode=course) and the ones people post in the message boards.

    I'm actually eating the Atkins way right now and it's funny because after a few weeks I'd say that I'm starting to get tired of salad. I eat salad almost every day usually with romaine and spinach leaves, blue cheese, hard boiled eggs, cucumber, celery, avocado and oil and vinegar dressing. I can switch it up for awhile but I know I'll be back to my lunch salad again pretty soon.

    You didn't say how many grams of carbs is your maximum. I know that during the first two weeks of Atkins, it's 20-25 grams and then slowly increasing. If it helps, here is the list of acceptable foods from their site for during that first two weeks: http://www.atkins.com/Program/Phase1/WhatYouCanEatinthisPhase.aspx. It might give you some new ideas. In particular, there's a very long list of vegetables. The list is much longer in Phase 2 where more carbs are allowed, so if you can eat more than 25, look at that list instead.

    If you're really having difficulties sticking to it, I'd talk to your doctor again and see if there's something else he'd suggest. A diet you hate is not going to be something you're going to eventually stick with. Or even better, get him to refer you to a nutritionist. Good luck!
  • Shortyburb
    Shortyburb Posts: 40 Member
    Did you know that high cholesterol is just a theory of it leading to heart disease? From what I understand Its NEVER been proven. Cholesterol does cause plaque but cholesterol in general does not lead to heart disease, or heart attacks.
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
    low carb?? thats wrong!!...you need to do your own research on your problems...doctors try to starve weight off...better to talk to a personal trainer or nutritional specialist....
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
    low carb?? thats wrong!!...you need to do your own research on your problems...doctors try to starve weight off...better to talk to a personal trainer or nutritional specialist....

    Wow...never thought I'd ever hear such advice on MFP. Let me get this straight. You're telling her to trust a personal trainer or nutritional specialist more than her doctor?!?! Sorry to sound like a smart *kitten*, but that's about the worst advice I've ever seen.

    What if she's diabetic or symptomatic? Wouldn't her doctor know and thus advise a low carb diet as opposed to a personal trainer who would never be able to diagnose any possible medical condition?
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