Any other low-carb followers out there?

dhy80
dhy80 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 23 in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone!

I've been researching low-carb diets and have decided it's well worth a try. I didn't realise there were so many other health benefits, as well as fat loss. I'm not really overweight at the moment, but would like to lose just a little bit of body fat and get more athletic looking. Now I'm on the downward slope to 40, things are definitely getting a bit flabbier! General reduced calorie diets just don't work but instead leave me feeling faint, ravenous and miserable!

Is there anyone else who is doing the low-carb thing and wants to get in touch? I'd love to hear from other people who have given it a go!

Dx :)

Replies

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Try the Low Carber Daily forum. It is a very supportive group for low-ish to very low carb diets. I tend to hang around there a lot. There is not a great deal of support for eating low carb around the main groups/boards.
  • dhy80
    dhy80 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks! Will have a look :)
  • xBijinx
    xBijinx Posts: 49 Member
    I lost 40 pounds following a LCHF diet a few years ago. The first week was killer but after that it worked well for me. I have never seen such fast results as I did then when I did it. I also didn't feel hungry. I stopped to go on vacation and before I realized it weeks had gone past without me following the same exercise regimen or eating lifestyle. I debate going back to it, if only to jump start my weight loss.
  • alyusha2
    alyusha2 Posts: 16 Member
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    My personal trainer told me to only have 40g of carbs per day - hell no! The thought of restricting carbs so much sends shivers down my spine, if you can succeed you're a lot stronger than I am heh! I eat a deficit and lose weight, the low carb approach seems quite severe! Good luck though, would love to hear how you get on :)
  • Yogi_warrior
    Yogi_warrior Posts: 5,464 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Its easy unless you are doing low carb and low fat.
  • Yogi_warrior
    Yogi_warrior Posts: 5,464 Member
    My personal trainer told me to only have 40g of carbs per day - hell no! The thought of restricting carbs so much sends shivers down my spine, if you can succeed you're a lot stronger than I am heh! I eat a deficit and lose weight, the low carb approach seems quite severe! Good luck though, would love to hear how you get on :)

    To each of their own. Low carb is pretty easy if you get past first 4 weeks. I will take Bacon over broccoli any day.
  • christinemac17
    christinemac17 Posts: 56 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Hard to find low carb foods?? MEAT!! , cheese, eggs, fibrous veggies.... no need for frozen 'frankenfoods' just eat REAL food.
  • christinemac17
    christinemac17 Posts: 56 Member
    dhy80 wrote: »
    Hello everyone!

    I've been researching low-carb diets and have decided it's well worth a try. I didn't realise there were so many other health benefits, as well as fat loss. I'm not really overweight at the moment, but would like to lose just a little bit of body fat and get more athletic looking. Now I'm on the downward slope to 40, things are definitely getting a bit flabbier! General reduced calorie diets just don't work but instead leave me feeling faint, ravenous and miserable!

    Is there anyone else who is doing the low-carb thing and wants to get in touch? I'd love to hear from other people who have given it a go!

    Dx :)


    perhaps "low carb" diets aren't for everyone. But for those of us with any kind of insulin resistance it's the healthiest woe. The best part is after you've adapted (2-5 days maybe?) your hunger plummets and energy skyrockets
  • JENIPENNY123
    JENIPENNY123 Posts: 13 Member
    I've been doing LCHF for 4 weeks and I started intermittent fasting 3 weeks ago. It was pretty rough at first, but my energy is definitely on the upswing. And I have lost 8 pounds so far, and not from loss of water weight either! It's very exciting :)
  • Chasity6
    Chasity6 Posts: 183 Member
    I am following a paleoish inspired diet. No dairy no grains due to lactose intolerance and IBS symptoms. I weigh in tomorrow for official 4 week weigh in. As of week 3 down 12lbs maybe more tomorrow. However I have over 100lbs to lose. But usually around 100 carbs a day, lots of lean protein, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds. Blood glucose levels stable, energy soaring and I feel better overall. Not really super low carb but also high fat (healthy fat) no longer starving every few hours (except for the fact that I am on steroids for bronchitis which are making me want to eat everything in site.)
  • alyusha2
    alyusha2 Posts: 16 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Hard to find low carb foods?? MEAT!! , cheese, eggs, fibrous veggies.... no need for frozen 'frankenfoods' just eat REAL food.

    Let rephrase that... Hard to find variety.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Hard to find low carb foods?? MEAT!! , cheese, eggs, fibrous veggies.... no need for frozen 'frankenfoods' just eat REAL food.

    Let rephrase that... Hard to find variety.

    It is hard, I reckon there is only probably about a million or so meal variations to choose from. That's fine Monday though to Friday, but what about the weekend?

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    @dhy80 I have been eating <50 grams of carbs daily for about a year to manage my pain by diet ONLY. It worked after the first 30 days and still is working. I my case I had to break a major carb addiction first but after a hellish two weeks the cravings just started to melt away and have not returned. I realized after the fact my cravings were due to my carb addiction that was about 40 years old. I do not think most young people have the addiction yet or at least I hope that is the case.

    LCHF is not for the masses but those who have successfully tried it typically have positive remarks on the subject even if they went back to carbs for the most part.
  • Yogi_warrior
    Yogi_warrior Posts: 5,464 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Hard to find low carb foods?? MEAT!! , cheese, eggs, fibrous veggies.... no need for frozen 'frankenfoods' just eat REAL food.

    Let rephrase that... Hard to find variety.

    I am surprised what you are talking about. I have never gotten bored with lack of variety.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Hard to find low carb foods?? MEAT!! , cheese, eggs, fibrous veggies.... no need for frozen 'frankenfoods' just eat REAL food.

    Let rephrase that... Hard to find variety.

    I think in pre-prepared foods it would be harder to find LCHF options. I find I can't do takeout well on a LCHF diet. Most meals are meat, cheese, eggs, nuts, and some veggies. It's just the starches (potatoes, pasta, rice, bread) and sugars that most low carbers limit or avoid.
  • alyusha2
    alyusha2 Posts: 16 Member
    I am a rather picky eater. So maybe it is just a personal issue. :)
  • xBijinx
    xBijinx Posts: 49 Member
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    alyusha2 wrote: »
    I have been attempting it. It is just so hard to find foods with low carbs. I have started looking into atkins frozen meals. lol

    Hard to find low carb foods?? MEAT!! , cheese, eggs, fibrous veggies.... no need for frozen 'frankenfoods' just eat REAL food.

    Let rephrase that... Hard to find variety.
    In the beginning I found it hard. It taught me how to be creative about what I eat and I tried many new things. I say hit the forums and the net for recipes. You'll find quite a bit
  • dhy80
    dhy80 Posts: 3 Member
    It's interesting hearing about how everyone has different experiences of low-carb dieting. I'm now on Day 5 and am getting on pretty well with it - managed to stay under 50g per day. I'm steering clear of any strenuous exercise until after the second week until I'm hopefully feeling a bit more energetic and my headachey/brain fog/tiredness subsides. I'm starting off with a more manageable calorie deficit for the moment to break myself in gently, so no significant fat loss yet I don't think!

    I do agree with a couple of people (alyusha2) when they say it can be quite hard to find foods that are low-carb. The main reason being that virtually every food you see in the supermarket is packed with added sugar, so you've really got to scrutinise every food label. It does however push you away from refined foods and toward more natural fresh foods though, so that can only be a good thing. It also forces you to cook more with fresh ingredients, rather than something from a jar or packet. Also, it can be quite hard for people who not only have a bit of a sweet tooth, but are not used to eating a lot of fat.

    It's also quite hard to get your tastebuds to "forget" sweetness (as in that lovely full-on sweet taste of chocolate, cakes, biscuits, etc!) and get used to fat. I have only ever eaten small amounts of fats in light butters, cooking with olive oil, etc so it is quite weird tasting so much fat in high fat/low carb foods like coconut butter, cream, mayonnaise. etc. I've only ever used a tiny dribble of olive oil, while now I'm drizzling it liberally all over my tuna salad!

    Does anyone know anything about whether to log total carbs or "net carbs"? I've read that "net carbs" are just a bit of a gimmick.....

    Nice to hear from everyone!

    :smiley:
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