How do I walk away from free food gifts? A carb dilemma.

NewChapterInMyLife
NewChapterInMyLife Posts: 757 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone. I am feeling inspired by others to join the low carb lifestyle...not ready for total Keto at this point. This is my 2nd time on MFP. I was on here last year but the scale didn't budge for 3 months and I quit. Subsequently, I gained an additional 20 lbs. since so now I have 40 to lose. This go around, I decided to NOT use a scale because stepping on it every day and not seeing numbers drop really bummed me out and made me lose my motivation. Yes, i logged every morsel down to gum and even spices, vitamins etc and weighed everything and ate low calorie. 1200 to 1500 daily. I do have PCOS as well as 2 uterine fibroids that are HUGE. ( 2 cantaloupe sized ones in my uterus) and am not on medication nor is surgery an option. I don't want to get into the medical debate on that. They are not options is all. I have heard plenty enough success stories from other women with PCOS and even thyroid issues that are not on medication, that the low carb diet plan is THE best way to go and works. And I want to DO IT. But here's the dilemma...
I am on a limited budget and I have this amazing cousin that coupons and goes to farmer's markets and gets free food she brings to me. Every week! It's such a blessing really and it helps me soooo much. She is well meaning and I have benefited greatly from it. Weekly, she pops by to bring things like canned beans, quinoa, apples, corn, carrots, cereals and oatmeals and low cal crackers and even things like smartpop popcorn. Things that are " healthy" yet high carb. I've been doing just CICO and careful logging again but everyone has convinced me that i need to go low carb. The success rate is hard to deny.
I am just wanting input. Do I just stop accepting her food gifts despite my now small budget when it's been a lifesaver in that regard. They ARE " healthy" foods. Just high in carbs.
I just want some honest opinions here. Preferably kind comments but I won't get my hopes up. :)Would you walk away from the food gifts in my situation?
Note: I think I just talked myself into rejecting the food. Ha! I made a great case for myself. I just want some others opinions. Thank you.

Replies

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    I would keep accepting the food. Have you had a conversation with her about slightly modifying your diet for medical reasons? You can mention eating lower carb foods and if she can adapt, great, but if not, emphasize that you're grateful for the help either way. But, she can't change the food she brings you if she doesn't know your preferences have changed.
  • NewChapterInMyLife
    NewChapterInMyLife Posts: 757 Member
    She knows I'm eating right and exercising again and that I am committed and so she brings me just the healthy things I mentioned now. I have not mentioned the low carb idea to her because I don't want to sound picky or rude when she's doing this for me but maybe I will. I do have a daughter at home and I my daughter is super picky and won't even touch most of the food she brings besides the crackers and popcorn but yes, maybe I should mention it. Or if not, donate to a shelter or church. I'm not extremely poor or anything but I am on a budget for sure!Especially now, I have gone from a feast or famine job to a lower paying job but that's another story altogether:)
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    Let her know what your plan and maybe she will accommodate. If not, I would still accept the food and donate it. I have a friend who somehow ends up with a surplus of various foods every few months. She shares the food with friends (we all have kids and some people are struggling with money). I don't need the food and it's not stuff we would normally eat. I accept it and pass it on to a neighbor that is struggling to feed her family.
  • Iamnotasenior
    Iamnotasenior Posts: 235 Member
    Wow. I would love to have a friend like that! Keep accepting her gifts. If you don't want the "carby" stuff, you can store it in the pantry if it's a dry good like oatmeal or canned or dry bean. For the vegetables, blanch them (boil for two minutes, then plunge them into ice water) and then put them in a ziploc bag and freeze them. CICO really does work, by the way and all of those lovely, fresh local vegetables are perfect for helping you feel full while losing weight.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    If you are convinced this is your path I would start by deciding what "low carb" means to you. Forget about the numbers and rules of conventional LC diets and see how you respond to just lowering carbs. If you are having some issues with appetite control you might try having more protein when you eat carbs too.

    I don't see why you would want to alter what your friend is bringing you until you know you need it.

    -2 cents

  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I'm a type 2 diabetic, controlled through exercise and diet, so I have some experience with insulin resistance such as occurs in PCOS. If it were me I would eat the food. None of the things you mentioned are incompatible with a restricted carb, but not actually low enough to be keto, diet, except maybe the cereal and crackers. I eat oatmeal with apples every morning for breakfast, carrots and beans almost every day, and quinoa, corn, and popcorn sometimes. The trick is to limit portions and to eat these foods in combination with fat and protein, and exercise following high carb meals. I'm generally about 150g/day, and my numbers are great.
  • NewChapterInMyLife
    NewChapterInMyLife Posts: 757 Member
    Ok, thank you guys. I do think I'll continue to accept but just keep my intake lower and make it last longer.

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