Eating Low Carb - Metobolic Syndrome?

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jlm962
jlm962 Posts: 64
in Health and Weight Loss
I had biometric testing done for my insurance a few days ago. All of my levels were a couple numbers into the worrisome zone. I was required to put my numbers into was webmd program, and it told me I might have metobolic syndrome. I had never even really heard of this before, so I have been researching and I have found that low carb diets seem to work well for this. This actually makes sense to me if I am borderline insulin resistant, because I crave carbs but they make me feel terrible!

I am curious to know if anyone is eating low carb? I would love to see some food diaries because there are so many different variations of low carb eating, I don't even know where to begin! I also don't even know if I should be counting calories or not doing this? Any info would be helpful! Thanks!

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  • amuchison
    amuchison Posts: 274 Member
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    My carbs have to stay below 88g on Medifast I think...
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I don't count my carbs in grams, I don't even log anymore but I know my carbs only come from fresh vegetables/fruit and I don't eat any processed carbs - no white or brown bread (i allow gluten free breadroll once a week and one gluten free pitta bread) , no pasta at all, no rice with dinner (but allow gluten free rice krispies as cereal and oats) 1 potato once a week, usually I choose sweet potato as it tends to have more vitamins and stuff than white potatoes don't have.


    I've lost most of my weight these last few months since I started this diet about end of august (16lbs) the first 9lbs took about 4 months to get off where I was still eating carbs but following a strict calorie count.

    I did count calories in beginning but found I rarely reached 1200 anyway with no carbs in my day, unless i added a treat like small bar of chocolate or a brandy and coke, I was often under, but this seems to be working for me. I stick to very low carb most of the week then throw in a coupe of treat meals.. Tuesday I'll have KFC or something when i go shopping as anything gluten free will be very hard to find in shopping centre cafe, but one day won't hurt me. I do still occasionally have few slices of whole wheat bread, usually to get bowels moving as I don't go to bathroom as often (like every 3-4 days now instead of daily)

    I've never heard of Metabolic syndrome as such but have thyroid problems and I believe going mainly wheat free/low carb has helped as weight loss was very slow to start with from just reducing overall calories.
  • MoneySavingLisa
    MoneySavingLisa Posts: 25
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    I'm eating low carb, but I just joined. I highly recommend researching into coconut oil, and even reading books by Dr. Mercola or Gary Taubes. You can google them also. I would even suggest reading Wheat Belly. I'm a big fan of nutrition, and believe a lot of the hoopla out there is based on flawed or old science.

    My advice..

    1. Count calories and carbs with carbs being more important
    2. Where you start is up to you but maybe starting between 50-100 carbs a day is a good start. Lower/raise at your discretion.
    3. Write a list of fruits and veggies you like to eat often. Look up their carb counts/glycemic index. Choose which ones to eat regularly vs. their carb count. If you like spinach, it's super low in calories and carbs so that means you could eat it all you want. Apples are loaded with sugar, but it just means to eat them sparingly. I suggest making this list up to how you choose to watch carbs.
    4. Watch your sugar. It's in everything now. I switched to Stevia, which is all natural. I like pop so I can't avoid chemically made sugar entirely.
    5. Switch flour to stuff like almond flour, and coconut flour. I haven't used coconut flour yet, but it's low in carbs and has a ton of fiber in it. Lots of recipes to google up!
    6. Look up low carb recipes. To make them lower in fat, just switch to reduced fat or fat free versions. Depending on the recipe and ingredients, I actually recommend full fat. If you compare the ingredients list for example on cream cheese, there's more chemicals to make the cream cheese fat free than to keep it full fat. Same thing with milk.
    7. Low carb milks; unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk is a god send. Unsweetened almond milk is 40 calories per serving, and 1-2 grams of carbs! They even have unsweetened chocolate milk. Good to mix it some stevia and warm it up like cocoa! Top off with whip cream for an extra treat.
    8. Low carb doesn't mean splurging on bacon, beef, etc. Yes you can eat it more on a low carb diet, but don't go crazy.
    9. Read up on low carb - you have to know the science of how it benefits you in order to understand why it's healthy!
    10. Eat lots of lean meats, eggs (egg beaters too!), refined coconut oil (good for baking-doesn't taste coconut!), veggies, and fruits depending on the carb content. Low carb is healthy if you make it that way.

    Hope this helps! You can add me if you want. I'm looking for some other low carbers!
  • MoonGrrrl
    MoonGrrrl Posts: 5
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    i've heard of wheat belly....and read an article by the author. i would like to look into the book, but haven't as of yet. i've been eating gluten free and i have dropped some weight...but what i notice most is the pain in my hips and knees has been reduced significantly!!
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    I am insulin resistant and been following a Primal/LC diet for a while now. It's working for me although I still need to manage by insulin spikes with meds.
    Research your options, but I'd think going Primal will be the right choice.

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