Would it be okay if I hung out with you older chicks? I am only 47.....so close to 50. Let me know. I try to keep my carbs around 100 g a day.....sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail, but most days I succeed. I could use some tips and tricks though.

Jane: Hope all is well with your DH, keep us posted please.

Tea Granny - Nice to see you here. Lifetime commitment to health is a wonderful thing- I need to learn to think of it in that way, not in the " giving up" way. If I stay around 125g carb or less per day and avoid my triggers, I can eat terrific food and stay on plan, and it seems to be fairly easy. I feel that I can do this for awhile. Lets see how I do through a baby shower at work tomorrow. I am taking smoked salmon and a vegie tray for my contribution. Everyone else seems to be bringing baked goods.

NewCreation - Omigosh... I am jealous of your neighborhood co-op. What fun. I wish you were in MY neighborhood. Those tweaks you make are the way I am able to cook "normally" for my family, plus extra vegies, and then I don't eat the starch, and double up on the vegies.

Joyful Retiree -Hi, I agree with you, it is more of a carb addiction-- or at least a carb trigger. Mostly my plan looks similar to yours except wheat is currently something I restrict pretty severely. so dinner will be 4 ounces of protein, a salad and a vegetable. And I alternate cottage cheese with plalin Greek yogurt. I meander in the neighborhood of 100-125g carbs per day.

WebWoman- Gosh, it is hard to stay on plan when you have to cook for others, but it can be done.

HadEnough- I can't speak for everyone, but you are very welcome here as far as I am concerned-- and I would almost bet others will feel the same way.

My stay on plan strategies are 1) Write every bite down. 2)to always have protein and veggies around so I have an alternative to the foods that get me started on my overeating episodes. I keep lite string cheese, jerky, bag salad, canned chicken broth and winter squash at work, as well as hard-boiled eggs and canned tuna. I also try to have cottage cheese and apples or pears. I take them in on Monday, and that gets me thru the week. Oh, and this time of year I try to chop all my aging veggies on Sunday, saute them with onions and garlic and a can of stewed tomatoes. I cool and put in a zip lock bag. On Monday I take them to work with the rest of my healthy week stash, and one day of the week I add a quart or two of broth and a can of beans to them and have a savory soup. ( I might throw in leftover chicken or meat) I share with co-workers, and try to vary it up by making it Italian one week, Mexican the next, etc. We have a lunchtime meeting once a week, and most folks bring stuff that is very off plan for me.

I have 120 pounds that I need to lose and I'm starting to get some health issues now. So, after I almost put myself in a sugar coma, I decided that I had to kick that habit and start eating more healthy. So, I dusted off my South Beath book and tried to start a new beginning for the new year. and to my surprise I have been doing quite well now for two weeks . A record for me. I have only lost 5 pounds, but I can't get out and walk because I have knee problems. So, I hope I can get your much needed support as I have a long long road to travel.

Good Morning All,

HadEnough - Welcome! I too am happy you have joined us.

Bunti - What memories you brought back to me. My Mom use to make a weekly pot of soup with all the getting limp veggies & leftover cooked veggies. She usually made it a Hamburger Veggie Soup & served it with cornbread. Boy, was that ever good. I'm going to have to try that again soon. From the looks of my fridge at present, it will be heavy on celery & cabbage.

ANewCreation - You probably already know this, but that Atkin's diet is one of the lowest carb approaches out there & 20 carbs is his induction level that's supposed to typically only last 1-2 weeks. Yes, it is one of the many diets I have been on in the past. He advises staying at induction level carbs for 2 weeks max, unless you are one of those rare people who have such a metobolically out of whack system that staying that low on carbs is the only way to lose weight. I read the whole book (1972 edition) thru carefully & after "the first life changing week", he has you start adding carbs thru an '8 rung ladder' til you find the place where you can still lose weight. Sometimes I think people hear that 20 carbs number & just go with it, not paying any attention to what he says in the rest of the book.

FYI for anyone interested - Since we are all finding a carb level that works for us & that we can live with, I did some research & found a UK Diabetes Bulletin Board with the following listed under a low carb thread with info for newbies:

Low Carb (ketogenic) 0 - 50g daily
Typical Low Carb 50 - 90g daily
Moderate LC 90 -130g daily
Liberal LC 130 -170g daily
High Carb 170g plus

Bear in mind that this was a guideline only, to help folks have a general idea of what people following low carb & posting on that site are doing. Reading thru the posts, it's clear that there is quite a range of carbs the Type 2's are able to eat & maintain control of their blood sugar. Some are controlling their diabetes with diet only & at the typical or moderate carb level. Since I am not convinced that going into ketosis is a good thing, I was glad I found this table to give me an idea of at what level a person generally goes into ketosis. To avoid ketosis, stay above 50g on a regular basis. Well, that isn't a problem for me. I also like the idea of up to 130g being considered moderate LC. Moderate sounds good.

I tried Jane's green bean & tomato dish yesterday & it was very tasty.

Have a great day!

Miss Prissy,

I'm not sure how I missed your post this morning, but I want to say hello & welcome. You are off to a great start & even if it looks like "a long road to travel", you have already lost 5 lbs. Congrats on that & making the decision to get healthier. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, so my weight loss started with me in bed with flares often & able to exercise only enough to keep my joints as flexible as possible. I lost slowly, but if I hadn't started, I shudder to think of how much would I weigh today. Hang in there & post here often.

I've done a naughty thing...I've started telling friends that I'm becoming a diabetic and I can't have all the "good" stuff. Not only have they stopped offering it - they tend to not have it when I'm around It's so much easier than explaining that I'm counting every carb and why I do have to avoid them - simple carbs trigger ferocious eating binges - when people hear that they seem to say things like " well only a little is okay..right?", and then seem hurt when I turn them down...sigh...

First of all, I'm so sick with a flu type virus, that's the bad news. The good news is, I lost 4 pounds yesterday. And better yet, I think I'm pretty much over the sugar cravings. That took 2 and a half weeks for me. I have been trying to lose enough to wear this beautiful outfit for an event Sunday, I tried it on this morning and it fit nicely. Now, if I can just get well enough to attend. ... I hope everybody has a great day.

Do not know if I fit in the group because of the carb level I consume but I am over 50.

Changed my eating habits in october, my weight was 170 and as of today 136.5.

I am confused about carbs, I eat no sugar or anything containing sugar. No rice or potatoes. No white bread. No dessert unless it is yogourt or fruits. No soda but........

M'y breakfast consist of old fashion oat or oat bran and blueberries, plenty of carbs there. Lunch and super, Lots of vegetable lots of carb there. Whole grain bread again carb, and lots of beans since I do not eat meat.

In order to get protein I need the carb that come with it. On the other han d what ever carb I eat I feel are good for me.

can I join in

Hi everyone! I am over 50, heck I am over seventy and overweight. Not a good thing! I am trying to do low carb and I have no idea how many carbs I can consume and still lose weight. I am one of those people that hate to count anything. I have lost 7 lbs since the first of Jan. I had lost 9 but the scale decided to add the two back......

I mostly post on another thread, but when I saw the over 50 and low carb, I had to come in and check it out. Good luck to everyone. Keep posting and if any of you have some advice on what to eat, please share. A sample menu would be wonderful. Have any of you thought about posting your menu daily? It might help newbies.

Today so far:
I piece of ezekial bread
1 egg
I piece of bacon
coffee.
Does that sound all right?
Lunch will be a light soup that I make and tuna salad. Not sure about dinner, but something light.

Have a great day all. Ruth

Hello All,

Tea Granny - To say you are becoming diabetic may not be off the mark at all, & it seems like it helps you continue to eat healthy. Carbs triggering carb cravings is a symptom of Insulin Resistance, which leads to diabetes. I can't remember where I read it, but somewhere I read that anyone who finds carbs triggering difficult to control carb cravings should assume they are Insulin Resistant & eat accordingly to prevent, or at least delay diabetes.

Miss Prissy - Glad you are fitting into that dress. Here's hoping you will be well enough to attend your event.

Michou - Welcome & congratulations on your weight loss so far. It sure sounds like you are eliminating alot of processed & sugary foods & concentrating on the healthier carbs. The important thing is that it works for you. I am a firm believer in everyone finding a WOE that they can live with for weight loss & maintaining over time. If you are able to eat at a higher carb level, just consider yourself blest. I also eat a lot of beans. Just love them & my body seems to love them as well.

IWillBe - Welcome! It took some experimenting for me to find out how many carbs I could eat & still lose weight. Just keep working with it & you will find your way. What you posted of your menu for today looks very good to me. I had coffee with half & half when I first got up and then:
B: A slice of stoneground WW toast, 2 eggs with 1 T. half & half scrambled in 1/2 T. butter, 1 c. milk & tea.
L: 2 c. beef stew ( I left out thickening agents, went heavy on the beef to veggies ratio, & substituted green beans for the peas. I also added a can of tomatoes per Jane's suggestion). Is it still beef stew? LOL!
S: 1 c. milky hot tea
D: Probably more beef stew

A question I have for everyone is do you count total carbs or net carbs? I am in the net carb camp.

This is probably not news to most of you, but I'd like to share something I just re-read in the original South Beach Book & was happy to be reminded of. PAFF = protein, acid, fat & fiber all slow down digestion & help keep BS stable. So, something as simple as adding a vinegar or lemon juice vinagrette to your salad can make a meal lower on the glycemic index.

Hopefully, we'll hear from Jane soon. Have a great day everyone!

Thank you joyfull, I use Mynetdiary to keep track of carbs but never paid attention to the net carb, just went and look and there is a major difference in the numbers. Thank you for the info on lemon and vinegar that might explain why carbs are ok for me, I am married to someone from Lebanon where lemon is in everything, we consume 12 lemons a week, it is delicious on fruits also give it a fresh tangy taste and on vegetable you need less salt, it is a winner for sure loaded with vitamin c.

Just popping back in quickly because (I must be having memory problems) I forgot to say to ANewCreation--Please keep posting. I love reading your posts & just wish I could eat as many carbs as you can.

Hi, I'm 57 and have been following jorge cruise's BFC since last fall. I was losing before that though so have lost a total of 59 LBS. I have insulin resistance. I have a glucose level that is climbing. Even after my 50 LB weightloss , low carb, very low sugar plan I was up 6 points to 106 over last years physical. I do have to admit that I could do a lot better in the excersise department. I have issues with skin yeast infections so wanted to lower starches and sugars. I'm losing slowly but am happy with this plan. So far today I have had four pieces of bacon. I will have some homemade brocoli and cheese soup in a bit. I basically eat about five to six times per day. His plan is 6 servings of carbs from 5-20 grams. and 15 gram of sugar per day or 6-15. There are also restrictions on the types of artificial sweeteners allowed as some cause spikes in blood sugar.

Good Morning!

Joyful retiree- Thanks for the figures regarding the UK website on carb levels- that makes a great deal of sense. for me, if I count net carbs I am "Typical carb", full carbs I am "Moderate" carb. Seems sustainable to be typical or moderate, lol.

ANewCreation- My calorie number is very similiar to yours, but about 60-70 carbs less. I hope eventually to be able to add more grains, but not so far. That soup is so versatile-you don't have to steal the idea, its not original to me-- you can have it.

Tea Granny - I think I will start to let people know I am pre-diabetic as well, maybe they will be as thoughtful as your friends.

Miss Prissy - Congrats on the weightloss, and hope your flu is better soon.

Michou - Welcome, and congrats on your loss so far. I think cutting the types of carbs you eat makes a huge difference. Most of us here eat some carbs. I eats lots of vegies, some fruits and beans and very limited starches. Compared to the "normal" diet I am limited, but there is alot of room for creativity and satisfaction..... most of the time.

IWillBe - Welcome, and your eating plan looks good to me.

KittyCarlson- Welcome, I have the Jorge Cruise book, and it looks really interesting and the science seems good. Most of his recipes and meals have more grain than I can eat, though.

So, I am having mixed emotions about a gift I have received from my supervisor at work who just returned from a trip to Europe. This is a person who has lost well over 150 pounds in the last year, and knows of my weight and health struggles. I didn't expect a gift at all, and appreciate the thought, but she brought me a box of chocolates. I said thank you, and ate an obligatory piece in front of her, it was lovely, but I have been craving carbs ever since. Am giving it to my DH, and he will hide and finish it, but the idea of someone who knows my current struggles bringing me chocolate---I don't get it.

Anyway, have a lovely day everyone!!