I joined A Facebook page that is low-carb and high-fat and have the same problem as you. I really do not love me and eggs and cheese. It has worked for me in the sense that I see how many carbs are in rice and pasta and bread and cookies so now I stay away from that. But I still get my carbs from yogurt and fruit and If I really am craving bread I eat something like low carb bread once a week. You do lose faster if you eat a lot of fat it is just hard for me to do. So I end up eating scrambled eggs and bacon twice a week and a cheeseburger once a week just to get some more fat in. inQUOTE=beth4365;3248368]Hello All,
Firstly, thank you for being willing to view my thread and question!
Okay, here's the deal. I've accomplished a lot of things in my life. Losing weight is about the only thing I feel I've worked hard at and failed.
A long time ago I tried Physician's Weight Loss, which was a low carb diet. If I recall correctly, I lost a little bit of weight (less than 10 pounds) and quit the expensive program because I simply couldn't eat the foods I was required to eat AND because I physically felt *awful*. I seem to remember lots and lots of cheese and bacon. Ugh.
So, I've been trying to do calorie counting and working out with a personal trainer. He and I were talking about nutrition today and he is going to talk to me soon about a low carb diet. He was talking briefly about it and said that he was going to suggest that I cut out almost all carbs (would only have them in the morning? Not sure I understood correctly).
Here's the thing. If I understand correctly, low carb basically means high fat. I would assume that the number of calories still matters? I am just about certain that I cannot maintain a low carb diet for the rest of my life. I *prefer* healthy, unprocessed fruits, vegetables and whole grains. I dislike eating most meats and really only eat it as a source of protein.
Anyway. One of the things I believe and read a lot is that we should find a plan that we can do forever. Should I try low carb again almost certain that it isn't for me? Should I try it, keeping in mind that I will only do it for a little while? Or, do I tell my trainer that I just need to keep working with the calorie counting (which isn't working very well... as ususal)?
I didn't mean to make this post so long and if you're still reading and have any advice, I'll really appreciate it. Thanks![/QUOTE]
I've tried many diets in my life and in February 2016, decided I have to do something as my health was being affected partially due to being overweight.
I started a low carb, but I knew I need more than just a low carb, then I checked the carb cycling diet and herbalife.
So decided to combine a few different ideas and see what happens.
I stay between 50 to 60 grams of carbs per day.
Then ONE (and only one) day per week is a cheat day.......I get to eat WHATEVER I want......sometimes it's pizza, sometimes it's Chinese food., then if I want ice cream or cake or pie.... The key is to plan for the cheat day; do it; then back on track the next day.
I started on February 15th, and so far four months later I've lost 30lbs, not a major accomplishment but still better than not doing anything at all.
And the MOST important thing is it's not hard.
Sample of my day is:
Breakfast:
1 herbalife shake (or any high protein powder) mixed with almond milk
Snack:
3 oz cheese
Lunch:
Vegetables: cucumber, carrot, broccoli
with protein: 4 oz of chicken, or tuna, or pork chops
Snack:
yogurt
Supper:
Large salad mixed with mayonnaise
protein: chicken, fish, pork, beef
I eat (mostly) low-carb. I aim for fewer than 50 grams of carb/day, but some days it's closer to 20 and some days it's up around 75. Unless it's a holiday, I try to avoid going above 100.
I eat a lot of veggies -- that's the primary source of my carbs, along with the occasional bowl of homemade yogurt (whole milk, with cream) with blueberries, and some small servings of legumes or pulses.
I find it fairly easy to eat this way. I make my regular meat recipes (stir-fries, sautes, roasts, stews) and just don't add potatoes, rice, pasta, or barley. I add more veg, or serve it over veg instead of starch. I don't eat a LOT of cheese, but it's part of my diet. I do eat a lot of eggs, but I love them. I find them very satisfying, whether sliced into salads or mashed with butter or scrambled with mushrooms and spinach.
I've only being down lower carb (modified Atkins, I think) for a day and a half (I know, I know :-D) and I have eaten more vegetables in that amount of time than I have in the past month. It just depends on the ratios and as long as you have good fat and leafy vegetables, it makes things balanced. But, as my doctor said, it all has to do with what works for you. If low carb doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work for you. It might not work for me but I'm going to give it a go!
The last time I went on Atkins I ended up in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack and a rapid rise in my blood pressure. It scared me. My cardiologist put me on a low fat whole foods plant based diet. I actually started losing weight better than low carbing plus I got some positive results with my blood sugar and blood pressure. I had done Atkins off and on for over 10 years and each time I would end up gaining more weight than when I started.
I feel so much better since the switch by the way. If anyone is considering going high fat low carb, get a check up first.
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I don't know what about low carb high fat would make you feel like you were having a heart attack, but it's not for everyone. I have eaten low carb ever since my diabetes diagnosis, but I don't eat high fat. It just doesn't agree with me. I think all diets work if you stick to them, and the best one is the one you can stick to long term.
High fat meals can indeed trigger a heart attack. I did not have a heart attack but did have a case of tachycardia and a rapid rise in blood pressure to stroke level. When I was younger and doing Atkins it wasn't that big of a deal. I take the advice of my cardiologist seriously. It's been mind boggling seeing the many positive results from switching to a whole foods plant based diet. Within three days my blood sugar was normal. My blood pressure is normal to almost low just after a few months. The weight is dropping steadily. I spent well over 10 years low carbing and gaining weight.
Hi!
I did low carb for a year and lost 80 pounds. I stopped doing it and gained about half of it back because I didn't have a good grasp on counting calories. I've now been counting calories for a few years and I have maintained my weight. Low carb is really the only success i've had at weight loss.
Hi!
I did low carb for a year and lost 80 pounds. I stopped doing it and gained about half of it back because I didn't have a good grasp on counting calories. I've now been counting calories for a few years and I have maintained my weight. Low carb is really the only success i've had at weight loss.
I gained 80 pounds on a Vegan diet. I love grains, fruit, veggies. But I know they make me sick (fat is sickness) and I have lost a lot of weight eating "bacon and cheese" as you say.
The funny thing-- as illogical as it seems-- is that people do not eat food, they eat body fat. So, they are actually eating 100% fat (even vegans). The main problem is that carbs actually create fat. They spike insulin, and insulin stores excess sugars and carbs in the fat cells. To eat carbs in order to lose weight is like taking insulin to cure diabetes. (Insulin does not cure diabetes!)
If I could stand the hunger pains (which are mental) I would eat once every 3 days or something like that. Since I am about 100 pounds overweight, I have 350,000 fat calories on my body. That is basically 175 days worth of "energy" (obviously as a female, I would want to keep about 20 percent of that on me).
Can I keep on this diet forever? Yes. It is mainly vegetables and meat. The kind of food people ate before massive agriculture, and the husbandry of fruit.
If you prefer a vegetarian way of eating then low carb will be more of a challenge but it doesn't mean it's impossible. Google "vegan keto" - there's quite a few keto vegans out there!! Yep, even those choosing a plant based diet are admitting that insulin control counts. Look on youtube, "headbanger's kitchen" is a keto channel that did an entire week of vegan keto meals plus an egg fast week, so all naturally veggie. I think it's a myth that keto eaters eat a steak the size of a toilet seat on a daily basis. FAT should be the basis of a good keto diet, not protein. If you really want to do it then you can but ultimately you have to live with your diet so it must be comfortable to you. Good luck in your decision.
Last edited by MrsMcsMuffins; 09-01-2017 at 01:28 AM.
Personally, I don't think there's a diet/lifestyle I can maintain forever (by forever, I mean all day, everyday, indefinitely). I started eating low-carb maybe about a month ago after obsessing over the keto videos and such for a while. Right now, I'm not obsessing over calories, etc., I'm just focusing on eliminating the obvious carbohydrate culprits and I naturally end up eating one protein/fat heavy meal each day. So far, even the difference from being hungry all the time and foraging for food at odd hours of the day to being fine with a single large salad or a juicy bacon cheeseburger (without the bun) has been wonderful. As I make progress, I'll make changes. I'm not a person who is going to say, well, I'm never going to have pasta, potatoes, bread, cheesecake, etc., again. I think if I break my low-carb lifestyle every once in a while to enjoy life, I will still be better off than I was before I started. At the moment, I don't plan on eating any carbs until Thanksgiving and once those items are gone, I'm not buying anything else until the next holiday. Once all the major holidays are gone, it will be easier to stay low carb for a longer stretch. Hopefully this will work out, but one thing I have learned from being really heavy, like, forever, is everything is trial and error, and finding some level of compromise between getting closer to your goals AND still having some enjoyment in life is critical.
Personally, I don't think there's a diet/lifestyle I can maintain forever (by forever, I mean all day, everyday, indefinitely). I started eating low-carb maybe about a month ago after obsessing over the keto videos and such for a while. Right now, I'm not obsessing over calories, etc., I'm just focusing on eliminating the obvious carbohydrate culprits and I naturally end up eating one protein/fat heavy meal each day. So far, even the difference from being hungry all the time and foraging for food at odd hours of the day to being fine with a single large salad or a juicy bacon cheeseburger (without the bun) has been wonderful. As I make progress, I'll make changes. I'm not a person who is going to say, well, I'm never going to have pasta, potatoes, bread, cheesecake, etc., again. I think if I break my low-carb lifestyle every once in a while to enjoy life, I will still be better off than I was before I started. At the moment, I don't plan on eating any carbs until Thanksgiving and once those items are gone, I'm not buying anything else until the next holiday. Once all the major holidays are gone, it will be easier to stay low carb for a longer stretch. Hopefully this will work out, but one thing I have learned from being really heavy, like, forever, is everything is trial and error, and finding some level of compromise between getting closer to your goals AND still having some enjoyment in life is critical.
I've been eating low-carb mostly vegetarian in a fairly casual way for the past few months, and it works pretty well when I don't let emotional eating take over.
I try to get most carbs from veggies and fruit rather than from breads, rice, and pasta. Riced cauliflower and spiralized zucchini are a great a base for veggies and mock meats. Plus, homemade diet smoothies are daily treats that help keep me from feeling deprived.
Experiment with meals often to keep from getting bored. Instead of thinking about restrictions, flip the concept on its head and walk into the grocery store thinking, "I can play with any food I want as long it fits within a few parameters." It makes buying low-carb food more of an adventure than a chore.
