Yes, I never thought I'd hear myself say this again but I am trying this once more. But with a different approach. Not aiming for "no carbs" but rather "lower" carbs...
I am trying to keep my carbs between 50-80g and 40-50 net carbs. Can someone take a look at my meal plan below and let me know if this is an ok lower carb meal plan? Also, I noticed when I eat lower carb instead of calorie counting that my calories are higher. Usually between 1600-1800. Would it be better to do the lower calorie (1300) higher carb (150g-180g) plan for weight loss?
Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, Ezekiel whole grain toast with laughing cow cheese and 1 oz. of whole almonds
Lunch: Ham and light swiss cheese on 1 slice of ezekiel whole grain bread, 1 egg white, 1 whole egg and .5 oz of whole almonds
Looks like your off to an awesome start! Im a low carber also and while no carbs an effective weight loss method it is extremely difficult to maintain over time. Plus you miss out on a lot of great food. Going low carb gives you much more variety.
Hi Dianne! I did low carb for a few months, I even did Atkins for a few weeks. I still do low-carb most days, it has become a part of my every day life because I feel way better this way. I don't count carbs or calories anymore, but I will mostly leave carbs out of my meals (unless in a restuarant etc). Your meal plan looks great to me!
I think your plan looks good and I also think less carbs is better for weight loss.
I eat carbs for breakfast (toast, jam, oatmeal) and for lunch (yogurt) , after 2 pm only vegetables and protein. And over the weekend I would have no carbs during the day just to have pasta for dinner if I want to.
I tried very low carb 3 times in last 2 years . Each time I would lose around 5 lb in 2 weeks, which was great considering I wasn’t even counting carbs, just eat only vegetables and lean protein and eggs, but I couldn’t stick with it and end up craving bread, rice and pasta all the time, so for me it is definitely a diet not life style, meaning I will not be able to maintain my weight this way.
Knowing that I can ether have carbs for breakfast or on the weekend for dinner, makes it possible to stick with it and don’t feel deprived.
Last edited by onthedietagain; 03-19-2013 at 01:21 PM.
Would it be better to do the lower calorie (1300) higher carb (150g-180g) plan for weight loss?
Do whatever is better for YOU... If you've done higher carb and it hasn't worked, do lower carb. Zig-zagging is good too, lower to no carb days with higher carb days....
The only glitch I see with your food plan is that you are eating a lot of cheese, you have cheese for breakfast, lunch and snack... I find cheese and nuts slow down my weightloss...
Experiment, it makes things less boring anyways...
Lower carb (around 50 net) is what worked for me... the small difference between your total and net carbs makes me think that you're meal plan doesn't have enough fiber in it though! You dont want a lack of fiber to cause... problems. haha. I ordered this low-carb hot cereal online (made by Sensato) that has 2g Net carbs and 10g fiber... it is delicious! Find something like that so you can get fiber! Or... eat a lot more broccolli haha.
I do low carb, too. It's good to start now because as I have gotten older, I find I can't eat the way I used to- which included bagels, pasta, pizza, etc. I haven't eliminated these foods, but I do limit them.
My carbs are usually included in my lunch smoothie. I mix oatmeal, fiber one cereal, a bit of almond milk, greek yogurt, and a teaspoon of peanut butter.
I eat Dreamfield's pasta often. About 3 ounces for dinner. It's very low net carb. I am also going to try Fiber Gourmet.
I think the low carb/high fiber combo works best for me. I love cheese but it doesn't love me, lol! And I do eat almonds as well... I agree, they help me with carb cravings too. I also drink a serving of Citrucel every day but my doctor wants me to.