hello everyone i just wanted to know what you guys follow for weight loss, a low carb plan, low calorie, low fat, or all the above lol i dont know if i can do a low carb diet lol i love my potatoes and pastas! what are you using and what have your results been
Last edited by MsCollins2B; 10-15-2010 at 01:09 AM.
i'm doing cc and low fat. i'm avoiding rice/pasta bc of the high cal count. lots of veggies. lots of fiber. 20% fat, 20 something protein. its lowfat compared to before anyway.
i don't think carbs are bad for MY body. its hard to be satisfied on a little bitty amount of pasta/rice. i don't eat many taters either. i peeled enough of those in my childhood to cover the planet. i do love baked sweet potatoes.
I Love Pastas And Baked Potatoes, I Dont Think I Could Entirely Give Them Up! Maybe Reduce My Intake But I Got To Have A Baked Potatoe Every Once In A While Lol And Im A Pasta Junkie But I Have Switched To Whole Wheat Pastas Hope That Helps Me Out Lol:d
I love potato and pasta too, and it's really hard to envision a life without either, even for a short period. It's a large part of why I always thought low-carb diets were unhealthy and impractical.
Thing is my doctor recommended a low-carb diet a few years ago, and I began to discover that carbs really wreak havoc on my body. Wheat is so bad that I really shouldn't eat it at all, ever. I have a much worse reaction to bread than to pasta (more pain from my arthritis and fibro, aggravation of IBS and skin issues that can get bad enough for husband to call it "face rot" crusty, weepy, incredibly painful and itchy - and is there anything worse than intense pain and itch - where scratching only makes it that much more painful and itchy).
Because pasta didn't trigger as severe a symptoms, I convinced myself that pasta was ok (it must be a different kind of wheat, I said). Then after being entirely wheat-free for a month, I had one small serving of pasta and had a pretty bad skin flare - I was just kidding myself to think that (wheat) pasta was ok.
So do I learn to live without foods that mess with my health, or do I decide that I like them too much to give them up?
I'm not saying everyone has to give up wheat, potatoes or carbs - but I have learned to rething "can't live without" foods. There are so many delicious foods on the planet, that I don't think there's a single one I can't live without. It's still hard to give up bread (even if I just give up wheat bread - it's pretty difficult and expensive to find a non-wheat bread, at least one that doesn't taste like crud).
Low-carb works best for me, though I have a hard time reducing carbs beyond the moderate range (100g or so). At goal weight, I suspect that I'll be able to possibly increase the proportion of carbs, but then again maybe I won't. I do know that I have to get beyond the mental block that says I MUST have several high-carb servings to be healthy, because I think one of the reasons I'm finding it hard to break past my current weight is the idea that I need more carbs than I actually do.
High carb, low-fat definitely doesn't work well for me (because I feel ravenously starved 24/7). I lose best on very low-carb, though I have blood sugar drops (nausea, dizziness, intense headaches) so "too low" and I'm a mean and angry bear.
Finding the perfect balance, and one I'm happy with, well it's been a greater challenge than I expected.
All I know for sure is that I have to decide what I'm willing to sacrifice to get where I want to be. Are potatoes so important to me that I'm willing to never reach my goal weight, just so that I can eat them regularly? Or do I come to terms with the fact that I may never be able to include potatoes as a regular part of my diet. They may aways have to be in the "once in a blue moon" or even the "never" list.
I do know that I have to keep my overall carb count very low or I gain weight rapidly, even on calorie levels that don't make sense. It seems physically impossible to gain or maintain my weight on so few (high carb) calories. Then again, my fatigue level is so high on a high-carb diet that it does make some sense. On low-carb I have TONS more energy, so I move more without even thinking about it. On high-carb, just showering and getting dressed is a herculean effort.
As much as I love carbs, I have to realize they don't love me. I'd never let a man abuse me the way I've let carbs. Despite "face rot" I still miss warm, fresh-baked crusty, italian bread. The smell of fresh baked goods makes me think "just a couple bites can't hurt that much." And if I do have those two bites, I think "well, I might as well finish this piece, I know it will make my skin swell and break out, but I'll use my prescription steroid cream and won't go out in public for a few days."
So I'm willing to be ugly, uncomfortable and socially-isolated just to have a few bites of bread? I've got to be nuts!
I am learning to sever my toxic relationship with wheat and high glycemic carbs, but it's a lot harder than I would have ever expected.
Low carb has ALWAYS worked best for me.I lose weight faster,but mot easier and there lies the problem.I have tried MANy ways to lose weight including 800 calories,1200 calories,WW,lemonade diets..and I was 100% on those plans..no cheating....long story short its NOT calories in vs calories out for me.My body hates processed foods especially sugar,corn syrup,wheat,and high sodium packaged goods.I do best mentally and physically on LC,but Its hard for me to give up my sweets and those lil bites turn into a full day,then....we know how that goes.I do Great on Lc during the Summer and instead of craving sweets I indulge in ripe peaches and strawberries..yum. I can also lose weight on moderate carb levels..90 per day and below,but I lose best and fastest on 30 and below with the 30 coming from green veggies.
Low carb made me ill so the doc told me to stop. I now calorie count but eat lowER carbs, and very few from potatoes, pasta or bread. I love all of them but a decent potato once a day on top of oats for breakfast pretty much takes up my carb allowance. I also discovered a mild intolerance to wheat (swollen ankles and gas), so I live without the bread and pasta. I tend to have oats (with fruit and/or yogurt) in the morning, sometimes rye crispbread, sometimes corn pasta at lunch; after lunch any carbs come from fruit and veg. I eat around 1400 calories a day and lose around 2lbs a week.
I am a calorie counter, but I do limit carbs as well, especially pasta/rice/potato stuff. I don't care for whole wheat pasta, and I do still have a meal with pasta every couple weeks or so (I buy the "smart taste" kind that is a little more fortified but still is white). When I eat that, I have ONE serving, not a plateful. I have found that if I want to stay really satisfied and not HUNGRY on my plan, I have to fill up on lean proteins/fruits and veggies, and those carbs add up to a lot of calories fast, leaving less room for my filling, healthy stuff. Also, if I eat something carby without an adequate amount of protein with it, major cravings kick in for me, so gone are the days when I would eat a handful of crackers for a snack or a bowl of cereal for breakfast, even if they fit in with my calories.
Another calorie counter here, as it is the only way for me to keep my food consumption in check. It's built in accountability and forced portion control. Also knowing the values of foods makes you really think if something is worth it or not.
Where my calories come from really, really matters, so I combine it with a mostly whole foods diet. I eat carbs and lots of them, but not the starchy/bread/rice/sugar ones. My carbs come from the enormous amount of veggies that I eat and the some fruits. I also eat low fat proteins such as fish, egg whites, turkey and chicken breast.
My plan also consists of eating frequently to avoid hunger, another reason I stick to the fiber and protein - avoiding hunger is very important to me.
Another part of my plan and it's a big one - planning ahead. Eating healthy won't happen on it's own. You can't wing it. I plan out all my meals and snacks in advance, knowing where every morsel is coming from ahead of time. Much easier to stay on plan when you've got one.
Another really important component to my plan is eating delicious foods. Delicious foods that are lower calories and filling.
It's not about finding a plan that you CAN stick with, I believe it's more about finding a plan that you are willing to stick with. Because you will have to stick with something and initially it's hard. You're not used to it. You're used to your poor habits and it takes time to establish the good habits and the new, healthy plan. So you will have to stick with something. Seek inside yourself and see what you are willing to stick with. Make it enjoyable so that it's no burden to do so. But push past the initial discomfort of making the switch. Give it the time to let it become natural and automatic to you.
Calorie counting all the way here. It's the most flexible and the the most sustainable and long term success is what really matters to me. I try my very best to make my choices balanced and make my carbs of high quality. I also do my best to avoid stuff that's processed.
I'm big on whole grains and such for carbs. So WW bread but not white. Filling foods with the most bang for their buck. My "sweets" are fruit rather than cookies and cake and such. WW pasta or potatoes or brown rice is fine with me. Of course I don't do this 100%, but I definitely go in that direction. If I'm being really strict, the refined grains are the first thing to go.
I try to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, with no more than 10% of those calories coming from carbs. I don't eat processed food and avoid anything with added sugar with a 10-foot pole. All 20-40g of carbs I eat daily are from vegetables, mostly green ones. And it's super-easy, and super-easy to stick to (at least for me!)
low carb vs low calories whats working for you?
hello everyone i just wanted to know what you guys follow for weight loss, a low carb plan, low calorie, low fat, or all the above lol i dont know if i can do a low carb diet lol i love my potatoes and pastas! what are you using and what have your results been
