Things seem to be going well for me but this week I have felt a bit confused with it all I overate on Sunday and thought I would make up for it yesterday by having less than 1000 calories but I was feeling tired most of the day. I put it down to lack of proteins so I started to look into the LCHF way of eating and maybe i should give that a try? This morning I started the day with bran and a banana and then read that bran is not good for you? (perhaps I should stop reading?) I have felt hungry all day and managed to finish up several leftovers in the fridge, nothing too big around 250 calories and healthy stuff too but still felt hungry and then managed to eat treacle sponge pudding and cream too! My recommended calories are 1900 a day and I have been on around 1400-1500 and even today I managed to keep below 1500, including the pudding.
So, am I not eating enough? Maybe I have been on a low carb low fat diet unintentionally? (apart from the treacle sponge) I really want to lose at least another 2 stones and I am wondering if I should go onto a LCHF route, my partner's weight is ok but she is carrying a bit of weight around the middle, she also has loads of carbs and sugary stuff which I think is down to her diet so I would try and convince her to go LCHF with me.
Should i wait until i have completed the 12 week plan before switching to LCHF or stick with what I am doing and up the protein?
There are so many contradictory recommendations I am feeling confused, any help and advice would be welcomed John
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kantara71
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I am no expert and certainly understand how confusing all the advice can be. From a personal point of view I am trying to modify my diet to include more fresh, whole food and less refined or processed stuff. One thing I know I can't do is suddenly start eating weird and wonderful things to fill me up that I don't actually enjoy - I try and make my modifications as close to my preferences as I can. In doing that I seem to keep the satisfied levels up.
I also feel better for ensuring I keep up the protein and good carbs (brown breads, pasta) and a few fats (I won't eat margarine so have to be careful with my butter and olive oil but salad doesn't feel good to me without the latter, and toast is rubbish without the former).
A little bit of everything suits me best but everyone is different, just thought I'd share my thoughts but no doubt one of the wonderful moderators will have some good advice.
Best of luck and I hope the confusion gets cleared ...stick with it! x
Thank you lilybob. I think part of the problem is that I have been reading up on lots of things that seem to contradict each other, so maybe i should do as you suggest in modifying what i am already doing John
You have been doing so well, why do you think you need to change? It sounds as though Not eating enough to try to make up has left you feeling empty 😕
So many people do well on the nhs12 plan 😊 Mine is very similar but I count portions. I had a mini wobble last week and only ate about 900 calories then went way off plan over the weekend, eating chocolate which I don't normally eat 😕 Back on track today, sensible meals and moderate portion sizes plus exercise, 😊 Just like you have been doing 😊 Keep going, you are doing so well!! 😊😊😊
Thanks Anna I think you might be right about the under eating bit making me temporarily go off the rails. Back to my regular portion sizes tomorrow I think and make sure Iohn
not a portion diet jano just make sure there is enough on my plate! I have had porridge this morning but calculate that gives me about 280 calories, which will not be enough to last until lunchtime so I am about to prepare sardines on toast which will take me up to round 550 calories for breakfast. John
Funny thing I find about porridge. It leaves me feeling full for longer. Longer than say muesli which has much more calories. Not all calories are created equal in terms of making you feel full
The plan I follow is one run by my local hospital but is the same as the Britsh Heart Foundation one, details on their website. It's still calorie counted but foods are divided into groups, protein starches etc and you eat a certain number of each😊 Quite a generous amount so a slow steady weight loss. It suits me as its simple to follow, and nothing is banned just reduced quantity 😊
I think "everything in moderation" is the way to go, but it is necessary to strictly monitor quantities and to log everything using an online calorie counter. Have you tried "myfitnesspal", or "Nutracheck" (which I use and have found very helpful). These are only free for the first week whilst you trial them, unlike the NHS site - but the fact you have paid for something can encourage you to stick with it.
I try to keep to 1400calories but sometimes go over by 100 or 200 - but make sure I up the activity to compensate - longer walks and a few extra trips up the stairs! I have increased the vegetable content (love vegetable cous-cous instead of rice for example) and Courgetti (spiralized courgettes) instead of spaghetti - all these "swaps" mean I can have a more generous portion and don't feel hard done by!
My partner has to avoid too much red meat, pulses and mushrooms as he occasionally suffers from gout, so a high protein diet would not suit us - but do what suits you and your own personal preferences. It is known that protein foods can hold off hunger longer.
Another tip - any left over puds - put them straight in the freezer so they are not so tempting but can be quickly defrosted when needed.
Your courgetti put me in mind of something I tried last week ... butternut squash-etti! I found it at my local supermarket and it was great to be able to have the generous portion without feeling bloated or guilty!
Thanks DD I will try and up my calories as I have also been keeping to around 1400 a day. I do monitor everything strictly and write it down too but i think i have fallen into the mindset that eating less than the recommended calories will be better John
Hi John, you've been doing amazingly well so far! You need to go back to basics, don't change anything, just do what you've been doing until last Sunday! Eat your allocated cals and you won't be hungry! Cutting calories too low is a bad idea, and as the nhs plan has been working so well for you - stick with it! Good luck, but I think you'll be fine! Just a blip!!! 😊 😇
Just a thought, has the amount of exercise you are doing increased now you are getting slimmer and fitter? You may find you are doing more and therefore may need to eat more in order to keep your energy levels up.
I had this problem in the early stages of my journey, I posted about it here as I was feeling tired and hungry all the time. I had been consuming 1450 calories, which wasn't enough for my weight at that time. Once this was pointed out to me, I upped my calories to between 1600-1800 a day and I instantly felt much, much better.
Hope you continue to succeed with your weight loss, you have done really well so far!
You may have a point there LTL as on Monday afternoon I spent three hours in the garden clearing weeds and ivy and cutting down tree stumps etc, it was the next day I could not stop eating! I am taking your advce and planning on increasing to 1600-1800 per day John
Remember that the less fat you have to lose the less your BMR is, your body needs less to just function. This is often what causes a plateau and makes people worry. Re check the link below and see what it says
Hi Thehud, i checked that before and it suggest 1573 cals a day to lose 2lbs a week which is the rate I have been going at. Still need to lose 2.5 stones. Thanks
Not really, I am less than 5 foot tall, 53 and have never eaten sugar apart from high days and holidays. So don't have a carbo sweet tooth. I am used to a low fat low simple carb way of life. A mix of drugs and illness also mean I really don't need that many calories. That calculator has it bang on for a 2lb loss per week. Plus as long as you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need and enough good quality fuel to start the metabolic fire, so to speak, your body burns off the fat, that is what it stored it for in the first place
Just to add, i am doing a low simple carb diet, not a low carb diet I am still eating loads of complex carbs. Also I am doing a low fat diet, not no fat diet, I eat healthy fats in meat and especially fish plus the small amount I get in my daily skimmed milk in my many cups of tea. The total exclusions from my diet are alcohol and sugar and apart from yesterday when as a treat I had a 3 egg omelette and double dose of fish, I normally restrict protein to one third of
calories. This averages out with fruit. So eg lunch 140 cal tuna, dinner 140 steak one day and the next have a fruit lunch. You can only achieve this by removing all the excess fat which I have never eaten for years along with processed food. The thought of the salt in bacon and the rubbishy icky bits of meat in sausages shudder. I use meat substitutes for any dish requiring mince. Following a low carb high fat diet some 15 years ago, I developed many gut problems, and other stuff so I have learned the hard way. My downfall and weight putter oner is lack of movement and cheese
Thank you bigleg. I am being drawn towards this approach and I have read the links you have provided before and looked at the diet doctor website. I like the science behind it all and it makes sense. It sounds basically like atkins? With the 2 week challenge similar to induction in keeping net carbs down to 20g a day? I have done this before but struggled with lunches whilst I was out and about and also drinking wine. Now I am retired and not drinking much alcohol then I think it would be much easier to stick to this. Where do you find the carb value of various foods? Thank you again for taking the time in replying John
Do bear in mind that cows were bred and fed to alter (increase) the fat content of their milk. They are not as 'natural' as we might think.
The ability of some three-quarters of the world's population to cope with more than around 250ml milk a day without symptoms disappears by about 7 years of age (there was a reason they were called milk teeth...)
Fundamentally of course, and whilst we've 'fiddled' with it in various ways, cows make milk to grow calves... and the fact that the vast majority of infants in the UK are given it in a modified form and little human milk does mean more of us than would otherwise be the case find ourselves on forums like this one (and 'worse' ie definite ill health)
so i can see that milk has gone the route of many other foodstuffs. There must be some suppliers of pure, whole milk? Otherwise just do not rely upon it as a food, more as for use in tea or coffee?
Hi Bigleg, thanks again for your reply. I like the story about the assistant for diet doctor it showed confidence in his cause!
I have done atkins years ago and lost weight and felt a lot better too so I think that is the way to go. I have just spoke to my partner who was told by the nurse on her last visit that she is borderline diabetic? Mainly weight around her middle and she does eat a lot of carbs. She has agreed that this would be a good thing to start and as I do all of the cooking then it should not inconvenience her much. I think we need a start date that gives us a chance to finish what we have in the freezer and fridge and to stock up on low carb stuff.
I have downloaded the 3 pages and also have the atkins carb counter to hand as well so I will let you know when we kick off! John
I think there is a big difference between LOW carb and NO carb . . . Too much sugar is u doubted ly not good but personally struggled with the very low carb diet 😞
The other issue is the idea that we listen to our bodies telling us we are full - I don't think I have one of those!!! I just cannot trust myself. I need to control portions very strictly, just don't cook more than I need.
Good luck John however you decide to do it 😊 You have proved you can do it 😊
I do low carb diet. No so keen on replacing them with high fats but that is were people are loosing a lot of weight. I have increased my oils by eating avocado, nuts, butter and cream. VLC are the 20g-50g people. They are also the HF people replacing their carbs with high fat calories. Im between 30g no lower and 80g no higher. The 30g is where I would increase the fat content. I can honestly say I do not get hungry. I have cut out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. I was never a big sugar eater. One of the reasons why I decided to go low carb was because I am a diabetic. I still do calorie count too. I am regularly losing 2lb per week on a 1360 calorie diet. Any diet will work but I found when I ate carbs my blood sugars increased and I was always hungry. Good luck in your weight loss.
Thank you Kate for sharing your story with me. I think this is the way I will go, hopefully i will start next week and my partner as soon as I can get her to agree to cutting down on sugar in her tea and coffee!
It also made many people very very ill and still does. Before considering any high fat diet, particularily with high diary and animal fats, yes I know animal fats are not the bad guy, entirely! They are still only recommended in a normal diet as part of it not to stuff yourself with it. Go to your doctors and have a full medical assessment beforte starting anything like this. Please.
I am glad for you, different strokes for different folks
However, no one is able to say what damage any diet did to another person or many other people, there is so much hype out there and all we can do is comment on what we know first hand.
Based on my experiences and that of the many who I convinced to follow this diet as a means of not having to worry and just eat your way thin, I can state there are health risks and I am a walking example of many of them.
This is not a diet you even should think about no matter how many books you read unless the doc say its OK
There are many health conditions that may be just trundling away in the background. Great when it works but its not for everyone, certainly not people who can lose weight normally and do not have excessive fat cravings to start with.
Those of us who are over 50 have been there and got the T shirt twice over. No dietician or anyone advising on diet would recommend a high fat, of any kind, diet. You can even get all the omega 3 you need from 2 moderate servings of oily fish per week or a few tablespoons of omega 3 rich oil on your well trimmed steak and side salad, or cauliflower etc.
Just look at athletes diets, then look at the diets of people who have heart attacks and other problems including small blood vessel conditions and diseases.
Don't worry I am not going to post about this again, but in the same way I would not make my low cal, but balanced diet out to be the only really good one, I hope people are not convinced to try a high fat diet without getting advice first. That is my only concern.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I overate on Sunday and thought I would make up for it yesterday by having less than 1000 calories but I was feeling tired most of the day. I put it down to lack of proteins so I started to look into the LCHF way of eating and maybe i should give that a try? This morning I started the day with bran and a banana and then read that bran is not good for you? (perhaps I should stop reading?) I have felt hungry all day and managed to finish up several leftovers in the fridge, nothing too big around 250 calories and healthy stuff too but still felt hungry and then managed to eat treacle sponge pudding and cream too! My recommended calories are 1900 a day and I have been on around 1400-1500 and even today I managed to keep below 1500, including the pudding. 
John 
Muddled and undecided
LCHF / IF for August? 
Desperately Depressed and Need to Overcome Food Addiction
Aghh just ruined my diet yet again!!!
