Low carb diet

[Carrot1]

I've been trying to stick to a low carb diet since 1 January (new Year's Resolution) to lose some of the weight I've gained since starting Pred for pmr in August. At first I lost a few pounds but since then, nothing. I have been following the Diet Doctor advice which advocates eating high fat foods instead and I wonder if this is the reason the weight won't come off. I also need to eat some fruit otherwise everything seizes up! I know quite a few people out there have succeeded in losing weight on low carb - has anyone any thoughts on why it might not be working for me? Would I be better doing low carb, low fat?

[Anna135]

If you're eating fruit then you're not eating low carb.

[MaryWR]

I have a similar situation to yours and have had success for a while then it stops. I'm feeling more optimistic now though since I have been following the blood sugar diet. This may be a bit extreme for you but you may find the basic principles useful. Good fats are great and you need them, but you still need to keep an overall limit on what you are eating. Also fruit needs to be limited until things are under control - try sticking to apples, berries and pears and not too many. Plenty of green vegetables should keep things moving and if you can eat pulses they are a great help too. Good luck - I do sympathise!

[kezzybabes]

I am following this diet successfully but not eating huge amounts of high fat, low carb foods while on it . So my weight is stable rather than increasing. I also see a positive body shape change which is encouraging since being on the diet. If I cut out the wine I might lose more but that's my treat! Keep going and good luck!

[Janll]

I must be doing something right . I'll tell, you my story. 13 years ago I was diagnosed and treated for PMR with steroids. I gained 1 1/2 stone. I was again diagnosed with PMR and have been on steroids since last April. This time I was warned against carbs and how the body doesn't metabolise carbs/sugar and it quickly turns to stored fat. I have NOT put on a pound. I've cut out bread (98%) and all those nice cakes etc. It was hard at first but I remembered how I hated the weight gain before. I eat lots of protein and the fats? Olive oil, real butter, plain yougurt, avocados. They are good for you and nuts and seeds but not too many nuts. Eventually the good food feels enough and you don't have a craving for the chocolate etc. Set a goal for a week, then another week. Salt is supposed to be restricted too but I don't use very much and it is sea salt, not table salt. Hope this incourafes you. Janll

[redavenger]

I started that diet in December, mine was no tropical fruits, no starchy vegetables, while I stuck to it, it worked and I lost 2lbs, felt great and could see the fat around my middle getting smaller. Christmas came and went and I ate carbs again, roast potatoes etc, although I have not lost any further weight I do look a better shape, I must have another go at it! I didn't gain any weight over Christmas, so it seems to have put the brakes on my constant fat gain! Good luck to you.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If you are eating fruit - that is quite enough to take you out of the range of carb that keeps your body in the status that burns fat. As Anna says - including fruit is not low carb. Given the size of bananas these days, one banana may be enough carb to take you to well over 30g useable carb. The same applies to an apple. So one apple and one banana may be over 50g carb - and for many people that is already more carb than allows them to lose weight, a low carb diet is more like 20g carb. Then you add the carbs in even leafy veg and salads - every however small amount adds up and you get to a carb level that stops you losing weight - that's what the Atkins diet does once you get to your target weight.

Low carb, low fat will probably just leave you hungry.

[SusieQQ]

It might be helpful to get the Michael Mosley book 'Blood Sugar Diet' where he gives recipes and suggestions for a day'so balanced food. He also advocates keeping a close eye on calories.

Tropical fruit like bananas and melons have high sugar content. Berries are much better.

Good luck!

[Carrot1]

Thank you all for your comments. At least now I know where I am going wrong. I will persevere with the low carb and cut out most of the fruit and see if that kick starts a bit more weight loss. Interestingly, I ate carbs yesterday and felt very bloated by the evening so obviously they don't suit my stomach at the moment. I will check out Michael Mosley's book too. Isn't it all a huge effort though when you feel as if you don't want to bother with anything!

[Patience_1 in reply to Carrot1]

Yes, it is a huge effort - to the point that it seems to be taking over your life! Good luck on the same path I'm treading!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Carrot1]

I know how you feel - but I do find that low carb is a very easy way to feed myself. If you don't buy them in the first place - you don't have to go down those aisles!

OH is on the waggon at present - so has suddenly developed an interest in "other drinks", is drinking tea and wants biscuits etc to go with it. This morning I was dragged down the soft drinks aisles (my report of what things had too much sugar in was ignored, he discovered I was right) and the cakes and biscuits aisle. Haven't been in those for YEARS! I was SOOOOO bored as he had to read every label (or to be more accurate, I had to read every label as he hadn't got his specs).

[Carrot1 in reply to PMRpro]

I love it! Mine is similar - he is desperate to find low calorie puddings and every week we go through the same ritual of reading the labels! I keep telling him they don't exist! It seems unfair as I hardly ever eat things like that yet am still gaining weight. I have to say though that I have at last found an alcohol free wine that is drinkable (just) called Natureo, Torres from Waitrose. Maybe you don't have Waitrose in Italy though?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Carrot1]

No - and enquiries about alcohol-free wine earn you serious looks

There is alcohol-"free" beer which he drinks - most are 0.5% alcohol and the Beck's Blu which is 0.05% has disappeared from the shelves.

He is SOOO fussy though - but now he is beginning to understand why I hate going to pubs in the UK! Poor wine - and water as the only half-reasonable non-alcoholic drink! He has found apple juice he says is OK - but doesn't think I would like it as it is sweet (too right!).

Low calorie puds? Greek yog and berries?

[Carrot1 in reply to PMRpro]

Yes indeed. And for breakfast too.

All soft drinks are too sweet for me - and goodness knows what they do to one's insulin. I can imagine you get funny looks from the Italians when asking for low alcohol wine! Is the uk the only country to be holier than thou about levels of drinking I wonder.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Carrot1]

It's beginning to happen here too - our GP doesn't drink I suspect...

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

The kombucha i discovered at our farmers' market is primarily being brewed for and served at a local pub as an alternative drink.

[Carrot1 in reply to HeronNS]

I've not heard of that. Which town is the market in? I think people are beginning to develop drinkable alternatives at last.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Carrot1]

In Nova Scotia I suspect, not exactly round the corner for most of us unfortunately!

[HeronNS in reply to Carrot1]

Oh I probably can't help you there as I'm referring to a market in Dartmouth Nova Scotia! But, yes, ask around. I had heard about kombucha for years and never tried it, but finally I did, only a few weeks ago, and was an instant convert. So far have tried the following flavours: ginger, ginger with lemon, and blueberry. My favourite so far is ginger, it's like a rather strong ginger ale. Apparently kombucha can be made at home. It's a kind of fermented tea, and once you have the starter you can just keep on making batches. But it's probably like yoghurt or kefir, a bit of a nuisance if you can just go buy some when you need it.

[Carrot1 in reply to HeronNS]

Sounds a bit like the 'ginger beer plant' I used to have back in the day. Yes Nova Scotia is a bit too far from Dorset! Will look around - it sounds interesting.

[HeronNS in reply to Carrot1]

bigbarn.co.uk/places/Dorset...

[Carrot1 in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you!

[HeronNS in reply to Carrot1]

Oh, I should add, like any other new to you fermented food, take it slowly at first so your gut flora have a chance to adapt.

[Bob-Doc]

Check out this site for low carb bantinggirls.com

Excel with a low carb lifestyle

[Megams in reply to Bob-Doc]

~Thank you Bob-Doc very much for supplying this link to bantingirls.com - most informative ~