I posted a couple of weeks ago about no weight loss and still having weight gain even avoiding sugar, andI was eating a lot of fruit.
Many thanks to all who replied, you all helped me to understand so much more about carbs etc. I have now lost 4 lbs by listening to all of your advice and finding a way through. Still struggling with what I can and can't eat but... I do more research now.
The articles that PM Pro listed were of great help. I have to say how much being on this forum has made this PM journey easier to cope with. Knowing how many of us are experiencing the same problems is so encouraging as we are not alone.
A big Thank you.
Riversnan
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Riversnan
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Hi Riversnan
Well Done 💐
I want to lose a few pounds for my forthcoming holiday. I take sugar in tea 😱 & I drink a lot of tea; so I bought myself a lovely Cup rather than my well loved mug so I've more than halved my sugar intake! Day 3 so far so good & I've given up Wine too until we go away! We eat healthily anyway so that's the only thing l could cut down on! Finger Crossed!
As a child I drank loads of tea, with sugar. I stopped for some years and drank black coffee instead. Then I went back to tea - but even stirring the cup with a spoon that had just stirred tea with sugar was enough for me to taste! My mother would make tea for us both and bring it through and not know which was which - I only had to smell them to find out - it felt as if she was poisoning me by then! My husband gave up sugar at Uni - they all met in someone's room after dinner for coffee. He realised that when they were at someone who didn't take sugar he managed fine without (so did everyone else or they brought their own) and that he could save money by not buying sugar
My hubby was a huge sugar eater but got diabetes and now he is 4 yr clear and lost 3 1/2 stone and took a Diploma in nutrition so qualified nutritionist now and helps other people get their food right x the loss of sugar was the best thing that happened to him and me x it is easy x
I can manage a Cappuccino without sugar but doing ok with the Cup rather than the Mug but adding in a glass or two of water as l don't want my fluid intake to drop!
Have you tried gradually reducing the amount of sugar you add? The hard way is to go cold turkey and be strong for about 6 weeks - and by then you won't be able to tolerate sugar in your tea because in that time all your taste buds will have been replaced and the new ones will know nothing about sugar...
I had a similar experience with sugar in tea in childhood as you, Eileen, and then years later when having drunk it sugar-free for ages, I could actually smell it if someone had so much as stirred my tea with a spoon that had previously been in a cup of tea with sugar. I have a similar hate relationship with, and strong taste awareness of, any salt in my food.
I could never understand why a pinch of salt is added to so many foods and bakes, even a sponge mix - supposedly to bring out the flavour. What's wrong with the flavour of the sponge without salt. I'd rather taste that than the salt!
It's supposed to enhance the flavour or something. I wonder if it is just what they are used to? I make meat sauce - beef, tomato, herbs and red wine. Everyone I know in the UK uses oxo cubes and "stuff" - but they never complain about mine.
I don't bother adding salt to anything - and no-one has complained yet. They occasionally ask for salt at the table but that is habit not need - it's usually a problem finding any and they might be a bit upset if they know how old it is!
Pet hate? People who shovel salt and pepper over food without even having tasted it!!!!!!
Just a quick comment about salt when baking. Salt reacts with the flour and causes the gluten to work. Keeps bread, cakes together. Doesn't need a lot and you shouldn't be able to taste it. Do correct me if I'm wrong. Pet hate: salting before tasting. Very naughty!
It may well do (and having looked it up, everyone seems convinced) - but I have made perfectly acceptable bread and cakes without salt. No-one ever noticed and kept coming back for more - we made and sold cakes for a project 20-odd years ago and we sold LOADS, week after week so it wasn't just politeness.
Tuscan bread is traditionally always made without salt which does give it a very characteristic taste and texture I suppose. I noted online salt-free bread was described as insipid - I find normal bread is too salty for me and I can taste the grain used. I do love Tuscan bread although I shouldn't eat it - it is mostly made with commercial wheat and I'm allergic to something in the structure of the starch.
Yep tried that one, 😱 Thought I'd try a smaller volume first. My Mum gave up sugar for Lent & never went back to it. Intesteing about the taste buds therefore I need a six week Cruise as I never drink tea when I'm away as l am very pernickety, brand, milk & amount of sugar! So that sounds like a Plan!
Did you end up going to weight watchers? I seem to have an inbuilt aversion to paying £4 just for someone to weigh me! I agree with you re fruit. That's what I was doing wrong. Now I have raspberries and blueberries once a day and occasionally half a banana. Still haven't lost any more weight though! Maybe I ought to give up the berries too? I have given up bread, potatoes, rice etc more or less and if I occasionally succumb to temptation, or what is in the cupboard, I become very bloated.
I have started losing weight after the advice of lots of people's help on this thread. I found that some of the reading from PM Pro's recommendations very useful.
I have taken on board the fasting for 15 hrs a day regime and think that with cutting out sugar completely, eating a lot more veg, and almost cutting out fruit has helped.
I will not carry this to the extremes I am doing, long term, but will still be very conscious of what I eat, and will try to be as sugar free as possible in the future.
I can't say how much this group has helped me I would have found this whole illness very hard without you all.
I've prob had 2 half bananas in the last 3 weeks! Breakfast is yogurt with blueberries or raspberries and nuts. Lunch is usually home made soup and scrambled eggs. Maybe dinner is the problem although I'm not having potatoes or rice or bread as a rule. I've been lapsing occasionally and I think I said in my post that this is causing a bloated feeling which persuades me that I'm doing the right thing by avoiding carbs. Maybe one has to be ultra strict. What do you think? Tonight's dinner was lightly dusted haddock with salad, coleslaw and cous cous followed by raspberries and yogurt. No bloating! However, my weight is pretty stable so at least that's something!
Cous-cous is carb, same as pasta. And yes - I have to be ultra strict. Even a bit over 20g utilisable carb and I don't lose. Believe me, that isn't a lot of leeway! Even salads have carbs... Sounds good though.
20g is very low. Don't think I'm strict enough. Such a bore isn't it. I've spent most of my life not having to worry about my weight so it is a shock to the system. I shall persevere and try to be a bit more precise about what I eat.
I suppose it depends how desperate you are to LOSE weight - if you are stable that is pretty good when on pred.
I'm very boring - I couldn't eat soup AND scrambled eggs! And I'd struggle to eat the rasps and yog after dinner. Plus that is all after 3 mugs of tea for breakfast...
Mmmm. I've had a sneaking suspicion that I eat too much! Mainly out of habit having married a man (albeit 40 odd years ago) who had/still has a very healthy appetite. A big rethink is required I reckon. In my youth I only ate when hungry and was extremely thin. I shall cut out the puddings first - they're completely unnecessary - and see if it makes any difference. As per another post, I've also purchased some rice cakes today so maybe soup and a rice cake .....
Mine eats like - nothing! Never has. Makes it easy not to eat a lot once you get the hang of it.
Rice cakes? Perish the thought! Not least because I'm allergic to wheat starch (the commercialised stuff, spelt is fine) so airline food has to be gluten-free. Which is dairy-free, low salt, everything including flavour free and frequently features rice cakes - enough to put one off for life! Though the rice bread the Germans use is truly vile - cardboard has to be better!
Meat, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs - all carb-free. There are several websites (even Atkins for example) with suggestions of meals with low carb and how to have a BIG plateful without getting too carby.
Yes I know. But I've only just got used to eating scrambled eggs without toast. And meat without potatoes. It is very hard to shake off a lifetime's habits in this regard.
I can't talk tonight - I had haggis with turnip, carrot and parsnip sauteed in butter. We were in the UK just before Burns Night - and S'bury's in Fleet had haggis. Brought one back and cut it in 3, froze 2 bits. Oh yum - should have brought 2...
Have you tried rice cakes? They may taste like a mouthful of rice crispies to start with but I found I soon got used to that and now positively look forward to lunch. I'd been piling on the pounds since diagnosed with GCA in January 2014 and a high steroid dose for nearly three years but since cutting out all sugar and sweet biscuits and eating 4 rice cakes for lunch with Hartley's no sugar jellies for afters I've actually started to lose weight and am feeling better in myself. I'm on 7 mg Prednisolone and am waiting for result of monthly CRP test done on 31/01/17.
I had my first long walk in Woodbridge yesterday going to the Bank and British Heart Foundation charity shop to get rid of some unwanted DVD's, and though I flagged a bit when I got back to the carpark I felt wonderful that I'd achieved something special. (N.B. I have Kleinfelters Syndrome as well plus recovering from spine fracture and Osteoporosis so am a bit different to usual sufferers).
Well, I have nothing to complain about after reading what you have to endure.
Lots of good luck to you for the future, I hope it continues to improve.
Thank you for your comment on Rice cakes, I am at a loss as to what to eat that is more solid than salad to take for lunches etc.
I will give them a try, even porridge without honey is tasting better now, but I still prefer it with!!! If I have got used to that I'm sure the rice cakes will be a doddle.
If the low carb diet is working for you and your doctor is in agreement, I would stick with it. I did something different, I maintained a low sodium diet (under 900 mg day) and 1200 cal a day. I ate a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and carbs (most pasta has no sodium, but bread has a lot). I recorded everything on the app myfitnesspal.com so I could monitor fats, sugars, protein, sodium, etc. It was hard to do at first because everything, except most fruits and many vegetables, are loaded with sodium (some naturally). I found a lot of recipes on pinterest and from blog writers suffering from kidney issues. I learned to use vinegar (all varieties from distilled, apple cider to balsamic) and lemon and lime juice to replace the salt taste. I used a lot of other spices. I did not use anything artificial. I always went way over my sugar limits every day due to the fruit and carbs. This diet had no negative impact on my health (I had my blood tested periodically throughout the time I was on high doses of methylprednisolone, 32 mg - high for me, not high for some of you) and actually lost 8 lbs the first month, and 4 lbs the next month, then maintained. I was about 5-10 lbs overweight to start with. Every time I had a high sodium day (when traveling due to airport regulations it was difficult to bring the appropriate food) I would treat myself to Mexican food, or Italian food, and usually go over 3,000 mg of sodium. This resulted in swollen chipmunk cheeks, stomach, knees, ankles, and feet. It would take 3-4 days for the swelling to abate. I actually felt better when I was on the diet than I did when I did not follow it. I also ate at very frequent intervals and drank more the 64 oz of water per day. The frequent intervals helped the hunger pang sensation/acid reflux/ nervous stomach feeling from the steroids. Daily diet was something like: 7 am prilosec with 12 oz water; 7:30 am oatmeal with coffee, then steroids with 12 oz water; 9:30 am banana; 12:00 pm low-sodium roast beef slices and caprese salad (tomato, fresh low sodium mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic); 3:00 pm peach chobani yogurt with handful of uncle sam cereal mixed in; 5:30 pm shrimp sauteed with olive oil, garlic, cilantro, pineapple, pineapple juice, lime, bell pepper, mrs dash extra spicy salt-free seasoning on a bed of pasta, with roasted vegetables seasoned with lemon and pepper or corn on the cob, then steroids with 12 oz of water; 8:30 pm Skinny cow ice cream sandwich or fruit. I was always full, and rarely had acid reflux. The downside is that it is cooking intensive, I even had to make the oatmeal from scratch, and I had to get up frequently at night to urinate. I thought it was well worth doing. So if the low carb diet stops working, you may want to ask your Dr if you can try this. The low sodium diet is said to be good for the kidneys, heart, eyes, and blood pressure, all of which are impacted negatively with long-term usage of steroids. Good luck. Once you find what works for you, I would recommend you stick with it. I have known others that swear by the Paleo diet. I never tried that since this worked for me.
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