Low carb diet?

[Alison300356]

Feeling really well today, early days though am 11 days in on 15 mg pred. I've picked up on a low carb diet being a good thing to follow. Any advice on this would be welcome. How many carbs should I be aiming a per day/meal?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

There isn't a straight answer I'm afraid - some people can cut bread and cakes and lose weight. I, on the other hand have to be below about 30g useable carb to lose weight - and that really isn't very much!!!!! Basically I suppose you have to cut and see how you manage, if you gain/don't lose (whichever you are aiming for) you have to cut further.

I don't eat breakfast - never have been a breakfast person - and if I do it is something like eggs and bacon which is no carb at all. Lunch is a big bowl of salad (not a lot of carbs in a lettuce leaf) with olive oil and possibly some protein if there is any in the fridge. Dinner is a portion of meat of some sort and more salad or veg. No potatoes, pasta or rice most of the time - the occasional roast spud or a stolen chip or 3 from OH's plate - and absolutely no cakes/biscuits or snacks.

[venezia1 in reply to PMRpro]

Hi PMRpro - I've been meaning to ask you about this for some time. I absolutely see the need to reduce intake of carbs if trying to lose weight, but do we not need some, albeit a little, for a balanced diet? i don't know enough about nutrition, but have always assumed it was necessary for our bodies to some degree. Can we really be healthy without it? Though i expect you are!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to venezia1]

Not really - though you still hear so-called experts alleging we need carbs to function. We don't, once you have got over the first week or so the body switches to a different form of metabolism where it uses fat to produce the energy the body requires, especially the brain. And that is how you lose the weight. It is quite difficult to remove all carbs - but there are ethnic groups who don't eat any carbs and remain healthy. They become unhealthy when introduced to the western diet with high levels of carbs.

For the last 50 years we have been told that low fat is the way to avoid cardiac disease - and the food industry has paid to influence this work because removing fat and adding things like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) to replace the taste and texture fat brings cut their manufacturing costs so their profits improved. And at the same time obesity and diabetes have increased greatly.

This was all based on flawed research in the form of epidemiological dietary studies by a man called Ancel Keys. Cardiac disease was already falling - and at the time was already low in France and Germany, countries which didn't fit with his theory because of their high dietary fat intake and so were omitted from the study. And the countries with low fat consumption he did onclude were studied during Lent - a time when no self-respecting Roman Catholic ate meat and fat. I could write on this for pages but I won't!

[Hollyseden in reply to PMRpro]

Wow! So impressed that you can cope with no cakes/biscuits/snacks. I'm still trying to eat less bread.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hollyseden]

I'm allergic to something in the structure of wheat starch - probably caused by the same autoimmune problem that causes the PMR - so I have a decided aversion to most commercially produced stuff! Itching like mad is excellent aversion therapy...

I don't refuse to eat carbs - but they are very very occasional treats. And I never miss them now, the longer you don't eat them, the easier it gets. When you cut sugar out totally it doesn't take long for food to seem terribly sweet, the same with salt, I find meals out very salty now. And you change the way you cook.

[Alison300356 in reply to PMRpro]

Since I was diagnosed I've actually started eating breakfast before I take Pred. I used to have Bran flakes for lunch and fruit and skip breakfast so thinking I should maybe eat three smaller meals rather than two. I don't eat bread or cakes and try to avoid biscuits. The bran and fruit is to keep everything moving don't think I'm doing to badly and haven't had an increase in appetite yet!!! Am just dreading putting on weight I'm only 5ft so can't afford to carry too much. Although I think I'd rather carry a few extra pounds short term than have the pain. Will do a bit of carb research on internet. Thank you for your reply though it did give me some pointers.

[Griggser]

Cutting carbs worked for me. I've lost over 3 stone since January and have a lot more energy. Pain levels remain the same however but I can deal with that now I feel better overall. Now I'm down to my target weight I've started having a bit more carb in my diet but try to be careful. Breakfast for me is yoghurt and blueberries with a drizzle of honey. I find this protects my stomach as without the yoghurt I always get stomach pains. When I started I tried to keep belie 60 gems of carbs per day. Lots of info on line and the best bit for me wine and whisky are fine as no carbs👍🍷🥃

[Alison300356 in reply to Griggser]

Like your thinking re whisky and wine!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Griggser]

Well done!!!!

Um, whisky and gin are no carb - but with wine it depends. Don't go mad with the pudding wine

[Hollyseden]

Good news about wine. A reward for no carbs