Hello, I'm very new to LCHF and still doing my research but just wanted to know a bit more from people who have been doing it for a while as I'm looking to lose quite a bit of weight. Does anyone count calories at all? And how regular do people exercise doing LCHF? Also what are peoples experience with how many lbs a week/month you could lose? Not that I'm in a mad rush, I want to lose weight in the healthiest possible way, just curious.
Thanks ☺️
No.
LCHF is a way of life, not a diet.
Cut the carbs and your body will tell you what to do.
It will tell you to eat when you are hungry, stop when it tells you to.
It's not complicated.
Yeah I understand. Thank you.
No i dont count calories. I eat minimum 20g carbs a day or less or i try to. You dont need to exercise but it helps to tone up as you lose weight. I lost 7lb in the 1st 2 weeks. And although everyone is different you can lose 2 to 3lb per week, on average. But as said above, its not a diet its a lifestyle. Once you stop and start eating carbs again the weight will be put back on.
Yeah it will definitely be a lifestyle for me. And most fruit is a no too?
Fruit is probably off the table for Tessa, but not for the rest of us. Yesterday I ate two large apricots, a handful of berries and an avocado, which is a fruit, amongst other things. My total carbs were 50g (I counted them for the first time in ages) but 15g came from a latte. If I had a black coffee, it would have been 35g. Both a pretty low numbers. Not low enough for Tessa, but low enough for me, I think, to keep fat burning.
And all this while still following LCHF? Sorry for all the questions, just like to know as much as I can. At the minute I'm just having Strawberries and blueberries if I fancy something sweet as I'm worried even most fruit have too much natural sugar in to have daily. But yes I need my coffee too but not 100% sure of the carb content of the ones I have, I'll have to check that.
Greek yogurt is good if you fancy something sweet. Dietdoctor.com have recipes for LCHF puddings and shakes.
Not sure if this is a silly question but is Greek 'style' yogurt the same as regular Greek yogurt as every time I look for it, it seems to say Greek style rather than just Greek yogurt. I got one yesterday called natural bio yogurt which I believe is full fat and the ingredients just say pasteurised cows milk. Thanks I'll check dietdoctor out, I've heard good things 
Its the same thing i believe? I may have to google that Haha. As long as its full fat it should be ok.
Oh ok ha just had to check. Yes if in doubt, Google it 😂
You can only call it "Greek" if it was made in Greece, otherwise it's "Greek Style".
What makes it Greek Style, is after making the yogurt it is strained. The whey is a straw coloured liquid, which is mostly carbs, so the result is a lower carb, higher fat yogurt.
If you strain it further and add salt and lemon, you make labneh, a delicious soft cheese.
I think all Greek style yogurts in the UK will be made this way, but someone was saying how great Cabot's (a US brand) is, so googled it. They apparently mix in all sorts of milk products to simulate the result you could get from straining. Why???
Ingredients: Pasteurized Milk, Cream, Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Live Active yogurt Cultures (Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus), Vitamin A palmitate, Vitamin D3.
Ok got it, so Greek style is ok but fat free Greek style yogurt is just pointless 😂 Jesus.
I make my own yogurt and used to use skim milk.
Strained skimmed milk yogurt is pretty good. It's thicker and creamier and much higher protein.
I could only make it if I got a thick batch, which isn't guaranteed.
Does it take long to make? Between work and childcare I'd have to just do it when I get time.
I can jump in here because I make yogurt most days. I use a yogurt maker and a rice cooker. I'm using powdered milk (can't get good fresh milk locally) so once the boiled water has cooled to around 45°C, it takes about 5 minutes to prepare. Then it takes about 8 hours in the yogurt maker or 6 hours in the rice cooker. In my experience, it took me a few attempts to get the mixture right to make a nice thick and creamy yoghurt. Don't be put off if it's not quite right first time.
Oh god, I definitely don't have all these gadgets everyone seems to have 🙈
When buying Greek style yoghurt check to see if there are live active cultures any in it as that is a Good Thing (I assume some of them get through to the gut to do their stuff). Greek style ones don’t always have them. I used to buy the one from Lidl, came in a handy bucket, but stopped as it wasn’t live - may have changed.
I make my own yoghurt too. I usually use Fage Total as a starter and full fat milk. The best thing about a plain yoghurt is adding things to it for a great desert or meal.
In the UK the fermenting time is long - overnight + some, using the oven or a maker but the actual starting to make time is only minutes.
The one I just bought is called natural bio yogurt and ingredients only pasteurised cows milk so I think it's ok, it's kind of tangy ha. I think I may have to stick to the ready made stuff 🙈
No.
I do have time on my hands, but it takes practically no time.
You have to warm the milk, the add a bit of yogurt as a starter. With a microwave, it's a couple of minutes. Then you leave it for 8 to 12 hours in a warm place.
Pop it in the fridge. Depending on your starter, you should have pretty decent yogurt. Greek needs to be thicker, so tip it into a lined sieve. A few hours later it's Greek yogurt, a day later it's labneh
Honestly, I think the labneh (my first attempt) took less than 10 minutes active time - though 2 or 3 days elapsed. It's really easy and not labour intensive.
And with milk at less than 50p/litre, super cheap.
Oh that's not too bad then, I can give it a try ☺️
Cool.
Google it to get a better idea of the process. I have a yogurt make, so it's easy to get the temperature right. A make sure the yogurt is about blood temperature - feels warm but not hot on my palm - before mixing in the starter, but then I rely on the yogurt maker (basically just a hot pad) to keep it at the right temperature.
Yeah I'd definitely need to look it up. I never knew a yogurt maker was a thing until talking on here ha.
Yes! I thought I'd gone off-piste yesterday, which is why I logged my carbs. I was surprised how low they were.
Here's the definitions from dietdoctor.com
Three different levels of carb restriction as follows:
Ketogenic: less than 20 grams of net carbs per day
Moderate low carb: 20-50 grams of net carbs per day
Liberal low carb: 50-100 grams of net carbs per day
(Really, your diet is Ketogenic if you are producing a certain amount of ketones. How much that is varies from person to person. 20g is low enough that almost everyone will reach that level. Some people can eat more and be in ketosis. I don't pee on anything or and have a mild needle phobia, so I don't measure anything. I fast for long periods of time, so I expect I am in ketosis quite often. I don't know for sure 😕)
So, yesterday for me was "low carb" , but not "ketogenic" . Which is fine, it's working for me.
I hadn't eaten much fruit except berries for months. I don't think I will eat fruit on it's own again, but fats will buffer it in my stomach, preventing a blood sugar spike.
In the last few weeks, I've made a few salads which are variants on Nigel Salter's Ham, nectarine and blue cheese salad. I am really enjoying the mix of sweet sunripened fruit, and salty pork. This was yesterday's
healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
Since coming across LCHF I have realised I must've been consuming way too many carbs so if I can stay as low as possible I think I will see a vast improvement. And yes I do believe I noticed your post, foods I would never have thought to put together but an interesting combination. That's another thing I wanted to know, mayo? Probably my favourite condiment but I've read it's a bad fat so would it be best to cut out altogether or just use very little of? Thanks everyone for replying to all my crazy questions.
F'ing bad fats.
Depends who you ask. The Government wants us to eat seed oils, like rapeseed oil which are extracted under industrial pressures and temperatures, and then purified with petrochemical solvents. They say they are good oils. Humans have only been eating like this for 100 years, and are getting sicker.
The Government will tell you to not eat eggs because of saturated fat, and to eat olive oil. I just did the maths. The batch of mayonnaise I made has 17. 3g of saturated ("bad") fat, which is 3.3g from the egg and 14g from the olive oil - which is the good oil we are told we should be eating more of. Just makes no sense. 🤪
So, make your own mayonnaise. Carefully choose the oil you use (I am using refined olive oil, avocado is a good but more expensive choice. Extra virgin olive oil will be too bitter) , and enjoy it with confidence.
Think I'll have to start taking notes ha. I'll enjoy it with confidence as soon as I figure out how to make it with confidence 😂
Your confidence will grow as you get further along. The only tip i have is if you start to have carb/sugar withdrawal such has headaches or tiredness. Keep going, it will pass and it is so worth doing so. Honestly!!
Yes I'll power through. I have experienced those symptoms before with just a calorie deficit, can be draining but I know it'll be worth it in the long run ☺️
Everyone over on NHS Weight Loss is making mayonnaise with a whisk, but I have just tried making it with a hand blender, and it's insanely easy. Put ingredients in a jar, press button. 1 second. Done. Seriously, easier than opening a jar, if you don't have the wrist strength.
I'll definitely have to try making mayo
i put mayonnaise on everything, i even make make my own garlic mayo butter which i cook with. Trust us FAT is Good for you esp on LCHF as your body learns to burn fat instead of carbs which is why you lose weight on LCHF.
Ha I'm the same with mayonnaise, could have it with most things. And absolutely love garlic butter, never tried the mayo variation, though I definitely would, sounds lovely.
I find it easier using a carb counter on my phone. Keeps me on track too tbh.
I don't know what this is in reply to. 😕
I use a food log app if I want to track my total carbs for the day, but if I am just making a quick "should I buy this? " decision, googling "carbs in pomegranate" is quicker.
But I don't log all my food, so while a browser window is always open, the app takes a few seconds to start.
Berries, avacado are low carb. Im full keto for medical reasons. LCHF is usually 50g carb or less. If you havent already take a look on dietdoctor.com they have a 2 week free meal plan to get you started plus free recipes which greatly help.
Subtle_badger started off doing a very-low-calorie LCHF variant, but I don't think anybody is calorie-counting here (because it's completely pointless).
Switching to a healthy diet (ie., LCHF) will help you shed a lot of poundage, but exercise will enhance your results. In particular it'll help you along the "last mile" to looking great; point being, when you lose a lot of fat you'll need to put some muscles under your skin! Carrying more muscle also helps you to maintain a low bodyfat ratio because it acts as a buffer for dietary carbs in much the same way as fat.
You will not see a certain number of lb/week. That's just another silly fairy-story put around by dieticians. It'll be an exponential - a big loss at the beginning, and then slowing down as you reach your ideal weight. See also slim_for_good's recent post about a sudden and rather unexpected burst of fat loss. Basically, if you keep this up for life, you'll get slim, and you'll stay slim, but you don't have a whole lot of control over the precise trajectory.
Fruit: best avoided at the beginning, but once your metabolism is working properly, it's fine. Just make sure it's eaten as an occasional treat, and not as a regular daily habit or as a meal replacement. Some people report that fruit stops their weightloss dead in its tracks, but YMMV.
Thanks so much, this is all great to know. I'm definitely at the early stages so I'm learning as much as I can but so far I'm excited to get started (technically 2nd day in) In a world where I can eat cheese but not fruit, madness 😂
It sounds mad, doesn't it? I remember someone made a comment a while back along the lines of "Why are they always accusing us of eating a fad diet? We eat normal healthy food. It's everyone else who's on a fad diet".
Exactly, I recently tried slim fast (definitely a fad and not maintainable) and the meals/snack didn't really cut any food group out but the calories in the plan were much lower than I needed and I was just constantly hungry and irritable. I'm only 2 days in to LCHF but already what I'm eating is keeping me fuller for longer, its great and I don't feel too restricted even cutting out the carbs.
I don’t count calories or macros (ie how many carbs or fat grams etc). I just eat low carb food when I am hungry. The theory is that we lose weight when we eat right rather than e exercise a lot. This is certainly true at the overweight stage, there are plenty of examples of people including me who were very active but ate wrong so we were overweight. However, exercise makes us feel great and tones up our muscles for when they start becoming visible.
How much weight you lose and how fast is going to entirely depend on your body and how much weight you have to lose. Someone on low carb with a stone to lose will see the pounds come off much more slowly than someone with 8 stove to lose. I understand (but do not have any research info myself), that whatever size you are, it takes about a year on low carb to get to your slim place. If you are very large or tall, you will have a larger glycogen store than average (this is a sort of holding bay in the liver for sugars so they aren’t doing damage in the liver but they are handy for energy). Glycogen cells are stored with 4 x their quantity of water cells. You use up glycogen store when you first eat less for whatever reason (low cal, low carb), and lose the associated water. This is why a very large person can lose a stone in a week. They are losing water out of their enlarged liver. This of course makes it look like the diet is a miracle and other (much smaller) people are doing something wrong etc. There’s a diet orthodoxy that you should only lose 1-2lbs a week. However, on low carb you let your body decide how fast you lose weight - you eat the right things, you learn to eat when you are hungry and not when you aren’t, and let your body decide what it can cope with. Note it will take some time for your appetite to become ‘true’ - that might be weeks or for some people it might be a few months. Our appetite should be set by our metabolic hormones according to how much fat we are carrying, but this can get muddled when we eat too many carbs and produce too much insulin. Don’t worry about this though, it sorts itself out.
A long term view is great. I always used to want to lose all my weight at 2lbs a week. But never did. A year seems like such a long time when it’s ahead but when we look back it’s not so far. I have lost 25lbs since early last summer and that seems quite a short time now and I feel transformed.
Thanks for all the knowledge, it really helps. I think yours may have been one of the first posts I came across about LCHF and it caught my attention. And almost a year after having my son and piling on the lbs another year to lose them seems pretty good to me ☺️
The baby years are really tough. Be kind to yourself. I found pushchair pushing from one onwards really good exercise as the boy was so heavy!
Ha yes I can relate, my little boy is just under one and he's so heavy now, could use him to weight lift.
LOL. It's nature's way of getting you back into shape
I'm currently still exploring options for lchf foods and I like to do my research. I'm not saying I don't exercise ha just wanted to know how much exercise people do on lchf as I have read a lot about the food but not much about exercise and find it fascinating you can lose so much weight with out really doing any but I enjoy certain forms of exercise anyway ☺️ it's about finding something that doesn't feel like a chore but that I enjoy doing too.
I've had about 6 months without exercise and I haven't put any weight on. That doesn't really surprise me given that hormonal reactions to the food you eat which play the leading role in managing your weight.
Exercise itself is relatively unimportant in terms of losing/maintaining weight. I'm a big fan of Jason Fung and here are two of his online articles which addresses exercise and weight loss:
thefastingmethod.com/myth-e...
idmprogram.com/exercise-eff...
I'm getting back in the swing of exercise but it's hard in the summer months - too hot and too humid but it's raining and cooler today I' m still eating normally and don't feel starving afterwards. That's the beauty of LCHF - my body working with me, no longer making life difficult for me
Love a good article, I'll have a read. Yeah exercise is something that needs a bit of self motivation but I also think you don't need to feel too bad for having rest days.
Yeah I've gotta say that's the best thing since starting lchf I'm lasting so much longer before feeling hungry again. Most mornings I'd wake up and instantly want breakfast but I'm barely feeling hunger when I wake up now and throughout the day, it great
I love swimming, think it may be my favourite form of exercise so I don't even really see it as exercise but its hard to find the time to myself with my little one. So I have to find other ways, I do enjoy a nice walk.
And walking on the beach looking for shells sounds lovely.
OMAD or IF
LCHF, Intermittent Fasting and Calories
Low Carb or Calories