ALL THINGS LCHF

[Fiddle_fit]

Hi everyone it's been a while since I posted in this group. Anyway, the last time I was here I had some questions about which method would be best for my weight loss journey and someone suggested trying the lchf plan. I've been trying the lchf plan for a few weeks now and I've had some positives like, I never have to worry about my calorie intake, Its greatly reduced my late night snacking and although I haven't lost any weight I feel good about my eating habits. However, I have a lot of questions;

1. Is it normal to experience hunger pangs while on lchf?

2. There are very few breakfast options that fit into lchf. Most of them involve eggs and eating eggs every morning can become dull. Are there any other substitutes that don't involve eggs?

3. How do you deal with carb cravings? After a few days of carb craving I pigged out on rice, pizza and bread.

4. Are there any good substitutes for items like bread or rice as they make eating fun by bringing variety into the way you eat.

5. How much carbs should I be aiming for daily?

6. I discovered that most of the recipes involve meat and fish, are there any other protein options to substitute with?

7. Is it possible to introduce cheat days where you can carbs?

8. What is carb cycling and what relationship does it have with lchf.

Answers to this questions would really help and as always I'm open to all advice. Thanks

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

I'll give you my take on things, Fiddle_fit, but the answers will be slightly different for everyone and you may like to pose your questions to the members of the LCHF forum too healthunlocked.com/lchf-diet

1. It's normal for everyone to feel hunger before a meal is due, it's not normal to feel hunger all the time. To fully embrace the LCHF way of eating, you should eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full. You should also remember that removing the carbs means adding fat, so if you're always hungry, you may not have added enough fat.

2. I never eat breakfast, I don't need it, but don't get stuck with the idea that you should have a particular type of meal. You are literally breaking your fast, so you could eat steak, salad, soup, curry, stir fry, whatever you like.

3. Carb cravings will subside - the less you eat, the less you want and vice versa. By pigging out on carbs, you have to start all over again. Eat enough of the LCHF food so that you're not hungry and apply willpower.

4. When you restarted, I advised you to join our daily diary and I will reiterate that advise. In topics you'll find all sorts of low carb recipes, using substitutes and this may help healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

5. That depends on your aim. If you wish to fully embrace a low carb lifestyle, then the advice would be to aim for less than 20g per day for the first couple of weeks, then increase to a level you feel comfortable at, but generally less than 130g per day. This is a good guide healthunlocked.com/lchf-die... as is this healthunlocked.com/api/redi...

6. You can use any protein you like, but bear in mind that some will have a higher carb content than others.

7. As I've said above, the more carbs you eat, the more you'll want, if you have regular cheat days, you'll be starting from scratch every week.

8. There is a school of thought that believes that we were designed to eat fruit and vegetables in season, this would mean bulking up on carbs in the autumn, to get us through the leaner winter months. We all have different tolerances to carbs, some of us have spent a lifetime dieting and have completely messed up our metabolism and therefore have to be strict. For myself, a little will always lead to a lot. Others can and do manage to moderate their consumption of carbs. What works for you will be a matter for you to determine.

I hope this helps

[Hidden]

Hi Fiddle_fit . When I don't have eggs, I have Greek yogurt for breakfast, with a few Brazil nuts, pecan nuts, seeds and fruit, for example some satsuma oranges. I like something sweet for breakfast, so I if I have eggs, I make a little pancake with one egg, whisked with a tablespoon of ground almonds, fried in butter, then some berries and a blob of Greek yogurt on top. I wish I had known about lchf back when I was teaching (retired now). I used to have my low fat milk and low cal cereal, and be starving before I even got to break! Then I would have my low cal salad and be utterly ravenous by the time I got home, and devour everything I could lay my hands on. Nowadays, I feel hungry for about half an hour before mealtimes and accept that as a healthy sign. I never eat between meals - I just don't think about food between meals, because I'm not hungry.

moreless is right when she says carb cravings will subside. If you give in to them, you will only crave more. So stick with it!