Are you eating Low Carb? Post your tips here!

[wovenwonder]

Awhile back we had a WISH thread going with updates on all of those on Atkins. I am not necessarily following Atkins to the 'T' but I am incorporating many of his suggestions in to my new way of eating. I've been eating low carb since June and have dropped 32 pounds. I feel better than I EVER did before. I cannot believe how much healthier I'm eating. I think many people hear the word 'Atkins' and automatically assume you are a heart attack waiting to happen. Sure, I have bacon and eggs on occasion -- but I eat way more healthy veggies and proteins than I've ever eaten.

So --- what are your 'tips' to making your low carb eating plan succesful? Lets check in here on occasion with our stats, our tips, food suggestions, and just general support.

My stats as of 12/31/02
start/current/goal
247/215/139
5'2''
Started low carb 6/17/02
age - 40


My first 'tip' would be that if you decide to change your diet to low carb be prepared to feel very crappy the first week. I had a major headache and upset stomach -- to the point where I felt flu like. I stuck it out as my body came off of the sugar withdrawal and after that first week I have felt better than ever!

 

[DixieDreamer]

Hi Wovenwonder!

I have been eating low carb since 7/28/02 - following the Atkins plan. Here are my stats (this is brave to post them here... where EVERYONE can see them!)

Started Atkins 7/28/02
Age 40 - Height 5'4"
180/153/135
OWL

I have lost 27 lbs so far, my cholesterol numbers have significantly improved... and I am no longer out of control hungry all of the time. I eat a very healthy mix of protein, fat, and veggie carbs at each meal.

My advice to anyone just starting out is:

Read the book... and then reread it... and then read the chapter on your current status (i.e. induction) ONE MORE TIME! Knowing your plan is the best way to ensure your success - armed with information you can make good choices.

Drink plenty of water. It really does speed up the weightloss (true for any diet)

Prepare lots of legal foods and have them ready - so that you will always have on hand legal items when you get hungry. It is very easy to make poor choices - just because it is more "convenient". I cook a roast, or roasted chicken thighs on Sunday - and put it in a tupperware container in the frig - provides lots of quick snacks and in the hurry meals throughout the week. I also make a large tub of chicken salad and keep in the fridge. I stock up on real butter, cheese, eggs (boil a dozen to have for snacks), and LOTS of good veggies!

Be realistic. The weight definitely will come off but it will not come flying off and you will have periods of time where you are in a holding pattern. Just stick to eating according to your plan and don't obsess over it.

Plan what you are going to eat. I figure out my menu for the next day every day. I do it in fitday.com. After I do that, I pack my lunch for the next day and grab the meat for the next day's dinner out of the freezer to thaw if needed. Makes the busy day much more manageable. This only takes about 15 minutes of my time each evening.

Hope this helps.

 

[TinkerPixie]

O.K. Here goes: (takes deep breath before I type )

Started Atkins on 7/6/02
age 36 height 5'3"
277/235/150ish

I also am not following Atkins completly, but staying pretty close to the plan. It is a great way to live, without feeling deprived.
My best tip would be to stay away from the low carb candies and bars...they can be just as addicting to you as regular sweets, and they are not helping to train your mind and body not to crave candy and sweets. The artificial sweeteners that are used, such as Maltitol, can really upset your system if you overindulge!

Russell Stover is not our friend!!!!

 

[believe]

Just a quick question....what amount of carbs is considered low carbs? I know I can read the book, but I already have a workout plan and eating plan that works for me....I am currently watching my carbs and wondering what is considered low carbs.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Believe -

Schwarzbien Principle aims for 72 grams of carbs. It is a much more relaxed program - aimed for maintenance for diabetics. It is considered a low carb program at 72 grams.

Atkins begins at 20 grams during the first two weeks (induction) and then you add 5 gram increments each week thereafter to get to your CCLL (critical carb level for losing). Once you reach that you back down by 5 grams. There is no "upper" limit stated - it is what your body will tolerate and still lose. At 20 grams - Atkins is very low carb to begin with.

I am sure there are many other programs out there that may be even more carbs than this and still considered low carb... but generally I would say anything under 75 grams is "low" carb.

One of the other considerations - is to spread your carbs out over the day - as the point of all of this is to avoid insulin level spikes. You do this by not having your blood sugar spike from loading up on carbs. I try to have my veggies at all three meals now.

 

[believe]

Thanks for the information. The low carbs for diabetics is what I need to make sure I strive for since I am glucose intolerant. I have been doing well since I started back exercising on Wednesday, I had taken 2 months off....burn out.

 

[thelooneyhouse]

First of all,congrats to all of you who posted on your terrific weight loss so far!!

I am also striving to be healthier and thinner this year and of course for my trip to Disney in April!!

My problem is I am a vegetarian and want to go low carb,but there is only so much tofu one can eat
so besides my egg whites,tofu and veggies what would I be eating on a low carb program?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[zakatak]

Looney (may I call you that? lol )

I don't think you can mix a low-carb approach with being a vegetarian. If you would like some ideas on weight-loss while being a vegetarian, I would suggest you check out www.vegsource.com.

One way would be Dr. McDougall's plan for weight loss. It does limit breads, sugars, oil and processed food. You can find out more about it at vegsource.

I have lost 28 lbs in the last two months just by eliminating snacks, meat, dairy and fat. I eat a close-to vegan diet (I have Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate in the morning). An example of my day might be:

B: Hot Chocolate (I'm on the go)
L: Boca Burger w/o bun, with ketchup and mustard w/a pickle
S: Carrot/Apple/Banana...
D: Vegetarian Chili or Split Pea Soup or Corn Chowder, etc...

No snacks at night (except tonight when I binged on two PB&J sandwiches!! at least they were with light ww bread and 100% fruit spread)

Well, back to the bandwagon for me tomorrow. My goal is 125 by Feb 14, 120 by April 18, and 115 by July 3rd.

Height 5'4", HW 172, CW 128.8, GW1 125, GW2 120, GW3 115

Good luck! PM me if you would like a vegetarian buddy!

Karen

 

[thelooneyhouse]

Originally posted by zakatak
Looney (may I call you that? lol )


One way would be Dr. McDougall's plan for weight loss. It does limit breads, sugars, oil and processed food. You can find out more about it at vegsource.

I have lost 28 lbs in the last two months just by eliminating snacks, meat, dairy and fat. I eat a close-to vegan diet (I have Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate in the morning). An example of my day might be:


Good luck! PM me if you would like a vegetarian buddy!

Karen

karen-thanks for posting that site,it has tons of info and of course you can call me looney
I also would love to be a veggie buddy with you.

congrats on your weight loss so far that is so inspiring to me that I will be able to lose and still not eat "flesh food"

 

[MHopkins2]

thelooneyhouse - don't forget cheese! Cheese makes up a huge portion of (at least my version of) the low carb diet. It's high in protein and body-satisfying fat, and most kinds have zero carbs.

You might also try a modified version where you stay away from the foods that are superhigh on the glycemic index scale - AKA how fast and how hard they affect your blood sugar levels. For example, whole grains are vastly preferable to white flour, berries are better than apples or bananas, etc. I'm sure there's an online GIS somewhere - anyone?

 

[zakatak]

No Problem, Looney!

Would you like to PM or email?

Let me know, I always check my Private Messages here, everytime I log on (which is way to much, lol)...

Karen

 

[dizneegirl]

If you are low-carbing, be sure to watch the cheese... there is no zero-carb cheese.

It may be as low as .5 gram for an ounce, but an ounce really isn't a lot... if you're eating a lot, you're adding those carbs up pretty quick. Hard cheeses are generally lower in carbs than soft cheeses.

Atkins recommends no more than 4 ounces a day in his plan.

Of course, if you're not following a specific plan, and it's working for you... go for it!

 

[LuvTigger]

I'm not doing Atkins, but I am on a high-protein, mod-carb (I don't eat breads, pastas, potatoes, etc., but I eat lots of veggies and some fruits).

I wanted to recommend a recipe book I found at Waldenbooks called "Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way" by Bettina Newman and David Joachim. It was supposed to be $29.95, but for some reason, they were selling them in the Bargain books section for only $4.99!!! The ISBN # is 1-57954-438-X.

It does have some recipes with flour, but they use whole wheat/grain flour or other unrefined starches.

Also, I have a vegetarian friend (well, she does eat fish) who lost 20 pounds on the program I'm on. I think the thing about the program I'm doing as opposed to Atkins is that we can eat lettuce and most veggies, and fruits, so it's not like it's all protein. I think the key is to stay away from processed foods, refined starches, and refined sugars.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Luvtigger... Atkins is not all protein no veggies. In fact, you eat alot of veggies and lettuce if you are following the plan properly. After you are through with the first two weeks, you start to add back some low glycemic fruit... like berries, and some melon. Just wanted to set the record straight... because it is a common misunderstanding that Atkins is "high protein and fat" and no veggies - when actually it is "adequate protein and fat with veggies and some fruit".

Wishing you success on your plan.

 

[inky dinky doo]

I started eating low carb a week and a half ago, and I am amazed with how good I feel. I'm not following any particular plan; just basically cutting out bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, sugar, some veggies (like carrots and corn, my favorites) and as much processed stuff as possible. I thought I'd have a tough time giving up the pasta and bread (love those sandwiches!!), but so far, no problem. In fact, my cravings seem to have gone away. Let's hope this continues!

I'm glad to know you guys are here for support.

Pat

324 days and counting . . . again

 

[wovenwonder]

Pat -- Great Job! Doesn't it feel so good when that feeling comes over you that you've finally 'got it' and know what kind of eating works to make your body feel its best!

I got off track over the Holidays -- and have to admit that I am having trouble getting back on track again. I know I've gained some weight -- and don't want to lose all that I've worked for the past 6 months! So I'm getting back on track again and hoping to report another loss soon!

 

[Jeafl]

Hello to all of you! I just found my way to the WISH board today, and was happy to see others trying the low-carb diet. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your tips!

 

[inky dinky doo]

Welcome, Jill! I'm new to this board, too. And yes, Jody, eating low carb and knowing it's "right" for me is a wonderful feeling.

This whole "new way of eating thing" just sort of snuck up on me. Over the holidays, I was so busy at work that I didn't have time to make allllllll the goodies I usually make, so I can't really blame my new attitude on that. For some reason, though, about that time I just started feeling bad -- heavy, uncomfortable in my clothes, and just plain tired of thinking about food. (I cook almost every Sunday for my grown kids, who bring the grandkids and come to visit -- and eat.) Sort of hard to describe. But all of a sudden, I thought, "I'm going to make a change." And, change I did.

The next Sunday we went to Golden Corral (a large buffet restaurant) as a group, and I decided -- you know what? Just for today, I'm going to eat low carb and see how it goes. This isn't a diet. It's just for today. I had a piece of rotisserie chicken, some lettuce, and a broccoli salad and -- guess what! I felt wonderful when I was done. I was completely satisfied, without having that "I'm so full I need to go take a nap" feeling.

It felt so "right" that I ate low carb again the next day and then the next day . . . and here I am a week and a half later still eating that way and loving it. I hope you can get that feeling back, cause it really is super.

I'm rambling, I know, but I appreciate knowing that you all are here to listen. The kids just look at me, shake their heads, and say they don't know how I'm doing it. They can't imagine a world without bread. Heck, two weeks ago, neither could I.

Pat

324 days and counting . . . again

 

[Buckalew]

I have been amazed at how different I feel too. I have only been doing low-carb since Sunday & have lost 4 lbs. I haven't been hungry for a second and am starting to feel more energy. The first couple of days with no caffine and no sugar gave me headaches (which I rarely get) and I was dragging (climbing the stairs was tough ). But I am feeling a lot different on day 5 and am glad I tried it.

Do you all check with those ketosis strips? DH and I have. I got them on Tuesday and was moderate to heavy (or whatever the choices were.

 

[Jeafl]

Thanks for the welcome, Pat!

I have been doing pretty good too. Today is my 10th day, and I can honestly say that yeserday was really tough. I am having to force myself to eat (NOT a normal occurence!) because I can't stand another salad, egg or piece of meat. It's time to dust off my Suzanne Somers cookbooks and make something more exciting. Most of her recipes are wonderful, but a lot require a ton of expensive ingredients. Why is it always more expensive to cook when you're on a diet??

Anyway, eggplant parmesan for dinner tonight, and if I'm ambitious I'll make the creme brulee or vanilla bean ice cream.

Oh, and Brenda, I guess I should dust off those ketostrips too!