Questions about low carb diets

I've kept the weight down by cutting out simple carbs as one side of my family is prone to insulin resistance.

Afaik it's dangerous to cut out ALL carbs, but refined carbohydrates - white bread, skinless potatoes, white rice, etc. - can be safely eliminated. Minimal food value and they turn straight to sugar in your body anyway.

Gary Taubes Good Calories Bad Calories is worth a read.

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1400033462/

Hi Miranda....

I think you may have to work pretty hard to go low-carb AND vegan, but it can be done; there's at least a few folks who've done it over at Mark's Daily Apple, I remember a few forum threads on it. The "hard" is in getting the protein not just for "body maintenance" but to offset a large swath of the former carb calories.

That said, we eat meat and cheese, but avocados and things are also extremely filling, and in my experience with low-carb:

1. I feel much better without them. MUCH better. And it isn't "carbs" as a monolith, there seems to be degrees of evil. A potato sits much more lightly for me than a Kaiser roll, for instance....

2. again, this is a meat example but there's likely some parallels: I have to put some effort into breaking 2000 calories on low-carb, high-protein and moderate fat diets. It is easy to eat 2000 calories of carb, what you don't eat now you will be ready for in a few hours, but doing the low-carb and just paying even a sliver of attention to what you're eating.....700 calories of steak and cheese, or eggs, goes a long, long way. Most days on low-carb I estimate I was eating 1500 calories and feeling full, including almost no between-meal hunger.

give it a whirl, as I said I suspect there would be at least some parallels on vegan low-carb.

Oh, and they DO tell you, but it isn't uncommon to have a crash for a few days when you start (they even call it carb flu) as your body adjusts. If you do try it, no decisions for 1 week or so. And the first few days you can minimize that by having a few grams of carbs before bed--some strawberries, a glass of milk, etc.....

also seconding taubes....and pointing out I never went "zero-carb"....lots of fruit, and some veggies of course have carbs as well....but like Wilde pointed out, I cut most of my grains, and dramatically reduced potato and rice

meals were meat, veggies, more veggies, and fruit. Often cheese made its way into my day somewhere.

yeah, less farty and sluggish

one thing they are big on in the paleo community is probiotics. I don't know if they made the transition any smoother, I was always a very rounded omnivore, but I did do a fair bit of home pickles, raw sauerkraut, kimchi, etc. early on. Your GI flora will change quite a bit in most cases, although there too the lack of meat may mean less change.

losing weight: I lost fast at first. Then re-introduced beer, which negated cutting grains AND carbs.

I think the loss is entirely sustainable (and honestly wine had way less of an effect) but my low-carb has been largely in the toilet over the summer because our kids are home and wanting to cook (invariably something boxed and carby) and we recently made some friends who like to eat out a lot...and, mostly, because I need to kick my love of beer to the curb again.

Low-carb works. And in my case it felt just fine; I wasn't missing the bread once it was gone. But the thing I was missing, beer, threw everything into the shitter. Gonna try a new round of it, starting yesterday basically. In fact, hoping to fast all day today as I start up again.

Ah yes menopause and weight gain. We are intimately acquainted as well.

I've gained about 20 lbs in the last 4 years because I didn't adapt my pre-menopause eating habits to my new reality. Not that I was an unhealthy eater before but I was an unthinking eater, but I find that now I have to consider what I'm eating before I eat it - do I need it? Am I actually hungry or do I just want it?

In the last two weeks I've lost 5 lbs by limiting my carbs and imo it's not so much the carbs themselves, but the type of carbs I was eating and what I put on them. Ie potatoes need lots and lots of butter, likewise bread, so I just don't have them often now. The carbs I do have now are high fibre. If I have pasta, I try to make sure it's high fibre and I have a lot of veggies in the dish and less pasta. Ditto rice dishes (brown rice). Potatoes are eaten with the skin. Sandwiches are on skinny bread and loaded with veggies along with the protein (eggs, tuna, chicken). For me at least, I found by doing it this way I'm not feeling deprived, I can eat what everyone else is eating and fewer carbs means that I'm not craving a cookie or something else sweet an hour after the meal. In fact the other day I had some Oreos and I found I really didn't enjoy them - they were far too sweet.

I eat a protein, and a high fibre carb, plus veggies (and maybe some fruit) at every meal. While I limit my fat I don't cut it out entirely - peanut butter has fat, I will lightly butter my bread or leave it off if I'm using mayo, I use salad dressing (I make my own) etc. I think you need that fat to help keep you satiated.

While I don't count calories per se I am aware of them so I keep my portions controlled. If I'm having a box cereal and it says 20 squares are x amount of calories, I've made a mental note of where that number aligns in my bowl. If I have a potato it's a small one, about a cup of rice or pasta,I don't eat a huge amount of meat (about the size of a deck of cards).

Another thing I've done is make sure that I eat regularly from all the food groups - protein, fat, carb, veg - I'll have a small handful of almonds, some yoghurt, cottage cheese, cheese stick, or peanut butter along with a few crackers and a small piece of fruit/or a cup of berries between meals. I allow myself all the veggies and salad I want I just watch how much dressing I put on it.Lately I LOVE the fresh snap peas for a snack - they hit all the buttons for me - crunchy, cool, sweet.

I've increased my water consumption, plain and fizzy and I drink a fair bit of tea (decaf Earl Grey) and I don't eat after 7 in the evening. If I'm hungry I will have more tea (sipping something hot seems to help) and if I'm really hungry a small yoghurt.

Since you don't eat meat you could adapt this easily to what type of protein you do eat.

Another thing that I do is not to expect every meal to be a gourmet treat - it has to be tasty enough to eat yes but food is ultimately fuel, it is something to put on our bodies to allow it to run it doesn't necessarily have to be 5 star dining at all times.

I'm not sure if anything I've said is of any use to you but maybe there is something in there that can work for you as well.

side note: most low-carb diets are just that: low-carb. I tried to stay roughly under 25 g, and probably stayed under 50 instead most days (I'd assume around 30-40g). They aren't "no-carb."

Where you get those carbs did seem to matter. As I said, a baked potato was no problem. A big-assed bun, maybe half the carbs of that potato? I felt like I swallowed a fucking car tire. And two or three beers? Not gonna drop any weight that day. 2 or 3 glasses of sweet wine? I still lost weight. Not all carbs are created equal.

small? I'd consider it a "fatty protein" (cheese) and have at it. Moderation perhaps, but part of that losing weight included a fair bit of cheese actually--the protein and fat is pretty filling so a quarter-cup of shredded for example is around 110 calories and makes a ig difference in how filling a salad is.

Cheese is good! Protein and fat.

I think that the key is keeping blood sugar on an even keel which staves off hunger pangs, and having the right food combination is the way to go. If you eat fewer processed carbs and more high fibre carbs along with your cheese, you allow your body to use the fuel from the carbs in a steady manner. If you eat a donut or pastry the refined flour (or white bread) all the sugar gives you energy but it's short lived, you crash and then you start to crave another quick fix to lift you up (more refined carbs and sugar) so it's an endless cycle.

I'm eating paleo, though there a lot of events that make it difficult to keep up constantly (work BBQs, friends cooking, and of course, going broke and only being able to afford noodles and reduced supermarket sandwiches).

My tips:

-- Sweet potatoes are your new god. Sweet potato cut, covered in oil and cinnamon, and then cooked like oven chips are AMAZING and the perfect thing to replace normal chips. Or use them with quorn mince to make a sherpherd's pie.
-- Courgette noodles seem pretty cool.
-- Lettuce cups and roasted peppers are pretty great! Go to town with Quorn mince and cheese.
-- Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast staple, and whey protein powder can give it a nice flavour (I like this bannoffee one but all their flavours are good) or omelettes and egg muffins. My lazy no-time breakfast is just a banana and a handful of blueberries.
-- Whey protein's also great for baking: the vanilla one can make a pretty good oat cookie, or you could do oats and peanut butter for a bit more substance. AND THEN COVER IT IN CHOCOLATE. (Chocolate is TOTALLY paleo. Trust me, I'm a doctor*.)
-- Spinach fried in butter is amazing with anything.
-- If you can't make lunch, a protein shake is better than nothing.
-- Mushrooms, beans and tofu are all great for adding meaty textures to things.
-- PEPPER ON EVERYTHING
-- SPICES SPICES SPICES ON EVERYTHING (disregard this if you don't like spicy food.)

*Okay, well, erm... I have a blue phonebox but I'm not a doctor in MEDICINE per say, um... *disappears with a VWORP VWORP noise*

kikazaru said:

Ah yes menopause and weight gain. We are intimately acquainted as well...

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^ Been there, done that, got the lil buddah belly to show for it.

• I cut waaaaay back on the carbs - I drink a lot more water - Cut out the sodas, the sweet teas, etc.
• Only eat whole wheat/whole grain pasta now & bread only on occasion
• Cut waaaaay back on the sweets (Pastry and Haagen-Dazs are my weaknesses)

I've lost weight, but I still need to get in some daily exercise.

You can do it - go for it!

mirandashell said:

Hallelujah! I was dreading you all saying I couldn't have cheese! I've tried giving it up before now. Not happening. I luuuurrrrrve cheese.

You're a bad person, EMaree....... chocolate

So in emergencies, protein shakes are good. Cool. And Quorn mince will be my friend.

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Low carb diets can be more easily tolerated if you vary tastes and textures. You'll find you miss textures the most if you don't pay special attention.

Cheese is good--"protein and fat", like kikazaru said. I couldn't survive my low-carb lifestyle without it.

Same goes for chocolate, Miranda--you can have it in moderation. You should avoid filled chocolates, though. All those lovely gooey centers like caramel and nougat are almost pure sugar. Besides, life ain't worth livin' without chocolate. Even Dr. Atkins realized that.

Wrt protein shakes: As we age we lose the ability to process protein efficiently, and old farts like moi need 50g of protein a day to keep from looking like dessicated old hags. ROFL So, yes, I vary my daily protein count between the lean meats I eat, whey protein, and (since I'm female) soy protein.

I've been cutting carbs for the past year and three quarters (which also happened to correspond with menopause) for blood sugar reasons.

In the first 6 months I lost about 25-30 pounds and then gained about 5 back, but mostly it's sustainable.

I don't eat meat. I do eat a lot of cheese.
More soy protein. More nuts -- in salads and as snacks. Whole grains whenever possible, or skip them if I don't need them/can find a soy-based substitute. Brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice.
Crackers and flatbreads instead of bagels etc. Lots of salads. Hard-boiled eggs, quiche (whole wheat crust if possible), Greek yogurt, ricotta with low/no-carb sweetener and vanilla or almond extract (and sometimes nuts or high-protein granola) makes a good breakfast. Fresh fruit as treats.

A blend of red rice, barley, and quinoa with olive oil and sea salt makes a lovely substitute for white rice. Even my quinoa-hating spouse likes it. just sayin'

Also, slice of plain, crustless baked cheesecake makes a lovely allowable treat occasionally--no more frequently than every two weeks to a month, though.

ETA: Also, congrats on giving up smoking, Miranda! W00t! (I wish I could.)

I wish I had that much sense, Miranda. I always swore I'd quit when they went to $8.00 a carton. Now, they're that for a pack of 20.

I'm new to this eating healthy thing, but a few things I've learned:

1) Stay away from white food. White potatoes. White rice. White bread. Most pastas.

2) Its not the carbs that are bad, its the simple carbs in #1. Complex carbs take longer to digest and don't give you that yoyo sugar/insulin rush. So switch to brown rice, wild rice, and most wheat-free/gluten-free grains (quinoa, buckwheat groats, millet, amaranth) many of which provide essential amino acids.

3) Shop the perimeter of grocery stores. That's where all the fresh, unprocessed foods are (at least in American markets). Everything in the middle of the store are all the high mark-up, unhealthy, overly processed items. (Except for the gluten-free aisle where there's some really amazing foods.)