Thread: How many carbs is low carb????

Hi,
Ive tried ww and slimming world and find there is too much choice for me and end up overloading with carbs!
I want to try low carb but how many grams should i have a day for this to make a difference?

Any help would be appreciated

x

very low carb would be 20g (see atkins induction phase) - this is most effective for quicker weight loss
but anywhere up to 50g per day is low carb, hope this helps

Thats brill thanks, am I right in thinking im looking at the lower carbohydrates figure on foods then?

yes, it's easiest to eat low carb if you avoid packaged and processed foods and eat "lean + green" :meat and veg, with plenty of natural fats (i.e real butter, cheese + olive + coconut oil) - natural foods are the way to go

Try to avoid margarine, seed and vegetable oils if possible - these fats are not good for you
and low fat varietys of foods (like 'light' philidelphia, light butter, yogurt ect.) have more sugars, so go for full fat versions of anything like that. and obviously avoid any sugars, starches and wheat.

Good luck on your low carb journey, you may want to look at the atkins forum, there are many people following slightly different low carb plans on the diaries section (like me )

IMHO low carb means high binge lol!

I eat unlimited carbs now. NO OIL, no animal products.

When I want sweet, I eat fruit. Its heart healthy too!

i wud love to follow a low carb diet but i really dont beleive i could do it . i love bread,pasta and potatoes but also thats probley the reason of my weight gain.
you say that when your on a low carb diet u can eat butter etc but surely thats high in fat? so you still lose weight?
sorry i probley sound a bit thick dont i? x

Hi Kayee,
If you think that you "cant" give up carbs then you have two choices - find a different plan or give it a go seriously. I also thought i could "never" do it - but was desperate. After first two weeks (which were really tough!), i discovered all my cravings and need for carbs completely disappeared. I now know i was(am) addicted to carbs - so plan to avoid sugar and refined carbs for the rest of my life. Much happier and healthier now - i can survive one meal off plan...but dont usually choose to. Oh and yes I love losing weight while enjoying cream and cheese

Good luck whatever you choose

I second what Kat1e said. The first couple of weeks were hard. I had dreams about chocolate, and would get a sudden taste of ice cream or doughnuts in my mouth, totally from nowhere. Made me realize what an addiction sugar is.

Now I really couldn't care less about carbs. I just don't crave them. And I lived on pizza and Ben & Jerry's before. It's not easy, but it can be done.

(I also was vegan once. I was obese. And Vit B12 deficient. Doesn't work for everyone, I guess)

thanks for your posts girls you lot on here are amazing to quit all the carbs? i didnt even realise sugar had carbs in it (sorry im a bit dumb lol) do you go as far as the atkins diet or do you just cut out most carbs? i dont think i cud ever cut out carbs completley. good luck on all of your weight losses tho i bet u will lose it quicker then me. my diet does contain quite alot of carbs. jacket potatoes , pasta,bread and pitta breads but i also know it will probley slow down my weight loss or even stop it. im on my prescription diet pill 'xenical' and you cant eat anything high in fat or you get nasty side effects . what can u suggest instead of bread and potatoes etc i wouldnt even know where to start? xx

Avoid anyone who says high carb is the way to go...they only say that cos they have no option (yes, they're vegan yaaaaawn).

Since I've started low carbing I never get the urge to binge on high carb food. Even lots of fruit can give you a spike that can lead to a binge. Stick to healthy meats and veg, eggs and cheese. Keep it low to about 40g carbs and you won't go wrong. It's only if you mix those carbs with bad carbs ie potato, pasta, rice etc that you'll get the problem ie high cholesterol and binge urges. Good luck!!!

You can't do low carb and low fat at the same time. Not without difficulty, and from what I've read it's not advised.

You can take what I say or leave it, I'm no doctor so you don't have to listen to me! but personally I wouldn't touch Xenical with a bargepole. I took it for a few days, but it had....painful effects, shall we say. A pill that interferes with your ability to absorb food is a pretty drastic thing.

The whole premise of diets like Atkins, Protein Power and other low carb diets is that low fat is absolutely wrong and misguided. Because:
a) we need fat to be healthy, it is essential (carbs aren't), and
b) when fat is removed from foods, it's often replaced with sugar, to make it taste nice. Sugar makes you gain weight.

Atkins and other diets like it are high fat diets. This would just be awful on Xenical.

I can only tell you my experience: I eat cream, full fat yoghurt, butter, and fry my food. I cut out anything white: flour, milk, potatoes, sugar (and other carb sources). I have lost weight at a phenomenal rate and I feel normal. I mean emotionally, mentally normal. No huge mood swings, the depression is gone. I'm stable. And full of energy.

I would never expect someone to take the advice of a random stranger on the internet, so I suggest typing "low carb" into YouTube and watching some the videos there, by Tom Naughton, Andreas Eenfeldt and others.

Check out the Atkins website it more or less lists all the things you can eat and there's loads. Low carb is good and you can eat as much as you like within reason so there is no need to be hungry.

Sent from my iPad using MiniMins

This is really great for you all to share your experiences.

I'm currently doing Exante but am interested in low carb for when I need a break from VLCD.

My main problem is that I don't really like vegetable and salad. I know it sounds childish but seriously some make me feel sick. I do like some vegetables but I think they are higer in carbs, so carrot, sweed, parsnips, butternut squash, corn.

Am I guessing I would find it very difficult on a low carb diet?

In atkins you need to get 15 or so of your 20 carbs a day from veg. Two possibilities - take a look at dukan and see what veg included. Or give atkins a go and see if you can find some new veg that you now like. Many people say their tastes change - i've eaten more veg in the last year than the 10 before
Good luck

Originally Posted by Kat1e

In atkins you need to get 15 or so of your 20 carbs a day from veg. Two possibilities - take a look at dukan and see what veg included. Or give atkins a go and see if you can find some new veg that you now like. Many people say their tastes change - i've eaten more veg in the last year than the 10 before
Good luck

Thanks for your reply, I will have a look in to it xx