My first post, and the start of my low carb adventure!

[Pastaholic]

Hi everyone,

Not figured out how to add an avatar yet, but I will! I started my diet two days ago, so this is the morning of day three. As per my username, I'm a total carb freak and REALLY overdo it when it comes to pasta! I've been doing a professional training course for the past 2.5 years and with the stress of it my weight has slowly crept up and up. I've tried low carb diets a couple of times in the past and my weight has always shifted really quickly on them. I usually end up cheating once or twice while stressed, and then end up throwing the towel in! I thought that writing on here might help keep me on track.

I've lost five pounds so far, but I'm sure that's mostly all water weight. When I have lost 20 pounds, I want to treat myself to the full works at the hairdressers! Yes, I'm female

My diet isn't based on one of the major books - I've had a go at Dukan in the past and found it way too restrictive food-wise. I've basically just cut out all wheat-based starches and sugar and am mainly eating eggs, chicken, beef, ham, etc with vegetables. I'm snacking on cheese and pepperomi! My normal diet is usually just the opposite, where meat is an afterthought and the main portion would be pasta / potatoes / white rice, etc with some sort of sauce that's high in sugar.

Exercise currently consists of walking the dog for about 10-15mins per day, and I'm going to TRY and get on my cardio machine for 20mins / day. That's going to be hard to keep up though I bet!

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and share my journey with you all

 

[Rhyannasmum]

Hi pastaholic,

Im quite new around here too. I lost most of my weight with Lighterlife and have now decided to do a form of Atkins / low carb to keep the weight off. I did a lot of reading and research around nutrition while I was doing LL and came to the conclusion that this was the best way of eating for me. My diet was previously also heavily biased towards carbs and it made me fat and unhealthy. Now I eat high fat, medium protein and low carb. I avoid processed food and keep right away from sugar.

Exercise wise I'm just coming towards the end of the couch to 5k programme. I've surprised myself by enjoying it so I'm going to progress towards running 10k. I'm also toying with the idea of joining a gym and building a bit of muscle. I suspect I've lost muscle while on Lighterlife.

I think you have to get to 20 posts before you can add an avatar.

 

[Pastaholic]

Wow, you've done brilliantly to lose so much! I've not heard of lighterlife. Is it one of those plans where you only eat their pre-prepared foods? I used to love to run and want to get back into it soon. I used to run around a local park until I was propositioned and harrassed by a teenage male. It totally freaked me out and I haven't run since!

It's 5pm on day three and I'm starting to feel a bit run down. I woke up feeling great, had loads of energy, etc. I walked the dog and did 20mins of cardio; however, as the day's gone on I've felt more and more run down. Maybe cause I'm entering ketosis? I was only at work for part of today so it was easy to stay on the diet. Not sure how I'll fare tomorrow when I'm at work all day and under some stress.

So far I've eaten:

-two eggs with ham and cheese mixed in
-pepperami stick
-four slices of bacon with lettuce and cheddar cheese

For tea I'm having a chicken salad with lots of veggies and a very low carb dressing.

Reading that, perhaps I'm not eating enough? I don't really feel hungry at all....eating loads of protein always has that effect on me.

 

[Rhyannasmum]

Take care of yourself while you're in the first week. Just be kind to yourself and get through it. Getting into ketosis is notorious for making people feel rough.

Lighterlife is a meal replacement diet. Its low carb, low cal and low fat. Very effective for fast weight loss for people that have got a lot to lose. It's also a ketogenic diet. I didn't feel good on it for about the first 6 weeks, but since then I've felt amazing. I started eating conventional food again 5 or 6 weeks ago and that's when I put into action my low carb plans. I've continued to lose about 1lb a week since changing over from LL to LCHF.

Protein is brilliant for keeping you satiated. Just remember to eat enough salad and veg to keep your digestive system ticking over and make sure you include plenty of fat in your diet. I use MFP to track what I'm eating. I aim for 10% carbs, 30% protein and 60% fat.

This section of minimins is rather quiet. The Atkins board is busier. I'm not 100% Atkins, but no one seems to mind.

 

[Mis-behave]

Hi don't forget your snacks.. Nuts and seeds, etc not sure if your allowing yourself low GI stuff? Nakd bars are nice but are made with dried fruit and nuts no added sugar etc. also some of the Atkins bars are nice.

 

[Pastaholic]

Hi don't forget your snacks.. Nuts and seeds, etc not sure if your allowing yourself low GI stuff? Nakd bars are nice but are made with dried fruit and nuts no added sugar etc. also some of the Atkins bars are nice.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I'm feeling much better after having tea. I do plan on eventually adding in low GI foods, but for now I'm trying to really restrict all carbs. It's just easier for me this way so I don't over-indulge!

I just made another big chicken salad for my lunch tomorrow, so hopefully I won't get as run-down.

Looking forward to weighing myself in the morning - will try not to be too disappointed if I haven't lost anything.

 

[moonlights]

Atkins bars are made of evil and naked bars are only really suitable for moderate carb eating, not low carb. Try and snack on protein if you can - cheese and pepperoni is a much better idea. Sounds like you're doing well so far!

Ketosis can make you feel bad, but only for a few days before the energy whooshes back. You're just making the switch from burning carbs to burning fat.

 

[jess33]

I think those pepparami sticks are full of crap! I did a form of Atkins last year and suffered from bad breathe but that's partly to do with all the meat and how it digests. I also used to eat the mathersons sausages which are also full of rubbish too. This time around I'm trying low carb but like Dukan a healthier version; fish, green veggies, some eggs and chicken.

Good luck!!

 

[Pastaholic]

Woke up this morning and another .5 pound off! I do feel quite fatigued today, but I guess that's fairly normal while my body adjusts to no sugar. It's a great feeling knowing that I'm burning my own reserves now, rather than relying on sugar for energy.

Good thing my job is mostly sitting!

 

[Phoenyx]

If you want to eat "clean" and low carb, I follow a primal diet and am loving it.

Happy to answer questions or have a look at marksdailyapple.com

It's the only diet I've found that will become a way of life for me, but I know different diets click with different people so it's worth checking out lots of them!

 

[Pastaholic]

I'm quickly feeling like I need to eat a bit 'cleaner', if by that you mean less saturated fat! Snacking on full fat cheeses, pepparami sticks, etc just feels dangerous.

I've started writing more about my day-to-day progress in the diary section

 

[Phoenyx]

It feels wrong because it's been drummed in to us from an early age that fat is wrong. But there is no evidence linking saturated fat to cardiovascular disease. I eat a diet of 60% fat and am thriving on it. More energy, no spots, good weight loss, less mood swings etc.

I don't eat trans fats (fats altered by humans), and I try to eat grass fed meat rather than grain fed meat (e.g beef) because there's a better ratio of fats in them. There's also less hormones and antibiotics pumped into them.

I try not to eat processed meat e.g peperamis but am a sucker for bacon!

I guess for me eat natural means stuff that would have been in our diet thousands of years ago and hasn't been messed with too much, although I'm obviously not perfect! I have cream in my coffee - I doubt out ancestors had either! And I'm partial to a bit of dark choc and red wine