My Low Carb Journey

[Dawnejoy]

Hello, I'm following the Harcombe Diet, with a few tweeks as for me there are only so many eggs you can eat in one week and not want to throw-up So I've discovered the Atkins MiM and it has been a life saver for me as I have one every morning with butter and cheese. I also use Lactofree milk as I drink loads of tea and probably have more of that than I should too I have been following this plan since 20 Feb and so far lost 14lbs, which is a bit slower than I'd like tbh, but its in the right direction I just wanted to talk to other ppl who are following low-carb plans that are not necessarily Atkins based as my plan is to eat nothing processed in anyway, so everything is natural, and hopefully my body will recover from the abuse I have subjected it to over the years with all the highly processed, high carb, but lovely tasting food that I have thrown down my throat with hardly any of it touching my taste buds as I used to eat like something possessed and the worst part is that a lot of it was done in secret as I knew deep down I shouldn't be eating it, but if no-one saw me eat it then it didn't happen..............how dellusional am I?I do feel that low-carb is a plan for life and probably the only one that really suits me.

 

[Phoenyx]

Hello! How is the harcombe diet different to Atkins? I started off doing my own low carb thing but then discovered it was more or less the same as phase 2 of Atkins (which surprised me because I thought Atkins was more restrictive than that!

Good luck on your journey!

 

[Dawnejoy]

With the Harcombe you can eat carbs, but you have to be very careful that you don't eat any fat with them at all. I usually don't have many carb meals as I do think that they slow my weight loss, but on occasion I do find having Nairns oatcakes (coz they are natural) with some LF cottage cheese good for lunch at work and if you have a carb meal you can also have fruit. The basic rule is that anything that comes from anything with a face ie cow, chicken, sheep, fish cannot be eaten with any carbs and the idea is to eat only natural foods ie you can eat fish, but not fish-fingers as they are processed. Hope that makes sense. Sweetners are also banned as the thinking behind that is that sweetners have the same effect on the body as sugar and don't help with cravings. Trouble with me is that I do have a very sweet tooth and often still want something sweet to finish off a meal and despite folllwing this plan for bout 8 weeks now still want something sweet. Hence resorting to looking at other low carb diets and trying different things to see if I can work something into my diet that will not stall my losses. So far I have discovered a MIM and very grateful for it too I must say.................it has been a life saver for breakfast and I have at least one a day. Just hoping that there are no restrictions on the number of MiMs in a day you could or should have I think for me the journey is about working out what suits my own body and have already sussed that wheat and fruit are a no go area for me as they do stall my losses..............I am only averaging about 1-1.5lbs per week but at least its going in the right direction

 

[Phoenyx]

Sounds interesting! I sort of fell into atkins OWL but am loving it. Know what you mean about wanting something sweet - I have a cup of black tea with a sweetener in, they're okay in small quantities in Atkins. Well good luck with Harcombe and keep us posted

 

[Dawnejoy]

I must admit to enjoying this way of eating and truthfully believe that I have found a way of eating that really suits me and one that I am sure that I can continue on easily. The food is really tasty and I am hoping that as time goes on my sweet tooth will decrease. I am sure i read somewhere that your taste buds change every 30 days, but I think I will need a few more days than that before I totally lose mine Tonight I made some ice-cream as I have an ice-cream maker, the type where you put the bowl in the freezer for a few hours and then churn - I just used some pureed berries, I used raspberries and blackberries and double cream and that was it and very nice it was too - can have berries on the HD, tho I don't have them often as I do feel that fruit of any sort stalls my losses but its nice now and again

 

[Dawnejoy]

Well, I've gained this week, only 1lb but a gain nontheless I've stayed on plan the only thing I've eaten that I know is a problem for me is the berries I really should learn and not eat them but every so often I think I'll try them as if by some magic they will suddenly be alright for me............I'm an idiot Anyway, I'm not going to let it get me down, as I have noticed that on this plan I will have a small gain, a STS then lose a couple of lbs, so as long as the trend is down I will stay on plan Its just a little slower than I would like............but then if I stayed away from the foods that don't suit then maybe I would do better............like I said I'm an idiot!!!!! Just that my sweet tooth gets the better of me now and again The other thing is that I've had MiMs every day and sometimes when it has just been me in for tea, I've had eggs and bacon and another toasted MIM................just wondering if I am eating too many of them.........if you can eat too many of them...............they are advised against on the Harcombe Plan, but until this week I hadn't noticed them being a problem for me............maybe I should have porridge a couple of times a week too, just in case!!!!

 

[Phoenyx]

It's never simple, is it?! I ate a whole bag of pistachios last night which I imagine has derailed my loss for this week.

 

[Dawnejoy]

It's never simple, is it?! I ate a whole bag of pistachios last night which I imagine has derailed my loss for this week.

The worst part is that on some level, deep down, we know what we are doing and what the reslt is going to be and do it anyway

 

[Dohnuts]

I have also started my own low-carb diet in the past few days - on day 6 now! I've always been a lover of carbs and a hater of exercise and being so petite it's left me with a few extra inches of blubber that I don't need and want to get rid of. I'm hoping I can lose the extra pounds by avoiding carbs, too much sugar and processed foods and doing an hour of exercise 3-4 times a week. I've never eaten very unhealthily but my diet could definitely have been better over the years! Then hopefully in a couple of months time I can introduce carbs back into my diet slowly and eventually eat the amount that my new body actually needs. Thats' the plan! I hope it will turn out that way xD

 

[Dawnejoy]

Hi Dohnuts, sounds like a good plan and on phase 3 of THD, the plan I am following Zoe states that you can reintroduce all foods, but you just have to be careful as eating too many of them will end up with gaining weight again. As with all things you just have to find what sits right with your body. I know that carbs bloat me and make me feel very lethargic so cutting them out has made me feel better in myself. I do struggle with what to eat for breakfast tho.........what are you eating? I am aiming to really cut carbs out, the majority anyway, for life. This is achievable, I just want to get over the feeling of "missing out" with regards to something "nice". I do think this can change eventually, its just getting to that place :giggle:

 

[tranquility]

I'm not familiar with Harcombe but over the years I've sort of taken a bit of low-carb knowledge from Atkins, Protein Power and Schwarzbein and come up with my own low-carb calorie counted regime. Atkins was too much fat for me, Protein Power was good as it gives you comparision lists of what natural carbs you can get say for the value of a bag of Skittles but I suffered a lot with acid indigestion on it. Schwarzbein was my salvation really, not sure if the book is still available in the UK, the plan is based on natural unprocessed foods; removing additives and preservatives from your diet and eating the right amount of carbs for your activity level at each meal. For me that is currently 15g with main meals and two 7.5g snacks and proteins with carbs at all times.

Schwarzbein also contains the statement that "the only thing you need to count is carbs" as fats and proteins are essential nutrients that our body needs. This has kind of become my mantra although I do like to count calories to ensure I am not dropping below my BMR requirements.

It's just a case of playing around with low-carb until you find what works for you and what doesn't, the body tolerates some stuff better than others.

 

[Dohnuts]

Hi Dohnuts, sounds like a good plan and on phase 3 of THD, the plan I am following Zoe states that you can reintroduce all foods, but you just have to be careful as eating too many of them will end up with gaining weight again. As with all things you just have to find what sits right with your body. I know that carbs bloat me and make me feel very lethargic so cutting them out has made me feel better in myself. I do struggle with what to eat for breakfast tho.........what are you eating? I am aiming to really cut carbs out, the majority anyway, for life. This is achievable, I just want to get over the feeling of "missing out" with regards to something "nice". I do think this can change eventually, its just getting to that place :giggle:

Hi For breakfast I eat scrambled eggs everyday with a couple of mushrooms. Breakfast is quite a tricky one but you can have sausage and bacon or perhaps a balkan-style breakfast with some greek yoghurt, cheese, cucumber, ham - checking the carb content in everything of course as some are higher than others! I'm doing a kind of keto diet so the fat content isn't such a big issue - I don't know if that's the same for you.
Carbs also made me feel bloated and hungry all the time - even after eating a whole baguette! xD So glad I'm not doing that anymore! Eating more protein definitely makes me feel fuller for longer and I don't feel like a slob!
With regards to missing out, that feeling comes from years of bad habits and eventually you won't feel like that anymore. When you're eating all those 'nice' high calorie foods you are missing out on a slimmer, more healthier you! I know what I'd prefer to miss out on! xx

 

[Phoenyx]

Before work I have Greek yoghurt (the total 0% and full fat have a similar amount of carbs) and / or hard boiled eggs, nuts, smoked salmon wrapped around Philly cream cheese, home made scotch eggs (boiled egg, wrap turkey or pork mince around, bake or fry), or a protein shake. I'm usually rushed! Hope that gives you some ideas and good luck!

 

[Dawnejoy]

The Harcombe diet advocates nothing processed so automatically cuts out anything that contains preservatives or additives and I am enjoying the foods with cream, full-fat philly etc, but I def struggle with breakfast and would prefer a high fat alternative hence the MIM with butter and cheese, which is a def life saver for me as just cannot stomach eggs any which way more than a couple of days a week. I also get up at 5.45 and leave for work at 6.45 and really can't be bothered to cook ...........I know that sounds lazy I want to be in keto more than not, but think that tbh I don't manage it fully as I do eat carrots, swede etc rather than just the green veggies that are lower in carbs...............I know this plan works and can work for me with a few tweeks when I find out what suits my body properly without giving into the cravings of something sweet and then I sabotage it with fruit Just call me an idiot :giggle: I am really looking forward to not being bothered with all the sweet stuff that lines the aisles in tesco lol. I am focused about staying on plan tho.......coz even fruit is allowed on my plan, just doesn't seem to suit my body................as I don't want to feel bloated and sluggish and I like the way I feel at the moment

 

[Phoenyx]

Yeah, I struggle in the mornings getting kids ready for school and me for work. I need something I can grab - nuts were my mainstay but since I had a pig out on them yesterday, I'm not buying them for a while! I can see why you're stuck! Are sausages banned (they're good cold)?

 

[tranquility]

I quite enjoy fish for brekkie. Can be zapped in the microwave and served with some herb butter on top. Or choose an oily fish like salmon. Luckily I love eggs.

 

[Dawnejoy]

I've made home made ones by mixing pork mince with onions and herbs then making them into sausage shapes, wrapping them in tinfoil and boiling for a couple of mins, take out of water and allow to cool and then fry as normal, but even them I could only eat on a couple of mornings...............I am a cereal girl at heart :giggle:

 

[Phoenyx]

I'm just not a fan of breakfast full stop, but fortunately my guru, dr John briffa, stated on a podcast that he only has breakfast twice a week - after all, if I'm following a sort-of-primal diet, what sort of hunter gatherer had three meals every day?!

Mind you, that raises a whole host of other questions...

 

[Dawnejoy]

I quite enjoy fish for brekkie. Can be zapped in the microwave and served with some herb butter on top. Or choose an oily fish like salmon. Luckily I love eggs.

I keep meaning to buy some smoked mackeral, coz I do love that, so would be a good choice for breakfast, but again I would get fed up of that after a couple of mornings................don't really know what my problem is coz I could have eaten weetabix everyday forever...............just call me strange :giggle:

 

[Dawnejoy]

I'm just not a fan of breakfast full stop, but fortunately my guru, dr John briffa, stated on a podcast that he only has breakfast twice a week - after all, if I'm following a sort-of-primal diet, what sort of hunter gatherer had three meals every day?!

Mind you, that raises a whole host of other questions...

I always eat breakfast and being diabetic I don't think I could afford not to eat it...............just need to find something that suits............thought I had found if with a MIM, just concerned that I might be eating too many. So if anyone can tell me that a MIM everyday for breakfast is fine then thats the road I will continue on I think. Some people I've read eat left-overs from the night before for breakfast, but don't think I could face that either first thing in the morning!!