********Carb Diet*********

[ImThatGirl]

Well, well.... I've been eating anything I want now for about a year and a half. Lol . I'm up about 15 pounds from the weight I'd like to be at. It's not that I mind my current weight so much but I'm scared I will gain another 10 this winter (as I did last winter!)

 

A co-worker/best friend and I have started the carb diet. We both lost alot of weight on it about 4 years ago. But we also used diet pills to increase our energy at the same time. No diet pills this time.

 

Gonna track my progress a bit here...

 

Today is Day # 2. Feeling a little tired and getting a little headachey. I think we're going to go weigh in (at my place) during our lunch. I'm hoping to lose 10 pounds by Xmas but will be happy if I just don't gain anymore!

[Slacker]

Ketogenic diets can be tricky, you've probably heard it 1000x before but i'll shoot you some advice just in case-

 

Breakfast, never skip it and keep it as high of a protein content as possible.

Sleep, a full 8hrs and maybe an afternoon nap.

Space your meals out as evenly through the day as possible. eat 5-7 times a day (in smaller portions) to keep the metabolism elevated.

 

besides that, be selective about the fat you take in and drink plenty o water.

 

Good luck! (and sorry if i just told you a bunch of junk you allready know)

[sparkle1]

I'm confused!

 

I thought carb diet would make most people especially women gain weight?

 

I put on huge amounts of weight if i ate carbs!! they hate me and i love them!

[ImThatGirl]

Thank you for the suggestions Slacker! Good points that I didn't already think of.

 

Sparkle - - - Are you kidding me?

[sparkle1]

No i'm not kidding!!

 

Can we clairfy what we both mean by carbs?

 

I am thinking - bread, pasta, potatoes....????

[ImThatGirl]

I wasn't sure if you were or not!

 

We call it the "Carb Diet" but technically it is a "NO Carb Diet." So, Yes, you are right - I'd gain tons of weight if all I ate were carbs. But on this diet, carbs are limited to few or none at all.

 

Your question sounds like what we sometimes say: Friend "Want to do the carb diet?" Me "Sure, if it means we can have all the carbs we want this time." (Something I'd answer if I wasn't up for starting the diet.)

[sparkle1]

PHEW!! i was never going to talk to you ever again if it meant you could eat all the carbs and lose weight!! lol.

 

Glad we've solved that one!!

 

I've had gastric banding done - so i have to stay well away from Carbs and i sympathise with you loads!!

 

But once you're body has gotten used to not having them, its cool!

 

Good luck!

 

Sparkle xx

[ImThatGirl]

Hehe ! Everybody would have wanted to talk to me to find out the secret if I could eat all the carbs in the world and lose weight.

 

So - it's actually part of your regular nutrition plan then. Thanks for the sympathy.

 

Carbs actually don't even sound good right now. I feel capable of doing this for the first time in several months!

 

Thanks!

[CarnelianButterfly]

No carb diets give you results that don't last.

I hated it because I was always tired and the one thing I love (fruit) was off limits. I'm happier eating a balanced diet where I keep track of calories and avoid fried foods, cream, butter and the like.

Low carb diets are very harsh on the body, its restricting your body from having a readily usage energy source. Another thing with carb diets that people don't mention is your blood work can go to crap since you're body is using only fat as its energy, so your blood born fat can go up. You can have increased heart rate, bad breath and a myriad of signs of poor health. Oh you lose weight and even though you don't feel like you're starving, you are.

[ImThatGirl]

Thank You CB for your input!

 

I don't plan to be on it forever. So does that make a difference?

[sparkle1]

Thank You CB for your input!

 

I don't plan to be on it forever. So does that make a difference?

 

Cause it does - you're doing for a quick fix. You're clearly aware that you've put on weight and aren't happy so you are using this to get rid quick. you clearly also know what a healthy diet is...so go for it!!

[RayKay]

Just my personal opinion of course, but I think one is much better off making a transition to a healthier diet that includes complex carbs (whole grains) and limits refined carbs (ie white breads). Not only is this one that you can then keep long term (as in for life), you also don't go through "withdrawal" really.

 

It is also a heck of a lot healthier. Your body needs carbohydrates. Not only are they what help fuel your muscles, it is also what feeds your brain. When you cut them out, well this is why you start running low on energy and even your mental alertness changes. If you are physically active (which everyone should be!) they are even more important as they are what creates your energy reserve and brings the energy your muscles need to work!

 

The key is to limit the refined carbohydrates from simple sugars and refined white flours into those that encompass whole grains, veggies, and so forth. A healthy diet should not leave you feeling tired and headachey......

 

 

 

It is also something that you can do for life, and will have you avoiding that yo-yoing or boredom, or physical side effects of drastic carb reduction.

[amtjrtcet]

Hey girl.....I suggest Weight Watchers. I've known so many people that its worked for. And, once you've reached your goal of weight loss, you don't have to count points forever-just continue to eat like you did when you were counting points. It becomes a way of life. And its healthy b/c you're still getting the proper nutrients. You aren't depriving your body of certain food groups.

[rocio]

Just my personal opinion of course, but I think one is much better off making a transition to a healthier diet that includes complex carbs (whole grains) and limits refined carbs (ie white breads).

 

Definitly. I find this to be an easy, yummy, and healthy way to staying thin. These days you can get whole grain take-out pizza, breakfast cereal, pasta, all that great stuff you would normally cut out when dieting.

[Slacker]

Be extra careful when you do come off of this diet- your insulin tolerance will be low, so try to taper back into a normal-carb diet and stay away from carb+fat foods/meals. -this will help prevent the "rebound" a lot of dieters experience allthough you will put some weight back on in the form of water.

[renaissancewoman101]

So, in a no-carb diet, what can you eat and what CAN'T you eat?

 

I am curious.

[CarnelianButterfly]

Thank You CB for your input!

 

I don't plan to be on it forever. So does that make a difference?

 

I would say limit your simple sugars, like refined white flour, canned fruits or sweet or processed foods. Complex sugars, wheat flour, fresh fruit with the skins, starchy vegs are digested slower releasing the glucose into your blood over a longer period of time. When you digest any sugar your pancreas will release insulin so the body can use the sugar, but if you eat processed carbs (which are digested quickly) the pancreas spikes the insulin production to protect the body from the glucose spike. The insulin immediately starts storing the sugar, getting it out of the blood stream causing low blood sugar, which makes you hungry.

 

Low carb diets limit the glucose production or they try to say the create a level blood sugar during the day. The only problem is that its a lower level than most people need to function at their best. If any thing I think the best way to go would be LOWER carb, but not as low as the levels in the diet plans.

 

Read package labels, there are hidden sugar in a lot of things. Sucrose, glucose, fructose, and all are your main sugars. A small list of added sweeteners:

Corn syrup: its dextrose, sugar.

High fructose corn syrup: its often used in soda, very bad, its only partly fructose (fruit sugar), its very similar to refined sugar.

Sucralose: similar to sugar, but sweeter, so less is needed.

Saccharin: sugar free

Aspartame: amino acid based, non-sugar

Acesulfame K: non-sugar

[ImThatGirl]

Thank you, thank you!

 

So, I felt terrible yesterday after no carbs!

 

This morning, I had a cinnamon (sp) roll. I barely made it through the day without carbs. Whew! No wonder I hadn't tried the diet for a few years.

 

I will try to just watch what I eat.

 

Ren - Check link removed

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[CarnelianButterfly]

Please don't do Atkins. Its horrible for the body because it doesn't encourage lean meat. South Beach is better. The diet has lean meat, low fat cheese products (in small amounts since lactose is a sugar) and loads of vegetables. I liked broccoli its great for filling you up and is one of the best nutrient packed foods you can get. Carrots are a close second, but their starch level is too high for the lower carb diets.

 

One of the things that I found for a sweet fix was making cakes with almond meal. Diabetic recipes are great!

[Aurian]

I was reading up on the South Beach Diet (good carbs, good fats) and it makes a lot of sense to me. I try to eat healthy, but a lot of what I do eat is carbs (pasta, bread, crackers, rice), so perhaps this is why I can't seem to lose weight. When I try diet, I end up eating more carbs - esp. grainy crackers or pasta to replace more fatty and high-cal things - and end up feeling deprived and frustrated because the scale doesn't move.

 

Day one. I still have a lot of food in the house from a recent food-shopping trip (I buy a week or two worth in one go to minimalize shopping trips and impulse buys), so I decided to go with the Phase 2 things until I've used up my current food. I did throw out my bread, crackers, high-glyclemic (sp?) cheese, and other carbs hanging around. I bought a few things to supplement what I already have in the house - more vegs, celery sticks to snack on, some peanut butter, and low-glyclemic cheeses. I also bought some sparkling flavoured fizzy water to replace my usual Pepsi. I also bought some more plain nuts (from bulk bins). I already occasionally snack on nuts - sometimes I want something small to eat and all I need is 5-6 nuts to satisfy that nibble-attack.

 

I feel a bit weird... first day in a long time without my Pepsi rush but on the other hand, I don't seem to be having my usual nibble-problem (I get hungry often and either graze a lot and feel sick or I feel hungry and irritiable). Hmm... off to a good start then!

[CarnelianButterfly]

I noticed you mentioned peanut butter, that is one thing you need to read the label on. Most processed peanut butter has added hydrogenated oils and sugar, two things that are bad for you. The sugar for obvious reason and the the hydrogenated oils because it increases the saturated fat content. The fat chains are modified in such a way that when bonding with your body the reactionary end of the chain (which would normally be good for taking in fat soluble vitamins and such) has been so distorted that it can not do its job. Your body still takes in the fat, but it doesn't do what it should and only makes you fatter. If you got organic or natural peanut butter it won't have any hydrogenated oils. The ingredients should be Peanuts and salt, after that its all trash.

 

Nuts are a great addition to any diet for the amount of protein, good fat, and fiber you get from them. They are calorically expensive but taste and benefits make them worth it. Walnuts and almonds are the best health benefiting nuts.

 

I avoid hydrogenated oils at all cost. Its cheap for manufacturers, but very hard on your body. In particular, partially hydrogenated soy bean oil. Soy is great until its hydrogenated then its a nasty substance that has been linked to thyroid depression, where you feel less active and have less energy. Hydrogenated oils are in so many products it can be hard to find stuff, but the things I'm limited to are really the best foods anyway, fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, whole grains. Now that there are more organic food sellers its easier to get a lot of great food with out all the add junk processed food usually has. Some places are actually less costly than the regular super market.

[Aurian]

Is it possible to have lost 5 pounds already? image removed I cut Pepsi from my diet for a week, and then cut bread and carbs for 3 days. For months I have weighed the same. Now all the sudden I am 5 pounds lighter? Both this morning and this evening (checked again just now in case it was some weird fluctuation). Now I live alone, so nobody messed with the scale as some practical joke either.

 

At any rate, I do feel a bit better. I didn't have this energy crash after work today - lately I've been crashing when I get home and fall asleep. I also seem to be less hungry and am satisfied with less food, less often.

[CarnelianButterfly]

When you make major diet changes the body often will have drop in water weight, its not fat and will only happen for a few days. Once you get used to the new diet the "weight loss" will even out. More than 3 lbs a week is really not safe and you should be careful that you don't get discouraged when you don't get the same results. Also, some people can diet like crazy and not go below a certain weight, even gastric bypass patients will level off at some point.

[Aurian]

Really? Even if I am still drinking plenty of water and such? That's a new one to me.

[Aurian]

Still seem to be doing well. Its been 2 weeks and I have lost 10 pounds.

 

I decided that the full South Beach diet was a bit too restrictive so I cut only the following:

 

- Pepsi

- Bread

- Pasta

- Crackers/cookies

 

I still have dairy and fruit and eat all the lean meat and vegs I want. And the weight is just falling off. I am not hungry all the time either because my blood sugar is more stable. I also feel more satisfied and stop eating sooner as well. I think the biggie as far as calories go was the Pepsi - I loved that stuff and drank a lot. Suddenly I have about 500 calories less per day.

 

I have tried to cut it before, but I got a lot of headaches and cravings the other times, so I think cutting down on the carbs and drinking sugarless flavored water makes the difference.