Talk to me about low-carb diets

LE3

I have heard so many people talk about low carb diets, often with good weightloss results but I am not sure what it really means ... What you can/can't eat etc as people say you can't eat fruit and must eat loads of fat ...
My current diet is VERY carb heavy BUT I am not prepared to not eat any fruit or to eat huge amounts of fat since my Dad has just had a TIA (mini stroke) which they believe was caused by high cholesterol & artery furring so I'm naturally wary!

I want to lose a little weight - and I eat so much carb that I wonder if I should try low caring for a while ... Or if I should try something else ...


Oh, and I tried to look at the low carb thread that's running but it is 700 pages long and I was completely lost/confused after a few pages - I need the basics explaining!

notanewuser

LE3 wrote: »

I have heard so many people talk about low carb diets, often with good weightloss results but I am not sure what it really means ... What you can/can't eat etc as people say you can't eat fruit and must eat loads of fat ...
My current diet is VERY carb heavy BUT I am not prepared to not eat any fruit or to eat huge amounts of fat since my Dad has just had a TIA (mini stroke) which they believe was caused by high cholesterol & artery furring so I'm naturally wary!

I want to lose a little weight - and I eat so much carb that I wonder if I should try low caring for a while ... Or if I should try something else ...

There's a massive thread about low carbing somewhere.

It makes a works of difference to me - my head feels "foggy" when I eat too much carb.

Principles are lots of non-starchy veg and salad with normal sized portions of high quality protein. In the initial 2 week phase you cannot have fruit, but after that some berries are okay occasionally (fruit sugar is the fastest absorbed in the body - it's really not that good for you).

Low fat products are banned due to the fat being replaced with sugar. It's not really high fat, but it is probably a little higher fat (which I think has been shown only to be an issue artery wise if combined with high sugar, which low carb obviously isn't!).

tattycath

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1567335
Is this the thread you were thinking of nanu?

Fire_Fox

LE3 wrote: »

I have heard so many people talk about low carb diets, often with good weightloss results but I am not sure what it really means ... What you can/can't eat etc as people say you can't eat fruit and must eat loads of fat ...
My current diet is VERY carb heavy BUT I am not prepared to not eat any fruit or to eat huge amounts of fat since my Dad has just had a TIA (mini stroke) which they believe was caused by high cholesterol & artery furring so I'm naturally wary!

I want to lose a little weight - and I eat so much carb that I wonder if I should try low caring for a while ... Or if I should try something else ...

Oh, and I've had a look at the low carb thread that's running but it seems full of chatter by people who understand it, I need the basics explaining!

The official definition of low carbohydrate encompasses a broad church of diets and lifestyles, including what I think of as 'true' low carb (restrictive, often into ketosis) and simply lowER or reduced carb which actually is not that far removed from an optimally healthy varied diet (note that official guidelines do not pretend to be optimally healthy they are minimums and maximums).

Does your current diet meet or exceed our official recommendations for healthy eating? Do you eat AT LEAST five servings of fruit and veg in the full rainbow of colours every single day, fish especially oily AT LEAST a couple of times a week, AT LEAST half your starches as wholegrains/ whole carbs, no more than 10% of daily calories as snacky/ junky/ processed rubbish? IIRC the average person in the UK eats three servings of fruit and veg a day and one third of a serving of oily fish a week which is massively lower than the research supports. I very rarely see a nutrition client that has the basics in place.

It's widely accepted that fat intake alone does not cause hypercholesterolaemia nor cardiovascular disease, in fact it's blood glucose (sugar, from any carbohydrate) spikes which causes or contributes to many issues by damaging the lining of blood vessels and messing with various hormones and signalling molecules which is largely why diabetics are at increased risk.

It's worth understanding there are different types of carbs and different types of fats and they absolutely do not all have the same effects on the body. Fats that can be harmful in excess include saturated animal fats and omega-6 polyunsaturates, by contrast omega-3 polyunsaturates (oily fish) are hugely beneficial. Carbs that are the most damaging are ones that spike the blood sugar and the ones we tend to eat in large portions - processed wheat, table sugar, white potatoes, rice and corn for example.

Healthy low carb is not simply cutting out grains, beans, lentils, limiting sugary fruits and root vegetables and dairy, that will leave you low on minerals and possibly fibre. You need to replace those food groups not with animal fats but with nuts and seeds which means you should be eating plenty of healthy unsaturated fats, and with a broad range of non starchy vegetables in the full rainbow of colours.

Plenty of low carbers still eat lower sugar fruits like berries, grapefruit, rhubarb all of which have other health benefits. Plenty don't eat big servings of meat or other proteins, just little and often through the day.

Fruit sugar (fructose) is NOT the fastest absorbed, check out the glycaemic index for proof - a research based system invented by the medical profession for diabetics. Not commercial GI diets, the GI as from the published literature. Some fruits are rich in a different sugar (glucose) which can spike the blood sugar but as long as you moderate servings and combine with fats and proteins they can be enjoyed.

I would strongly recommend you do plenty of research on your own, using highly reputable science based websites and books written by reputable authors, preferably those with medical or healthcare qualifications. I regularly see on forums people giving advice on or following diets that are simply not balanced, they don't contain all the nutrients the body needs. Anyone that tells you that all sugars or all starches are bad doesn't understand the science of nutrition, dietetics or the human metabolism. Since we are on MSE 'The Smarter Science of Slim' podcasts *free* on iTunes are worth a listen even if you don't intend to follow the programme.

If you wish to adjust your diet to be more heart healthy - something your family doctor will approve of - cut back on all processed foods, anything containing sugar or white/ refined carbs especially reducing wheat (almost all processed, who eats whole wheat berries?).

Eat way more low sugar fruits, non starchy vegetables, switch from grains to beans and lentils, more healthy fats like oily fish, avocado, olives, nuts, seeds and cocoa powder (not bottled oils but wholefoods). You will probably end up lowER carb, feeling fuller on fewer calories, eating more fibre, more vitamins and more minerals without eliminating any food group.

SHEILA54

As mentioned above there are a variety of different low carb diets - Atkins, Primal, Paleo, Dukan to name but a few. Please read through a few pages of the link to the low carb thread, especially the first page, and see for yourself.

I started eating this way 18 months ago and lost 6 stone, having never been able to shift my weight successfully before. I feel fitter and healthier and have plenty of vegetables, berries, fish, meat, cheese, eggs etc. I also eat nuts, seeds, avocado pear and rarely feel hungry. Refined carbs e.g white bread, sugar, pasta, rice etc. are the worst culprits. However it depends on whether you want to lose weight or are diabetic as to how many carbs you can have each day. A little brown rice etc is acceptable at higher carb levels.

I have found that I am wheat intolerant through trying this and, having cut it out, feel better and my GP believes that this has stopped me from losing weight before. I also had bad heartburn but have been able to cut my medication by 75% when I eat this way.

There are plenty of books available and there are links to some on the low carb thread.

daska

If you want to understand low carbing you could do a lot worse than to get a copy of The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living

My Dad started having TIA's about 15 years ago and has a long scar down his neck from surgery to clear out his artery and has been on aspirin/warfarin for so you may be interested in his experience.

Dad has been vegetarian for decades and eating what most people would consider a very 'healthy' diet - huge amounts of fruit, veg, salad etc. He was limiting cheese to once a week and avoiding fat, using benecol etc but his cholesterol/trigliceride figures were getting progressively worse year on year on this.

So last year, after his readings worsened again, his GP told him to cut down the cheese (!), up the benecol type things and start taking statins again. (Dad previously had rather unpleasant side effects with the statins so he nodded, took the prescription and promptly binned it.)

Shortly after we had a conversation in which I recommended that he watch Chris Gardner's AtoZ lecture. I didn't really expect him to watch it but he did and then, without mentioning it, he went out and bought a copy of Atkins and changed his diet overnight. He binned the benecol, started eating cheese and using butter again.

Dad's cholesterol/trigliceride results have improved dramatically, so much so that his GP pronounced himself amazed and insisted on repeating the tests in case there had been some mistake.

With regard to my own health, I'm still overweight but my blood sugar readings are now not far off 'normal' even when I eat carbs. The peripheral vascular disease is no longer a problem - my feet have reduced from an EEEEEE to an EE. The incontinence is improved... I could go on for a page with the differences.

So don't be scared of fat, as others have pointed out there is growing evidence that it's the carbs in our diets that do more damage as it's the carbs that drive our insulin response and fat storage/retention.

And come join us on the support thread, you're more than welcome.

heartbreak_star

I'm currently toying with Primal/Paleo, seeing what my body likes. It's encouraged me to eat a whole lot more vegetables

HBS x

Gloomendoom

I did the low carb diet from January to July last year and managed to lose a lot of weight. Two and a half stone, if I remember correctly. It definitely works though and you don't ever feel hungry.

However, I found it unsustainable. Socially, it was a killer as all meals have to strictly adhere to the low carb ethos. Any deviation or slip ups would stop the weight loss for a couple of weeks.

kafkathecat

I am a veggie who follows a low carb diet. I rarely have problems with eating out but I am also quite relaxed with it and have 'only' lost 9 kilos in 9 months. I eat berries and melon for fruit and occasionally small amounts of other fruit. Even as a strict veggie who avoids eggs I have found recipes for almost everything that I ever feel like eating, icecream, cakes, biscuits, pastry... by looking around online and cooking from scratch. I started this diet to lose weight but having reached my target I am continuing because of all the health benefits that I have experienced. One of the main ones is that I no longer suffer from low blood sugar.

shykins

the basics are dont eat rice, bread, pasta, flour or sugar. eat lots of salads and veggies (avoid carrot and parsnips as sweet). rhubarb and berries are ok

most important is to pick one of the lowcarb diets and read up on it, then stick to it

as for eating out i dont usually find that a problem. burger places i eat everything except the bun, carveries i dont eat the potatoes. steakhouses i ask them to replace the potatoe with salad or veg etc etc

hth

heartbreak_star

OP, why aren't you willing to eat fruit?

HBS x