Hi everyone,
I'd like to share my experience of low carb dieting because I'm having great difficulty coming off a self-prescribed low carb diet that I started doing intensively around six months ago.

I am a healthy weight (BMI 23.5 I think) but over the summer i set myself on an intensive mission to become supermodel-skinny. It worked, no doubt, but as soon as I started eating again the weight piled back to my normal weight which is around 9.5 stones. I'm happy with my weight now, but I am having great difficulty reintroducing carbs into my diet. I currently only eat around 30grams of carbohydrate a day, and I don't eat meat (out of ethical choice, not to lose weight).

I'm really just wondering if anyone else has had an experience similar to this with any sort of diet, particularly a low carb plan? (Just to make myself feel less alone in it!) I'd also love to hear from anyone who reintroduced carbohydrate to their diet and DIDN'T immediately blow up.

Thank you! and isn't this health club nice

I tried the South Beach Diet - which cuts out losts of the yummier carbohydrates - and lost almost a stone in a month - but the only way to maintain the weight loss is not to return to eating the carbs. Unfortunately I could not resist the call of cakes and soon put the weight back on

I tried a low carb diet but started to feel weak - eventually I packed it in and celebrated by eating two thirds of a delicious Marks and Spencer coffee cake - after looking at the packaging I realised I'd ingested over a 1000 calories in one sitting!

I think the best thing is to eat good carbs like brown bread, Special K and stuff like that and limit the bad ones like crisps and cakes.

The best to lose weight is to maintain a healthy diet with regular excersise.

I lost over 3 stone and have kept the weight off for 14 months without changing my diet. I consume about 230-280g carbs a day !

Your diet sould be a balance of carbs,protein,fat etc......

Cutting carbs will keep the weight of short-term but it is not healthy.

I would not reccommend followingg diets such as Aitkins/Southbeach as these are companies who are giving you short-term results.

A balanced diet is the key !!!

No carb diets allow you to lose weight quickly but you also lose your sense of self (not to be dramatic or anything!) I have done them myself in the past and I end up feeling dreadful plus completely obsessed with where I can go and what I can do because of the choice of food.
I recommend that you have carbs for breakfast and lunch (the healthy kind like wholemeal bread and pasta, fruit, etc) and then protein and vegetables for tea. This is how I have lost two stone (still have half a stone left and lacking motivation now, hence joining this website). Good luck!

I'd love to know how you did this - any hints/tips as I'm looking to lose at least 3 stone in the next year or so - and want to do it sensibly rather than using one of the latest fad diets that won't serve me well in the long run!

Thanks!

I think it may all be in one's own pesonal fuel mix (broadly 4 types) as explained by metabolic typing. This is the proportion of carbs, fats and proteins on your plate. Mine is about 60-70% protein and fat and 30-40% carbs because I burn carbs to quickly. Whenever I follow this I feel fantastic mentally and physically and the weight falls off naturally without it being a major issue. I never got a cold even. My husband has a different mix - his is quite the opposite of mine with 2/3rds carbs as he burns carbs slowly so they sustain him. A bit like Jack sprat and his wife. I guess I didn't stick to it originally because I just wasn't organised enough in the kitchen and travelling also. This year I am adamant.

Special K is NOT a good carb!!! Not far off pure sugar - a total marketing ploy! Eating 2 bowls of that a day to fit into your jeans is a recipe for disaster - I can't believe they are allowed to advertise like that...

Finding out what works for you, AKA metabolic typing, is the way forward - there are people who do thrive on a low carb diet, needing the protein and good fat to feel energised (Atkins is super low carb - eg 5% carbs, but 20-40% is still regarded as low and this would mean loads of veg and about 3 pieces of fruit and at the upper end some wholemeal starchy carbs too...).

There is a self-test online: http://www.naturalhealthyellowpages.com/metabolic/ self_test.html where you can get a better picture of where you sit - or you can look up a Metabolic Typing advisor - the guy who did mine was great, see: http://www.teambreakthrough.co.uk/ for info.

My one problem with it is that the recommended foods are too limited and I quickly get bored and re-introduce stuff I'm not meant to eat - nothing to do with carb levels but more to do with acid / alkaline balance and stuff like that, that seems a bit spurious. I just use it for the macronutrient ratios now, and eat whatever I like within that... The extreme levels of accuracy with the diet and other lifestyle factors (eliminating toxins etc) are recommended for people with chronic illnesses / ailments, serious degenerative and other diseases - if you are just looking to improve your diet and find out what works best for you it is less important.

I'd agree that very low carb diets can mess with your mind. I had the experience of being in Italy all summer, NOT eating gelato, pastries, latte, chocolate, pizza or pasta - all the things you're supposed to eat in Italy. And it was painful. I was a wreck by the end of it and wouldnt do it again!

Sorry but I disagree about avoiding South Beach. South Beach pushes carbs but not bad ones. Rough, whole grain breads, pastas and rice, tons of vegetables, yams and not white potatoes, etc, fruits too.

South Beach is mainly a diabetic diet and uses low GI foods. Diabetics get healthy eating this way and exercising.

Whilst I wouldn't want to go to extremes in terms of low carbs, I probably eat too high a proportion in my diet. My problem is that I really don't feel like I've had a meal unless it has some pasta/potatoes/rice etc. in it. I just feel hungry afterwards without.

Any thoughts on how I could cut back (jus a bit)?

i would suggest eating wholegrain pasta and wild rice rather than white pasta and white rice. Basically, I think that always checking the ingredients and carb content (comparing white and wholegrain products, for example) is worth a go.

I echo what Christa says. Stick to the non-white varieties of everything and watch your portion size unless you exercise a lot. 1/2 cup is usually the limit. As well, since it's the starchiness that you like, experiment with different pulses instead - I throw half a cup of different types of beans (kidney, pinto, black beans....) into my salads and have these or lentils as a side instead of the potato or rice. As well, I do have potato but yams (sweet potatoes) instead of white. I finally got used to brown rice and thought I never would - but it helps that now the shops carry some different varieties/mixes and they can be very tasty.

Two years ago I lost 30 lbs with the help of the Sureslim diet, which was tailored for me. Carbs were very limited, relying heavily on vegetables and a couple of pieces of fruit each day. I thought I would die without bread! I was amazed to find that water really could curb my appetite. Far from feeling deprived I felt energised and rarely hungry.

So with such success why am I back dieting? Champagne and Chocs taste great, but look dreadful perched upon my hips. So I'm follwoing the same principles of Sureslim, I WILL return to the gym and hope to lose the few pounds which have crept on as well as a few more besides.

I used to think I couldn't do low-carb because if I had a meal without carbs I just didn't feel full. This was until I realised that if I eat enough protein and enough fat (watch out, here come the health police) then I do feel full and don't need the carbs.

This was over a year ago. I didn't go carb-free or Atkins or anything like that, just started concentrating on filling up with meat, changing my eating habits so that when I was hungry and needing a snack I would think before I chose what to eat, preferring nuts to fruit, that sort of thing. And I lost 6 kgs (about a stone) in about six months.

So why am I here, you're rightly asking... well, obviously I haven't been so good at sticking with this. Lack of willpower? Low self-discipline? or maybe just a weakness for cakes?

This is an interesting thread. I started a low carb diet just over a week ago. Let me begin first by saying I don't eat a lot of carbs in my diet anyway (no lectures please, I just don't like potatoes, bread etc).

I am eating a lot of sausages, steaks, eggs and, I have to say, I have never felt healthier. I had planned to only follow this diet for a week or so but I may carry on a bit longer. I feel more energised, less tired and I am exercising better. But - and here is the crunch - I have lost a pitful amount of weight and on an estimated calorie intake of under 1500, I think, but only since I joined the Times diet have I been measuring it so possibly it was higher than that.

In answer to Sue, I think it's important to know why weight loss slows down. It could be that your portions are too big. It could be that your exercise level or type of exercise is wrong. It could be that you are close to your goal weight and therefore your body is balancing out input/output. As well, I think that as you get on with weight loss, you do tend to relax a bit and allow yourself more leeway, which could sabotage you. But let's face it - who wants to feel 'deprived' 24/7 forever.

Sometimes you have to change up your diet a bit. Remember to drink all that water (gulp). Sometimes you have to just stop weighing and use the tape measure and go by how great you feel.

I'm in the same boat. I'm on good carbs, rather than low (although good carbs are lower) and I also feel more energized most of the time. However, I'm not losing fast at all. You have my sympathy.

Anyone else have tips?

It is interesting what you say, Janice, about being close to the goal weight. It may well be that. It is demoralising to be doing all the right things and still not be able to shift that last 10 pounds or so. My dieting aims aren't ambitious, just to stop gaining weight although to lose a bit would be great. Since I started this diet I haven't gained so I am happy with that.

I know I don't drink enough water so I will have to change that.

This is a great forum, BTW, lots of good advice and support.

Hi Christa, back to your original post, you may have developed an intolerance to wheat and therefore feel bloated when you eat pasta/bread etc. i know that if i eat too much of those kind sof food i feel sick/bloated/uncomfortable. hust listen to your body, you know what food makes you feel good.
btw how did you become supermodel skinny, tips please!

I'm one of those people who wakes up shattered no matter how much sleep I get. A few years ago, i did Atkins (more or less - life is too short to count anything you put in your mouth in my book hence needing to lose over 6st initially) probably eating around 25grams of carbs each day. I never felt weak, got bad breath etc, and about 2 weeks in I realised I was jumping out of bed bright eyed and bushy tailed - never even did that as a kid!
The lure of the choccies and a bacon sarnie (did for me too when I tried to be a vegitarian) and my husbands home made bread did me in (plus not really liking meat that much)! So I went back to my old eating pattern over night. It took me 2 weeks to 'recover' bloating, flatulance, bad skin - my skin is my pride and joy because even fat or feeling ugly, my skin is pretty flawless - blurred vision, feeling like a really bad hang over for 3 - 4 hours every day and needing a rocket to get me out of bed. After 2 or so weeks I got over my reaction to carbs and learned (or remembered) how to function feeling groggy every morning.

Im doing th IPD - Nerys and India's Idiot Proof Diet - again sort of - im my opinion, its Atkins in stretch denim instead of the heavy gaberdine.

Last year after doing really well for a few months on the IPD, holidays came and i relaxed - once home I went back to it and lost 16lbs in 11 days. I got worried because that was way too fast but then by doing the fab food diary in Fitday.com discovered that I was eating about 600 calories a day - and no I wasn't trying to restrict my self i was eating white meat/fish and salad. Alack it didn't last. So here I am once again.

Forgive the ramble but it keeps me out of the fridge!

After all that, I am just writing to say like every one says its about knowing your body. If like me anyone out there is a serial dieter, you will know how your body reacts to certain things.

Christa what's your problem? I truly don't mean to be rude but whats your problem?

You are maintaining a weight with which you are happy and probably eating more whole foods which is excellent and an example to us all, why do you have a problem?

Don't you think that says something? that essentially you are happy so that can't be right? Is that a women thing or a diet mind set thing?

Brenda
I agree with what you say abut IPD diet I tried it last year for a month stopped and the weight went back on . This jan I am following it properly and upping exercise so far having lost 9lbs! I feel great and don't miss bread pasta etc.

Have you looked on the section for pig2twig to add your comments.

Pippa

I successfully did the Atkins diet and lost 9lbs, however I could never reintroduce carbs as the weight just went back immediately. I did enjoy all the old recipes though that started 'take 4ozs of butter' they were yummy. Became quite depressed on Atkins and this is one of the usual side effects.
As the other people have suggested - just be sensible and enjoy a wide variety of colourful foods.