I have been trying to eat VERY LOW carb for 4 days so far and find it to be so restrictive. I really want to give it my best shot though, because I know my normal eating is MAINLY carbs and this is why I have had trouble losing weight. So have any of you had success just cutting back your carbs eating more veggies, protien, etc. in general? I was doing fabulous but had a Slim Fast shake (in a can) which I love for breakfast this morning and those are 40 carbs! Is my diet ruined?? Plus I need to get to the grocery store because there is literally nothing in my house I can eat!!

Advise please......

Thanks so much!!
Melissa

You're craving sugar because you (like me and most others here) are a sugar addict. Stay away from the stuff for a few months and see how much better you feel! You're in the hard phase of breaking an addiction. The first week is tough. Just white-knuckle it for another week, and you'll be past the worst of it. L-glutamine and chromium help some people through their cravings.

A moderate carb diet can work if it's also low fat, but it can only work in the short term. One has been invented: The Zone. However, he allows no sugar or grains either. That's the bottom line. No sugar, no grains, no fruit juice. There is no other way to permanent weight control unless you want to commit to eating 1000 calories per day forever, and that'll happen only at the cost of your health.

slim fast is a can of sugar and a few vitamins. Take a vitamin pill and wash it down with a McDonald's shake and you still have the same effect.

I want to encourage you to stick with it. You can do it. You deserve health and treating yourself well (staying addicted to sugar is not treating ourselves well! honest!) Hang in there for just one full week and see how much better you feel.

HI Melissa


It's common to feel a bit at sea with your eating plan at the start - it's a big change!

I suggest that get organised, do some shopping and try to plan out what you are going to eat for the week.

If you think you can't cut out your carbs, why not start off by cutting out all refined carbs....white bread, pasta, potatoes, fries, processed foods etc etc.

and replace them with good carbs like wholegrain bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice.
along with lots of salad and vegtables, lots of water and some fruit.

Maybe this would be a good way to wean yourself into the programme?

These are low glycaemic index foods - ie they don't give you the big insulin rush.

Anyway, I know how you feel, it takes time to get into a low carb programme. You need to get a bit organised and plan ahead.

But it's really worth it!!!! more energy, weight loss, less cravings!


Clodagh

Hi Melissa,

I'd suggest reading the "which low carb diet is right for me?" section - the link is over to the right. There are many different plans and some have more carb allowances than others. You might consider The Zone, Protein Power or CAD.

I wince at the thought of slim-fast, though. Not only is it loaded with sugar, but it's a rip-off: you could buy Nestle Quik and a bottle of vitamins for half the price.

I actually "eased" myself into low-carbing. I started eating less and less of the carby stuff, then I started hanging out on this board. I've picked up some fantastic recipes, so now I'm at the point where I don't miss the stuff I gave up. For other people, it works better if they go cold turkey. It is a lifestyle change, after all.

In general, yes, reducing refined carbs would do everyone some good.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

*edit: sorry, didn't mean to sound like a broken record: we all posted at the same time.

I agree with razzle...if you can hang in there, the payoff is so wonderful. You will find your energy is higher than ever. My body tried to trick me back in March for about three weeks and I could hardly bear it. I know how you feel. Bargaining can be our worst enemy because one little variation leads to the next and before you know it...your eating popcorn (or some such thing) at the movies. Therefore, its best to choose a plan and stick with it for awhile before any tweaking. But don't worry, you have not totally ruined anything. Just move forward with you day as if you have been on the program all along. Forgive and forget. Good luck with tomorrow.

Betsy

SlimFast cookie dough bars are better

Hmm since you don't have much too lose, I'd say any plan might work for you. And yea, I actually had success doing general lowcarb before. (like 2yrs ago when I had a thyroid, and never heard of atkins lol) I just did it basic. I cut out all the white crap like Bread, past and cereal and lost around 10lbs just doing that. I use to just eat the SlimFast bars for breakfast. I miss those! lol I Still eat them sometimes tho And if your diet was all "mainly carbs' meaning like bread and pasta all day long, ANY change will help you! lol seriously though. A 60carb diet is better than a 200 carb diet.

You're diets not totally ruined though, just drink lots of extra water to help flush the crap out of you and try and go as low as you can for the rest of today and tommorrow so you don't retain water.

And just wondering, Were you eating alot of fat too or just carbs? Cause if you tried the typical lowfat/high carbs diet, then maybe you could try like 2 weeks of atkins and then switch to one of the other plans. That would probably work too if its that hard for ya. Atkins isn't gonna work too much for you if you feel totally "restricted" You might end up blowing it by overduing it on carbs afterwards. A

Then it would be fattening

Melissa,

I follow a plan called God's Diet. It's written by Dorothy Gault McNemee, M.D. I eat up to 100 grams of carbs some days. I've been OP since 8Jun02 and I've lost 15 pounds. I don't eat any sugar or flour. The basic idea of the plan is if you can pick it, pluck it, pull it from the Earth, scale it, or kill it then you can eat it. Other days I have as few as 10 grams of carbs. It just depends on what I have that day. So I think it is possible to eat a moderate amount of carbs as long as you stay away from the processed stuff. The plan doesn't require that you count or keep track of any carbs. I do b/c I'm anal. Check the book out from your local library. That's where I found it.

Sugar is Do your best to avoid it!

edited to say: The yuckie feeling will go away and you will feel like a new person, just stick with it. You will be so happy that you did.

Just a suggestion -- maybe you could try to substitute a low carb shake for the Slim Fast. If you really like the Slim Fast either for the taste or convenience, have you tried any protein shakes? There are lots of shakes, either powdered that you mix with water, or pre-made in cans or bottles, that are low carb.

I lost my weight following The Zone and didn't find it very restrictive. You can learn more about it at www.zoneperfect.com and www.drsears.com. You start out with more carbs than the other plans, but when you go into maintenance you add fat, not carbs. A lot of people have had good luck with it so that might be an option for you.

Jen

Um low carb shakes are a bad idea. They stall alot of people and cause massive cravings.

I agree with the protein shakes though. I drink about 2-3 a day myself. You can get some good ones from GNC, they don't taste as good as slimfast though.. lol but its low cal/low fat and only 5grams of carbs.

I agree with much of the advice above - especially about choosing the KIND of carbs you eat. Avoid starches (potatoes, rice) and flour (all baked goods & breads) and sugars (limit fruit). You are so lucky that you have so little to lose. But that means you are going to have to be patient as it will only go away SLOWLY. Low carb is not a quick fix - it's a change in eating forever.

Protein Power plan's higher level would be good; also Schwarzbein Principal or Neanderthin. You could also do Atkins Induction for 2 weeks to get your system converted fully to fat burning (but you'd probably only lose 2 or 3 pounds = 20% of your total goal) then go right to either the highest level of On-going weight loss or even Maintenance. Without the starches and sugars but WITH the good fats, you'd gradually keep on losing. The best part is that you'd be trading fat for muscle and get smaller in inches while only a few pounds came off.

Hope this helps.

Thanks so much! You guys have been very helpful. I just bought the Protein Power book and will be using this to guide me. I have already been eating mostly carb free for a week now and feel pretty good. I like Protein Power as you can still eat some carbs and I mainly need fruit or the occasional slice of high fiber bread. I printed out a bunch of recipes and went to the store so I am all organized now and ready to go!

Thanks for all your help and support,
Melissa

I think perhaps you meant 'low carb bars' - low carb shakes are generally protein shakes, and they do not have the same effect as 'low carb' bars as they do not possess the sugar alcohols/glycerine that the bars do.

Low carb protein shakes are a good way to supplement a low carb WOE and they make a good alternative to breakfast if you're not up to eating first thing in the morning.

Nat

O yea, thats what I was thinking of. I forgot about that cause I just drink the protein shakes now lol Sorryy