Under 20g of carbs a day????

[smithjohns]

Some people are claiming to achieve under 20g of carbs a day. Is this possible? I have just had an apple and a very small spoon of yoghurt for breakfast and it came to 19.6g!

 

[GrantGam]

Some people are claiming to achieve under 20g of carbs a day. Is this possible? I have just had an apple and a very small spoon of yoghurt for breakfast and it came to 19.6g!

It's entirely possible. But your food choices are extremely limited with such a low allowance.

I had three pork sausages for breakfast this morning, so that would be me at around 20g carbs too...

 

[bulkbiker]

Some people are claiming to achieve under 20g of carbs a day. Is this possible? I have just had an apple and a very small spoon of yoghurt for breakfast and it came to 19.6g!

Yes it is... no fruit.. green veg/salad and check labels on everything. Meat,fish,eggs all good. Cream instead of milk. Tea,coffee.water. Extra fat to feel fuller for longer.
Just needs a little effort for a short while then becomes second nature.

 

[bulkbiker]

It's entirely possible. But your food choices are extremely limited with such a low allowance.

I had three pork sausages for breakfast this morning, so that would be me at around 20g carbs too...

"Extremely limited" maybe not. Restricted to the nice stuff ..possibly. It's not that hard if you are a meat eater to do it.. just had eggs and cold cuts for breakfast (on hols so no lunch rather than usual no breakfast) even eating out is relatively simple. Hubby gets all my chips..I get his salad...

 

[wiseowl_123]

Good morning everyone is different 20g carbs a day would be no good to me,I am at the moment on 80g carbs as it is early days for me,I managed to come down from 114 to HbA1c 50 in 3 months so I shall wait and see what my 6 month assestment is,then I will give it a rethink

 

[Juicyj]

I am not sure if it could be achieved every single day of the week as this is a highly restrictive diet, but if you are looking at the low carb route then you'll have to cross fruit off your list. However eating eggs, protein, fat, some veges then it would be possible.

 

[GrantGam]

"Extremely limited" maybe not. Restricted to the nice stuff ..possibly. It's not that hard if you are a meat eater to do it.. just had eggs and cold cuts for breakfast (on hols so no lunch rather than usual no breakfast) even eating out is relatively simple. Hubby gets all my chips..I get his salad...

I understand what you're implying @bulkbiker. However, you're extremely limited as to what you can eat if you were to open the average cupboard in a UK household and pick something, or select foods from the shelves of a supermarket lets say.

Sure it's a LOT easier if you're cooking for yourself, but eating out with such a low carb limit can prove troublesome.

There's no denying that sticking to <20g is entirely possible, but in doing so, you write off many, many foods.

 

[Nicksu]

I probably average about 60-70 carbs per day - it always surprises me how much is in just a small wholemeal bun! Depending on the brand it can go from about 17 up to 30g - surprising really and just shows how much is hidden until you start looking for it.

 

[wiseowl_123]

Good morning since I discovered Llidl's low carb rolls at 10 carbs ,thanks to some friends on this forum my whole life as changed for the better and has replaced bread and tastes better

 

[Brunneria]

I think it takes some adjusting to. And you need to accept that processed foods and most sweet foods have no place in a 20g carb a day lifestyle, but that actually makes it astonishingly easy.

You can eat any meat or fish, eggs, dairy such as cheese, cream and butter, vast amounts of above-ground veg, and still fit in a treat a day, such as a slice of low carb cake (5g carbs a slice) or some 70% choc (anywhere from 2.5g to 5 g a square).

If you go wild and splurge up to 25g a day, you start getting REALLY fancy!

 

[Nicksu]

I'd agree - I've relaxed a bit since I was initially diagnosed 4+ months ago. At the time it was a no no on everything carb and sweet (I do indulge in the usual office birthday cake now but now I just have the one small piece - rather than the large piece (or 2 or 3!) that I would have had pre-diagnosis). Its a case of adjusting your mental attitude - we need to control the diabetes rather than the other way round! Rediscovering being able to have fat was a revelation for me - the low fat brigade should have been shot!

 

[JohnEGreen]

There is at least one person on here that eats no carbs at all and has done that for years. But when all said and done it is your choice how low you go I personal as a rule try to keep to less than 80g but some times go a little higher.

 

[daisyduck]

I frequently go under 20g carbs. I like to stay under 30g and find it easy

 

[MaxRebo001]

I find it fairly easy, got back low carbing after Xmas, and did it for 2 weeks, key thing is to make everything from scratch I have had anything not Cooked from fresh ingredients since the 27th December, the important thing is to vary what you east so you don't get bored, yeah I eat a lot of eggs, but some days it's scrambled or poached other days I make mini crustless quiches or a frittata, add in your choice of meat and some vegetables and your sorted.

Lunch is the hardest for me as I never know exactly where i'll be, office days are easily catered for but site days can be challenging, it really helps if you can plan your meals in advance it makes it a lot easier to not stray and I only buy enough food to make my chosen foods for the week.

 

[heli2010]

yesterday I had 2egg mayo on protein roll roasted peanuts for snack then chicken with cheese and peperoni topping total carbs 13.69
day before 1 egg mayo + 2 sausage + half protein roll then cheese and ham salad with chorizo baby tomatoes and the other half of the protein roll total carbs 18.8
for snacks I have peanuts or home made dark chocolate fat bombs or peanut butter cookies, strawberries and double cream is also a favourite
tonight I will have cottage pie with cauliflour and cheese topping
I didnt aim to get under 20 in carbs it just got that way once I stopped buying the usual mass processed stuff I even had shop security watching me the other day as I was reading every label and putting things back he was good hummoured though as I explained why

 

[Chook]

I also find it relatively easy to stay under 20g of carbs each day although I don't worry if I go a few over every now and then. I agree with what other posters have said above, that it's easier if you cook everything from scratch and it takes a month or two for it go become a habit.

I find it easier to use a recipe book that gives the carbs per portion or use MyFitnessPal to calculate the carbs of a new dish. I keep a food log of what I eat and how it affects my BG (and write it next to the recipe in the cook book).

It's not a problem keeping to under 20g because being that low stops me being hungry whereas at 50g-60g a day I start thinking about food all the time.

 

[ellagy]

I have just eaten two beautiful low carb rolls thickly spread with butter... (w/o butter they work out at 22cals and 2 carbs each)
For lunch I will have two ounces of edam cheese no carbs and 204 calories.
For dinner I will have beef stew and sprouts (no carbs in the stew and very few in the sprouts total of 6.91 and 291calories) followed by low sugar jelly and cream
It is perfectly possible to eat fewer than 20g carbs in a day, in fact the total for today will be 10g carbs and 1005 calories. I keep a record of what I eat and if I have pumpkin soup for instance I have even less... 4 carbs per day if I don't have rolls with it or 8 if I do! It is relatively easy to do as well! I truly enjoy my food and it has not been any hardship to do this way of eating!

 

[ellagy]

I also have three or four cups of coffee each with 4 teaspoons of cream in them, they are gorgeous and help stave of ANY hunger pangs, this from a person who never touched coffee before this program! I included the calories in the 1005

 

[novorapidboi26]

20g a day even for a type 2 diabetic on diet and exercise in my opinion is a big reduction in quality of life....

 

[MaxRebo001]

20g a day even for a type 2 diabetic on diet and exercise in my opinion is a big reduction in quality of life....

Tbh the only thing i miss is bread, though i have yet to try low carb bread, i did try a flax seed loaf once and i'm in no hurry to repeat that it was possibly the most disgusting thing i have ever eaten!