Low carb or 8 week blood sugar diet? Weight loss help

[Ruthiecbrown]

Some advice would be appreciated very very much.
I am 45 and prediabetic.
I have had gestational diabetes twice ( managed with metformin and low carb)
Both parents type 2 diabetic.
I am 5ft 6 and weigh a shocking 14st.
I know I need to lose weight, about 4 stone and I know that will help my blood sugars a lot.
I have tried low carb and the 8 week blood sugar diet sooo many times but don’t seem to even manage a day without crashing into a pile of toast or cake or some other carb.
My low carb diet managed my last gestational diabetes perfectly and I was so disciplined because I was doing it for baby but no matter how hard I try I keep failing at the first hurdle.
I wonder what I am doing wrong or am I just very weak willed?
A typical low carb day attempt would be Greek yogurt with a few berries and 3 pecan nuts.
Lunch chicken salad with lettuce cucumber tomatoes.
Salmon with roasted med veg.
But that’s if I last that far as normally I am so ravenous by 4.30 that I eat rubbish on my way home from work.
Is it too little fat?? I am so worried about upping fat and still failing so then I will be eating high fat high carb.
Please please help. What can I do to get healthier?

 

[Member496333]

Is it too little fat??

Almost certainly.

EDIT: Oops! Welcome to the club!

 

[HSSS]

Welcome. I agree not enough fat. I’d be starving and eating anything in reach if that’s what I ate. You still need fuel. For the start I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted so long as it wasn’t carbs. Cream and bacon featured heavily . I worked my way up to 85% dark choc so I had treats to look forward to. This helped me not cave to cravings, I wasn’t hungry and mentally the food felt naughty which I needed still to avoid feeling deprived. Then I found I was eating less often and less food once the carb cravings had passed somewhat. Skipping meals just happened (intermittently fasting by accident).

The weight loss might take a little while to start because obviously if you’re eating all the fat you need and maybe more whilst making the transition it won’t come off your body so much but your metabolism will be healing, your blood sugars and insulin levels will be falling which is the end goal and weight loss a happy by product. You might be changing shape even if not losing lbs. once you’re a bit more used to it then only eat enough fat to avoid hunger or lethargy from lack of food and let your body fat stores make up the difference. How long it takes is variable. Some people do it in days others take weeks but it’ll work if you trust it. Remember to keep fluid levels up and have plenty of magnesium potassium and sodium otherwise you’ll feel awful. It’s a common error eating low carb.

The amount of fat varies now depending on what I’m doing. But it’s my fuel so that makes sense.

 

[StevenRD]

Some advice would be appreciated very very much.
I am 45 and prediabetic.
I have had gestational diabetes twice ( managed with metformin and low carb)
Both parents type 2 diabetic.
I am 5ft 6 and weigh a shocking 14st.
I know I need to lose weight, about 4 stone and I know that will help my blood sugars a lot.
I have tried low carb and the 8 week blood sugar diet sooo many times but don’t seem to even manage a day without crashing into a pile of toast or cake or some other carb.
My low carb diet managed my last gestational diabetes perfectly and I was so disciplined because I was doing it for baby but no matter how hard I try I keep failing at the first hurdle.
I wonder what I am doing wrong or am I just very weak willed?
A typical low carb day attempt would be Greek yogurt with a few berries and 3 pecan nuts.
Lunch chicken salad with lettuce cucumber tomatoes.
Salmon with roasted med veg.
But that’s if I last that far as normally I am so ravenous by 4.30 that I eat rubbish on my way home from work.
Is it too little fat?? I am so worried about upping fat and still failing so then I will be eating high fat high carb.
Please please help. What can I do to get healthier?

 

[StevenRD]

Hi. I have been the same as you. I am now following a plan called bright line eating. It consists of 4 bright lines no sugar no flour. Weigh and measure food. Three meals a day. Works for me. Brought my A1c to a low normal around 38-40. Book is by Susan Pierce Thompson. Worth a look. I also lost 5 stone.

 

[Red9]

6 weeks on low carb diet and 19 pounds lost, feeling better. I think you need to be honest and say that you need more discipline. You must have that inner motivation to really WANT to lose out and understand the benefits of why and the consequences of you don’t.

I follow Dr Michael Mosley’s Books as they are credible and have helped him (ex T2) and many other people get BS down and stay down. I’m by passing 8 weeks heading for 12 to lose all fat.

Excercise is so important and not ***** footing around with a little walk, I gym 4 times a week and row non stop for 30 mins, 10 mins bike and 20 mins weights.

There are so many fad diets out there and people over complicate things. Cut down (not out) on carbs to <25g per day every day (but clearly no starchy baddies) eat meal before 7.30pm, fast in the morning till at least 10am, and have a long delay between meals. At the end of the day it’s up to you! Good luck.

Oh I never count calories or fat, but eat healthy - chicken, salmon, tuna, eggs and veg. That’s it.

 

[mouseee]

I have cut right down but not cut out carbs. I have about 50g carbs a day. When I started I was probably 100g per day and then dropped it over the next week or two. I think that has helped with cravings. I've only had one major one in 3 months. That was my nemesis crisps.
I think if I went for almost 0 carbs I couldn't sustain it.

 

[Brunneria]

If the hunger and carb cravings are your downfall, at the same time every day (4.30pm), then eat more lunch (add cheese and/or mayo to that chicken salad), and have some nuts at 4pm before the cravings start. Also make sure that the food you are eating is delicious, satisfying, and at least as nice as the carby stuff you are leaving behind.

Different people have different ways that work for them in their approach vectors to low carbing.
My husband is an ALL OR NOTHING totalitarian . He gave up chocolate on the 1st Jan 2010 and hasn't eaten even a fragment since. Impressive, but soooooo not how I function. It was major stress and craving for him, but he pushed through in a kind of martyred sanctimonious wave of righteousness. (and threw a cup at the wall on one occasion).

Me? I ease down, halving my carb intake each day for a few days. I never say never, and accept that one day I will, but just not now. Works for me, and it gives me the flexibility to roll with various different situations and never give in to Catastrophic Thinking (which is basically thinking 'oh no! I ate that Smartie, now I have wrecked the whole day, so I might as well eat that litre tub of icecream with sprinkles, and I am a total failure!)

Of course, I tease my husband about his fixed thinking, and he teases me about my wishy washy libertarian anything goes mindset. It is fun, but neither of us are wrong, we are just doing what works for each of us.

One thing that I find very useful - and I wish that someone had told me this when I started low carbing - is that eating enough fat kills cravings, you CAN have hot chocolate (just make it with sweetener, pure cocoa and double cream), and that there are interesting substitutes around for nearly everything, from bread to pizza to pasta, to puds and chocolate bars. Obviously, highly processed junk food is junk food whether it is low or high carb, but as a brief transition to get you over the cold turkey and the cravings, then I think whatever works for you is whatever works for you.

Please don't fall into the trap of thinking you are a weak willed failure because other people find it easier than you do.
That is nonsense.
Nobody knows how your carb craving/hunger feels, and if you need different coping mechanisms than they do, then so be it.

Hope that helps.