Another attempt at reducing carbs

[jpscloud]

Hi everyone, I haven't had the audacity to post much on the LC forum ecause any attempts before have been laughable.

I do however firmly believe that low carb is the way to health for me, so I haven't stopped thinking about it and wanting to do it.

Yesterday I had a little breakthrough- I found myself without food on a day at work when I'd decided to do low carb. Options at work are always carby, yesterday was something in pastry served with two portions of carbs (peas and sweetcorn and tater tots) or burger and chips. I couldn't just have the burger because it was an undefined vegetable one, not meat. The salad bar is reserved for those who bought the main meal to have as a side, and even if I'd chosen to ignore that protocol there was no lettuce left, and precious else there anyway.

Now usually on an exceptionally stressful day like yesterday I would have given up and had a baguette or worse, but even though I was stressed and grumpy (BG still over 5 by the way) I ate a couple of emergency walnuts and gave everything else a miss.

That has never happened before, literally never, so I'm heartened that maybe I can eventually achieve low carb as my way of eating. I would never have believed I could fast over 24 hours, but I can, and do.

What i thought may be utterly out of reach was making better food choices consistently, but now, thanks to staying around here, reading Jason Fung and learning to fast, I have some hope.

I'm posting this really to reach out to anyone feeling as I did that low carb makes so much sense for diabetics, but despairing of ever being able to actually do it.

Will I stumble over future food choices? Yes, most certainly. But something about staying around here on the forums even in relapse has helped.

 

[bulkbiker]

Don't let perfect be the enemy of progress...?
You're still in there doing your best.. who can ask more of anyone.
The more you fast the stronger your "fasting muscle" will get.

 

[Member496333]

Perhaps paradoxically, if you struggle with low-carb, you may find no-carb to be much easier. Negotiating with food is no fun. It works for some and that’s great, but some folk do much better with complete abstinence.

 

[jpscloud]

I think that may be something to aim for, definitely - I can clearly feel the difference after just 3 days under 30g per day, I have not been hungry or craving after Wednesday.

 

[ianf0ster]

I think that may be something to aim for, definitely - I can clearly feel the difference after just 3 days under 30g per day, I have not been hungry or craving after Wednesday.

Hi jpscloud,
I find it strange that both Bulkbiker and Jim Lahey found it easier to go 'no carb' than Low Carb, but we are all different.
I found that going Low Carb but adding Fats to make up the Calorie deficit form Carbs (I didn't need to lose weight) was incredibly easy, apart from working out which were the medium carbohydrate foods (the high Carb ones were obvious).

But I feel I could never have done Low Carb low Fat, because I would have been too hungry all the time.
Even though not vegetarians, my wife and I were used to only eating meat/fish 2 or 3 times per week. Now after a few months we are eating much more meat/fish and now generally have it 4 or 5 times per week. So making the transition to 'no carb' would now be easier - assuming we wanted to do it.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi jpscloud,
I find it strange that both Bulkbiker and Jim Lahey found it easier to go 'no carb' than Low Carb, but we are all different.
I found that going Low Carb but adding Fats to make up the Calorie deficit form Carbs (I didn't need to lose weight) was incredibly easy, apart from working out which were the medium carbohydrate foods (the high Carb ones were obvious).

But I feel I could never have done Low Carb low Fat, because I would have been too hungry all the time.
Even though not vegetarians, my wife and I were used to only eating meat/fish 2 or 3 times per week. Now after a few months we are eating much more meat/fish and now generally have it 4 or 5 times per week. So making the transition to 'no carb' would now be easier - assuming we wanted to do it.

I found that reducing carbs to the barest of minimums (and almost always fewer than 20 g per day) made it easier as I didn't get any triggers from previous problematic foods as I simply wasn't eating them. Control had always previously been my problem so by eating zero foods that triggered binging I effectively stopped the binging altogether.

"Moderation" was always my problem. I find it very hard to overeat the fatty foods I now consume because of satiation.

 

[Member496333]

I find it strange that both Bulkbiker and Jim Lahey found it easier to go 'no carb' than Low Carb, but we are all different.

Each to their own of course, but for me, measuring potatoes, counting baked beans and weighing granola vs. eating everything I love to absolute satiety with no need to run my meal through a spreadsheet first? No contest. It doesn't take long to forget the carbs. They don't even look like food to me anymore. As far as I'm concerned I eat like a rockstar

 

[Resurgam]

There are burgers which are NOT meat?
Heavens.
I suspect that I'd have chosen to fast rather than try to find something edible there.
I find it easy to cook up a pack of chicken thighs or other meat, then make a huge bowl of salad stuff. I have a set of bowls with lids, so the meat goes in the smallest one, which sits in the bowl of salad stuff and the whole lot travels easily.
It makes me the envy of many.

 

[Mr_Pot]

As far as I'm concerned I eat like a rockstar

Elvis Presley?

 

[mark3888]

Hi everyone, I haven't had the audacity to post much on the LC forum ecause any attempts before have been laughable.

I do however firmly believe that low carb is the way to health for me, so I haven't stopped thinking about it and wanting to do it.

Yesterday I had a little breakthrough- I found myself without food on a day at work when I'd decided to do low carb. Options at work are always carby, yesterday was something in pastry served with two portions of carbs (peas and sweetcorn and tater tots) or burger and chips. I couldn't just have the burger because it was an undefined vegetable one, not meat. The salad bar is reserved for those who bought the main meal to have as a side, and even if I'd chosen to ignore that protocol there was no lettuce left, and precious else there anyway.

Now usually on an exceptionally stressful day like yesterday I would have given up and had a baguette or worse, but even though I was stressed and grumpy (BG still over 5 by the way) I ate a couple of emergency walnuts and gave everything else a miss.

That has never happened before, literally never, so I'm heartened that maybe I can eventually achieve low carb as my way of eating. I would never have believed I could fast over 24 hours, but I can, and do.

What i thought may be utterly out of reach was making better food choices consistently, but now, thanks to staying around here, reading Jason Fung and learning to fast, I have some hope.

I'm posting this really to reach out to anyone feeling as I did that low carb makes so much sense for diabetics, but despairing of ever being able to actually do it.

Will I stumble over future food choices? Yes, most certainly. But something about staying around here on the forums even in relapse has helped.

Hi everyone, I haven't had the audacity to post much on the LC forum ecause any attempts before have been laughable.

I do however firmly believe that low carb is the way to health for me, so I haven't stopped thinking about it and wanting to do it.

Yesterday I had a little breakthrough- I found myself without food on a day at work when I'd decided to do low carb. Options at work are always carby, yesterday was something in pastry served with two portions of carbs (peas and sweetcorn and tater tots) or burger and chips. I couldn't just have the burger because it was an undefined vegetable one, not meat. The salad bar is reserved for those who bought the main meal to have as a side, and even if I'd chosen to ignore that protocol there was no lettuce left, and precious else there anyway.

Now usually on an exceptionally stressful day like yesterday I would have given up and had a baguette or worse, but even though I was stressed and grumpy (BG still over 5 by the way) I ate a couple of emergency walnuts and gave everything else a miss.

That has never happened before, literally never, so I'm heartened that maybe I can eventually achieve low carb as my way of eating. I would never have believed I could fast over 24 hours, but I can, and do.

What i thought may be utterly out of reach was making better food choices consistently, but now, thanks to staying around here, reading Jason Fung and learning to fast, I have some hope.

I'm posting this really to reach out to anyone feeling as I did that low carb makes so much sense for diabetics, but despairing of ever being able to actually do it.

Will I stumble over future food choices? Yes, most certainly. But something about staying around here on the forums even in relapse has helped.

This is really exciting - as you say a breakthrough.
Have you come across Dr Mike Dow - The sugar brain fix ?
Science is finally supporting why moving to a life sustaining low carb foods is so hard.
Expect off days and going being curious

 

[mark3888]

Apologies for typos - expect ‘off days’ especially if you are tired or stressed; stay curious and you will get through it.

 

[Honeyend]

All right its not strictly low carb, but Greggs chicken strips anyone? I just had them for lunch. What is bread?