I need a low carb diet but not keto

You really only have a choice of carbs or fats for energy. What fats have you tried?

Hi @sarahb84 ..
I suggest that you read up on the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

My LCHF lifestyle is based upon 16:8 IF (intermittent fasting) which means that I only eat between 11.00am and 7.00pm and I follow three simple "rules" ..
# Only eat real food
# Only eat when hungry
# Stop eating when full

Hope this helps

Hi @sarahb84 it could be portion size - particularly if following the diet doctor recipes: I find the portions very large.

sarahb84 said:

I've been trying the keto diet for some weeks now and it's not for me. I've gained a stone in weight!!

The low carb is fantastic for my blood sugars but I don't think the high fat is agreeing with me.

Any suggestions of what I can do low carb to lose this weight?

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Hi @sarahb84

I'm Type 1 too I find it's much easier to eat a moderate amount of carbs. That way you don't have to eat too much fat, which can affect blood sugars in Type 1s, and you don't have to deal with physiological insulin resistance or have to calculate boluses for the delayed rise from protein.

So, take a look at your old diet and try pitching your carbs somewhere between that and your keto diet - that is, a moderate amount of carbs that works for you

Here's a thread from a Type 1 so you can get an idea of the amount of carbs that works for various people:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/thr...gars-advice-please.123659/page-4#post-1538321

Low carb is anything up to 130g per day.

Hi @sarahb84 I think the most important thing to remember if trying to lose weight is to exercise more - take up running, cycling, keep fit, swimming, do whatever takes your fancy, but it's alot easier to lose weight if exercising, however just be more careful in keeping an eye on your blood glucose levels and insulin as it affects each of us differently

A ketogenic diet is where the body burns fat to produce ketones instead of using glucose. If you are gaining weigh then you are not doing it properly. The body will convert proteins to sugar if there is excess protein, so that may be the problem. Fat is more calorie dense, so you don't need to each much of it to fuel the body.

Try intermittent fasting which will put your body into fat burning mode and help you lose weight.

If you have body fat and eat lots of dietary fat your body will n very use it's own fat stores. So if you want to lose fat and eat low ( lowish) carbs you don't need to eat lots of fat. As @Art Of Flowers said your probably not doing it right. Pick your carb level, find your correct protein level and fill the restaurant in with fats only until satisfied.
Portion sizes matter and for me calories as well. I don't count them but I know how much is too much.
Different kinds of fat matter. Animal fats like fatty beef, dairy, etc stall my weight loss. But avocados, mayo, olives, olive oil does not.

I think you just need some tweaking.

Can you share an average daily meal plan that you eat? Maybe we can help

sarahb84 said:

This just seems so much more complicated than I thought. How do I find the right amount for fats and proteins? I've done the macro calculator and just use that
20g carbs
80g protein
140g fat

How will I know which fats are best for me? I don't have a lifetime to check everything out one by one

Exercise wise, I'm going back to the gym next month.

If I had more carbs what would I put other stuff at? Im so confused with it all

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In my opinion those macro calculators are way off.

A real keto diet is about 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat. So you could take your desired calories ( many of us are around 1200, and do the calculations.
That would be about 15 carbs and 45g protein (about 6 oz) then fill the rest in with fat. ( calculated 106g). I just eat fat until satisfied. I never gob it nor do I eat bacon, chicken skin, cream, lots of cheese or handfuls of nuts.

I eat a little less than 1200 as I do eat those amounts of carbs and proteins but not that much fat ( I don't think)
I eat a whole avocado a day divided into my three meals. I put olive oil or mayo on salads or egg/ chicken/turkey salad. I eat a piece of cheese and about an ounce of nuts or pumpkin seeds throughout the day. I do eat chicken thighs without the skin and lean lamb or beef but I cut all visible fat. I don't use lots of butter rather olive oil. For ME plant fats are better than animal fat.
As said, if you want to lose body fat you don't need to eat a lot of fat. Just enough so your not hungry.

It is confusing at first but once you find your way it gets easier. I tend to stick with the same basic meals as I know they work for my bs as well as my weight.

This is just an example of my meals today
Bf thin slice of deli turkey on a large lettuce wrap with 1/3 avocado slices
Lunch is 2 oz protein ( today tuna with mayo) on a lettuce wrap and 1/3 avocado slices, a little chopped tomato and basil
Dinner. Probably 2 oz cold lamb chop, salad and cauliflower rice
Snacks 1 oz cheese, vodka
A few pumpkin seeds or macadamia nuts. Or olives.

I'm not saying you need to do this, it's just what I do and keeps bs happy as well as my weight.

I don't make a big deal about food. I just eat what works. Luckily I love my food. As I said I stick to the same type meals and size of the meal and it takes all the thinking and anxiety out of food. I have loads of precooked protein prepackaged in my 2 oz portions, lots of frozen veggies to grab a handful and steam. Salad greens and avocado. Then I just assemble.

It took weighing and measuring for awhile but now it's all autopilot

I agree with @Kristin251 Ditch the macro calculator and do what suits you without worrying too much about numbers.

It's a lot easier! We have enough to,think about as it is, so no need to overcomplicate things.

Art Of Flowers said:

A ketogenic diet is where the body burns fat to produce ketones instead of using glucose. If you are gaining weigh then you are not doing it properly. The body will convert proteins to sugar if there is excess protein, so that may be the problem. Fat is more calorie dense, so you don't need to each much of it to fuel the body.

Try intermittent fasting which will put your body into fat burning mode and help you lose weight.

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Im not sre its correct or helpful to say that if lchf isnt working then someone is doing it wrong ( reminds me way too much of drs saying that anyone who doent lose weight on their diet plan is either "lying" or "forgetting" what they have eaten
Even on the diet doctor site, if you look through members questions, there are multiple questions from people saying it isnt working for them in amogst people saying how transformative it has been for them. For the short period I paid to be a member, the questions from those finding they were putting weight on / not losing weight were rarely answered and when they were it was a rather bland answer saying effectively that there is considerable variation in how well it works

Art Of Flowers said:

A ketogenic diet is where the body burns fat to produce ketones instead of using glucose. If you are gaining weigh then you are not doing it properly. The body will convert proteins to sugar if there is excess protein, so that may be the problem. Fat is more calorie dense, so you don't need to each much of it to fuel the body.

Try intermittent fasting which will put your body into fat burning mode and help you lose weight.

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No single way of eating works for everyone. That is common sense.
And I agree with @badcat that it is unhelpful accusing someone of 'not doing it properly' when we have not been given any information to support that statement.

@sarahb84
I agree with the posters above who say that you need to find the macro balance that works for you.
If you are finding the high fat part challenging, then ditch it. it isn't obligatory, and it leaves more butter for me
Just make sure you are getting enough protein and vegetables, and then you can tweak the carb and fat quantities until you find what suits you.

Since you are on insulin, blood glucose control is always going to outweigh other priorities, which is perfectly understandable and necessary.

You could try Bernstein's diet, which is more rich in protein? He focuses on low carb plus good amount of protein. He doesn't mention fat percentages, but advocates eating whatever fat comes along with the protein.

sarahb84 said:

I've been trying the keto diet for some weeks now and it's not for me. I've gained a stone in weight!!

The low carb is fantastic for my blood sugars but I don't think the high fat is agreeing with me.

Any suggestions of what I can do low carb to lose this weight?

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Remember that your situation as a T1 will vary from any other types of diabetes, this is critical.

Higher amounts of fat causes nothing but upset to my BG levels. Not to mention that too much fat - will make you fat! The same way that too much protein will make you fat and too many carbohydrates will make you fat. It's all down to macronutrient balance, calories and how much your burning vs what you're taking in.

I've tried almost all diets to manage my T1 effectively. The hardest one was LCHF; and I was eating nowhere near the amounts of fat you'll read about on the forum.

Now, what I do support is intermittent fasting with an LC diet. But only for weight loss. If you'd like to lose that stone, then I'd drop my carb intake to somewhere in the region of 120g per day but only eat between 1200-1800. For me, that means lunch and dinner - but both with a good amount of carbs (how you divide them is up to you). So your low carbing, but it doesn't feel like it. I ignore protein entirely and make sure I'm not going overboard on the fat. The weight always comes off.

What I've said above is what works for me, you may get away with more carbs or require less - but I personally found 120g to give me a steady weight loss.

As for a long term diet, moderate carbs wins for me all day long. 150-200g low GI and wholemeal where I can.

And why has exercise not been mentioned enough here!? Exercise is your friend and should be done as regularly as humanly possible. The benefits of exercise are so much more than just physical

Goes to show how different we all are and how we all require different diets.

You'll find your balance. Just play around until YOU FEEL GOOD