Low carb didn't work for me.

zand said:

No of course that's not the way a forum should be Annie, but I also feel I have to be brave to mention LCHF! I am not brave enough to answer new members questions now. That can't be right either. I havn't noticed people jumping in with advice about other diets though and although I follow LCHF because it's the only thing that has worked for me, I hate it because I'm not fond of protein without 'white carbs'. So if anyone really has a decent alternative diet that will help me lose weight and keep my BG's down I would love to hear it.

Click to expand...

I couldn't keep to a diet I hate.
That had to be a major influence for me.
I went for low GI, as that worked initially for me.
I kept on it as I needed/wanted to lose weight, and my NHS dietician was very supportive of it.
I always said when I hit my target, I would review my choices.
I'd already said in a previous post how my journey has taken me to the place I am now.
Maybe it's not the absolute best my BS could be, if that was my focus. But the numbers are in the 'normal' range, and that's all I want.
I'm sure I could have had better cholesterol if I had targeted that.
I made the choice to control my diabetes in a way that suited me, and my lifestyle though. It's the best I get, I'm happy with the numbers, (but the cholesterol is my next target, it's been lower, and I can get it down again).
As to being not fond, I changed, when I changed my diet.
If you told me I'd be swooping fish and chips, fryups for breakfast, doorstep sandwiches, boxes of donuts, bags of pasties, for cabbage, sprouts, salads, I wouldn't have believed you.
Now I enjoy the latter, and sometimes touch a very small amount of some of the former.

The other thing that changed is my eating pattern.
Very often I could get up, work all day, and then eat (for the first time) in the evening, but then I didn't stop until I went to bed.
Now I have a routine, Ryvita for breakfast, lunch (salad again today) then a meal tonight. Limited snacks inbetween are allowed.
Again, that seems to work for me.
If I'm busy, or exercising, or diving, it's all fluid then, and I can balance the input against the output, critically with what's available, often from a very limited choice, and not worry about it.

And with that, that's the end of my lunch break, so back into what now seems to be more flooring than I should be able to fit into the house!

zand said:

@douglas99 thank you for your reply. I did try low GI when I was around this weight before, my GP recommended it. I followed the book to the letter weighing food and cooking from scratch. I put on 8 pounds in 2 weeks. I had previously been putting on weight at a rate of 7 pounds a year. I would consider it again when I am nearer to goal weight but as I have at least another 6 stones to lose I daren't risk the same thing happening again. Yes I have reviewed my choices a little too. LCHF wasn't enough to help me lose weight although it did sort out my BG's so I calorie count too.

Click to expand...

I did low GI with a calorie restricted diet, 800 to 1200 calories a day. I lost about 4 1/2 stone in a year overall.
I let the calories creep up a bit in winter, mainly as I was eating hot food rather than salad.
(Then again I felt colder, so probably expanded a few more calories trying to keep warm )

jack412 said:

Jill, if they want to call fats from vegetables, seeds, fruits and pulses etc. grease.. That's ok. Most would get a shock at the % of fat that is in their low fat diet

Click to expand...

Careful selection and I avoided most of the fatty veg.
It really was minimal fat. I didn't want to waste my calorie allowance on 'high density' food, when I could bulk up on high fibre.

It's coffee break time again, the floor is finally down

One of the problems with working in a small house you're living in, is where to store everything.

The bedrooms are near enough done, so they're clean, the bathroom and kitchen are sorted, and the front room is done.
So the dining room is a complete building site.
Bags of plaster, cement, tools, tiles, even the chopsaw is on the floor in there.

I now need to summon up the enthusiasm to sort it out, and load the car up to get some stuff back to the workshop at home.
Plus I'm working a couple of days this week, so all the tools need to go into the back of the estate
.

Finally cleared some floor space, and a 30 min walk later I'm in the pub for a pint or two of real ale to cut through the dust!
30 min walk back to use a few calories, then dinner.

catherinecherub said:

It's an unfortunate word to use. We need fats to make our body function. How much of it we choose to eat is a personal choice.
Grease reminds me of oils used in cars and the like.

Click to expand...

It's down to words.
I use a George Foreman grill, or a BBQ, both trap the excess fat, which sounds ok.
Both catch the grease, which doesn't.
Still the same stuff which I prefer to avoid when I can.

And as you may have noticed, back from the pub.
It's been a long, hot, dusty, day.
And as this is a true blog, warts and all, I really enjoyed three pints of real ale in the pub.
Self control for the calories a little bit poor, but that floor was dusty, and the pub wasn't.
6 halves of different guest beers.
So, the diet suffered, but I did walk back the long way, not the short way, so that was the 30 minutes each way.
Some BBQ chicken and some chinese chicken on the George Foreman, and bloods are 4.7 after the beer and the walk.

The day continues, even more tidying up. Cleaned the bathroom out, the car is going to be full going back home




A couple of 'before' images' I've avoided showing the toilet!




The bathroom finished.


Even better, I had a fasting reading of 6, after the beer last night, and I'm now back to within my 1/2 stone of where I like to be, be I intend to push on down for a bit anyway.

mine said:

LCHF if you cannot stick to low carb high fat, go for the low carb high fibre.

Click to expand...

@mine Like I said though, it didn't work for me.
The low carb meant after a while I seems to lose the ability to cope with any carbs.
To me, that's a serious concern, as I can't always plan, or be fussy over what I eat.
Sometimes it's just whatever is on the boat, or made with a kettle.
I want to be able to eat anything, in moderation, without reacting badly.
So, I eat carbs, albeit low GI / low GL.
I find this allows me to cope with a pot noodle, or a white bread sandwich, or a banana, without any adverse effect.
I also can't risk the odd carb 'overload' making me drowsy, as others on a LC diet seem to have happen with even small amounts.
If 'I'm diving, it's just as bad to go in for the second or third dive feeling hungry, and cold, as it would be to feel drowsy, and lose attention.
If fact the second could be fatal, so I won't risk losing my response to carbs in that way.

It seems to be working, my bloods are good, my meds are being reduced, and I'm controlloing my life, and doing stuff I would never have done before.