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starting low carb again

C

Craigh270779

Active Member
Messages
38
Location
Edinburgh
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I've always been a big lad, at my biggest i was around 23 stone around 7 years ago, I've lost loads and also put weight on. before i was diagnosed with T2 i was doing scottish slimmers and lost about 4 stone, i put weight on again and was around the 21st mark.

Done low carb 4 years ago and was relatively strict, lost 3 stone in the space of 12 weeks but then got bored and couldn't stick to it sadly and weight went up a little. about 2 months ago i started slimming world, great i lost 5lbs on the first week but weight was being stubborn and not coming off, i was following the "eat as much pasta" etc as you like, sugars were going a bit mad at times so i thought id go back to what worked before.

So, how carb again, started a week ago and have followed it the way i should, I've had the "odd cheat" but after a week i've lost 4lbs. I've done my research this time (i hope) been on youtube loads and got meal ideas from there and made a few meals which have been really nice, bought a few books from amazon for meals and "sweet" snacks ideas.

the difference this time, i feel more determined to get my T2 under the best possible control, haven't always taken it with as much seriousness as i should be but after the death of my brother in law (who died from complications from T1) a few months back something has clicked and I'm prepared for the slog.

any websites, any resources, meal page ideas etc that anyone has that they use i would be very grateful for links which will help me along the way.

i hope everyone that is doing LCHF is successful and you get the results that you want

thank you

Craig
 
Well done Craig to get yourself back on track.

Have a good read of the forums and also have a look at the 'stickies' as they have lots of info too.
 
Low carb program here on diabetes.co.uk is a good starting point
 
I can't get properly into the low carb program site - I get so far and then the computer just jams up and the curser won't move, I;ve stopped opening it in case its some virus or something.
What I really was going to say was that I found starting Low Carb again very very difficult and the cravings for sweetness really hard to overcome. If you find yourself slipping, and cheating more than you can get away with (you're a big lad and I'm sure you get away with more cheats than someone like me who is 8.5 stone can manage) come on to here and say 'help' if you're finding it difficult to stick with it.
The people on here don't judge, and make really helpful comments - they've helped me a lot!
 
I started with the Xmas 2015 cookbook on this site, introduced it to the family over Xmas, and we are still using the recipes in it. My carboholic family find that these were in many ways preferable to the high carb alternatives. There is an LC pizza recipe using an almond base that we found on another site and we love it. The white fish in cornflakes is a winner too.

The secret to LCHF is to use fat generously, since this triggers the satisfaction response and keeps hunger pangs at bay. I use Babybel cheese as a snack. The fat will help cut down the munchies and help sustain the diet as a long term investment in your health. I am keeping my bgl under control, I can gain or lose weight under control, and do not feel like I'm starving to boot. i look on the HF part as Higher Fat, i.e. a bit more than I used to, but in moderation. Increasng HF is my way of putting on weight, lowering fat brings it down again. My graph of weight shows a sawtooth around my target as I change my fat intake. And I can do that independant of my sugar levels, which is controlled by the low carb and medium protein.
 

I have found the site below useful. I love the low carb crackers, great with cheese, mashed avocado or peanut butter. I find having muffins in the freezer that I can take out one by one and being able to have a snack when hungry has helped a lot. I also look at what people have eaten on a daily basis on the low carb forum gives me ideas. I am having success now I have cut out breakfast. I have 2 meals a day in 6 hour window (intermittent fasting) as per Jason Fung. Good luck

http://www.diabeticgoodbaking.com/
 
Do they do anything serious. All i could see was fripperies and cakes etc. No real meals to munch on. I gave up my sweet tooth some time ago, thankfully.

The faux cheese straws look ok, but it is just the LC pizza cut into straws and omitting the topping.
 
Haha I'm not sure. I have on,y been doing this for a short while but when I started I found if I was really hungry or had alcohol this was my danger zone for going off the rails. The low carb flax crackers, muffins etc have kept me on track as I don't feel deprived and can still have cheese and biscuits or a bun with a cup of tea now and again. Lost 4lbs this week so it's working for me
 
Its taken a good 5 months for me to start losing weight again. Changing my insulin and upping other meds threw my body for a loop for quite a while. It also didn't help that the OH was using alternative flour when he cooked that he can eat and I cant or wont.
I have no cravings apart from pasta, don't miss bread or rice or potatoes.
OH had a big wake up call the other week though when he ate low carb wraps and woken up in agony the next day with grumbly gets. Seems that the low carb wraps contained gluten. He now realizes he is very gluten intolerant and has a new found realization of my being carb intolerant.

Good luck with your journey. I use pin interest a lot to pin recipes into different categories. I use a lot of almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium, and golden flax seeds for cooking now. As well as lots of green and home grown veg, meat and eggs.
The best thing you can do is throw out all that stuff you know you shouldnt be eating, give it to a friend or a charity. It wont go to waste and you wont be tempted.
 
@Craigh270779 - It's great news you've started on this new path.

Like most T2s, I had to reduce my carbs after diagnosis, so I know some of the challenges you're taking on board. In terms of resources, there is just so much information on this site, including lots of recipes. Another resource on here is the low carb, "what have you eaten today?" thread. I've had some great ideas from there.

I subscribe to e few low carb sites, with my favourite www.ditchthecarbs.com. Others include ibreatheimhungry.com , sugarfreemon.com , and others.

One top tip I got from here which has served me so well is if there's something you fancy, have a google, and see what comes up. For example, "Low carb shepherds pie", or "low carb lasagna", whatever. There's usually something out there to touch the spot. Don't necessarily expect it to taste identical, but you'll always be able to recreate the flavours. I haven't bought a single recipe book, or paid for subscriptions to any sites. You just don't need to do that.

Good luck with it all.
 
thanks everyone, i love this forum as everyone is so supportive and its great to see how everyone is doing, there are some really good results! well done to you all and i hope you all get the results that you want.

will definitely be checking out the links for ideas, i find pintrest is really good too and have made a few things from there, i made coconut fat bombs last nigh and they are really tasty, i just need to work out how much fat etc i need each day to get the ball firmly rolling.

thanks again guys x
 

Actually, Craig, I forgot something I think knocks Pinterest into a cocked hat (only my opinion, obviously!). https://foodgawker.com/?s=low+carb

You don't need any sort of login to view the site. It's not all low carb, so you do need to do a filter (which works well) to get to the low carb stuff.

Enjoy!
 


thank you, i'll be checking this out.

much appreciated

Craig
 

Very best of luck @Craigh270779 with LCHF. It gets easier afte a while, my advice would be to try eat at home for the first few weeks to get you on track. Then it's easier when you are faced with choices in a restaurant! 5 months on I finally don't even register there is sticky toffee pudding on a menu ) but it's taken a while
 
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