Very upset at lack of results

[Juniperr]

@Juniperr If the way to lower weight was to simply reduce calories, then low calorie diets would work and I would not have been screamed at and insulted when they didn't ever work for me.
Low calorie diets just made me turn grey and lethargic, and if I tried to do anything strenuous my heart would be hammering against my ribs trying to escape.
I tried low calorie on the instructions of HCPs for almost half a century.
Half a year of low carb and I lost more weight than I ever imagined to be possible, and I made no effort to do so. I just ate low carb, avoided any low fat versions or containing seed oil and my clothes were sliding off - thankfully not when out in public, though it was a near thing a few times.
I lost weight eating no more than 50gm of carb a day, from low carb sources, no grain and just a little fruit. I did not restrict what I did eat though. Over time the amount of food I eat has reduced, but that was after I lost the weight.

Thank you, this is interesting.
And so different to everything I’ve ever heard my entire life.
I feel like I’m having to learn everything from scratch. But I’ve read in here enough times that it worked for people, again and again.

Edited to add: I’ve just tested my BG 2 hours after dinner. Only 23.5g of carbs but my highest reading of the day at 6.9 mmol/L.

 

[Resurgam]

Thank you, this is interesting.
And so different to everything I’ve ever heard my entire life.
I feel like I’m having to learn everything from scratch. But I’ve read in here enough times that it worked for people, again and again.

Edited to add: I’ve just tested my BG 2 hours after dinner. Only 23.5g of carbs but my highest reading of the day at 6.9 mmol/L.

It is just that the information has been supressed - Dr Atkins was finding that the low carb way of eating seemed to give rise to impossible results, and he was publishing back in the last century. I can only conclude that people did not want it to be true.
Your after dinner level, if at 2 hours from starting to eat, is excellent news.

 

[jjraak]

I feel like I’m having to learn everything from scratch. But I’ve read in here enough times that it worked for people, again and again.

That's the foundations of what so many find, myself included , I'm afraid

What 'they' say is healthy, certainly isn't for T2D (and likely isn't for non T2D)


I'm with @Resurgam .

My missus always on one diet or another

I couldn't tell the calories or carbs in anything pre DX.

I still can't with calories post T2D, but I've got a good idea re carbs .

I aimed for 60 g per day,

Missus gobsmacked how well I ate, considering I was 'dieting'.

And I lost 3 stone, zero effort, from a burgeoning 40" waist down to a snug 34". In 6 months.

How many calories a day ..no idea

But I was never hungry, ate once or twice a day and only guestimated my carb intake


I think your doing well .

Non of this is really linear.

The body will & does resist what it thinks is our attempts to damage, hurt or kill it

Only when it realises we are serious about this diet, does it reluctantly let down it's defences and accepts we can survive on X number of carbs .

I'd say establish a quarterly approach IF Possible

I've never really weighed myself, but I do hear and get why those dieting avoid it.

The next day weighing offers little encouragement but the next month or two, that's a different story.

As said above, it didn't go on in a day, why think it would come off in one ?

Slowly slowly, and watch THAT progress, I say .

 

[Juniperr]

It is just that the information has been supressed - Dr Atkins was finding that the low carb way of eating seemed to give rise to impossible results, and he was publishing back in the last century. I can only conclude that people did not want it to be true.
Your after dinner level, if at 2 hours from starting to eat, is excellent news.

Thank you. Strangely, if I eat too much carbs, I do get this horrible high floaty feeling, and I guess that’s when my numbers are too high.
But when I eat sensibly, my daytime numbers are fine. It’s just my fasted number that’s a bit too high for my liking.

 

[Juniperr]

That's the foundations of what so many find, myself included , I'm afraid

What 'they' say is healthy, certainly isn't for T2D (and likely isn't for non T2D)


I'm with @Resurgam .

My missus always on one diet or another

I couldn't tell the calories or carbs in anything pre DX.

I still can't with calories post T2D, but I've got a good idea re carbs .

I aimed for 60 g per day,

Missus gobsmacked how well I ate, considering I was 'dieting'.

And I lost 3 stone, zero effort, from a burgeoning 40" waist down to a snug 34". In 6 months.

How many calories a day ..no idea

But I was never hungry, ate once or twice a day and only guestimated my carb intake


I think your doing well .

Non of this is really linear.

The body will & does resist what it thinks is our attempts to damage, hurt or kill it

Only when it realises we are serious about this diet, does it reluctantly let down it's defences and accepts we can survive on X number of carbs .

I'd say establish a quarterly approach IF Possible

I've never really weighed myself, but I do hear and get why those dieting avoid it.

The next day weighing offers little encouragement but the next month or two, that's a different story.

As said above, it didn't go on in a day, why think it would come off in one ?

Slowly slowly, and watch THAT progress, I say .

Oh I can see it now! Everything recommend is a carb overload.

Congratulations on your weight loss. You must feel amazing.

I will persist, and you’re right. I didn’t put the weight on overnight, so it’s not going disappear that quickly either. I just need to be consistent and patient.

Oh and focus on carbs not so much calories. This has been an education. Thank you .

 

[catinahat]

rye bread is 24.8g of carbs which 3.1g

All carbs digest into sugars (glucose) except for the fibre which pass right through, in the UK the fibre is listed separately on the nutritional information and can be ignored.
The of which are sugars bit is just the sugar added to the product and is included in the total carb figure of 24.8,
So 21.7g of flour (which will be glucose when digested) and 3.1g of sugar, which is already glucose.

It's the whole amount of carbs you need to be aware of not just the of which are sugars.
If you think that 1 teaspoon of sugar is around 4g of carbohydrates, the 21.7g of flour in your slice of bread is the equivalent to 5 teaspoons of sugar, add the other 3.1g of which are sugars and your slice of bread is the equivalent to around 6 teaspoons of sugar.

Because we have trouble using glucose, a good percentage of those 6 spoons of sugar will be stored away as fat, that's what insulin does if our cells don't accept the glucose.
It's why we have trouble with our weight, carbs prompt an insulin response,
high insulin = fat storage, we can't efficiently use the carbs we ate, so we get hungry as we put more weight on.
If we keep carbs to a minimum = low insulin levels = fat burning, plus the added bonus of not being so hungry because we are eating food we can actually use.

 

[Juniperr]

All carbs digest into sugars (glucose) except for the fibre which pass right through, in the UK the fibre is listed separately on the nutritional information and can be ignored.
The of which are sugars bit is just the sugar added to the product and is included in the total carb figure of 24.8,
So 21.7g of flour (which will be glucose when digested) and 3.1g of sugar, which is already glucose.

It's the whole amount of carbs you need to be aware of not just the of which are sugars.
If you think that 1 teaspoon of sugar is around 4g of carbohydrates, the 21.7g of flour in your slice of bread is the equivalent to 5 teaspoons of sugar, add the other 3.1g of which are sugars and your slice of bread is the equivalent to around 6 teaspoons of sugar.

Because we have trouble using glucose, a good percentage of those 6 spoons of sugar will be stored away as fat, that's what insulin does if our cells don't accept the glucose.
It's why we have trouble with our weight, carbs prompt an insulin response,
high insulin = fat storage, we can't efficiently use the carbs we ate, so we get hungry as we put more weight on.
If we keep carbs to a minimum = low insulin levels = fat burning, plus the added bonus of not being so hungry because we are eating food we can actually use.

Thank you. Looking at the back of packaging, how many grams of carbs per 100g of food do you recommend I don’t go above?

 

[ianf0ster]

Thank you. Looking at the back of packaging, how many grams of carbs per 100g of food do you recommend I don’t go above?

It is complicated. We each have our own reaction to various carbs, so it isn't a fixed number of carbs or type of carbs for all (or even most) of us.

The reading of 6.9 2 hrs after a meal (you thought high) is a good reading - so it seems like you are doing fine as you are.
Obviously, it's a good idea to avoid/limit very high carb (or very sweet foods), but it largely depends upon how much you are having of them.
Examples:
Sauces or spice mixes/dressings of which you will only be having a teaspoon or so in a complete meal are OK at higher carb levels than something which forms a main constituent of a meal.
High Cocoa dark chocolate of which you may have only a few squares is fine if you can stick to just a few squares; compared with a whole banana or mango or dried fruit or fruit juice.

Your BG meter is your own personal expert on your diabetes - it tells you the unbiased truth about how your body handles the food you subject it to.
Nobody/nothing else can tell you what's right for you because it is your body, your diabetes, your insulin resistance, your fat deposits, your metabolism, your genes, your gut biome etc.

 

[Juniperr]

It is complicated. We each have our own reaction to various carbs, so it isn't a fixed number of carbs or type of carbs for all (or even most) of us.

The reading of 6.9 2 hrs after a meal (you thought high) is a good reading - so it seems like you are doing fine as you are.
Obviously, it's a good idea to avoid/limit very high carb (or very sweet foods), but it largely depends upon how much you are having of them.
Examples:
Sauces or spice mixes/dressings of which you will only be having a teaspoon or so in a complete meal are OK at higher carb levels than something which forms a main constituent of a meal.
High Cocoa dark chocolate of which you may have only a few squares is fine if you can stick to just a few squares; compared with a whole banana or mango or dried fruit or fruit juice.

Your BG meter is your own personal expert on your diabetes - it tells you the unbiased truth about how your body handles the food you subject it to.
Nobody/nothing else can tell you what's right for you because it is your body, your diabetes, your insulin resistance, your fat deposits, your metabolism, your genes, your gut biome etc.

That makes sense thank you.
I think it’s mainly the numbers before I eat in the morning, that concerns me. I went to Tesco this morning (tried and failed to find some low carb bread) and my reading when I got back was 6.9 which I think is quite a lot.

That and how my body feels when I eat too many carbs. My head feels awful.

 

[ianf0ster]

That makes sense thank you.
I think it’s mainly the numbers before I eat in the morning, that concerns me. I went to Tesco this morning (tried and failed to find some low carb bread) and my reading when I got back was 6.9 which I think is quite a lot.

That and how my body feels when I eat too many carbs. My head feels awful.

Fasting BG, especially first thing in the morning, is usually the number which will fall the slowest because of Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor. It can take months or even years to drop by much. I was still getting a fasting BG of over 6.5 when I had already got into remission, but eventually my liver accepted that it no longer needed to fight to keep my BG so high.

 

[Juniperr]

Fasting BG, especially first thing in the morning, is usually the number which will fall the slowest because of Dawn Phenomenon or Foot on the Floor. It can take months or even years to drop by much. I was still getting a fasting BG of over 6.5 when I had already got into remission, but eventually my liver accepted that it no longer needed to fight to keep my BG so high.

That’s really good to know, thank you. I’ve just got to keep going

 

[jjraak]

Thank you. Looking at the back of packaging, how many grams of carbs per 100g of food do you recommend I don’t go above?

If it helps, I ran with the idea that 0-5g per 100 went in the shopping trolley
5-10g per 100 likely went in but it did make me think.
And 10g+ per 100 went back on the shelf.

As said, something's can be more, & some of those i'll still buy.

Tomato sauce was one on the embargo list, until I rationalised I only had a drop or two .
Milk too, for my tea.

Others too came in under the same rule

Now I'm not so fussy, we cook at home a lot now, so it's meat that looks like meat, veg that looks like veg, and herbs spices as appropriate, so far less sugary things added to my meals.

And I feel better for it.

But I'm no saint, I've had bad days & made bad choices.

But overall it's home cooked & lchf.

 

[Juniperr]

If it helps, I ran with the idea that 0-5g per 100 went in the shopping trolley
5-10g per 100 likely went in but it did make me think.
And 10g+ per 100 went back on the shelf.

As said, something's can be more, & some of those i'll still buy.

Tomato sauce was one on the embargo list, until I rationalised I only had a drop or two .
Milk too, for my tea.

Others too came in under the same rule

Now I'm not so fussy, we cook at home a lot now, so it's meat that looks like meat, veg that looks like veg, and herbs spices as appropriate, so far less sugary things added to my meals.

And I feel better for it.

But I'm no saint, I've had bad days & made bad choices.

But overall it's home cooked & lchf

Those are pretty much the numbers that I had in mind today while I was walking through Tesco.

Was shocked to see just how many carbs were in foods I didn’t think would have been full of sugar.

I always thought Lloyd Grossman pasta sauces were healthy, but they have more sugar than most!
On that note though…I think I’ll be leaving pasta alone for now

 

[jpscloud]

It's amazing what we can learn when we start looking at the small print isn't it! My latest pet peeve is that spice jars don't always list ingredients and they do almost certainly have some sort of sugar and fillers in them - then like @jjraak I thought "Meh, it's a quarter or half a teaspoon in 500g of minced beef!"

As you get going with low carb you do need to include more protein and fat in your diet. Most of us have been indoctrinated by the "Animal fat will kill you!" dogma which is widely discredited these days. If you don't up the nutritional value of your meals with protein and fat, you may be at risk of slowing down your metabolism.

One thing I would watch out for though is vegetable oil - it's now believed to be very inflammatory and even oils like olive and avocado are thought to often be cut with cheaper ones like rapeseed - it's a pain but I think cutting it out has made a big difference to me.

 

[Juniperr]

It's amazing what we can learn when we start looking at the small print isn't it! My latest pet peeve is that spice jars don't always list ingredients and they do almost certainly have some sort of sugar and fillers in them - then like @jjraak I thought "Meh, it's a quarter or half a teaspoon in 500g of minced beef!"

As you get going with low carb you do need to include more protein and fat in your diet. Most of us have been indoctrinated by the "Animal fat will kill you!" dogma which is widely discredited these days. If you don't up the nutritional value of your meals with protein and fat, you may be at risk of slowing down your metabolism.

One thing I would watch out for though is vegetable oil - it's now believed to be very inflammatory and even oils like olive and avocado are thought to often be cut with cheaper ones like rapeseed - it's a pain but I think cutting it out has made a big difference to me.

Goodness me. This might be harder than I though lol

 

[jpscloud]

Goodness me. This might be harder than I though lol

Oh no don't let me overwhelm you! Keep it simple and sustainable for you x There's always opportunity to look into things more deeply as you go.

 

[Juniperr]

Oh no don't let me overwhelm you! Keep it simple and sustainable for you x There's always opportunity to look into things more deeply as you go.

Thank you I really appreciate the time you’ve taken out your day for me x

 

[Resurgam]

Those are pretty much the numbers that I had in mind today while I was walking through Tesco.

Was shocked to see just how many carbs were in foods I didn’t think would have been full of sugar.

I always thought Lloyd Grossman pasta sauces were healthy, but they have more sugar than most!
On that note though…I think I’ll be leaving pasta alone for now

II have heard and read good reports of leek being used instead of pasta to make lasagne.
You need to make the sauce dryer than usual, as none of the liquid will be absorbed, but use a large leek and split it along one side of the tubes, discard the outermost, drop the required number of layers into hot water to soften and uncurl, drain and dry off, layer up with the sauce. The inner layers can be added to the sauce when they get really small.

 

[MrsA2]

Goodness me. This might be harder than I though lol

Rather than looking at what you can't (shouldn't) have the list of what you can is easy
unlimited
Meat
Fish
Eggs
Green vegetables
A very few berries eg 2 or 3 strawberries, 6_8 blackberries

Usually unlimited except if the weight loss slows
Olives
Nuts
Dairy, including cream and cheese,
Very dark chocolate, 85% cocoa or higher

So, simple one word real food, nothing manufactured or made and sold in a packet.
Dont be afraid of fat, that will keep you feeling full.

Might sound boring at first but once you get used to it there's a lot you can make out of the basics, and plenty of help/support/recipes on here.
When I was first told this I thought 'no way!', but I'm over 3 years in now and sooo much healthier

 

[AloeSvea]

Thank you. Looking at the back of packaging, how many grams of carbs per 100g of food do you recommend I don’t go above?

I personally am very grateful to @Oldvatr for giving me a simple to use 10g carbs per 100g of food/product.

I'll stretch it to 11.-something for no-grainola as I only eat a small amount of it, and I love it. But I will choose the products 10g and under when there is a choice of low-carb food/product.