Low carb diet?

[Speicher]

Is there a quick way to find calculate the carbohydrate content of prepared foods. For instance, anything with more than 10g of fat per 100g of a particular food, is IIRC, regarded as medium to high fat.
Does this 10% guideline apply to carbs?

I am reading a book by India Knight explaining how she lost lots of weight, but for the first two weeks she states that one should not eat carbs, or fruit, (as it is too high in sugar). That seems a bit extreme to me, so I would prefer to cut down on "bad" carbs. My preferred foods are things like jumbo oats, wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta, and brown rice etc, and Ryvita Dark Rye. She also suggests eggs, and or sausages for breakfast. Eggs I absolutely do not like, (unless heavily disguised as a cake or similar) and sausages I think are very high in fat, so I am not sure how that helps. She does have some sensible advice like using mashed cauliflower as a substitute in shepherd's pie etc.

I seem to be changing shape, ie getting smaller, but not loosing weight. I have lost a stone since the summer, and would like to loose another two stone. I do not mind how long it takes, but it needs to be a permanent loss, and not put the weight back on. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you.

 

[colly]

Not sure about a quick way to calculate carb. content of prepared foods. I guess it depends on where you decide high/low/medium content lies.

Eating a low carb. diet for a while certainly does shift the pounds if all else is equal. For a period last year I cut out a cereal breakfast, missed off bread altogether, and made sure I ate either homemade soup or a high protein lunch such as fish.
I kept a rough and ready record of my weight and over a period of six weeks lost a stone,10 weeks over a stone and a half and it really wasn't difficult.
I do like bread so that was the only thing I missed.
For breakfast it was usually eggs, (which I know you said you don't like) or maybe a couple of rashers of lean bacon. Curiously after the first day I really didn't have any mid morning hunger pangs which I always seem to get when I am eating as I normally do.
I still ate fruit seeing as how I love most fruits and at the time didn't do any additional exercise.
I am back on the bread and toast now but even though I am a little heavier it is no more than a couple of pounds.
I suppose it's like all these things it is a case of balance, find what suits and works for you and either stick to it or not.

 

[Speicher]

Thank you, Colly for your comments. Today I had my porridge later than usual, and therefore missed out lunch. This had the unexpected benefit of me not feeling sluggish at about 2pm. I like grilled bacon, so that is another option for breakfast.

I could try making home-made soup, and I like tuna, so I think I will need to eat either of those two without the bread. The main disadvantage with my eating bread is that I like butter, not that over-processed substance that is supposed to be instead of butter.

I notice that you did not do any additional exercise and still lost weight. I am hoping to increase my level of exercise, so that might help as well. If I could lose a stone and a half in ten weeks, I will be very pleased.

Evening meal today was lean minced beef with bolognese sauce, and three small Yorkshire puds, no potatoes, then fruit (grapes) for pudding. Perhaps I could gradually cut out more of the carbs, yes I know yorkshire puds was a bit naughty. I have cut down lots on the crisps, chocolate, alcohol etc. I have also cut out the late night nibbles.

It would seem strange to cut out fruits, and notice that you did not. If I cannot have fruit, what would I have for dessert? Fresh Pineapple is one of my favourites.

I will try and moderate the seasonal calorific goodies from now until after Christmas.

As you say, it is a question of balance. I am trying to make changes that I can sustain until I have lost the weight that I would like to loose.

 

[jimboalee]

Don't go on a 'low carb' diet if you exercise.
Go on a 'Carbon balance' diet.

Any internet calculator will tell you your Basal Metabolic Rate, the kCals required to survive.

Work out the amount of energy you use to do things other than sleep and sit around.
Eat this in Carbs, and the remaining from your BMR in Protein and a little fat.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" it is said, but if you ride to work and have brekky an hour after you shower, you are doing 'fasted lypolysis'. Burning fat in preference to carbs.

So Brunch on 700 kCals, lunch on 600 kCals and dinner on 500 kCals. 1800 total.

Therefore, if you burn 800 kCals riding, walking, climbing stairs, trotting to the loo etc, eat 800 kCals of carbs and 900 kCals of protein and 100 kCals of fat.

You will have to calculate it all out for your own ideal weight, frame size and exercise expenditure.

Good luck !!

ps. The exception to this is where exercise is over 1800 kCals worth. Eat it, and also eat the 900 protein and 100 fat.

 

[peanut]

there are loads of these calorie counters on the net.
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/calorie_counter.htm

The reason sausages are suggested for breakfast is fat is an excellent slow release food and will therefore last longer than carbs like cereals and toast etc before you feel hungry again.

It will therefore prevent rapid changes in your blood sugar levels that you get with sugars and carbs .

Its no surprise therfore that although controversial the Atkins diet actually works .

 

[colly]

When I did the above I wasn't specifically trying to lose weight. Although I knew I could do with shedding a few pounds. It was more to keep my mrs company so to speak. Moral support and all that. She took up a low carb diet of sorts where after a few weeks carbs were gradually introduced back into the diet.
Having said that we always have eaten a pretty good diet with lots of fresh food etc and even though my mrs wanted to lose a bit of weight she wasn't 'big' as it were.
I don't know what kind of job you do but nowadays sitting down seems to be the way most people do their work. Offices, cars, etc etc.
In that I am perhaps more fortunate than some others where I don't generally spend more than an hour a day at a desk or driving. I am on my feet and usually moving about.

Butter, chocolate, wine, beer, yorkshire puddings, oh yes.

 

[Speicher]

I am not working, at home a lot of the time. I go to a Pilates class once a week, and try to do a bit every day at home. This is increasing my core strength and stability. I will be adding a Tai Chi class to this in January, and that includes some of the more active Tai Chi exercises.

I have tried swimming, but my physiotherapist advised back-stroke rather than breast stroke, and it is not easy doing back-stroke in a crowded pool.

I hope to re-join one of the morning exercise classes at the local Leisure Centre. I am also waiting to join a beginners' rowing class on flat water, as they describe it. It is a very slow process getting fit after a back injury from over a year ago.

Thank you all for the advice so far, further suggestions welcome. The advice given to me on here will help me lose weight, which in turn will help to increase my fitness.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

I was diagnosed with a yeast intolerance so I cut out bread, refined sugars, fruit juice, alcohol but could eat brown rice, lentils, quinoa, potatoes, wholemeal pasta, oats. I found the weight came off steadily but surely without much difficulty. Nor did I miss the stuff that I couldn't eat/drink.

You need to try to eat eggs though. I was on a dozen a week.

 

[peanut]

I too have a back problem and I'm not sure I can swim anymore but a rare swim stroke you might try is old English sidestoke.

Its a great compromise between breast and crawl.

Its an easy lazy stoke. Your head is well clear of the water all the time for easy breathing. there is no twisting of the trunk which you get with crawl or snapping which you get with breast stroke.
I used it very sucessfully 4 years ago to swim 200mts in 4 minutes as part of a sprint Tri . Give it a try I think you might be pleasantly surprized

 

[peanut]

You need to try to eat eggs though. I was on a dozen a week.

did you find that lots of eggs gave wind and constipation

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Not at all. Pehaps the extra roughage evened things out.

 

[Speicher]

Eggs ugh. I was unfortunate enough to be working for the Ministry of Agriculture at the time of the Salmonella crisis. By coincidence I contracted Salmonella enteridites IIRC, and was very ill for many weeks.

Eggy shapes and eggy smells are a complete no no for me.

 

[Speicher]

I too have a back problem and I'm not sure I can swim anymore but a rare swim stroke you might try is old English sidestoke.

Its a great compromise between breast and crawl.

Its an easy lazy stoke. Your head is well clear of the water all the time for easy breathing. there is no twisting of the trunk which you get with crawl or snapping which you get with breast stroke.
I used it very sucessfully 4 years ago to swim 200mts in 4 minutes as part of a sprint Tri . Give it a try I think you might be pleasantly surprized

I think that in the deep recesses of my brain, there may be a memory of doing that side-stroke. The disadvantage to breast stroke is that I tend to hold my head clear of the water, thus putting strain on the upper part of my back. However, when I do back-stroke, I tend to put a lot of effort into it, and if I collide with someone, we both might feel it quite hard.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Is there a quick way to find calculate the carbohydrate content of prepared foods. For instance, anything with more than 10g of fat per 100g of a particular food, is IIRC, regarded as medium to high fat.
Does this 10% guideline apply to carbs?

I am reading a book by India Knight explaining how she lost lots of weight, but for the first two weeks she states that one should not eat carbs, or fruit, (as it is too high in sugar). That seems a bit extreme to me, so I would prefer to cut down on "bad" carbs. My preferred foods are things like jumbo oats, wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta, and brown rice etc, and Ryvita Dark Rye. She also suggests eggs, and or sausages for breakfast. Eggs I absolutely do not like, (unless heavily disguised as a cake or similar) and sausages I think are very high in fat, so I am not sure how that helps. She does have some sensible advice like using mashed cauliflower as a substitute in shepherd's pie etc.

I seem to be changing shape, ie getting smaller, but not loosing weight. I have lost a stone since the summer, and would like to loose another two stone. I do not mind how long it takes, but it needs to be a permanent loss, and not put the weight back on. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you.

Interesting post. Only last week my doctor suggested I stopped most of carbo intake. So, no rice, no pasta, no patoes, no biscuits, no cakes, etc.
Replace the carbs with sausages, meat, fish, eggs, salads and cook vegetables.

I find it very easy to follow and it is working

 

[jimboalee]

Typical Jimbo brunch :-

3 eggs, 2 sausages and a big thick slice of black pudding.

Typical Jimbo lunch :-

Protopure bar, Choc-chip cookie flavour.

Typical Jimbo dinner :-

Chicken Jalfrezi - No rice, no naan.