The FastDay Forum

[Debs]

I adore walnuts, almonds and brazil nuts, but wil also wade into pecans and cashew nuts, hazelnuts.....oh wait, that's all of them!!!

And pine nuts and chestnuts and macadamias, and..
Thanks, @Callyanna, for starting this discussion. I agree with so many of the feelings and opinions voiced. I'm buying more nuts, which hubs can eat with abandon (being a naturally slim person) and I can eat with care. I'm going to buy some coconut oil. How can I explain this to the kids - less than a year ago we were making fun of people advocating eating coconut oil to avoid Alzheimer's, and now I'm sort of, kind of believing them... As I posted somewhere else here, I feel a bit like I've joined a cult and am going to have to persuade my family that I'm not totally nuts. Speaking of nuts.

All this talk of nuts has got me craving.... I'm off for a long (hopefully) run in a couple of hours so I've had a few nuts so that I'm not running on empty!

Checking in @callyanna I had already done an online shop this week and hadn't bought any 'fat' things as usual so I will really have to think about how to do this this week.

Does this mean that I can't have any carbs? I would really like some fruit and sugar. Sorry to be so thick but I really don't gone the low carb thing and am terrified of upping the fat and overloading on hidden carbs into the bargain.

Not eating bread, rice, pasta and potatoes anyway but am eating everything else.

I love nuts, so that's ok but as for cheese for instance, what would you eat it with if not in/on bread or crackers? I don't have cheese for that reason. I could have broccoli and stilton soup I suppose @wildmissus but can't have cauliflower cheese because it would have flour in it. How about cream if it can't go on fruit or pastry/pudding? I am such a dunce. Sorry.

Please, please could someone help me with a list of what I can eat on a low carb/high fat diet. I would be very grateful. I know it's been explained to me before but I really am finding it hard to understand. I'm probably overthinking it too but am keen to get it right. Thanks x

Me too @Wendy DarlingI'm finding it difficult to get my head round it all. What has always appealed to me about this WOE is that except on fast days you eat normally. When it comes to excluding whole food groups it feels more like a conventional 'diet' Also I don't quite see how it squares up with the idea of having to eat less calories than your TDEE to lose weight if calories from some food groups are more fattening than others. I am probably still brainwashed from all previous diets or maybe just thick. I will be very interested to see the responses to your post

In terms of how to eat cheese, I'll happily eat it in its own as a snack, or perhaps with marinated peppers (from a jar), or tomatoes or similar. Or I'll make fatdogs flaxseed crackers. Also I have cheese crumbled on a salad as my lunch. Or to enhance veg - cauliflower cheese, in mashed Swede, leeks cooked in cream cheese. My absolute fav is goats cheese and beetroot .

My low-carb diet is

Meat
Fish
Eggs
Full fat dairy
Veg (excluding potatoes, parsnips)
Salad
Nuts

So meals are meat and veg based (everything from spicy lamb with veg curry to chicken and mushrooms in cream with celeriac chips. Often have a egg and bacon fry up with toms and mushrooms. Its relatively easy to eat out like this, if you chose veg instead of potato/rice as a side.

I love pre-dinner nibbles, this can be cheese, pate, smoked salmon etc with salady bits.

And a little bit of dark chocolate if I'm craving sweetness

@Wendydarling I was going to compile a list of what I now eat, as opposed to what I used to eat, when I realised that the list of foods is exactly the same, but what has changed, and significantly, is the quantities and frequency of consumption of various foods. For instance, I still eat bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, chocolate, crisps and cereals but in HUGELY reduced quantities and frequency. On the other hand, I have always sparsely partaken of eggs, bacon, double cream, butter, cheese and salad but now I eat them frequently and in much greater quantities. My lean meat consumption has not changed, still low to moderate but my carbohydrate consumption has dropped by somewhere in the region of 80-90% whilst my fat and vegetable consumption has increased by about 1000000%. Hope this helps you see that you need not give up food you love for food that does not inspire you, just change the quantities around. Enjoy eating

Ballerina x

Not sure if this shouldn't be a new topic....

http://primaldocs.com/opinion/saturated ... ietitians/

Might help?

Right, thank you ladies for taking the time to respond. Yes, I'm already eating along those lines but will be a bit more thoughtful and instead of having NO cheese because it doesn't come with a carb I will think along minumlines lines. I like the idea of the creme fraiche and cheese sauce Izzy and will give that a go tomorrow. I need to change what I'm eating to be more like yours Ballerina because at the moment everything is veg and protein based (because I'm afraid of fat) this will mean changing long term habits and mindset and I know I will find it hard. Thank you BBT053, I will have a look at that later. Lil...... Did you get all that? I am going to print this topic out and pin it in a handy place. Thanks again x

It doesn't have to be an overnight, all or nothing, change but once you are happy that introducing one full fat item into your menu regularly does not involve massive amounts if weight gain it will be easier to up the fats with other lovely foods. The other thing is that fats fill you up thereby reducing the desire to eat carbohydrates....honest!

Ballerina x

[Tracieknits]

Thanks for this Ballerina!

So many people think you have to go no-carb. I hope nobody feels pressured to do that, because this is not an easy thing to do. Carorees posted in another thread that it's not even healthy as a long-term way of eating.

Reducing one's carb intake is a good and reasonable thing to do. But there's no need to make it painful! If you're trying to stick within your TDEE, there is room in a healthy diet for butter, wholegrain bread, fruit, nuts, meat and cheese -- and lots and lots of veggies! I agree that fat is more satisfying and fills you up better. I would rather have a small piece of bread with a small piece of cheese - I would indeed feel more satisfied and fuller for longer than if I had the same amount of calories in just bread.

But people, remember, it's not one-size-fits-all. It's not all-or-nothing. Find what works for YOU

Many thanks folks for all the info and advice posted on this thread. Lots for me to consider and try out. I notice that fruit does not feature heavily in a low carb diet as it spikes blood sugar levels and as it's always been my go-to snack I think I'll try swapping for some olives or a small handful of nuts.

Like you, tracieknits I hope everyone finds what works for them, that is the way to a happy life.I cannot imagine living without ever eating lovely granary bread, hubs spaghetti Bol or his fab curries with lovely basmati with wild rice but these days they are not the foundation of my foods and I feel So much healthier and am SO much slimmer for these changes. I am a huge fan of a balanced diet but I can see, that, for me, my diet was carb heavy so I just made some significant changes, not to what I ate, but in the quantities and frequency of some foods.

Ballerina x

Hi
Though I've read the entire thread, I want to clarify something. If I am doing 5:2 with a higher fat/lower carb pattern, I am still staying w/in or a bit below TDEE, yes? I'm not just eating butter, nuts & cream ad libitum & not keeping track?