The FastDay Forum

Found it @Wendy Darling
Google caloriecount.abount.com

I did an Atkins-like diet about 10 years ago and lost quite a lot of weight, but then regained it all rather rapidly. I think the science behind low carb is good, so I really want to go low carb again, but I'm worried about the sustainability. I guess I don't do well with prolonged deprivation.

TBH, I'm not a huge carb eater, except for my sweet tooth. I don't need a lot of bread, pasta, rice, etc. I prefer to eat things without grains, or with a minimal amount. And, in spite of my sweet tooth, I don't like things to be too sickly sweet.

My fast days are already low carb, with most of my carbs coming from a carrot in stir fries or a tortilla in Mexican pizza. Any non-fast days where I don't have a sweet treat will be lowish carb, too. Maybe being low carb most of the time is ok?

I don't see why being mostly low carb all the time shouldn't be good enough for you. Its no use going very low carb if after 3 weeks you walk into a bakery and devour 3 cakes and half a French loaf whilst stood in the queue. With all changes to a healthier lifestyle it has to be sustainable for you, so baby steps and maybe use a tracker to see what your carb intake actually is on any given day.

Before you all run off and throw anything that remotely resembles a carbohydrate out of the window. Don't, just make small changes at first, instead of having a carb heavy day with for example cereal and/or toast, with maybe grapefruit for breakfast. Followed by a sandwich or pasta salad for lunch, then a pile of rice/pasta/potatoes/couscous for dinner. Just take one meal worth of carbs out of the equation each day.

For example, many of us have already dropped breakfast as we aren't hungry post fast and its spread to the rest of the week. But if you still have breakfast change to a boiled egg, an omlette or traditional bacon and tomatoes. Its still not zero carbs, but you have taken a chunk out.

Then for lunch, instead of the bread or pasta, have a low carb soup such as chicken or non-starchy veg, a salad and protein without the sandwich or head for the deli counter and just not put any high carb food into your pot.

Or if changing dinner time (the hardest for me), replace your starch with a vegetable alternative, mention has been made of courgette used instead of pasta strips, cauliflower pizza base (actually I love this alternative), or just pile your plate with alternative vegetables, instead of grains or starches.

Eating less carbs is healthier and better for your weight loss, but as in everything, it has to be sustainable. So make the changes a bit at a time to a level that you are happy with. We do still need some carbohydrates, just not as many as the general consensus would like us to. My recommended daily carb intake (for my weight) should be a minimum of 188grams a day to a maximum of 328 grams. In old money, that's nearly 3/4 lb of carbohydrates alone, or half a loaf of bread!

Hi:

Recent research has shown carbs are addictive, like alcohol and nicotine. If you are addicted, like Julieathome says above, you can go for a few days without and then pig out on them when you just can't hold out any more.

I was part of a 2 1/2 year study that compared the low fat and low carb diets, and many of the low carb participants suffered withdrawal symptoms similar to anyone trying to get off their alcohol/other drug addiction.

5:2 participants often report that they do their fast days OK but end up eating lots of sweets/bread etc. on their feast days.

The only answer is to go through withdrawal - and then not go back. The old Atkins diet recognized this and had a two week withdrawal period (20 g per day or less) before the Atkins diet started. People that follow low carb as a weight loss diet often report that as soon as they stop and restart eating carbs they gain the weight right back. Also, sadly, since we are talking addiction, slow 'withdrawal' usually does not work.

Science now knows why weight gain is so easy when eating a high carb diet, so the task now is to teach people not to eat high carb diets and to eat much more fat. It will be hard to retrain people that have been told for decades that fat is bad, but the process has started. For instance, I see almost no advertising on TV any more for 'low fat' versions of food. Thank god the days of candy wrappers advertising 'no fat' are almost gone. The downside is fat costs more money than pasta, and a healthy diet of high fat foods is more expensive than a diet of rice, pasta and potatoes.

@julieathome. Very sound advice to all low carb newbie's. @Sue.Q don't give up on your fruit - way better than sweets and choc. Keep on doing what you do. We should all be focusing on what we can eat rather than what we cannot. It's a bit like fast days, after a while you adjust and the benefit is you are less hungry and the cravings go.

On addiction @simcoeluv is right. The grain brain thread talks more about addiction from sugars and grains and why. the-5-2-lab-f10/dr-perlmutter-and-his-book-grain-brain-t9346.html Also I think it was a Lustig study where rats chose sugar over cocaine, even when they were already cocaine dependent.

In the meantime, if you were to give up only one 'carb', for me it would be wheat. Wheat increases blood sugar more than table sugar (GI of 71 vs 68).

I'm a fan of cold-turkey switch to low-Carb, as you see the benefit quickly, and get the cravings rapidly under control. But the way one handles change best is very personal.

Its gone very well for me since new year : I started with a fast, followed by 3 days of under 50g carb per day, then a liquid fast. I've lost a good chunk, and I'm not missing anything. I did empty the house of all sweet things first though, I see it like any addiction, help yourself by removing temptation.

Today will be harder as I'm eating lunch in work canteen. Hoping to be able to pick the protein only from the hot counter, and fill my plate with veg/salad. Breakfast will be easy, as they do bacon, egg etc.

Very grateful for this thread, thanks.

I should add I'm loving what I eat! Eggs, cheese, marinated peppers, butter, crackling, full fat yoghurt, cauliflower cheese, lamb tikka, hollondaise sauce, leeks in cream, almonds,avocado and vinegrette, veg curry with coconut milk, garlic mushrooms

Can you tell I'm about to break my fast!

For those of you starting this woe I found Zoe Harcombe free ebook 20 diet myths busted easy reading and informative.It started me on my weight loss journey.
All I want to add to the good advice already given is Don't be afraid of eating natural fat,I am going into my third year of low sugar woe. 5 stone lighter and good blood results, check out my diary page if you want to see that eating Sat fat is not harming me. Good luck to you all.
Chris x

Yes myfitnesspal seems ok, the occasional blip when it fails to register parts of breakdowns, keep an eye on it.
I've yet to actually do other than guesstimate quantities of veg. I'd prefer to not have to count just eat good stuff, but until I've got my eye in on what's what I'll carry on keeping a reasonable daily record on Mfp.

I don't see why being mostly low carb all the time shouldn't be good enough for you. Its no use going very low carb if after 3 weeks you walk into a bakery and devour 3 cakes and half a French loaf whilst stood in the queue. With all changes to a healthier lifestyle it has to be sustainable for you, so baby steps and maybe use a tracker to see what your carb intake actually is on any given day.

@Julieathome i hoped you hadnt spotted me that day in the bakery!
Thanks to everyone for all the helpful carbo advice
Its like a brand new world to me after many years of calorie counting,suddenly there's something different to count Quite refreshing but gonna take a while to get head round Still reeling from 25g carb in an apple! X

I know @CandiceMarie, when you've always looked on fruit as the good guys it's very hard to get your head round the fact that they can be very high in sugars and carbs. Same with root veg like carrots and parsnips. I now treat myself to blueberries and strawberries instead of snacking on bananas, mangoes, dried apricots etc as I would have done previously.

Hi cally!I love berries but i love apples,nanas,pears,carrots and turnip,and parsnips too! Xx

Now bananas, yes, rather indispensable I find and eat them probably four times a week. Very high carb but many good qualities so can't give them up, sorry.

Hmmm just planned today's feed day meals
Comes to a modest 1100 cals..well below my TDEE but needs to be as i have three more stone to shift at least
The carb count is 97 grams tho..
I never say never,but unsure i can ever go cold turkey with the carbs ....would make my feed days a bit miserable i think
In the words of John Lennon..cold turkey - has got me - on the run!