The FastDay Forum

Hi all newbies to the carb avoiders teepee or whatever form of glamping tent this is!

You'll find that the definition of low carbing varies according to who's talking. Some say under 20g, some 50g, 75g, 100g etc. However, really it depends on your body as to how low you need to go.

I find I need some carbs or I can't sleep and, tbh, I don't want to avoid all bread, pasta and, more importantly, cake. So, I try to avoid what I deem unnecessary carbs. Now my appetite has shrunk, limiting bread, potatoes etc means I have more space for the main event (meat, fish and of course veggies) and a little space for a cake occasionally. However, because I'm pear shaped I don't think I'm as sensitive to carbs as some so I have under 150g most days but a couple of low carb days to bring the average down to around 100g. Many would not describe this as low carb.

As we know, fasting is low carb in itself (if you're not eating, you're not having carbs) so it may be that the daily 16:8 fasting I do let's me get away with this carb level.

It'll be interesting to see what level of carbs each of us settles on!

good morning all you lovely experienced and prospective low-carbers! I am not sure I am completely in the right tent, but I do want to dip my toe in the water (without mixing too many more metaphors!). I have been a dedicated low glycaemic index girl for the last 13+ years since diagnosing myself with diabetes, and the results (along with a fair bit of exercise) have been pretty acceptable to me. But I do feel it's time to up the ante a little bit - after all, I did realise when poo-pooing low carbers like Peter Attia recently, that actually I do habitually restrict my carbs to around 150g per day (10 serves of 15g or less) and this is now second nature - but I think I can now go lower - after all, on my fast days, I must have less than 20 g, and the sky hasn't fallen yet - although I am significantly more constipated (sorry for the graphic reference). (TMI? - whatever that stands for!!). But I find my tolerance for carbs on my days post-fast is much less - I can fairly easily go 75g, and I find I just don't feel like my usual muesli plus other stuff. Having said that, I just don't want to give up all grains & legumes at the moment - I love my lentils! and barley! and even a small serve of pasta (durum wheat is low GI). And I've been a bread girl since I was a child - now it's ever only really grainy, but I do overdo it sometimes.

So my plan is at this stage, subject to experimentation, but since I'm fasting 3 days a week at the mo, it'll be 3 days of less than 20 g, 3 days of 75ish g, and 1 day of 150 g. Plus some psyllium husk in water. I'm just not a great fan of red meat, and don't want to up my protein intake too much, so it'll be fats - nuts (love them) avocado (love it) and olive oil - I'm not sure whether I can get my brain around the saturated fat thing at the moment - one change at a time! And I totally
agree with @bordergirl - it just has to be yummy, otherwise, as my father used to say," you don't live any longer, it just SEEMS longer".

So what do you reckon, everyone, do I qualify?

Blimey @Azureblue it's certainly not a tent now marquee maybe barn conversion maybe orangery possibly glamping ohh whatever this is growing very fast indeed get it christened quick!!!
Well as I said I'm not counting yet maybe I should start but I did start naturally by waking up on mornings after fasts not hungry and skipped breakfast therefore saving both calories and carbs this was at this point primarily for my weightloss had already stopped the sandwich at lunchtime for the same reason, I then read on this forum about carb related water retention so I reduced my potatoes = 3 mealtimes changed
= 3 meals all reduced in carbs = 3 small changes in my life
= A Totally " new" and different person now able to wear normal albeit "wide" fit footwear no more sandals in the snow!!! = Happy + Emotional Me x

PennyForthem wrote: Instead of a tent, I think we should be glamping!

I nearly choked on my peanuts at that

and here's a really urgent one from my own thread (I've not finished reading this one yet)...

FatDog wrote: @loversghost and any others considering the CBB book


I DON'T LIKE TO SHOUT, BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT!

IF YOU'RE GETTING CBB'S LOW-CARB VEGETARIAN FROM AMAZON BE AWARE THAT THE PRICE CAN FLUCTUATE WILDLY!!!

GIVE IT A WEE WHILE AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET A SEMI-DECENT SECOND HAND COPY FOR UNDER A FIVER + P&P... PLEASE DON'T GO PAYING THIRTY QUID OR SO FOR IT!

xxx FatDog

Oh, and her new one is just out - and is, hopefully, on its way to the FatDog household as I type

I'm in too.
As I liquid fast two days a week, apart from splashes of milk in my mugs of tea, I think for those two days I only have maybe 10g a day.

Lately, well OK since Christmas my carb monster has been well and truly in control. But this evening I hit my carb wall, and just put all the cakes, chocolate and biscuits in tins and shoved them out of sight in my cold store cupboard.

My plan is to keep to the two liquid fasts each week, to try and stick to 16:8 on all other days. I miss breakfast everyday anyway, which also means missing out on the carb loading a cereal or bread based breakfast can give. Plus most importantly for me, I will be avoiding wheat as I am intolerant to wheat, but am addicted to it too. I have read Wheat Belly and it was his book that knocked me out of the standard thinking about high carb as being a good way to go for weight loss.

So, the plan is:
Lock away high carb foods but not ban them totally.
Cut out wheat based products.
Less than 20g carbs on fast days.
16:8 and mindful low carbing on non-fast days.

I'm not going to be mega strict, I have been mega strict before but I don't want to go down the restriction path again, unless its to curb my IBS which is a health based reason, it could turn a fun way of losing weight into yet another 'DIET'.

Some quick reference pointers for carbs in normal everyday foods. The amounts are approximate, use your own tracker to work out yours. I've used cups as once you have used a cup measure you can visualise it easier on a plate than 100grams of each different food.

It would be so easy to go over 100g a day. A bowl of wheetabix, half a cup of milk on it and 2 teaspoons of sugar is 42 g of carbs already. Add in 2 slices of bread in a lunch time sandwich, then a cup of rice, pasta or mashed potato for dinner and your 100g is well and truly smashed.

1 thick slice (60g) of supermarket bread = 24g carbs
Mashed potato 1 cup = 40g carbs
Rice cooked 1 cup = 45g carbs
pasta cooked 1 cup = 36g carbs
Sugar 1 teaspoon = 4.2g carbs
Carrots cooked 1 cup = 13g carbs
Wheetabix x2 = 26g carbs
Milk full fat 1 cup = 11g carbs

Julieathome wrote: Some quick reference pointers for carbs in normal everyday foods. <snip>

Aye, and there's the rub. Carbs lurk in most foods - especially the things one likes bestest... I probably don't really need to say this, but I'll restate it anyway: it's the processed carbs that are the ones to eliminate first

I used to have a good link to a Harvard Uni page - but it's gorn (much of the text, but none of the useful lists, is now on a waffly commercial link on how to lose weight, and I ain't going there); a swift search turned this up and it doesn't look *too* ill-informed http://ironmightfitness.com/2013/08/10/ ... ic-health/

Anyway, if you're an omnivore you're probably pretty safe eating as much of that flesh as you like without worrying about carbs

If you're veggie (not vegan), help yourself to cheese and eggs (organic) without any compunction... (though beware cheeses with "stuff" in them - e.g. wensleydale with cranberries can be 11.6g/100g carb, a definite no-no - and even plain cottage cheese can be *very* high in protein).

Vegan, you're a bit straightened, as pulses are somewhat carbiferous, and tofu can get tedious I'd not like to try doing low-carb if I were you, but this veggie list might help

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whatto ... hatveg.htm

Carbs do lurk in the most *infuriating* places:
*** no. 1 culprit is "low-fat" anything - just don't go there;
*** fruit - sorry, cut it to one or two pieces a week, veggies are *much* better;
*** if it tastes sweet, it probably has high(er) carbs in it, e.g. sweet root veggies such as parsnips ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS on repair days, and are only friends in moderation otherwise;
*** legumes - seem to vary *hugely* depending upon producer / retailer: check the label, big time (I've seen 10g/100g differences in tinned lentils, whether these differences are real or not, I'm not sure, but I'd go for the lower one anyway).

I could go on (and should do a proper list on my log at some point) but need to go to bed

If you've low-carb veggie questions please fire them at me (preferably on my thread as that's where I regularly check in) and I'll do my *very* best to answer them (I'm a wee bit evangelical about this, if you've not noticed / encountered me before) and, if I can't answer I will try to find somewhere / one that can

HUMONGOUS GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL ON YOUR LOW-CARB JOURNEY!!!

Methinks you'll not regret it - and it can be great fun / an adventure

xxx FatDog

Edit: I've never used so many smileys in a single post in my life! Must be the subject matter that's o'er excited me or something? Woof! xxx

Hi @candicemarie and @callyanna. Yes I would recommend meat when starting out. I really admire @fatdog especially me being both an ex veggie and vegan, but I would have to be really, really dedicated to do that as well as low carb and I do struggle to digest dairy, especially cheese, even though I love it.

I stick to meat, fish and eggs with plenty of nuts, but it tends to be in small portions - the rest being made up of veggies and some fruit (low carb ones like berries), although I do succumb to the odd banana from time time

Eggs are particularly good when low carbing and I eat the whole thing, not just the white. I will also eat a steak normally once a week. A small steak (around 125g), is really filling and easy to have with some salad or veggie. It's also very easy when eating out, which I do alot with work and of course socially.

Don't eat cured meats as most of them have been treated with sugars of some sort and they are not that good for you anyway, Although I have to confess to have a chorizo weakness....

Couple of good links: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome- ... z2pbRtGuWe
http://paleoista.com/what-is-paleo/

Load up on coconut oil and of course butter. Coconut oil is good for cravings. @gillymary and I will have you all on bulletproof coffee eventually..... I don't drink milk (high carb), but I will have cream in my coffee if I can't have a bulletproof one....

Posting this link for all those with a renewed interest in reducing carbs.
the-5-2-lab-f10/dr-perlmutter-and-his-book-grain-brain-t9346.html

I think my 2014 resolution should be to lower my carb intake to just once a day and try laying off the sugar as much as possible.

Lots of good advice here in the glamour tent for low carb novices, thanks guys. Am trying to keep below 50 gr on fast days and 75 on tues/thurs/fri which are my 16:8 days. Weekends are a bit of a free for all but am SO back on the wagon. Interesting comment from Caroline about pear shapes not being carb sensitive thats me so maybe thats one good thing about my body shape. Will keep checking in for the great advice and chat

Silver darling I am so impressed with your library sleuthing skills I am in awe. I will have amlocal op shoppe fossick and the order especially if gluten free. Thank you still

'Library sleuth' - love it. But it's what we do

I am in as I am trying to cut the carbs a bit. Not to lose weight, obviously but to try to see it could help to tone up quicker. For now I have a list with the fruits and vegs low in carbs for the soups on my fast days

This afternoon, I'll go to an organic store to see if they have some coconut oil and I may try bulletproof coffee after but as a black coffee drinker without sugar and anything else in it, to see "eyes" in my coffee may be difficult. More than that, I hate the taste of coconut so I may try to have a tps of coconut oil and a sip of coffee as quickly as possible to drown the taste

Hi

I'd like to join too,I am currently doing Fast-5 (19:5) seven days a week and making Mondays and Thursdays special by going under 20 grams