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Dieting & exercise

A new low-carb support thread for 2016

(995 Posts)
Mamie Fri 01-Jan-16 05:59:16

Thought we needed a shiny new thread for the New Year.
The thread is intended to support people who are already on the diet or want to start losing weight / gaining health benefits by low-carbing.
Here is a simple explanation of this way of eating and how it works.
www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
You do not have to count calories, weigh anything, exercise furiously or feel hungry.
You do have to cut out sugar and sugar-substitutes and avoid starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta.
You need to eat lots of vegetables (especially those grown above ground) and protein which can be cheese, eggs, meat, fish etc. You can eat olive oil, butter and other natural fats. You can eat limited amounts of fruit, dark chocolate and some alcoholic drinks in moderation.
You need to avoid anything labelled low-fat and most processed food and drink.
Here is a link to the Mumsnet low-carb bootcamp thread, for those who want to lose weight more quickly than the diet adopted by most people on the existing Gransnet thread.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/low_carb_bootcamp
Here is a link to the original Gransnet thread - though there is absolutely no need to plough through it before you start. grin
www.gransnet.com/forums/dieting_and_exercise/1214778-Support-and-ideas-for-those-on-low-carb-diet

We aim to help each other by offering ideas, recipes and support. Welcome aboard!

WilmaKnickersfit Sat 09-Apr-16 23:26:33

Good to see you here wot.smile

Mamie do you sell any of your fruit and vegetables? You could have one of those little stalls at the entrance to your drive with an honesty box. grin

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 16:13:28

We are trying to eat last year's vegetable crop before we start again....

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 16:11:54

Been trying to empty one of my 3 freezers. I've been trying to do that since Christmas but it keeps re-filling itself! Never did that when I was hard up, though!

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 16:10:20

Yes, Okay!

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 16:04:36

Most of us make cauliflower rice or spiralized courgetti. However if you have got it all ready I would have a small quantity of pasta and start properly when you have had a bit of time to plan!

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 15:44:32

Sorry to be a nuisance but I've got all the ingredients out for a spag bolognaise or rissotto but what about the paste or rice?

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 15:36:46

I posted this a couple of pages back.
Low carb explained in 60 seconds!
www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 15:35:00

Coffee and cream fine. Trifles no good because of cake and sugar. We have two puddings so far, chocolate mousse with dark chocolate and eggs and a cheesecake with a nut base.
It isn't Atkins because you can have lots of veg, especially the above ground sort and some fruit.

whitewave Sat 09-Apr-16 15:15:58

We are still at it - chicken and leek pie with cauliflower mash instead of potato ( made two) from freezer and green beans and probably carrots.

DH lost half a stone me a bit less but on downward trajectory and hoping blood sugar levels also dropping.

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 15:13:48

So what about creamy trifles???? And coffee and cream?

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 15:13:14

I'll have a look! It sounds like the Atkinson diet. Oh, I love toast and butter. I also love the things I would be allowed.

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 15:04:15

No, you don't count calories at all. You cut out sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, puddings, cakes, biscuits and anything else heavily carby and eat meat, eggs, fish, lots of veg, fats like butter and olive oil, cheese and limited fruit. Have a look at the Diet Doctor link in my OP.
Welcome aboard!

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 14:50:20

Yes, shysal, I'll just use a neck upwards mirror!

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 14:48:44

Okay, thankyou, I will join! I've only dieted once in my life and that was in 2001 before I went to Spain. I used Slimfast and I was hungry all the time. I lost 2 stone in 2 months but a few months later I had to have my gall bladder removed and loads of my hair fell out! I blame it on that diet. I don't even like the Eton Mess but thought I couldn't let partner eat it all plus he gives some to our dog which is bad for her. Is this a calorie counting diet? I'll p[robably freeze half the puds before I let partner near them!

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 14:33:34

Meant to report on last night's dinner. We did lamb shanks with citrus - lamb, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, white wine, juice and rind of a lemon and an orange. Served with cauliflower gratin. I normally find lamb shanks a bit heavy, but this was light and delicious.

BBbevan Sat 09-Apr-16 14:33:31

Go on Wot, join us. smile

Mamie Sat 09-Apr-16 14:23:14

Are you joining us wot?
No Eton Mess or trifle though. grin

shysal Sat 09-Apr-16 14:21:33

wot grin. Don't take any notice of the mirrors in clothes shops! Stick to your favourite at home, and don't wear your glasses!

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 14:19:06

I got 2 pairs for £20. They're leggings so show the sausage thighs. One pale khaki and one light beige.

wot Sat 09-Apr-16 14:16:42

I went to buy some summer, light coloured trousers today as I had a £5 voucher if I spent £25. I had to get a bigger size than last summer (16) and was shocked when I saw myself in the mirrors. As I've been wearing stretchy leggings/boots all winter, I didn't realise I had put on weight! When I got to the till, the chap serving said "you need to spend another £1" so I grabbed a mint aero large bar of choc. I've just eaten two thirds of it aaarrrggghhh! Also my partner keeps coming home with Eton Mess and large trifles. Double chins have appeared as well!

shysal Sat 09-Apr-16 13:22:56

Thanks to mamie for recommending the Elizabeth David chocolate mousse, it is so simple and delicious! I tried it the other day, without any alcohol. As I have a sweet tooth I added a few drops of Vanilla Stevia liquid, bought on Ebay, which is very useful in baking.
experimentsinasmallkitchen.co.uk/2013/01/14/super-simple-chocolate-mousse/

BBbevan Sat 09-Apr-16 12:12:24

Pippa, I have just made your cheesy buns. Absolutely brilliant.Thank you so much.

Anya Fri 08-Apr-16 13:00:17

You’re so right that it’s really challenging to figure out how much added sugar is in certain foods, especially yogurt. Food labels tell you the total sugar including both the naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. Yogurt contains lactose, which is a naturally occurring sugar. Even plain yogurt will have sugar listed on the label, but you won’t see any type of sugar in the ingredient list.

WilmaKnickersfit Thu 07-Apr-16 23:31:32

Anya good to hear your Wi-Fi is sorted. We only eat Lidl's full fat Greek yogurt and it has 5g of carbs in a large pot, so it's definitely LCHF. wink I have been focusing on what I can eat for the last 6 months and have tried lots of new food products and recipes. That's why I'm now admitting it is a struggle because I haven't found it particularly satisfying.

But I do think we (me and my DH) can make it easier for ourselves by monitoring for a little while just how many carbs we're eating because I suspect it's too few. I know from past experience with losing weight what food stuffs are high/low in carbs, but I realised that I have only checked the actual number of grams for a couple of things we eat. The rest of the time I just make low carbs choices. The result might be that we're too close to the 20g a day limit followed by the ultra-low carbers (not us at all!).

It will do no harm to plan our food by counting carbs for a few days.

Riverwalk half a can of low salt/sugar is still over 20g of carbs which seems like a lot to me. But on checking the Diet Doctor website, between 20g and 50g is the daily guidelines for moderately low carb, so half a can of beans doesn't seem so bad then. And that's not taking fibre into account, so you can eat more than 50g if needs be on occasion. Thanks! grin

Riverwalk Thu 07-Apr-16 22:01:44

Wilma regarding baked beans - I'm a low-carbie and a foodie and eat Heinz BB (reduced salt and sugar) at least three times a week for breakfast.

I have half a can (200g) topped with two fried eggs and a couple of chopped anchovies ..... delicious smile