Low carb eating.

Well I was told I must learn not to fear fat.
The reason we were cutting carbs was to help my husband lose weight to help his type 2 diabetes. So I bought a book from Amazon called How to cure your type 2 diabetes by Dr Cavan (it cost me £2.50 secondhand) which put everything very clearly and in easily understandable ways.
I hadn't realised fruit had carbs (bananas etc have LOTS of them) so he had to change his 'fruit ad lib' regime. But cream and butter have none! (so he could have cream but no fruit to put it on and cheese but no crackers!).
He did lose weight and his sugar readings did improve but he found it hard to stick to, and soon started cheating.

NanKate slow release Carbs aren't the same as a low carb diet.I think you probably need different advice for that.
I went low Carb during the Lockdown when I was diagnosed Pre Diabetic.I've since lost more than a stone in weight and have found it surprisingly easy to do.I've had no hunger or cravings and haven't felt as if I was on a Diet being able to eat cheese,butter ,cream etc.
The Diabetes Uk site may be able to help with slow release Carbs.advice

Thanks both of you for your comments. I didn’t realise slow release carbs and low carb were different. I will ask Google for advice.

I am not pre-diabetic fortunately.

Just my experience. The reason for cutting down my carbs was because I’m apparently pre-diabetic. I’ve always eaten wholemeal bread but not really a fan of potatoes, rice and potatoes. I love cake but not so keen on biscuits. I love fruit but not bananas.

Anyway, I’ve settled at wholemeal toast and buttery stuff for breakfast, a small handful of nuts for lunch and a normal dinner minus any carbs. I’ve increased my vegetable intake to compensate to a degree. Fruit is apples, pears and soft fruits, all their natural state but avoid tropical fruits as they are high in sugar. Keep away from as much sugar as you can.

Michael Mosley is very good at explaining the low-carb diet and recommends it. He has also written about it.

I still have the occasional treat and tend to use more oil in my cooking such as olive oil or rapeseed oil. My treats come from no-added sugar recipes of which there are loads but they do use fruit sugars, such as dates sometimes. My favourite right now are chocolate brownies made with sweet potato and ground almonds.

I have lost some weight, not loads as that was not the point. I’ve got used to a lower sugar/carb intake. I’m lucky as I’ve rarely enjoyed fizzy drinks and haven’t drunk alcohol for a considerable time. It’s all about permanently changing how you view food. The best advice I had was to change one thing at a time and take it slowly but do allow some treats, maybe on a Friday (my plan)

Good luck with you efforts. There is plenty of info and advice out there and it does seem to make a difference according to a variety of experts.

I read that cold cooked carbs are better for weight loss than when eaten hot because the starch becomes "resistant starch". So cold cooked rice, cold potatoes etc.

It's also important to reduce the carb portion sizes, of course, and fat is good within moderation because it keeps us full for longer. Unfortunately it doesn't work to eat a huge slab of cheese and virtuously refuse crackers to go with it, much as I would love to!

The theory behind slow release carbs is that they leave you feeling full for longer, therefore you're less likely to snack. In the end, they're still carbs. They still raise blood glucose levels, but more slowly. Hopefully, the pancreas is able to cope better with them and you don't get a steep glucose spike. If you seriously want to cut down on carbs, even slow release carbs should be limited.

Sparklefizz

I read that cold cooked carbs are better for weight loss than when eaten hot because the starch becomes "resistant starch". So cold cooked rice, cold potatoes etc.

It's also important to reduce the carb portion sizes, of course, and fat is good within moderation because it keeps us full for longer. Unfortunately it doesn't work to eat a huge slab of cheese and virtuously refuse crackers to go with it, much as I would love to!

Cheese has its own drawbacks. It's usually high in saturated fats and is often high in salt.

Diabetics are at high risk of heart disease, so it's a balancing act.

ayse How have have you eliminated any carbs from your evening meal? Almost everything, except meat, contains carbs.

Hovis Nimble is the best low carb bread, runner beans, cabbage, cauliflower cabbage are ok, peas not so much, most fruit is high in Carbs ( even though it’s natural) and most root vegetables are high. Milk is high, cream is ok, as is cheese.You can melt cheese over cauliflower, to vary things and go with the meat.
DH is trying to go to 30 carbs which is very low, but it’s working. You can’t and probably shouldn’t eliminate all carbs, unless you are trying to go into Ketosis, which takes a concerted effort and you can get ‘Keto flu’ which makes you feel ropy for a day or so.
Best way is to set a figure and carb count as you would calories, then you can have a bit of something that you like on certain days.

Thanks for the advice folks.

I am on a low/no carb diet - or should I say I have eliminated most carbs in my diet - and have lost more than a stone in 2 months. I miss bread and cake!! But occasional dark chocolate is a nice treat. Thanks for the Hovis Nimble tip. I eat lots of vegetables, chicken, pork and fish and occasional beef. I also eat cheese. Very happy with it and never hungry.

@MrsThreadgoode; I make a cheese sauce for cauliflower by simply melting grated cheese into cream. Not only is it delicious, it's also quicker than making a traditional sauce.

I understand that porridge is an excellent "slow release" carb breakfast - with a range of health benefits. I swear by it for keeping me going through the morning.

Have a look at Dr Michael Mosley’s books - blood sugar diet and Fast 800. He clearly explains the biology of food on your body. Changing eating pattern and habits is always hard but it’s really worth persevering for at least 6 weeks to feel the difference. You may feel hungry at times but you really won’t die of starvation!!

I lost weight on a low carb diet and try to stick to it. My diet was set to 10 units of carbs. With 1 unit per 5 carbs. If you look at the guide on food It will tell you how many carbs are in it. For example say a plain biscuit will say it has a count of 10 carbs in it, so you would have to use up 2 of your carb points! A little pack of porridge has about 20 carbs a serving, so you would use up 4 of your points.

Lots of food like chicken red meat fish etc don’t have any carbs in them so these can be eaten freely. When I follow it seriously I cut out bread, pasta, rice completely, not to mention the cakes and chocolates! Fruit you should not have more than 3 pieces or 10ozs a day, and keep to half a pint of skimmed milk. Like all diets they work if you stick to them.

Sparklefizz, I read that about cold carbs but it said you could reheat. Basically, cook rice, pasta and potatoes and then leave to go cold. Then you can reheat to piping hot and they'll still be a lot lower in carbs.
Obviously don't leave them in the fridge for days before eating, especially rice which grows poisonous compounds.

@NanKate your doctor means low GI foods, this might be useful for you
www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-glycemic-diet

And do look at Diabetes UK, also the NHS website will be able to advise. You need to check your Google sources very carefully. The ads always come at the top and may not be trustworthy.

Lots of advice about low carb eating but it's slow release carbs the OP wants advice about. Search google for high and low glycemic index (GI). This ranks foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. High GI foods release glucose quickly and low GI foods release it more slowly.

Oh dear, trying to lose weight for any length of time needs a lot of willpower. I found the low carb diet, if done properly, was enjoyable but after a while the double cream was so nice I found myself having lots every day with fruit and then having a couple of slices of nimble too for breakfast with 2 fried eggs, and one slice fried it was so nice, but no weight lost after a while of course, now I’m just trying to eat less generally and have had to give up double cream

Cross posts chattycathy! ?

Avitorl can you share with us which low carb diet you followed please sounds easy.

Growstuff, when I say eliminated carbs, I don’t include potatoes, pasta or rice and keep away from root vegetables although I do have fruits such as peppers and tomatoes plus brassicas. I have onions, garlic, beans, nuts etc as well. So not totally carb free but very reduced. Protein in the form of eggs and fish and sometimes meat but rarely.

Dairy is a bit of a problem as I love tea and coffee with milk and cheese but I’ve just cut down on the cheese, difficult for me.

I hope that answers your question