Low carb eating.

Fatigue. How you deal with that depends on how long, what brings it on, what have you already tried etc. If you feel nutrition may affect it, (My own opinion... Of course it does), then you need to do some serious reading and thinking - GP's general advice from their computer will not fit everyone. I have found Patrick Holford's books useful - but nothing works unless you do it. The question to ask yourself is how do really well people live and where is that different from what you do. Wishing you well.

I still live by the mantra - eat sensibly, with the occasional sinful treat.

Immediately ordered the book.

I have been eating low carb for over 4 years now. Initially, because I discovered that I was on the verge of pre-diabetes, and also suffered terribly from bloating and indigestion. I was also overweight at 11.3 stones and 5 feet tall.

Ditching high carb food made such a huge difference to me, even though I never ate lots of carby stuff. I lost two stones over the course of about a year, so that was a huge bonus, and my energy levels increased too.

I don’t eat bread, potatoes, rice or any wheat products, as I seem to have developed an intolerance to them, and feel uncomfortable if I do. I do eat pasta once a week, but only a small portion. I can’t eat fruit either , as it contains fructose which disagrees with me. (And wheat contains fructans, another intolerance).

I agree that the Diabetes. UK website is an excellent resource for info on low carb, and also Diet Doctor for meal ideas.

lizzypopbottle

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.

I quite agree. OP is not asking for low carb help and has already mentioned that she is not sure how it is different from slow release carb. They are different and talking about them as if they are the same won't help! The GI guide is the right thing to look at.

Slow release carbs are things like brown rice, whole meal bread, wholewheat pasta, lentils, beans, sweet potatoes. The easiest thing to do is swap refined carbs - white bread, pasta, rice etc. For the slow release version. They fill you up better and you don’t crave more quickly. I’ve lost 2 stone by reducing refined carbs. Feel so much better.

Slow release carbs, isn't that the GI diet?

Thank you all for your useful info which I am researching.

My consultant is trying to work out about my fatigue. I keep telling him that every time the doctor lowers my thyroxine for my underactive thyroid I function less well and sleep more. He won’t put my tablets back up to what I used to have and is searching round for other reasons. Hence his latest suggestion of changing my diet which I think is pretty good and I am only marginally a few pounds higher than what I should be.

Fish!

Kippers for breakfast = zero carbs, but packed full of heart caring nutrients

choughdancer I suppose it's understandable, given the title of the thread.

Not on low glycemic diets but on losing weight: I have lost almost a stone, slowly, little by little. This was not by cutting any sort of food out or by eating only healthy food. There are lots of healthy, filling foods I can’t eat because of illnesses I have. I just stopped eating puddings, cakes, biscuits, crisps, snacks etc as a constant thing. Also I have moderate helpings. I do eat the occasional fat inducing thing. I had chips by the sea. My daughter bought me a French tart. But I had it over two days rather than gulping it down. I have porridge for a treat most nights and I do put a little sugar on it. If you try never to have any food pleasure I think your will breaks. If I do have a bit more one day then I will have a bit less that evening or the next day to make up for it. It has worked for me. The truth is I was eating too much. To cope with boredom, pain, anxiety -whatever. But it doesn’t work really. You are only distracted while the food is in your mouth. It can become habitual. Especially with sugar. Which is addictive. I feel happy with this way of eating. I want to lose another 3/4 stone or so and then I will have a few more treats perhaps but just eat enough to keep my weight more or less steady. Maybe it could work for other people here too who are struggling.

NanKate In her 50s, my mother was overweight and would get up, have breakfast and half an hour later would be asleep on the settee. A thyroid test showed her level to be "within the normal range" (according to her GP) so thyroxine was not prescribed. Consulting another GP in the same practice, she described her condition again. That GP told her that although her thyroxine level was in the normal range, it might not be normal for her! Thyroxine was prescribed and she was a changed woman. She lost weight and her energy levels improved.

ayse

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

Yes, it did. So you didn't eliminate carbs; you reduced them - that's why I asked.

Chaitriona well done for cutting out the sweet stuff! I did it too and dropped a stone in weight effortlessly and without going hungry. I haven't given up carbs or a glass of red wine. I still eat bread, pasta and potatoes but I just don't eat sweets, chocolate, cake, biscuits or sweet pastries. I will never go back. I'd feel like I'd failed but I can be a tiny bit obsessive! ?

lizzypopbottle

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.

I agree. There's a lot of confusion about the difference.

BTW Measuring glycaemic load is possibly more useful than the GI of individual foods. One of the simplest ways to reduce the glycaemic load is to eat something fatty with a carb-dense food, eg. butter on toast, cheese on pasta. A small sweet dessert following a meat/veg meal has a lower glycaemic load than a piece of sugary cake on its own.

Neither reducing carbs nor GI is necessarily a weight reducing diet, which depends on calorie intake. That's why eating loads of double cream, which is low carb, won't help anybody lose weight.

I don't need to lose weight, but I am diabetic and don't want glucose spikes because my pancreas can't deal with them and I feel fatigued. Therefore, I try to space out my carb consumption throughout the day and avoid sugary snacks. My guess is that many people can't cope with sudden glucose spikes.

Last year I'd been suffering from something similar and saw a nutritionist, she recommended slow releasing carbs like brown rice, quinoa etc but plenty or protein in a meal as well.

I'm sure you're right growstuff. I used to teach infants and many a child with a sugar/ white carb heavy packed lunch would run out and dash around like a maniac after lunch then nod off on the carpet once back in the classroom. That's why literacy and maths are morning subjects. Mind you, many children came to school having had no breakfast which meant no food from their last meal of the previous day...

I would recommend The Diabetes Weight-Loss Cookbook, Katie &Giancarlo Caldesi with a Foreword by Dr David Unwin which gives a good insight to low Carb.eating.
Also Carbs&Cals Counter,in association with Diabetes Uk.
I have cut out bread,pasta,potatoes and all obvious sugary things from my daily diet.I haven't counted calories.I don't think of it as a weight loss diet but as my new way of eating and that is the important thing to keep in mind.
I have been on many weight loss diets throughout my life which worked when I was on them, all except Slimming World, and I gained weight with them! Looking back at Slimming World I was told I could eat as much Pasta as I wanted which is exactly what I should be avoiding.I hope they no longer give that advice.Perhaps they just underestimated how much Pasta I could eat! The big difference on how I lost weight with Low Carb is that I lost inches off my waist very quickly which hadn't happened on previous diets.I was on daily Omeprazole for Digestion problems before I changed my diet and now only use it occasionally.
I am Hypothyroid and was very tired and low after my Thyroxine doseage was reduced but cutting down on Carbs has given me more energy and improved my mood slightly.
If you have managed to read all of my post well done! I hope it helps and doesn't sound too "preachy".My pre Diabetic diagnosis really shocked me into doing something about it especially when I read that Alzheimers is sometimes know as Diabetes 3.

Thank you, Lizziepopbottle. Sandelf suggests we look at “how really well people live”. Sadly, it is not possible for all of us to be really well and it can be painful to compare our lives with others. I know this is not what you meant, Sandelf. Not a criticism, just a reflection.

I am currently trying to follow a low card diet, due to Type 2 Diabetes. Sadly, I love potatoes and really miss them. I eat eggs, sausage or fish fingers with Tinned plum tomatoes for breakfast (previously it was Crumpets or Bagels), and a lunch with meat and vegetables. My hubby and I eat our main meal in the middle of the day, and would normally have a sandwich for Supper. Since bread is "out" for me, I have the fillings on their own! I don't enjoy ANY meals, as I've also been told to cut out salt. Everything tastes horrible! I guess I am eating less, simply because I no longer enjoy my food. Weight loss if any, is not yet noticeable!

I’ve been Keto for about five minutes this and lost a stone and a bit. lol got Ginger keto in the uk on fb and you tube she is. Wry informative. You can buy low carb bread in Sainsbury’s. Mostly you follow high fat low carb 20f per day and medium protein. You can find a macro counter in line. Just google keto and you’ll find load of stuff. Watch fat fiction in prime or utube and then fasting as it goes in nicely with keto. Any questions just ask

Can you share the recipe for brownies made with sweet potato and ground almonds please, ayse? Thank you.

Oooh same as Grannyjacq1. Recipe for the brownies please! ?

I don’t eat carbs or sugar. I follow the Ketogenic way of eating and feel so much better for it. I never had a sweet tooth anyway so changing was not too difficult. I don’t eat potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, grains and pulses or milk. I do eat leafy greens, cream, butter, cheese, eggs, nuts, fatty meats and I season my food well. Meals are so tasty. I have lost some weight (I didn’t have a lot to lose), my aches and pains have all but disappeared, I have no indigestion. Fat doesn’t make us fat, it is the sugars and carbohydrates that cause a lot of health issues and weight gain.

Just saw the post about brownies, they are lovely made with avocado pears. Gives them a lovely fudge like texture and full of healthy fats. I also cook with goose fat.