Hi, I’m new to this, week 2. The first week I lost weight at an amazing rate (for me anyway!) and although my energy and blood pressure seemed too low I feel like things will get better once I’m used to it. I exercise a lot – about 5-6 times a week and this usually includes a long run of about 15-20km.
This week the weight has stayed put and even gone up a little. I’m wondering if this is because I’m not counting vegetables as carbs? I’ve not touched bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, sugar (other than lactose in milk and the very odd few pieces of fruit). But I have had a lot of vegetables which are probably high in carbs. Is this where I may be doing it wrong? If so which should I avoid? I eat a lot of butternut squash, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes.
For the record I’m doing the 5:2 where I try to stick to 800 cals on 2 days and low carb/no sugar the whole time. Thanks

Of the veggies you mentioned, the one to use with caution are butternut squash (45cals.11,7g per 100g). As a general guide, root veg tend to be higher in carbs than above ground veg. It could be worth checking the carbs you are consuming and where they are hiding – it’s quite surprising where they are found. If you are wanting to bring your carb intake down, you really need to look at all sources. Milk is also quite high in carbs, so maybe consider using less or swapping to an soya or almond alternative. Hope that helps a little.

Thank you, I hadn’t really thought the squash was a problem but it makes sense so I will watch how much I’m eating. I didn’t realise milk was carbs either so I guess I better cut out the lattes 😀

Those sneaky carbs hide in all kinds of places, so it’s best to check. Full fat milk is around 62cals/5.4g carbs per 100ml, so you can see that those carbs would soon add up. The occasional latte is not a disaster, but better as a treat than a habit perhaps.

Hi Cupperbut,
With the amount of exercise you’re doing, you may not be eating enough carbs. The idea is to ensure that most of your calories come from fat (either in your diet or from your body) but if you are exercising a lot, you risk either burning muscle and/or signalling to your body that it needs to conserve energy.
Take a look at Mark’s Daily Apple – he gives some really good advice on staying in the ‘sweet spot’ where you are having the optimum carbs for your activity levels and weight. It would normally be somewhere between 50 and 150g per day depending on your own body, activity etc.
SSB