NORTH OR SOUTH, NO CARBS IN OUR MOUTH: 4 week challenge ending 13th June

We have not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you are have any health related symptoms or concerns, you should contact your doctor who will be able to give you advice specific to your situation.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
    on
    permalink

    Hi everyone, Lippy i’m surprised you have time to eat with all those events, happy birthday. Verano, good luck with your review next week, i’m sure it will be good news.

    I am so glad to be back on plan, it makes me feel strong and in control. Still not getting any exercise if you dont count digging over my vegetable patch. Hubby went in the pool yesterday, it was coooold… I was about to but as I finished my digging a storm came over, don’t mind swimming in the rain but worry about lightening. Weight already down and BG back to my normal of about 4.5, insulin at 24 units because of the holiday but will reduce again and get back to 22.

    No idea about meal planning just now, know I have lots of good stuff in the fridge and freezer so basically using experience, take chicken out of fridge look at available veg etc then look at recipe book, no counting calories or carbs but know I am on track as I have had these meals before. Breakfast, 2 eggs scrambled, lunch ploughman’s but left half the cheese and gave hubby half the apple, dinner will be the chicken and still have the cheese over for a night snack. I might just calculate them just to make sure I am okay.

    Back before my edit time was up. Coming in at 709 calories and 20 carbs, not put in veg yet except red pepper and will also have a square of dark chocolate at 50 calories. Yep, still under 800.

  • posted by Michele62
    on
    permalink

    Well I don’t know how I will go with this challenge. It seems to have coincided with a scarey medical drama involving my elderly parents who have ended up sort of stranded of a fairly remote island in Tahiti. I am in Sydney, and they have no technology, so organising things from this end and communicating with them is a nightmare. I’m really afraid my mum will die there and won’t make it home. They are supposed to get a flight tomorrow but on top of everything mum is on warfarin and apparently her blood readings are now not good at all. I was so hoping she would get to the hospital in the capital city tomorrow.

    Sorry for the download but I am lying awake just worrying.

  • posted by greenjanet
    on
    permalink

    ☸️🙏☸️

  • posted by Eileen27
    on
    permalink

    I’m so sorry to read your distressing
    Post Michele62. All you can do is hang on tight and sort out all the practicalities for your parents. It’s about prioritising and concentrating on the things you can achieve. The BSD programme will always be there so don’t fret about it at the moment. Sending my very best wishes for all the strength you need at the moment. X

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Michele62 sorry to hear about your parents. Sometimes just putting ‘pen to paper’ helps. Write away there’s always someone here to ‘listen’ . Best of luck.

  • posted by Michele62
    on
    permalink

    Thanks everyone for your kind words. It helps. All I can do is hope for the best and hopefully sort through each issue as it arises. Good luck everyone with your challenges.

  • posted by Marsie
    on
    permalink

    Michele62, how distressing for you all. Of course you’re lying awake worrying, that’s only natural. I hope you can get some sleep tonight so you can fully concentrate your thoughts where they are needed in the morning. As Verano said, post away if it helps. Am thinking only positive thoughts for you and your parents. Good luck.

  • posted by Marsie
    on
    permalink

    Big tick to all the north/southers who have started this week in good style. Very mixed for me so far, and a poor day today. Am writing it off. A new day tomorrow and I will be much more in charge. Just moving today’s plan, which didn’t really see the light of day, over to tomorrow:
    Plan for Friday 19th May:
    B. Mixed berries, sheep’s milk yoghurt, slivered almonds
    Ĺ. Salad, all sorts, incl cheese. There’s a nice bitey cheddar in my fridge, will
    grate a small portion.
    D. Egg, Haloumie, vegs
    S. (If necessary) 5 Brazil nuts; buckwheat crackers & cheese.

    So, one day at a time, and this will be within my goal of under 900/70.
    Have a good day everyone. I will not nibble ……. I will not nibble ……. I will not nibble …….

  • posted by topcac
    on
    permalink

    Hello all from the back of beyond. I haven’t posted for weeks and as a result I find myself a half stone heavier than I want to be 🙁
    Work has been ridiculous and I’ve been travelling in the far east and the US but I’ve only myself to blame. I’ve come back to try to resolve the issue and because in four weeks on Saturday I’m getting married!!! At the moment my outfit is very snug and I really NEED to drop about 5lbs before the big day. SO that’s my challenge.

    On the plus side, I am still going to the gym and I managed to run 5km on the treadmill in under 30 minutes…twice. So it’s back to the BSD, back to the gym and back to feeling just a little better about myself I hope!

    Michele62 I’m sorry to hear about your parents – it must be so worrying for you – keep us posted and I hope they are OK and get sorted soon

  • posted by Theodora
    on
    permalink

    Michele62, I am so sorry to hear of the problematic situation your parents find themselves in, and please don’t apologise for offloading if it helps, even in a small way. What a dreadful worry for you, I really can empathise because we had a similar situation with my 93 year old father in law last year, but he was only 7 hours drive from us, so at least we could just hop in a car and go to him, but I will never forget the worry and helplessness we felt during that journey. I can only pray that matters can be resolved for your parents and that they can get back home safely. Try to stay strong, it sounds as though they are going to need you and please keep us updated – we are all with you in spirit.

    Topcac, welcome back – we’ve missed you. That half stone will be gone in no time, and certainly in time for your wedding, I’m sure – that’s pretty powerful motivation.

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
    on
    permalink

    Thinking of you Michele62- what a terrible worry for you. Hope things work out. Don’t put any more stress on yourself by worrying about BSD. Sending you love and positivity for a happy outcome.

  • posted by Michele62
    on
    permalink

    Thank you everyone for your kind words and thoughts. The news is much better today- Mum’s scarey blood clotting levels seem to be edging back to a more normal level and both mum and dad sound much more chirpy (or as the New Zealanders say, more like a “box of birds”). Consequently, I too feel much better and not nearly so terrified and helpless. They are still stuck on that island, it sounds as though the firemans strike may continue over the weekend so no planes are flying, but at least she is in a hospital, however basic.

    Thank you all again. It is wonderful to be part of this community.

  • posted by Marsie
    on
    permalink

    Hello topcac, nice to ‘see’ you again. That exciting wedding day of yours is coming around quickly now, isn’t it?

    On the last week of the previous challenge many of us, at Maharani kitten’s suggestion, posted our next day or two’s food plans (mk had suggested the full week’s plan). Some found it helpful, some not but would this help you in your drive towards wedding day?

    In any case, good luck with ‘back on track’.

  • posted by Marsie
    on
    permalink

    Good to hear, Michele62, and fingers crossed that things continue to improve xx

  • posted by Mixnmatch
    on
    permalink

    Two maintenance fast days on the trot now ‘self sabotaged’ for me right at the end of the day. It isn’t showing badly on the scales yet, I am still at target, just running a pound or two higher than I have been lately when I’ve been at the bottom of my 6 pound acceptable range mostly, I am now in the middle of the range. I will try another fast day on Monday, it may have been the change in routine that did me this time, Thursday was not one of my intermittent fast days except obviously on the whole week fast sessions. Monday should be fairly guaranteed, particularly if I have a weekend of excess to feel guilty about, as that always was one of my days.

    So pleased to hear your Mum has improved Michele62, I hope she continues to improve and you can see her soon.

  • posted by Cara54
    on
    permalink

    HI everyone. Starting a bit late on this challenge but aiming to lose 6lbs. Starting weight is 12st 3lbs. I’m a very slow loser and possibly not as committed as I should be. Longer fasts is the key for me. Working up to 36 hours.

    Michele62 I’m glad to hear your mother is improving and hope they both get home safely very soon.

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Michele good to hear things are improving.

    Day 4 of 7
    Yesterday was a strange day. I decided to have a carby day having puy lentils for dinner. A Mary Berry fish recipe that I love turned out to be mediocre not because I cooked it badly, but because I now seem to have gone off lentils! I know that most peoples’ tastes change after a while on this plan and mine had too. I never thought I would go off the more ‘dense’ carbs but seems like I may have done. Possibly not a bad thing.

    I also got my hip surgery date yesterday, September 7th, so I need to become really focused. I have finally, after three months, dropped another stone so onto the next one but I have to lose it in a more respectable time!

    Still trying to stay under 35g of carbs today so I’m off to plan my days food in advance. Hopefully that will help!

    Have a good day!

  • posted by KrysiaD
    on
    permalink

    Michelle – good news about your Mum and hopefully they will be back home very soon.

    Verano – well done on dropping another stone. Good luck with your goal of another stone before your surgery in September.

    I have enjoyed reading everyone’s food diary. My food diary is exactly the same – except for more calories. Actually (and I am not sure whether I should post this) I have to add extra calories at the end of the day (usually stilton cheese or nuts) because at the moment – if I am eating to appetite – the calories are just too low and I don’t want to start burning lean muscle nor do I want to start looking too thin.

    Husband said yesterday that my metabolism has completely changed. I am no longer a cold person with freezing feet and hands but am now a warm person who radiates heat with warm feet and hands. He used to joke that he couldn’t understand how I could be so cold and still be alive.

    It does make you think that this way of eating must be making lots of unseen repairs to the body systems and is not just repairing our liver and pancreas.

    Verano – interesting that you have gone off the dense carbs. I wonder if we start getting more in tune with what our bodies really need from our food – now we are not in the grip of carb and sugar cravings.

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Hi Krysia his strange that you’ve changed from a ‘cold’ person to a ‘warm’ one! I’m sure there must be some scientific explanation but goodness knows what!!

    I was thinking about the lentils and I’m just wondering if in the early days they gave me the same satiated feeling that I got from other ‘stodge’ like potatoes or pasta. Since I’ve not eaten either for so long maybe my body really doesn’t like the feeling you get from carb dense foods anymore. Also I think there is a psychological change. I was looking at an Indian takeaway menu earlier in the week. I just didn’t fancy chicken tikka, my usual go to, and I really couldn’t find anything else I fancied. It’s difficult to eat Indian food without rice which I don’t eat, and I just couldn’t get enthusiastic at all. Ended up having cheese, lettuce and Ryvita!

  • posted by SueBlue
    on
    permalink

    Verano I was at an Indian restaurant today with work colleagues and just had a pot of tea!

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Now THAT’S what I call WILLPOWER!!!!

  • posted by Theodora
    on
    permalink

    Michele62, so pleased to wake up to more positive news on your parents, particularly your mother. Hopefully they will manage to get home soon, but in the meantime all good wishes coming their / your way across the ether.

    Krysia – I’m much the same as you, and am struggling a bit on maintenance! I just seem not to be overly hungry anymore and am having to make up calories, though still keeping off refined carbs! I hesitate to post this too, and I have only been on maintenance for 11 days, so things could change – I have increased my calories by 300 – 400 a day so far, reintroduced fruit and I am having a glass of wine every evening (only to increase my calorie / carb intake, you understand 😜 ) and yet I seem to have lost another 3lbs 8oz in that time! I wasn’t losing that fast on 800! So what’s all that about?

    Oh well, more wiggle room, I guess – and more calories next week..

  • posted by sunshine-girl
    on
    permalink

    Michael glad to hear things are improving. It is always more frightening when you are away from loved ones and cannot do anything. I feel like that every time my daughter has a melt down but it is usually solved in a few days leaving me thinking if I had dashed over it would have been a waste of time.

    Things are going well with the diet and I am losing weight at a good rate (2lbs in 2 days as I only started Wednesday) so much keep my resolve to stay away from the booze over the weekend. Sound like an alcoholic but it is just habit and still being in holiday mode. I have to remember my family will be here in 9 days and I will have that to cope with so want to do my best before.

    BG was up this morning to 126 which is 7.0 but I recognise that this happens now and then for no reason. Intending to be very good and keep on keeping on…

  • posted by Busybee
    on
    permalink

    I’m here, and have been whosed! My new plan may be working – I will have to see how things go over the weekend.
    I feel a little out if things here as many of you seem to be near or are maintaining, but your day to day comments keep me motivated.
    Have a good weekend one and all.
    X B

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Busybee

    Don’t feel out of it I for one have quite a way to go and I’m sure some if the others have too. Glad your new plan is working.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
    on
    permalink

    Whoa there busybee, I am a long way from maintenance and to be honest have not lost a great deal of weight in the long term as I keep putting it back on, a pound here and there then losing it again. I stick with it because of my blood sugars and diabetes and dont worry too much about the weight as long as I know I can get back on and lose it. Only been back on for 2 days and lost 2 lbs but that is only 2 of the 7 I have gained having 2 holidays. It doesn’t matter where you are in the process, what your reasons are, how much you have to lose or how much you have lost, we are all here to support each other. Stick with us and keep on keeping on…

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
    on
    permalink

    Theodora – I am intrigued by your amazing weight loss on maintenance and increased calories. The science of weight loss is difficult to understand for me but I don’t lose that much weight doing 800. It makes me wonder whether my body is in Starvation mode even though I’ve read somewhere that it won’t happen. I drank two glasses of wine last Friday evening and put on 2lb- but that’s me and I do have a job shifting the pounds. I have lost 30lbs so far and that is a MASSIVE achievement for me! I fasted and drank loads of water so that naughty wine 🍷 weight has gone and won’t be coming back. Off to see Take That tonight so hope to sweat of a few pounds in the MEN arena!

  • posted by Busybee
    on
    permalink

    You are all so kind and supportive – what would I do without you?!
    X X

  • posted by Mixnmatch
    on
    permalink

    Theodora, I noticed much the same when I was transitioning to maintenance levels, I was still losing weight, and in some cases more than I did when actually trying to. I put it down to some sort of speeding up of the metabolism, and it does now seem to have abated now I am no longer increasing calories.

  • posted by SueBlue
    on
    permalink

    Verano – thanks but it was more a case of having already planned my food for the day to allow some calories for a glass of wine in the evening, rather than willpower. And it helped that I wasn’t hungry at the time – if I’m hungry then it’s hard to say no. I just sat in McDonalds with my daughters while they ate and I had nothing – but I’d had a good brunch this morning and again wasn’t hungry.
    In the past, pre-BSD, I would have had a snack anyway!
    Theodora – I’m envious! My weight is coming off so slowly. I saw my specialist yesterday though and she said I’ll find it very difficult to lose weight while on Prednisone. I’m not giving up though!
    I used the health station at my chemists today (measures weight, BP, body fat etc) and my heart age is now 47. I’m 51 so happy with that – a few months ago it was coming up as 55!
    Hoping for a loss this week – I’ve been weighing myself daily and it’s up one day, down the next. I’d like to move to weekly weigh ins BUT I must admit I do look forward to weighing myself each morning – I literally jump out of bed and onto the scales! If it’s a gain then it makes me more determined to stick to plan, if it’s a loss then it gives me a bit of a boost for the day.

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Good morning everyone

    Well Day 5 of 7 for me and I feel like a very slowly dripping tap with odd 0.2lb loss here and there! For whatever reason I’m finding it very hard to stick to 35g of carbs a day, so for the rest of this first week I think I’ll stop harassing myself and just put it up to 50g a day!

    Nothing else to report but I hope everyone else is managing their plan well.

    Have a good day!

  • posted by greenjanet
    on
    permalink

    Hi verano
    I’ve never been able to keep it below 50 not unless I just eat eggs and veg, I always have some cheese most days and I eat a lot of fage and berries which alll add up.
    Does the weight not shift on 50 carbs for you
    🙋😀🙋

  • posted by Busybee
    on
    permalink

    Verano, I know that I am not a good example of how to lose weight but I have found that when I am less strict with my calories and carbs, I seem to do better.

    My new gentler plan has shown yet another loss this morning but I will not push my luck by disclosing the number until Tuesday – it has been known that I can put as much weight back on again in as many days!

    Keeping on keeping on one day at a time.
    X B

  • posted by Theodora
    on
    permalink

    CCathy, I was intrigued by the continuing weight loss too (not that I’m complaining) but I don’t want to drop too low – am already 12lbs under target, and whilst loving the new me, don’t want to become “scrawny”.

    Thanks MnM – that’s reassuring to know as I seem to have dropped another 1.25lbs overnight, making 4.75 lbs since the start of maintenence 12 days ago. Mind you, we have had an exceedingly stressful week, so that could be a contributory factor but hopefully things will settle down next week, both life and weight wise.

    SueBlue, you are doing sooo well to be losing at all considering you are on preds. So well done and keep up the good work.

  • posted by Falldown7times
    on
    permalink

    This week I am finding I am much less tempted by extra eating. I am almost missing that fierce hunger I had when I first started.
    You do all seem v experienced on this thread but I have decided to start posting anyway.
    Plan for tomorrow (Sunday). Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast, guests for lunch-I am making soup of some kind. A walk or bike ride in the afternoon. A guest for dinner. OH is cooking. He has been very supportive. He usually makes some meat and a salad with added beans/chickpeas.
    Does the carb counting come from the recipe book? It’s not in the first book.

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
    on
    permalink

    SueBlue- daily weigh ins suit me too- I find it easier to keep in control portion wise etc. Like you I weigh every morning and write it in a book and at bed time I write down everything I’ve eaten and plan for the next day. Saturday morning is my official weigh day and Tuesday is my challenge weigh in. I find this keeps me on the straight and narrow.

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Busybee any loser is a good example!! Yes I do wonder sometimes if a really low carb count can have a detrimental effect. I suppose it’s academic for me at the moment as I just don’t seem to be able to stay very low!! I’m not sure where 30g came from in the first place but it is very low.

    Falldown7times not sure if you use an app or a website for calculating carbs. The recipes in the books do have carb/calorie counts but lots of people use an app as well. The myfitnesspal app is popular but I found it a bit fiddly so I use Fatsecret.co.uk. There’s also a US version Fatsecret.com. The website and the app are interchangeable which is handy but you do need to be careful. Quite often these apps are inaccurate with many choices for each food so you need to be a bit discerning.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
    on
    permalink

    Hi all, day 4 for me and 2.5lbs down. Verano and others, I don’t count carbs or calories as the meals I eat are so well tried and tested that I know I must be on the right level. I know when I’m good and I know when I’m bad. Right now I am very very good and intend to stay that way as it gives me a great feeling.

    BG nicely down to 5.0 and a huge dip to 3.8 yesterday afternoon. Still keeping on… Right now the only negative is that I am not exercising but since exercise doesn’t contribute to weight loss I am happy to bide my time until the pool is warm (dropped by 2 degrees over last 2 days) and I will be swimming daily.

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Great going s-g!

  • posted by 1960smp
    on
    permalink

    Some great stories here and encouraging .
    Huge set back from the beginning of this week for me as I fully intended to get back on track but unfortunately I came down with a bad bout of gastroenteritis which has floored me this week. Have lost 2.5kg tho lol

    Determined to restart this coming week so planning meals today….

  • posted by Falldown7times
    on
    permalink

    Thanks Verano. I really meant where did the concept of having to count carbs come from? I have often been told lately that I don’t explain myself properly when I’m writing. Will try harder. Anyway, just menu planning using the principles of BSD is working well enough for me. My issue will be whether I stick with it, not whether I ate 800 cal or 1000 or 35g of carbs or 55g🙂
    Realised I hadn’t bought smoked salmon so made Chilli cheese scrambled eggs this morning (nice). I’m trying to cook all the recipes in the first book.

    1960smp gastro is horrible you poor thing. Hope you are feeling better.

  • posted by Mariet
    on
    permalink

    Falldoen 7 tines, I never saw the carb thing until I joined the forum but when I started counting I found it helped kick start after a plateau so I’ve continued with it.

    I haven’t posted much but reading everyday, it’s great to see how everyone’s managing so well. I had a blip yesterday, my daughter invited my mother and me for afternoon tea for mothers day because she couldn’t see me last week. It was her first ‘occasion’ in her new flat and she was so proud and had gone to so much trouble I felt mean refusing everything and ended up eating a slice of iced tea bun. It wasn’t even that enjoyable but oh well, it was a lovely afternoon and it made me happy to see her and her fiance so happy and settled in their new place.

    Today I’m doing the Million Paws Walk for the RSPCA with my mother’s dog so will get some good steps in.

    I made a yummy fish curry yesterday in the slow cooker but forgot to turn it off when I went to bed and woke 6 hours later to the smoke alarm and an awful snell through the house 😢 so cross with myself for being so careless and also wasting all that food and effort!

    Hope everyone has a good day today.

  • posted by Natalie
    on
    permalink

    It’s time for my annual GTT – glucose tolerance test – where I will have to drink 75g of pure glucose in liquid form (yuck) and feel nauseous for two hours while they check my blood sugar. I had gestational diabetes ten years ago and since then have had pre-diabetes/glucose intolerance. Two years ago I was up to 10.8 (diabetes would be diagnosed at 11.0 – very close) but last year I was down to 8.9 (much closer to normal 7.8) probably thanks to the reduction in carbs in my diet. Fingers crossed for this year.

    From discussion about this here last year, apparently a lot of places don’t do carb loading. My clinic does. It means for the next three days I have to eat a lot of carbs, I think I’ve worked out previously that if I follow their plan it’s more than 300g of carb a day! It’s a lot more than I would eat even when not on a diet, let alone when trying to follow BSD.

    The rationale behind it is that if you do the test after low carbing the hit of glucose is a bigger shock to your body and you react more violently and can get a ‘false positive’ of diabetes. Other studies show it makes no difference. It’s only three days so I will be following my doctor’s advice, but I expect to put on weight and feel tired and bloated.

    It’s interesting that going by that reasoning, BSD wouldn’t ‘cure diabetes’ in the sense of being occasionally allowed carbs (no one said it did, but people have wondered) in fact it would have the opposite effect and the occasional carb party would have MORE of a detrimental effect not less. Bigger shock to the body. No idea if it’s true. And in any case occasional has to be better than every day in the long run. Probably.

  • posted by Natalie
    on
    permalink

    Edit: they recommend twelve ‘serves’ of carb a day so that is ‘only’ 180g not as much as I said.

  • posted by sue126
    on
    permalink

    Hi All

    Lots of encouraging posts here.

    It makes me think there is hope for me yet when I read posts like KrysiaDs and Theodoras about maintenance – I have never yet reached ‘goal’ on any diet and find it hard to imagine that I will ever get to ‘maintenance’. Obviously, it will only happen if I follow the rules and nobody else can do it for me! I am going to focus now on planning ahead and avoid the alcohol which always sends me to the fridge.

    I weighed in 2lbs lighter earlier in the week but for some reason my legs have swollen up- so much so that I don’t want to get on the scales again in case it looks like gain – that would derail me for sure. I will get back on the scales once the swelling has gone down. Looks like a drs appointment is on the cards.

    Michelle62 I’m thinking about you and hope things are going ok for your parents.

    My mini goals for this week are to record all my food/drink on fat secret, get to the docs about my swollen legs and try to keep cals/carbs to 800/<50.

    Have a good week all.
    Sx

  • posted by SueBlue
    on
    permalink

    Fall down 7 times – nothing wrong with your writing, I knew what you meant when I read your question, just wasn’t in a position to post at the time.

    I haven’t found anything in the books either about amount of carbs. I can’t see how the recommended carbs could be as little as 35, and it would be hard to stay under 50, if you as making recipes from the book.

    For example I made the tomato, lentil & ham soup today from the BSD recipe book and the carb count is 40g! So already over 35.

    I have read lots of posts on here, and on FB, saying to keep carbs under 50g and a lot of people have had success with this. However in some countries (from
    What I’ve read) the carb count doesn’t include fibre and in others it does, so it all gets very confusing!

    What concerns me too is that not all carbs are created equal. Oats for example seem fairly “high carb” but they are a slow release carb, and have an entirely different effect than say a slice of white bread which may have the same carb count.

    I don’t count carbs, just calories, however I’m not diabetic. I guess at the end of the day we all have to do what works best for us.

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
    on
    permalink

    The most wonderful breakfast – Full fat Greek Yoghurt with passion fruit and pecans and a cup of coffee with cream! Just thinking back to the days when I ate a diet yoghurt and wondered why I wasn’t losing weight. I was never full and my tummy always reminded me that I was on a diet becaus I felt hungry all the time. This way of eating is rewarding in so many ways.

  • posted by Luckylinda
    on
    permalink

    Hi all – just wanted to butt in with regards to carb count – I eat a lot of lentils, beans, etc in my diet so my carb count would not fall into the % that seems to be the normal advice here however I am losing weight and feel better than ever. I need to point out that the lentils, etc are what is known as resistant starches that pass through the small intestine without producing glucose and by the time its in the large intestine it starts to produce good bacteria in the gut. i.e beans cause you to…….. 🙂 there are a lot of studies where they believe that it lowers blood glucose. I think we all need to remember that there are good carbs and bad carbs and I believe that once you eliminate ‘bad’ processed carbs we win the battle. Anyway, am hoping that it is so when I get my bs results next week!

  • posted by sunshine-girl
    on
    permalink

    Just joining in on the carb conversation, no-one says you cant have carbs on this diet even the bad carbs. See the bottom of page 87 on easily digestible carbs (bread, rice etc) quoting MM ‘This doesn’t mean that rice and potatoes are evil, but dont pile your plate with them. Think of them more of a side dish than a staple and try to find alternatives.’ unquote. Now to ‘good’ carbs like oats, lentils, beans – quote from page 88, ‘These are the “good” carbs that contain a lot of fibre, making them harder to absorb. Slow absorption is a good thing.’ He goes on to say ‘ Unfortunately genuine “whole grains” are hard to find.’ He then says that wholemeal bread is usually just dyed bread, may contain extra sugars and are highly processed.

    I don’t know where the idea that MM says simple carbs are ‘evil’ when he quite clearly says the opposite, and complex carbs are to be severely reduced. So I would say go ahead and avoid as much simple carb as possible, eat your beans and lentils etc BUT, and here is where the ban on carbs comes in, if you are eating a lot of the ‘good’ carbs you are not going to be able to manage a diet of 800 calories. Good carbs are just that, good for you.

    To reply to Natalie about never being able to eat ‘bad’ carbs again or an instant spike will occur. I have found this to be untrue. If I have a meal out and dare to have a slice of delicious artisan made French bread I do not have a spike or any affect. If, like on holiday, I have just one slice of bread on day one, 3 naughty chips on day 2, then succumb to a small portion of panna cotta then my BG will start to rise. The answer is to have bad carb rarely and see it as a treat and enjoy it then get back to low (no) carbs.

    I hope that is not too preachy but I am quoting from the book. I think the message about carbs has been lost somewhere in our way of eating. I prefer to avoid the usual suspects like bread, potato, rice, etc completely except on the rare occasion for a treat or when I cannot be avoided but that is just my preference, not the rule.

    How am I doing, well I am still losing weight which I love about this plan, nearly 3 weeks trying very hard on holiday, gained 6.5 lbs and now it is coming straight off. Also my BG is back down around 4.8 and 5.2 after it had crept up to about 6.0 and 6.5 as per carb eating comments above. Being very righteous this weekend with the bigger picture in mind, need to lose that 6.5 lbs. Keep on keeping on…

  • posted by Verano
    on
    permalink

    Hi

    Very interesting chat about carbs. I started to think after reading Luckylinda’s post and now having read s-g’s I realise that my diet really needs an overhaul.

    I guess when you keep reading the same ‘advice’ over and over it becomes ‘fact’ in your mind. S-g thanks for the quotes from MM it puts BSD back into perspective. I remember trying to find a ‘number’ for the daily consumption of carbs at the start of this plan, but couldn’t find one in the book. I looked at the diet-doctor website which lays out the daily guidelines for a high, medium or low carb diet. Together with reading the ‘advice’ on these boards, I came to the conclusion that 800/30 was the way to go.

    There have been times over the months when I’ve felt really deprived because I don’t seem to be able to fit the vegetables and fruit, that I would like to eat, into 30g of carbs a day. I have also found that over the last couple of months I’ve been falling into my old WW way of thought ….. how many ‘treats ‘can I cram into my calorie allowance per day. The treats in this case being refined carbs.

    I really don’t have the urge to eat bread, potatoes, pasta or rice but I do miss my lentil soup, and I like butter bean mash of chickpea curry occasionally. I have struggled lately to stay on 30g of carbs a day and I have upped the level but part of me feels ‘guilty’ when I go over 30g, almost as though I’ve ‘failed’.

    So, having read all your posts and wondering about the wisdom of very low carb eating in the long term, I think I’ll stop counting carbs, keep away from the refined stuff and just count calories. As you say s-g it’s difficult to ‘gorge’ on carbs with a modest calorie limit.

    Will let you know how I go!!

Please log in or register to post a reply.