Not needing to lose too much weight but do have tummy fat

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  • posted by Rosielowcarb
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    Hi, I’ve just started a low carb way of eating and have speed read MM BSD book today. I have a low BMI and don’t wish to lose too much weight although a couple of pounds from round my waist would be fab. I am going low carb as I can’t control my sugar addiction and realise that bread, rice, pasta and potatoes increase my need for all carbs. Is it possible to see benefits of BSD by still eating small portions of potatoes and rice and upping my fats and proteins? Will I combat fatty liver this way? I’m basically scared to do the 800 calorie a day diet as think I will drop too much weight.
    Thanks for thoughts on this.

  • posted by sixturkeys
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    Hi Rosie. “I have a low BMI” – for family reasons that rings slight alarm bells with me…Can you be a bit more specific? Sugar addiction – are you sure? And high carbs don’t necessarily equate to high sugar. And have you been warned about fatty liver? The BSD is fab – but not waist specific! And all about aiming for healthy bloods for some and healthy weight for others (and by healthy that’s not necessarily by ref to what is a quite broad range of NHS BMI numbers.) And health is much more than numbers on scales anyway!

  • posted by Rosielowcarb
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    Hi,

    Thanks for your reply – to give you more info …

    My bmi is 18.6 and I’m just in the healthy weight range for my height on the nhs calculator as recommended in the book. That’s why I don’t want to lose too much weight but I do carry extra pounds around my tummy – and thought the book suggested that you will lose weight from this area.

    I find that when I eat sugary foods I want to eat more and more of them, that’s why I looked into the BSD as my father also has a very sweet tooth and has prediabetes (he is also not overweight). I have never had my blood sugar checked (think I may do soon) but with my sweet cravings am trying to stop myself following on to prediabetes.

    My aim is for healthy foods but not to lose lots of weight quickly – I’m wondering if to achieve this aim I should keep some of the fast carbs in my diet (rice and potatoes) – in a moderate amount. But will that stop me from shedding visceral fat?

    Thanks

  • posted by sixturkeys
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    Rosie – I am guessing that you are a young woman? At 18.6 BMI on the NHS scale, on any view I would really not have thought visceral fat is an issue. Do you eat full fat yoghurt? If you don’t, do! You will not be getting the sugar hit from low fat products, you will feel wonderfully well and healthily nourished and you will get the calcium you need for healthy bones when you are older – like me 🙁 . The BSD/low carb will not just whittle your waist (which I am sure is lovely and slender anyway). Please look after yourself! If you are worried about family history of pre-diabetes predisposition, please check with your GP first before wholesale cutting out or down of food groups.

  • posted by SaltySeaBird
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    Hi Rosielowcarb, I have the same issue as you – BMI of 20 but always a ‘tummy’ even when the rest of me looks scrawny. I have found that cutting out the starchy carbs – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc makes a big difference. And it works both ways – tummy fat goes down quickly when I cut them out but comes back ridiculously quickly when I start eating them again. Like you, I too am a sugar addict, although I have managed to break the starchy carb addiction. I don’t watch calories because I don’t need to lose more weight, but religiously cutting the starchy carbs does have a huge impact.
    The other consideration is just body shape – I have long legs (even though I’m only 5’3”), but I have a short body which, as Trinny and Susanna (remember them?!) said, you literally have less room for your intestines so I guess I will always have a ‘roundness’ there.
    Good luck with it – if it helps, I finally bought (and wore!) a bikini last summer!
    SSB

  • posted by Rosielowcarb
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    Hi SSB

    Thank you for your reply. I’m glad to hear that cutting the carbs does have the desired effect on the tum! I think I will also not watch calories, eat plenty of good fats and protein – and keep the carbs to a minimum and see how it goes. If I get too scrawny I guess I can always add some potatoes but never sugar!

    Sorry to say that good old Trinny and Susannah are wrong with me – long legs but also long torso! My intestines have no excuse.

    Well done on the bikini! Gives me hope 🙂

  • posted by SaltySeaBird
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    Hi Rosielowcarb – I’m very jealous! I do like having long legs but a short body needs careful dressing otherwise I look like I have been squashed! Or like a lollipop.
    Interestingly, I actually find the starchy carbs, especially the grain-based ones, worse than sugar. I haven’t yet been able to drink coffee without sugar – it doesn’t seem to affect me much whereas a sandwich or rice cause my belly to bloat out (very unpleasant!).
    SSB

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