Hi, I’m on day 5 and enjoying this very much (surprisingly easy to feel full on 800cals) although I’m finding it hard to come down below 60g carbs when I’m eating beans and pulses as part of my protein, is this low enough to lose abdominal fat?
Also, within the calories I’m struggling to get protein much over 40g without having to eat a lot of eggs or tofu or resort to supplements such as pea or whey protein powders, which add approx 100cal per scoop. That’s a lot when you only get 800 cals! However, what ‘ve just realised is that maybe I’ve never eaten enough protein before now?
Anyone got any useful advice? I would love to hear from other vegetarians.
Incidentally, I have no idea if I’m at risk of diabetes but I’m 51, noticed I’m spreading a little around the middle and keen to stop relying on carbs so much. I’m am doing the BSD for general health reasons and to adopt a more balanced long term approach to my health and weight management rather than for specific health reasons.
Thanks

Hello Whiskybelle and welcome!
I’m assuming you aren’t a vegan?
I’m neither myself but can think of a few protein rich foods as listed below, that might help. 60g carb a day you most likely would lose weight on but maybe not as quickly as some.
Cottage Cheese
Greek Yogurt
Milk
Broccoli
Almonds and other nuts
Nut butter
Spinach (1 cup cooked is 7g protein and awfully low calorie)
As for eating lots of eggs, eggs are lovely but I agree the calories would racket up if you ate more than 2 a day!

Hi whiskybelle, the best nuts for carb count are pecans, Brazil nuts and macadamias. You can’t really get a lot of protein from nuts because of their high fat content, sad to say. It’s healthy fat and great for you but it makes the calories add up way too fast. Lupini beans might be a good addition to your diet. They’re legumes that are so high in fiber that their carbs net out to zero. No other beans have that advantage. One ounce of Brami brand Garlic & Herb Lupini have 36 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 4 of protein. I eat some almost every day.

Some other vegetables that are relatively high in protein and high enough in fiber to drop the carb count are broccoli rabe, aka rapini, bamboo shoots, collard greens, broccoli sprouts, pea and sunflower shoots.

Good luck!

Thanks for these suggestions, I like them all! I love nuts but they’re far too calorific for this, apart from the odd one or two now and again.
I eat a lot of veg and regularly have spinach and broccoli.

No, I’m not vegan, too restrictive for me I’m afraid. I like eggs and cheese too much to give them up completely.

Lupini beans, they sound great, I’ve seen them when on holiday to Portugal and wondered what they were but can’t (so far, I’ll keep looking) find a supplier in the uk.

I think whilst my calories are so restricted that I’ll add some pea protein to soups and stews and cut back on a snack so that I don’t have to obsess over it. It’ll be far less of an issue once I start building up the calories again.
Thank you!

Broccoli rabe and broccoli sprouts are quite different from broccoli, nutrionally speaking. The sprouts are so low in calories and carbs that you can eat the entire container, or ounces at a time if you grow your own. Rabe aren’t even related to broccoli, believe it or not. They’re the green of a turnip-like plant. They just happen to grow little florets that look very much like broccoli. That’s why they’re so low in carbs, high in fiber and protein compared to broccoli which has a not insignificant carb count and has to be carefully portioned. You can eat mounds of rapini without making a dent in calorie and carb figures. I have literally had 300 grams of them at a time for dinner. They fill you up like crazy too thanks to all that fiber.

Hello Whiskybelle – it’s great to see another vegetarian just starting out here!

I’m in my mid-fifties and was too skinny in my teens and twenties, about right in my thirties, and started to gather padding in my forties. Three years ago or so I lost 1 1/2 stone in 4 weeks on the 5:2 diet, and I wasn’t even very strict with it. Having just been told that my blood sugar is too high, I was about to do it again, but although I looked forward to the weight loss and the days after the light days, I wasn’t looking forward to the tetchiness, brain fog and low mood that always went along with the light days for me. And then I saw the blood sugar diet, which seemed perfect. 🙂 I started on Monday of last week.

As with the 5:2, I am not being as strict as I might be, as my aim is to enjoy it and so keep going. I have got myself a good spiralizer, which I use daily, and have also made cauliflower couscous (I couldn’t call it rice) several times, with success. I’ve bought a couple of kindle books by Celia Brooks – one is veggie recipes for 5:2, the other veggie recipes for low carb eaters. I love them both. The recipes are simple, and once you’ve stocked up, you can just flick through and see what you fancy for your meal! I love eating this way , and it’s not so dissimilar to what I ate anyway, although my OH is a real carbohydrate-lover so I tend to eat more than I would choose of such things, and my alcohol consumption has also gone up in the time I’ve known him! I haven’t weighed myself since I started 10 days ago, but I am comfortably wearing an old bra that I couldn’t get into last week, and I’m feeling much more energetic and positive. I know I’ve lost weight. The OH has baked bread, toasted crumpets and drunk alcohol in my presence, and while I enjoy the aromas, I am strangely zen-like and have no wish to partake. I haven’t felt hungry or tetchy, and my head is clearer than usual. I’ve also slept a bit better.

I have no intention of giving up legumes, and I don’t think it’s necessary for me in order to gain from this. I expect it will be the same for you. I can watch the portions, though. I’m eating more eggs – yum yum – and no longer snacking/grazing on cheese, as I used to do. I’m eating more nuts – following carb-counted recipes from the above books, etc. We have hens and an allotment – and, ironically, this year we had the best harvest of potatoes yet! I eat salads fresh from the garden year round, and really enjoy eating like that.

Great to meet you!