Low Carb New person

jam_mac_jam

Ok, I have been trying the low carb thing for the last two weeks. I read the Atkins book and dukan diet. Dukan is too low fat so I am leaning towards Atkins but eating about 30g rather than 20 recomended for induction.

I have cut out all the usual, rice, beans, sugar, chick peas, hummus, fruit. I dont eat bread or pasta much anyway so that is no real change. I have been eating oat bran pancakes, much more egg than oats though, really just for some fibre, about 10g of oat bran in a pancake. What I am worried about is vitamins, I read that I am going to loose calcium, kidney problems etc. but if I am eating lots of veg I presume I will be fine. I am eating lots of veg and I am also eating plain yogurt which I dont know if is ok? I am finding it very hard to eat so much fat. I dont think my body is used to it instead of oat cakes and hummus now I have to eat cheese. So I am not really counting exact amounts, aiming for about 2 lbs a week, can you advise is the below ok?

Breakfast: oat bran (ten grams oat bran) pancake, cream cheese with ham or eggs and a baby bell.
Lunch : fish and veg. nearly every day, some days chicken. Veg would be peppers, tomatos, cucumbers, cabbage,carrot(not the best veg for low carb, I know)
Dinner, stir fry, chilli, beef tagine, all with extra veg like green beans or pak choi.
Snacks, yogurt, cheese, chicken legs

I am finding it very hard when I am out, in a shop or something to get anything, any ideas or suggestions for foods to eat or recipes, if I have to eat smoked salmon again I think I will cry even though I love it. I am also eating a lot of sliced ham, is this very bad for me?

Blatter

There's good threads about low carb recipes here and here.

Transform

how much weight do you think you have to drop?

jam_mac_jam

Transform wrote: »

how much weight do you think you have to drop?

about another half stone, maybe ten pounds.

jam_mac_jam

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

There's good threads about low carb recipes here and here.

Thank you, they are very good threads and I didnt see them before even though I did a search. Some very good ideas there.

pink-mist

I'm following the southbeach diet, its like a healthier version of atkins (less saturated fats, more from nuts/seeds etc)

You should check out some of the recipes online for the southbeach,
Quiche seems quite popular, along with salads and stirfrys. Even raw carrot fingers dipped in hummus is nice - you just have to blend up a can of chick peas with some garlic & herbs, takes two seconds and its cheap!

If i'm on the go I usually have one of those manhattan bags of popcorn when i'm really hungry, or a yogurt, apple, or some chocolate milk. I know fruit can be a bit of a no-go area but I include it, its better than getting ravenous and buying a snickers :P

pink-mist

pink-mist wrote: »

If i'm on the go I usually have one of those manhattan bags of popcorn when i'm really hungry, or a yogurt, apple, or some chocolate milk. I know fruit can be a bit of a no-go area but I include it, its better than getting ravenous and buying a snickers :P

Is south beach not low carb? And you have popcorn or fruit or chocolate milk? I'm just curious

jam_mac_jam

pink-mist wrote: »

I'm following the southbeach diet, its like a healthier version of atkins (less saturated fats, more from nuts/seeds etc)

You should check out some of the recipes online for the southbeach,
Quiche seems quite popular, along with salads and stirfrys. Even raw carrot fingers dipped in hummus is nice - you just have to blend up a can of chick peas with some garlic & herbs, takes two seconds and its cheap!

If i'm on the go I usually have one of those manhattan bags of popcorn when i'm really hungry, or a yogurt, apple, or some chocolate milk. I know fruit can be a bit of a no-go area but I include it, its better than getting ravenous and buying a snickers :P

popcorn? Chocolate milk?

pink-mist

Yeah I read popcorns pretty safe. The chocolate milk would contain carbs, i'd limit it to after workouts when i can't have eggs. Still, good amount of protien and fat in it to slow down the absorbtion of the carbs, lowering its GI a bit

Blatter

pink-mist wrote: »

Yeah I read popcorns pretty safe. The chocolate milk would contain carbs, i'd limit it to after workouts when i can't have eggs. Still, good amount of protien and fat in it to slow down the absorbtion of the carbs, lowering its GI a bit

Out of curiosity, why can't you have eggs after a workout?

Manhattan popcorn is salty processed rubbish tbh. You can get healthy popcorn though.

pink-mist

Just as a reference : http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/shoppinglist_p2.htm

I'm assuming your phase 1 won't last more than 2-3 weeks...But like i said its a quick 'make-do' low calorie, diet approved option when you're on the go.

RE the eggs question, sometimes I have to run for a bus straight after the gym, for example after work when the canteen is closed and its an hour commute home.

Just my two cents on the whole thing. I eat a diet consisting of a lot of veg (esp the greens!), chicken, turkey, chillis, olives, salads, soups, yogurts cooked in a variety of ways(thai,indian,chinese), but I think the odd bowl of porridge or bag of popcorn isn't going to kill you. You'll need to slowly re-introduce them anyway as you can't live on chicken forever :P they might as well just be the healthier ones I've followed this diet for two summers and lost about 5kilos each time and cut my bodyfat by 10% so its been working well so far!

Blatter

pink-mist wrote: »

Just as a reference : http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/shoppinglist_p2.htm

I'm assuming your phase 1 won't last more than 2-3 weeks...But like i said its a quick 'make-do' low calorie, diet approved option when you're on the go.

RE the eggs question, sometimes I have to run for a bus straight after the gym, for example after work when the canteen is closed and its an hour commute home.

Just my two cents on the whole thing. I eat a diet consisting of a lot of veg (esp the greens!), chicken, turkey, chillis, olives, salads, soups, yogurts cooked in a variety of ways(thai,indian,chinese), but I think the odd bowl of porridge or bag of popcorn isn't going to kill you. You'll need to slowly re-introduce them anyway as you can't live on chicken forever :P they might as well just be the healthier ones I've followed this diet for two summers and lost about 5kilos each time and cut my bodyfat by 10% so its been working well so far!

I have done research into the South Beach diet before and I think it's very good. The only major gripe that I would really have with it is advising to use margarine over butter.

Other than that it's certainly very healthy imo.