GOING LOW CARB - TIPS/TRICKS FOR STICKING WITH IT? Topic


I just started going low carb about a week ago, well, trying anyway. I've set my carb intake -- both net and total -- to 35g/day. I'm not necessarily looking to go Keto, but if it happens I'm not going to complain. I have no problem with cutting out bread (gluten intolerant), pastas, rice, crackers, chips etc. My downfall though is alcohol. I love my wine and other cocktails. I guess the plus side though is that I am NOT a fan of sweet drinks so I skip the ones that contain juice OR if they have to be made that way I request them to be not sweet and I also don't drink soda. I've tried low carb in the past and found it a little bit difficult to stick to, although my carb intake might have been REALLY low.

I'm also trying to keep my calories down, I've got one goal of about 5-8 pounds I want to shed before my birthday in October. Keeping calories low isn't a a problem per se. If I know I'm going to be having a drink, I account for that in the morning when logging (the only issue I really have is the weekend when getting together with friends then I drink more). I also really only eat one big meal a day. I've started drinking bullet proof coffee which is AMAZING and keeps me full and if I'm hungry in the afternoon I'll have a small snack of peanuts, a piece of fruit or some cheese.

My issue is that I tend to go over the amount that I've set for myself. Not always by a lot, but still over. I'm just looking for tips/tricks to stick with it and to keep my carbs in the range that I have set without going too far over (I tend to beat myself up a bit when I "mess up"). And also how to deal when on vacation or going out to eat.

Oh, and while I don't go to the gym, I did start working out at home for about 30 minutes, using hand weights, exercise bands, and a jump rope.

Any helpful tips would be great!!


Hi Justjennie, hopefully others will share tips during this somewhat sleepy time on forum. 35 g total carbs/day is pretty darn low. If you miss your target one day, I'm not sure that it matters if you are still losing weight. As you know, you don't need to go low carb to lose weight, but it can be an efficient way to dramatically lower calories intake. The dramatic rise and fall in body weight when carb intake increases or decreases could also be related to water weight. Very low carb diets can deplete glycogen stores (especially in the presence of exercise), and with change to a higher carb intake, they get repleted.
Best,
Kathy


Thanks. I know I don't need to go low carb to lose weight, but I feel a lot better when I do, especially when I don't have things like breads, pastas, etc. And I actually had gotten my DNA tested and I do have a gene that causes me to process carbs differently.

I'll play with the grams and see what works better.


Gotcha! I think it is useful and interesting to experiment with intake to find what works best for each one of us. I also feel better when I lower carbs, but for me personally, I don't do well on a truly low-carb intake. Certainly, a lot of folks feel better on low carb. The great thing is that when we track and pay attention, we can discover these relationships for ourselves. I am covering Joanna and Brenda this week so it's fun to be back on forum and reading posts again. Best, Kathy

GOING LOW CARB - TIPS/TRICKS FOR STICKING WITH IT?