Low-Carb Believer

[HappyHiker]

Over the past year I switched to a low-carb way of eating. Got rid of the empty white carbs. Have been eating more protein--from beans on lower far animal protein. Not gorging on bacon, though, mostly poultry and ground turkey with fish twice a week. More greens and vegetables. Some fruit.

Zero to none snack foods such as chips or other junk foods.

Nothing else changed. Same amount of exercise, same supplements. No sodas as usual. A bit of cheese as a flavoring. Light drinker, mostly wine.

Results?

Compared to blood work last year to this year, my triglycerides and HDL shot up. Now have 78 triglycerides and 70 HDL. My total cholesterol went up a bit. Since the best indicator of future coronary disease is triglycerides divided by HDL, I'm very pleased. My ratio is optimal.

My weight stayed the same over the year.

You bet I'm going to keep eating the low-carb way. Getting my carbs from vegetable sources and whole grains. Lots of beans...

What about you? Any similar results?

[JaneV2.0]

I can only go by how I feel, but low-carb, high fat clears up a variety of symptoms for me. I'm convinced it's a healthy way to eat, and studies increasingly bear that out, but it's not a popular plan with processed-food manufacturers, their advertisers, and those who profit from the ill health of others.

[Florence]

I do Weight Watchers and that was the first thing that I noticed. Getting protein from lean meat and carbs from fruits and vegetables. It has really helped my cholesterol and triglycerides and I've lost 25 lb. so my knees and back don't hurt any more. I will never go back to a starchy diet.

[HappyHiker]

That's great..glad to hear from two others eating this way and getting positive health benefits. I'm curious..what does Weight Watchers say about carbs with a better glycemic index than the usual suspects? For example, tonight we each had a half a baked sweet potato along with our lean turkey burger...sure tasted good...

[Zoebird]

I've been doing paleo for a couple of years now, and it's working really beautifully for our whole family! DS is unrestricted, really, but at home we eat grain/bean free. It's really lovely.

[Rosemary]

I don't have a low-carb focus (I don't restrict fruits), but I have eliminated flour and most sugar. When I first did this as part of an allergy elimination diet, I lost about 10% of my body weight (which had been in the middle of the "normal" BMI range for my height) within 6 weeks.

Since then I have made various re-introductions and repeat eliminations, and found that I have a lot more energy if I choose mostly fruits/vegetables for my foods, with small amounts of meat and some legumes. I don't eat a lot of potatoes or sweet potatoes, but I don't restrict them as I do flour-based stuff. To me, the health impact makes sense; flour is minutely-ground particles and has a fairly immediate result on blood sugar. I don't eat many grains in general, both because of their relatively high GI and also because they don't have much flavor compared to vegetables. Also, I've learned that I have a wheat allergy.

[HappyHiker]

Curious...what are the symptoms of your wheat allergy? I don't think I'm allergic, but when I drink one beer, my stomach seems to swell up--instant beer belly! Don't have that reaction to sprouted whole grain bread...

[SteveinMN]

I've been low-carbing it for years. It was a response to a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and a history of diabetes in the family. I have to say that I have not fared well on the weight front, but my blood glucose has been normal and my cholesterol is fine without medication.

I haven't banned any foods at all. I've never had a sweet tooth, so if I eat any dessert, it usually will be a couple of bites and I'm done. I'm not much on sweet breakfasts or snacks, either. I try to substitute whole grains instead of the American standards (bread, pasta, etc.) and I'm not married to the idea that a meal is incomplete without starches. Protein and vegetables are just fine. I've been known to take half the bun or bread off a sandwich and eat it open-faced. I tell the folks at the Mexican restaurant to leave the rice off my plate because I won't eat it. I don't eat breakfast cereal (hot or cold); just don't like the way it makes me feel.

It has taken a long time to get away from certain food preferences and I still battle some with portion size on protein (especially cheese; it's like I've never met one I didn't like :|(). But I think I'm doing far better than I would be eating 100-calorie bags of highly-processed snacks or constantly looking for a nibble because I haven't eaten much in the way of protein. Everyone is different; so far this is working for me. Now to make myself more active (the key to keeping my weight down).

[Rosemary]

re: wheat allergy - it makes me chronically congested. Since wheat was a pretty big part of my diet for most of my life (like most Americans & Europeans), I was not able to isolate the cause and just pegged it as "allergies." Although I was tested for environmental allergies, I was never tested for food allergies.

re: stomach bloating after beer - I get this after some carb-heavy foods too. I think it is due to the less-digestible carbs, as I get it when I eat beans that haven't been properly soaked.

One thing I've noticed on my current diet is that I never get that mid-afternoon exhaustion anymore -- but when I travel and am eating more typical foods, it re-appears. Cereal for breakfast, or pasta or sandwich for lunch, seems to be a recipe for low energy, at least for me, and I go for fruit and salad as much as I can.

[CathyA]

What I've noticed about carbs is that they are so addicting. I can be doing great eating much less of them........but if I go up on them (usually because of a holiday), I always end up in a downward addictive spiral.
Then it takes me awhile to right myself again. For me, meat, vegetables and some fruit is the way to go. Unfortunately.........I can fall off the wagon much too easily.

[HappyHiker]

What I'm "getting" from reading the current literature about carbs is that eating some complex carbs is fine--if we're not gluten-sensitive. My carbs are things like occasional sweet potato, a slice of whole grain sprouted seven grain bread now and then, a high fiber cold breakfast cereal (Uncle Sam's Original) that has 10 grams of fiber per serving--or oatmeal that helps lower cholesterol.

Seems the worst carb offenders in our diets are soft drinks that are pure liquid carbs that spike our insulin very quickly and drive fat storage. Eliminating all soft drinks and all snack-junk foods (sucrose/fructose/simple carbs/partially-hydrogenated fats=poison for our bodies) would go far in mending our health.

Oh dear! The things we love so well!

[Geila]

Also low-carb here. I've been working on testing out foods to gauge their impact and it's interesting to see how we individually react to different foods. I don't know if I have a wheat allergy but I know that wheat and sugar make me feel really bloated and lethargic.

[JaneV2.0]

Also low-carb here. I've been working on testing out foods to gauge their impact and it's interesting to see how we individually react to different foods. I don't know if I have a wheat allergy but I know that wheat and sugar make me feel really bloated and lethargic.

Upper respiratory stuffiness, increased joint pain, and aphthous ulcers seem to be wheat-related symptoms for me. You don't have to have frank celiac disease to be affected by modern wheat.

[Geila]

Upper respiratory stuffiness, increased joint pain, and aphthous ulcers seem to be wheat-related symptoms for me. You don't have to have frank celiac disease to be affected by modern wheat.

Oh yeah, the joint pain! So true. Although I've always thought it was from sugar. My biggest weakness is sweet baked goods though, so it's hard to separate them out.

[awakenedsoul]

I eat everything in moderation. I have noticed that since I have a handful of nuts three times a day, I don't eat as many carbs. I also am eating grass fed meat regularly, or free range chicken. I cut out the doritos, gummy bears, and store bought baked goods. My muscle aches are gone. I still bake desserts and bread once in a while. I find eating every two hours helps, too. (Even if it's just an apple and a slice of cheese...)

[HappyHiker]

I eat everything in moderation. I have noticed that since I have a handful of nuts three times a day, I don't eat as many carbs. I also am eating grass fed meat regularly, or free range chicken. I cut out the doritos, gummy bears, and store bought baked goods. My muscle aches are gone. I still bake desserts and bread once in a while. I find eating every two hours helps, too. (Even if it's just an apple and a slice of cheese...)

Nifty! Congratulations on eliminating junk food from your life. And baking from scratch meas you know what goes into your creation--it's minus additives, partially-hydrogenated fats and other nasties...

Little meals are a good hint--I find I like to do the same..it keeps the blood sugar on an even keel and prevents gorging at meals due to a big hunger.