Gary Taubes book is fab...FACT

My family are scared for my life whenever i go low-carb. My GP was also, which momentarily put me off if i have to be honest, but then she proceeded to lecture me on the "cut out a couple of hundred calories a day and lose no more than 1lb a week" and i knew she didn't actually know what she was talking about. To top it off she was super skinny, must have been a size 8, and seemed keen to show me how it worked 'just fine' for her. *****.

I've been cutting calories from my diet for years and it didn't get me anywhere, switched from normal cola to diet cola, switched from butter to none at all, switched from sugar to sweetener, from fat to low fat, but the body always finds a way to maintain it's 'balance' in the fat zone no matter what i cut, unless i literally starve.

Currently reading this book anyway and it looks good so far, makes much more sense!
 
losingit said:
My family are scared for my life whenever i go low-carb. My GP was also, which momentarily put me off if i have to be honest, but then she proceeded to lecture me on the "cut out a couple of hundred calories a day and lose no more than 1lb a week" and i knew she didn't actually know what she was talking about. To top it off she was super skinny, must have been a size 8, and seemed keen to show me how it worked 'just fine' for her. *****.

I've been cutting calories from my diet for years and it didn't get me anywhere, switched from normal cola to diet cola, switched from butter to none at all, switched from sugar to sweetener, from fat to low fat, but the body always finds a way to maintain it's 'balance' in the fat zone no matter what i cut, unless i literally starve.

Currently reading this book anyway and it looks good so far, makes much more sense!
Click to expand...

Your post mirrors my dieting life, no butter, low fat, sweeteners and all the rest of it. So how come if we are all eating low fat we are getting fatter??

When I did my big shop for Atkins at Tesco the other week I made a point of looking at what other people had in their trollies (try it) and it is amazing to see how many obese women and men had low fat this and that in there..........

The one thing I don't understand is how some people lost LOADS on SW? My sister's neighbour has lost 5 stone and still losing, me and my sisters joined last year and gave up after a month as none of us had lost more than 2lbs in total. Is it genetic as obviously we have the same DNA and we are all apples. :D
 
I think it is possible to lose on many diets if you follow them 100%, but i do believe most diets put your body into a form of starvation mode in order to force it to burn fat, hence why a lot of people feel always hungry on a diet (or have hypnotised/convinced themselves that they don't!), i agree with the book 100% on this. All very well if you manage to keep it up, but how many people truly keep that weight off afterwards for a long time (5 years+), will they spend the rest of their lives in starvation in the misguided opinion that they are "healthy"? If you are programmed to be a fat person and lay down fat then that's exactly what will happen unless you either starve yourself or adapt your eating to work with body chemistry. That's not to say that low-carb is best for everyone, i think it's a very personal thing, but from what i'm seeing it seems the only realistic option for those of us who tried and tried and tried again and keep failing.

In the book, the author makes reference to how hedgehogs pile on weight for the winter, which i found very interesting. He said that their bodies will have a greater % of bodyfat, EVEN IF they don't actually eat 'enough' calories. And then that they will be lean at other times regardless of intake. You can't put a hedgehog on a diet ;). He went so far as to show that animals which are starved to death can still die having a higher % bodyfat than those bred to be 'lean'. Other points which rang very true to me was when he discusses how when calories are restricted, that we simply slow down our movement to match, and that when we exercise, we increase our hunger to compensate, all of this is very true from my personal experience, and totally makes the "reduce your diet by 100 calories a day" advice proven worthless.
 
It is truly a remarkable breakthrough of a book!!

It's as though my body finally comes with a manual and I've found the questions that I've wanted answered for so long!!! I knew most of our makeup was genetics, like he said if your parents are overweight your likely to be too... But now I don't have to be, and I don't have to starve myself! And I feel healthier doing it....

For me it is the most natural way of losing weight, and it's such a relief to finally stop searching through piles of diet books/exercise magazines and so on!!

I've just purchased several Atkins and low carb cookbooks that are quite ugly to look at, I have shelves full of pretty cook books like Nigella, Jamie, Primrose bakery etc that I'll probably never use again!

There needs to be an author out there that wants to create nice looking cookbooks for us low carbers because there is a market for it!!

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins
 
The one thing I don't understand is how some people lost LOADS on SW? My sister's neighbour has lost 5 stone and still losing, me and my sisters joined last year and gave up after a month as none of us had lost more than 2lbs in total. Is it genetic as obviously we have the same DNA and we are all apples.
Click to expand...

I've thought about that a lot! It is obviously possible to lose weight by starving yourself, but some people are better at it than others. To really go for low cal and lose a lot, over a long time, I think you need a combination of reasonable genes (i.e. not too prone to insulin resistance), a metabolism that's not already badly broken by years of carb addiction, a particular personality type, and/or a real motivator, like a health scare or humiliation.

The problem for most people is that because it doesn't break any underlying dependence on sugar, you either can't stick to the diet at all, or will still turn to carbs at the next stressful moment, regain the weight and go back on the diet. SW/WW are happy with their repeat customer, and round and round the cycle goes.

That's my theory, anyway!
 
Garry Taubes demonstrates that people - like some animals - have 'fat' genes. That often skinny people are just - skinny people! Your smug Dr, Losingit, may be just such a person. I have a sister in law who when young could eat like a body builder & remain thin. Now she is old she struggles to gain weight. For a while, at 5ft 8ins & after an illness she was 6st 3lbs. We all know people like that.
There are fat genes as he says, my maternal forebears are all overweight by today's standards. My lightest weight even when young was 9st. My wish is to lose some weight, I can never hope to be skinny, just healthy. :)
 
Yup, my partner weighs the same now as he did 20 years ago, and he's underweight for his height. I used to joke that everything he ate went straight on my hips.

My sister, my dad and my grandmother? All obese. I simply carried on the family tradition! :D
 
Hello - I too bought this book due to this thread and it does makes sense, I am diabetic so already have an "insulin problem" and I do already know that eating carbs makes me hungrier whereas eating protein removes all hunger pangs............my problem is that I can't seem to stick to it properly, especially at breakfast time as I find eggs after a few days to be nauseating, tho lunch and dinner is not a problem, so I would be incredibly grateful if someone could give me an alternative to eggs, other than cheese, tho i do find eating cheese to be less nauseating :) but according to this book you can't eat as much as you like as in Atkins, the book recommends only 4oz per day, which would be fine for breakfast, but would like to have alternatives if possible.....................any ideas?
 
I'll watch this with interest, Dawn, as I'd like some egg/cheese alternatives too. I've got some tofu in the fridge but am not sure really how to do it for breakfast as I've only ever cooked it for main meals before. (I'm not veggie btw, just like variety!)

I was thinking that the next time someone lectures me about my low carb lifestyle (which thankfully isn't that often these days as most people realise I'm determined!) I'll tell them I have "pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance" as I reckon that will shut them up. AND I think it's true, too!!
 
I thought cheese was limited on Atkins, to 3-4oz.
I do hear your problem on the eggs though, i'm not a big fan of breakfasts at all while on this diet. Actually, most mornings i don't have a 'normal' breakfast at all, i just eat the same food i eat the rest of the day mostly. I can only stomach eggs maybe twice a week. Prawns make a good breakfast for me which is quick and easy, prawn mayonnaise and lettuce leaves, or plain prawns with a 'sauce' of melted butter, or any kind of fish which is a bit lighter than wolfing down a steak at 8am (although i've been known to do that too!). Just give yourself permission not to have to eat a normal breakfast but to have whatever you like and you'll be fine.
 
losingit said:
I thought cheese was limited on Atkins, to 3-4oz.
I do hear your problem on the eggs though, i'm not a big fan of breakfasts at all while on this diet. Actually, most mornings i don't have a 'normal' breakfast at all, i just eat the same food i eat the rest of the day mostly. I can only stomach eggs maybe twice a week. Prawns make a good breakfast for me which is quick and easy, prawn mayonnaise and lettuce leaves, or plain prawns with a 'sauce' of melted butter, or any kind of fish which is a bit lighter than wolfing down a steak at 8am (although i've been known to do that too!). Just give yourself permission not to have to eat a normal breakfast but to have whatever you like and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I'm diabetic and can't go without breakfast as I will definately have the "shakes" coz my blood sugar has gone too low, so I do need something. Don't like prawns so thats out and tbh don't think I could face fish at breakfast time! lol tho having said that I do like smoked mackeral, so maybe thats an option.
 
JennCinKy said:
How about a mim with cream cheese and a nice cup of coffee? ( I love it)
Click to expand...

Please excuse my ignorance but whats a mim? Like the sound of that too.

According to that book restricting caffeine is preferable too - what will I do without my tea............... I live on it lol
 
Oh sorry, a mim is a " muffin in a minute". It's made with flax meal. There should be a recipe on the sticker area. You can make it different ways like sweet or other flavors. It's very versatile!
 
ordered my book at last.
what about ham or corned beef sandwiched with cream cheese?
or a protein shake?
or flax 'porridge'?
 
JennCinKy said:
Oh sorry, a mim is a " muffin in a minute". It's made with flax meal. There should be a recipe on the sticker area. You can make it different ways like sweet or other flavors. It's very versatile!
Click to expand...

Whoever invented MiM's deserves a gold medal!! I would have cracked before now without them.

I had cheese and spring onion on toast (MiM) yesterday morning, yummy, I don't use a mug in the microwave, I use a silicone mould in the oven, soooo much nicer, I had herb and garlic yesterday, today I am making a cakey type with cinnamon, ginger and allspice. :D
 
Dawn - I just remembered this recipe. Couldn't find it in the recipe thread so:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Instant Bread[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]About 8carbs for the whole recipe, Serves 8[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ingredients:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]100g Ground Almonds[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2 Eggs[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]½[/FONT]tsp Baking Powder
25g Melted Butter

[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mix wet ingredients, then add the dry. Pour into whatever container you like and nuke for 2-3 mins (you can tell if its ready by touching the top- it should be dry)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thanks to Ross Oliver from low-carbdiet.co.uk[/FONT]


More cakey than bready I would say. You can do anything you want to it, like a bt of sweetener and cocoa to make it chocolatey or bacon for more savory. I used tot ake itto work for breakfast with a few blueberries and rasperries thrown in as it went into the microwave. Or I used to have it as a trifle with s/f jelly, berries and cream.

BTW MAddie has a really good photo of a MIM on her thread.
 
Soraya said:
Dawn - I just remembered this recipe. Couldn't find it in the recipe thread so:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Instant Bread[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]About 8carbs for the whole recipe, Serves 8[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ingredients:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]100g Ground Almonds[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2 Eggs[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]½[/FONT]tsp Baking Powder
25g Melted Butter

[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mix wet ingredients, then add the dry. Pour into whatever container you like and nuke for 2-3 mins (you can tell if its ready by touching the top- it should be dry)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thanks to Ross Oliver from low-carbdiet.co.uk[/FONT]


More cakey than bready I would say. You can do anything you want to it, like a bt of sweetener and cocoa to make it chocolatey or bacon for more savory. I used tot ake itto work for breakfast with a few blueberries and rasperries thrown in as it went into the microwave. Or I used to have it as a trifle with s/f jelly, berries and cream.

BTW MAddie has a really good photo of a MIM on her thread.
Click to expand...


Thank you all so much.............will have a go at this later xx

Will also track down the mim recipe as I like how versatile it sounds. I have my breakfast at about 6 in the morning as I leave early for work as I have an hours drive, so something quick and simple is appealing.

Starting today, I am going to consciously reduce the amount of carbs I have. On another note what about tea as I always have a cuppa sitting on my desk at work and I note from before that milk is not really allowed. I know I could have cream in coffee, but I am a real teapot who can't drink it black........... am I going to have to give it up??

If I don't stick to it rigidly........ie drink tea with milk........will it still work?
 
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