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My 2nd Week of Low Carb Diet

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J

JTI

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Just a follow up.

It is the end of the second week. My lantus is down to 30 a night and I am injecting NOTHING for my meals. I haven't injected any humalog now for 7 days ( I used to inject 60 units each meal). I still take 2 metformin. My weight is down a further 2.4kg - bringing my total loss to 5.1kg in two weeks. I won't be surprised if this week I lose less weight.

Despite constantly lowering my lantus (from 80 originally), I have woken up to hypos three days in a row - so I keep adjusting lower. My fasting sugar levels have remained between 3.8 and 4.3 and my post dinner/before bed sugars have been between 4.7 and 7.1.

I am averaging about 1000-1300 calories a day. I am actually wanting to start the 8 week blood sugar diet, so this is my 'practice'. Going down to 800 for 8 weeks will be easier (after my holiday).

I want to encourage those wanting to reduce portions - IT CAN BE DONE. I used to have massive portions and easily 1500 calories in one meal. I previously thought it inconceivable (and torture) that I would have small portions of food with no carbs - but it took just 5 days (and a lot of hunger) to adjust.
 
That's fantastic, great progress....

Yes there is very significant weight loss on LCHF as much of the weight is retained water (the scales always tell me if I consumed too many carbs the previous day(s))....
 
well done. I remember the first week of LC well, it was horrible. 🙂 I didn't restrict myself with calories, either. I ate anything but sugars and starches.
I was starving hungry for 2 days, then it stopped. Then I was 'carb flu' for the rest of the week.
I think the first week of LC is glossed over, like the birth part of having kids. 🙂
 
How many carbs a day is low carbs?
 
What an excellent start. Good work JTI. 🙂
 
PinkGrapefruit said:
How many carbs a day is low carbs?
Click to expand...
LC is generally considered under 130g a day, for a 2,000 cal diet. Some people need to go as low as 20g a day, but generally around 50g will work for most people's insulin resistance. It is important to add dietary fats to replace most of the sugar and starch calories.

an introduction to low carb
https://www.verywell.com/low-carb-diets-4014695

what to expect the first week, besides being hungry for the first 2 days, then it stops
https://www.verywell.com/getting-through-the-first-week-2242037

you may not need to go this low, but it will help kick start
http://au.atkins.com/new-atkins/the-program/phase-1-induction.html
 
Gosh that is low. I'm getting under 100g of carbs a day - maybe as low as 50g on some days. I couldn't give an exact figure, so that is a slight guesstimate.
 
I personally could not go that low, I have been doing mostly about the 120-130, that works for me!
 
I do not deliberately 'count' my carbs but just use common sense with what I think is low carb. I plug my food into myfitnesspal and see afterwards. I had a quick look - I am between 20-40g carbs per day, occasionally it goes up to about 60g. It is usually around 35g a day. For me, it is more about eating foods that do not raise my sugar level.
 
I think it also depends on whether you need to lose weight or not. If you do not need to lose weight then go to the amount of carbs that keep your sugars down. If you need to lose weight as well then the carbs need to be kept quite low so that your body's fuel becomes fat burning rather than carb burning. It will then use your stored fat when it needs energy. The more fat you have the less hungry you will be because the body has always got food on hand so to speak. That is why you feed it higher fat. Like if you have water retention it helps to drink plenty water to encourage the body to release it.
 
JTI,

Could you give an overview of a typical breakfast lunch and dinner to get the 20-40 carbs per day.
 
PinkGrapefruit said:
JTI,

Could you give an overview of a typical breakfast lunch and dinner to get the 20-40 carbs per day.
Click to expand...
I'd be interested in this too JTI. I'd like to tighten up my carb intake, but I think I'd be very hard pressed to get it anywhere near 40g per day.
 
Marsbartoastie said:
but I think I'd be very hard pressed to get it anywhere near 40g per day.
Click to expand...
It's a mindset thing, it took me a while to work out but in the end, once I started VLCHF, it is actually quite easy. The one thing to help is to look at just what vegetables you are eating.
 
Here is one random day.

Item followed by kcal Carbs g
Breakfast
Sainsbury's - Natural Cottage Cheese, 100 g 107kcal 4g carbs
Raw - Cucumber, 0.4 medium 3kcal 1g carbs
Total 110kcal 5

Lunch
Sainsbury's - Baby Plum Tomato, 100 g 20kcal 3g carbs
Sainsbury's Beef Mince 5% Fat - Minced Beef, 125 g 208kcal 1g carbs
Carrots Cooked - Carrots, 20 grams 8kcal 2g carbs
Radishes, raw, 0.5 cup slices 9kcal 2g carbs
Total 245kcal 8g carbs

Dinner

Generic - Cauliflower, Riced, 2 cup (107g) 54kcal 10g carbs
Chipotle - Adobo Marinated Steak, 6 oz 285kcal 0g carbs

Total 339kcal 10g carbs

Snacks

Nut - Brazil - Whole - Unsalted, 1 nut 31kcal 1g carbs
Generic - Walnut, 1 Whole, 0.75 walnut 20kcal 0g carbs
Generic - One Almond - Raw, 3 almond 21kcal 1g carbs
Hazelnut - Hazelnut, 1 nuts (14 g) 9kcal 0g carbs
Total 72kcal 2g carbs

Grand Total 766kcal 25g carbs
 
Here is another random day - this was very very low carbs - hope it helps. I want to make it clear I am not outright counting every last carb in my mouth. I tend to eat what I eat and then plug it into myfitnesspal and then see. I didn't plan to go this low in carbs, it just so happened that this day was very low. I don't religious stick to the 800 calories either - but as long as I am + or - 100 calories I am fine.

Breakfast
Walls - Unsmoked Bacon Rasher, 1 slice 51Kcal 0g Carbs
Egg, whole, cooked, fried, 2 large 180 Kcal 1 g Carbs
Total 231 Kcal 1 g Carbs

Lunch
Princes - Mackerel Fillet In A Rich Tomato Sauce, 125 g Container 182 Kcal 2 g Carbs
2 egg plain omelette with spinach 140 Kcal 2 g Carbs
Total 322 Kcal 4 g Carbs

Dinner
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference - Free Range Woodland British Chicken Thigh Fillets, Skinless and Boneless, 130 g 300 Kcal 0 g Carbs
Sainsburys - Fine Beans, Tenderstem Broccoli & Baby Corn, 160 g 43 Kcal 6 g Carbs
Total 343 Kcal 6 g Carbs

Grand Total 896Kcal 11g Carbs
 
Here is another day where carbs were 35g in the day. One thing I must say - cottage cheese with onion and chives has less carbs than the natural one and tastes so delicious - it reminds me of Boursin. Also this day we were out and about in town so ate out. I still can't figure out where the 1g of carbs in black coffee comes from.


Breakfast
Sainsburys - Cottage Cheese With Onion and Chives, 100 g 106Kcal 3g Carbs
Raw - Cucumber, 0.4 medium 3 Kcal 1 g Carbs
Juiced - Parsley, 1 Bunch 25 Kcal 7 g Carbs
Lemon juice, raw, 1 lemon yields 10 Kcal 3 g Carbs

Total 144 Kcal 14 g Carbs

Lunch
Pret A Manager - Tuna Nicoise Salad, 1 pkg 174 Kcal 4 g Carbs
Costa - Medium Black Coffee (Americano), 1 medium cup 8 Kcal 1 g Carbs

Total 182Kcal 5 g Carbs

Dinner
Sainsbury's - Mixed Vegtable Stir Fry, 325 grams 142 Kcal 14g Carbs
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference - Free Range Woodland British Chicken Thigh Fillets, Skinless and Boneless, 130 g 300Kcal 0 g Carbs

Total 442 Kcal 14 g Carbs

Snacks
Hazelnut - Hazelnut, 1 nuts (14 g) 9 Kcal 0 g Carbs
Generic - Walnut, 1 Whole, 0.75 walnut 20 Kcal 0 g Carbs
Nut - Brazil - Whole - Unsalted, 1 nut 31 Kcal 1 g Carbs
Sainsbury's - Toasted Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds, 5 g 30 Kcal 1 g Carbs
Generic - One Almond - Raw, 1 almond 7 Kcal 0 g Carbs
Total 97 Kcal 2 g Carbs

Grand Total 865Kcal 35g Carbs
 
Thanks JTI. You've reminded me that I could be making better use of eggs. You're turning in amazingly low carb counts...congratulations. 🙂
 
JTI

Thank you so much for sharing your meals, that helps give a really good insight.

I love the sound of a spinach omlette.

I am having one or two slices of wholemeal a day, and a small portion of pasta, rice, or potato. I think if I cut those out I would be on the <50 carbs range.

I was going I try some of those zero carb noodles, they sound promising.

My biggest challenge is to try and work an ultra low carb diet into my families diet.
 
It wasn't in my samples above but I love courgetti now. My family would eat spaghetti bolognaise, and I would eat the bolognaise with courgetti. Courgetti and cauliflower rice really help with feeling like you are eating normally!! I have to look into the zero carb noodle thing.
 
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