Poll:Those who follow a LCHF (Low Carb High Fiber) Diet, What do you eat?

[sengsational]

I have in the past, but answered "no".


I still avoid refined carbs, but have found that eating one meal a day keeps my weight level. And it's a free-for-all, portion control be damned meal, but no sugar or flour.



It's hard to do when away, but really easy for me when home.


What I find is that a typical restaurant meal isn't enough food if that's my only meal of the day, so I need to eat some of my squirrel food that I carry when I'm away (nuts and seeds).

 

[eytonxav]

My biggest challenge in following LCHF is eating cereals for breakfast because it's expedient and then snacking after dinner on tostitos or popcorn. For some reason I am addicted to salty snacks. I'm ~ 180 lbs at 5'10" and could stand to lose another 5 lbs, but mainly I want to keep my A1C in check.

 

[flintnational]

What do I consume? Whole foods, meat, poultry, fish, full fat dairy, eggs, nuts, low starch veggies, olive oil, butter, coffee with 1/2 and 1/2, water, minimal amounts of wine, occasional bourbon, and a small amount of berries, Aldi 86% dark chocolate, additional small amounts of seasonal fruit (when my weight is down).

What do I avoid? Sugar, flour, rice, beer, grains, processed vegetable oils, soda and fruit juices, processed food, artificial sweeteners, processed meat (except bacon - I really like bacon ), and high starch veggies.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

When I started on a lower carb diet (45 grams/meal, no more than 10 grams sugar) I quickly realized that most of the fiber was gone too. I now eat a can of low salt black beans (45 gms net carbs, 32 gms fiber) with spices as 1 meal each day, in addition to plenty of spinach, avocado, salmon, and tuna.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The people I know that have taken Medformin have lost a ton of weight without trying. It must speed up the metabolism.

 

[flintnational]

When I started on a lower carb diet (45 grams/meal, no more than 10 grams sugar) I quickly realized that most of the fiber was gone too. I now eat a can of low salt black beans (45 gms net carbs, 32 gms fiber) with spices as 1 meal each day, in addition to plenty of spinach, avocado, salmon, and tuna.

I love beans and believe the evidence supports their benefits. But, I tend to stay on the high side of my weight range so I limit them (darn). My DW, on the other hand, is near the low end of her weight range. So, she eats beans, more fruit than I and sweat potatoes to maintain her weight. We are both amazed at the results we receive from altering carbs up or down.

 

[Chuckanut]

I do agree that, if you're someone who wants to eat lots of fiber, you should get it from natural foods, not supplements. Eat some good veggies; don't sprinkle cardboard on your cereal. ;p

Agreed. No cardboard fiber.

Same with fats. Eat the fat naturally occurring in real food, not oils chemically processed out of cotton or rapeseed plants.

 

[donheff]

That’s a very interesting detailed history Don. So you used lower carb without ketosis to get to your ideal weight, and also could drop statins. And then gradually shifted to a moderate carb diet that let you maintain your healthy weight. I assume your blood sugar and lipid numbers stayed in the healthy range? What was it about the insulin hypothesis that turned you off? Did you feel like you were taking health risks if you ate lower carb? Thanks.

My lipids have stayed relatively steady as has my blood sugar. But I usually avoid big sugar doses before my blood tests. I am probably hiding from the truth since I believe the triglycerides must go up when I binge on chocolate. After all, they were higher when I started.

As for the insulin hypothesis, I found Gary Taubes' books pretty compelling. But then I started reading a lot of stuff pro and con. Stephen Guyenet is very good. His detailed explanations about why the insulin story doesn't stand up were even more compelling. Taubes has appeared pretty uncompromising in debates despite pretty compelling evidence that something else is going on. I think for many of us LCHF works, but I suspect it is by letting us naturally consume less calories not by enabling us to metabolize more calories. To me, it is academic why the approach works, the important factor is that it does. A 17% loss in six months that has held up effortlessly is impossible to ignore.

 

[audreyh1]

The people I know that have taken Medformin have lost a ton of weight without trying. It must speed up the metabolism.

I don’t think it’s a speed up in metabolism. Rather, I think it’s improved blood sugar metabolism.

I think Metformin reduces muscular insulin resistance, making it easier for muscles to absorb blood glucose, and thus reducing insulin in the blood. High insulin levels in the blood due to high blood sugar and resistant muscles keeps people hungry.

I think this is saying more or less the same thing - the better response to insulin = lowered insulin resistance. But they also mention the liver releasing less sugar.:

Metformin works by reducing the amount of sugar your liver releases into your blood. It also makes your body respond better to insulin. Insulin is the hormone that controls the level of sugar in your blood. It's best to take metformin with a meal to reduce the side effects.

 

[audreyh1]

I think for many of us LCHF works, but I suspect it is by letting us naturally consume less calories not by enabling us to metabolize more calories. To me, it is academic why the approach works, the important factor is that it does. A 17% loss in six months that has held up effortlessly is impossible to ignore.

Right, I’m not hung up on a particular hypothesis either.

But you chose to move to a moderate+ carb diet rather than staying under 100g carbs. I suppose it’s just that you had more food options and had demonstrated to yourself you could maintain your weight on such a diet?

 

[donheff]

Right, I’m not hung up on a particular hypothesis either.

But you chose to move to a moderate+ carb diet rather than staying under 100g carbs. I suppose it’s just that you had more food options and had demonstrated to yourself you could maintain your weight on such a diet?

Exactly. I initially cut out virtually all "white" stuff. No rice, no potatoes, no pasta, no sugar. I could deal with that better than I expected (previously I ate lots of all of those thing, plus chips and cheetos). But I like rice, potatoes and pasta so after I had proven to myself that I could comfortably maintain my weight I started carefully experimenting. I read anecdotal reports from former LCHFers that a fist sized portion of rice was manageable so I tried that. Then I added back modest portions of potatoes and pasta. As long as I keep it moderate I don't gain weight. Since weight was my motivation and not some nutritional goal, I am fine with the carbs as long as I stay at 163. I doubt my approach would work for most. I was a skinny kid and expect my metabolism trends toward lean. I ate very poorly for decades which led to inexorable gain. So for me, once the weight was off it was easy to maintain with moderation. For others who naturally trend heavier I imagine it is much more difficult.

Chocolate is a different matter: very dangerous for me.

 

[audreyh1]

That is very instructional for getting into maintenance. Thanks!

 

[donheff]

That is very instructional for getting into maintenance. Thanks!

If you try experimenting be careful. I weigh myself every morning. If I get up around 165 I eat bacon and eggs for breakfast and put away the chocolate.

 

[audreyh1]

I do weigh myself every morning. So I can enter it in my iPhone health app, LOL! Been doing it ever since I got an Apple Watch years ago.

I imagine I’ll ultimately gradually transition to 50g net carbs daily and stay there for a while before going higher. I’m committed to at least 3 months on the 20g plan as prescribed by the doc. I have another blood panel in 3 months then the Dr. follow up before I make any changes.

 

[yakers]

I have been on LCHF (F = Fat) for 1.5 years now due to A1C levels and wanting to avoid Metformin. I lost over 40lbs (now 148 on avg) and A1C is good. Side benefit is that even with the high Fat, I have also stopped Cholesterol meds, and Triglycerides lowest since I have been tested. Don't know if it works for everyone, but has for me.

As far as being hungry from low carb, what I have researched and read is that the high fat part of the LCHF lifestyle is what keeps you from feeling hungry. I am talking a 5% - 25% - 70% ration of Carbs, Protein and Fat.

Pretty similar here. Had a couple high A1Cs and DXed prediabetic about 2 years ago. Jumped on it with LCHF (not rigid, started with no bread, rice, pasta or potatoes). I have become a great baker of low carb bread, cookies, muffins. I eat enough cheese that Wisconsin sends me a thank you note. I do take berberine. I am not trying to avoid Metformin , I picked up a prescription on a recent trip to India. Good news is no side effects but not sure if it helps much. My daily meter tests have gone up slightly in the last year despite my diet and exercise but my A1C wa still OK.
I really like the website Diabetics Daily, lot of helpful people who understand that there is no one way to approach blood sugar issues. Great variety of symptoms and treatments.
I'm an unusual case as I have mostly been thin most of my life and am now (5'9", 145). My cholesterol and triglycerides are excellent. I never get hungry and have to remember to eat. I think my blood sugar was effected by radiation/chemo treatments that also damaged my thyroid. Which usually has people put on weight, but not me. So I call myself a 'science experiment of one'. I take what I can learn and find what works for me. And what works for me is avoiding carbs, especially in the morning.
The Dr was really surprised, she had seen A1Cs like my first three on trajectories right into diabetes and set me up for chronic/progressive treatments. But my diet and exercise has reversed the process for two years now.This is not a diet for me but a WOE Way of Eating, I see no reason to not minimize carbs forever. It was interesting traveling in India earlier this year and shortly going to Italy-no pizza or pasta. So what, I find a lot of great food to eat.
If my blood sugar does creep up it will leave going keto before I would use insulin. But hopefully that is off indefinitely.

 

[googily]

If you try experimenting be careful. I weigh myself every morning. If I get up around 165 I eat bacon and eggs for breakfast and put away the chocolate.

Your posts mimic what I have found out as well. I too hate veggies, but have found that adding tomatoes to a salad won't ruin everything (which makes my chicken avocado bacon ranch salad just that much more palatable). Ditto blueberries or strawberries.

Sugar really is the killer. I'm okay with the sugar in full fat yogurt (Fage 5%) but adding in chocolate--even dark chocolate--makes my cravings kick back in and makes it harder to avoid carbs. I am a big user of artificial sweeteners and diet soda, though!

A bun or breakfast biscuit once a week or so doesn't ruin maintenance for me. And the Mission carb balance tortillas are a nice option as well.

Would still like to lose another 20, but maintaining my 40-lb loss for nine months is to me a great victory. And I'm down 75 from my highest weight ten years ago.

My years of living on cereal and sandwiches are over for good.

 

[Tiger8693]

The people I know that have taken Medformin have lost a ton of weight without trying. It must speed up the metabolism.

Metformin does so many bad things, i would not chose this as the way to lose weight. There is no "easy pill" for weight loss without a catch.

Reducing insulin resistance works to lower blood sugar levels (free glucose) in the blood, but just packs it in to the cells, which generally are already "full". Eventually, that dose or level doesn't work any more, and higher doses, or additional medicines are required, all having side effects.

 

[RAE]

If you try experimenting be careful. I weigh myself every morning. If I get up around 165 I eat bacon and eggs for breakfast and put away the chocolate.

Dark chocolate, in moderation, is actually quite healthy. The key is to get the stuff that is about 80% cocoa content (or higher), and just have a few pieces now and then (I have some after dinner, now and then). And I actually like the taste of the real dark chocolate........much more interesting than milk chocolate, at least for my taste.

 

[RAE]

Exactly. I initially cut out virtually all "white" stuff. No rice, no potatoes, no pasta, no sugar. I could deal with that better than I expected (previously I ate lots of all of those thing, plus chips and cheetos). But I like rice, potatoes and pasta so after I had proven to myself that I could comfortably maintain my weight I started carefully experimenting. I read anecdotal reports from former LCHFers that a fist sized portion of rice was manageable so I tried that. Then I added back modest portions of potatoes and pasta. As long as I keep it moderate I don't gain weight. Since weight was my motivation and not some nutritional goal, I am fine with the carbs as long as I stay at 163.my metabolism trends toward lean. I ate I doubt my approach would work for most.

I use a similar approach, and it works for me also. If I go too low with carb consumption, I cannot maintain my weight, and I don't need to lose any weight (5'10", 150 lbs). So, I do eat some rice, some potatoes and sweet potatoes, and a very occasional meal with pasta - and my weight stays pretty constant. I can't eat things like bread (very often, anyway), chips, or sweet desserts, though, and I don't drink fruit juice any more, as those things will definitely add weight quickly (and undoubtedly send blood glucose soaring temporarily, which I don't want to do either). It is just a matter of trying different foods and seeing what you can/can't eat, and how much of that food you can eat, to maintain your desired weight and stay healthy.

 

[jollystomper]

I do not really diet per se... I do monitor what I eat, and also try to burn off more calories than I take in. But I will indulge in my sweet tooth.

I do now measure and weigh my food. I am surprised at the amounts I was eating before, and the measured portions do not leave me hungrier. For example, I now eat no more than 1/2 cup of rice at a meal. For meat I keep it to below 6 ounces. I try to have half my plate taken up by salad, and I use my own homemade salad dressing (60% malt vinegar, 20% olive oil, 20% lemon or lime juice) that tastes great to me and is healthier than any store bought dressings. Eating out now, I find that most meals become 2 for me (eating half fills me up, I'll take home the other half for the next evening's dinner).

I have been able to transition my snacks to predominantly fruits (oranges, apples, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries bananas) instead of candy. I also snack a lot on peanuts (high fat but, according to my DNA test fat is not a factor for me regarding weight gain) home popped popcorn, and greek yogurt (at last a yogurt that I like) that has high protein and almost no added sugar. I will make smoothies with the above fruits and protein powder, with a zero sugar drink mixed in for flavoring. I still indulge in chocolate, but mainly dark chocolate with higher cocoa content and lower added sugars.

Speaking of sugar, over the years I have cut WAY down on my sugar consumption. I do now track the "added" sugars I eat in a day. I have gone from 3-4 teaspoons of sugar in my tea ("would you like a little tea with your sugar?" people would ask me) to none (I use erythritol, the first "natural" sweetener that does not give me an aftertaste, and some cream w/o added sugar, since the fat content I am not concerned about). Since I now look at soda and fruit drinks as drinking sugar, I try to avoid or worse case, measure out what I drink to keep below the daily sugar limit. I more now drink my homemade concoction of decaffeinated ice tea and lemonade. It has some sugar but only enough so that a 3 liter pitcher totals 300 calories, I make it sweeter with erythritol.

With this I am managing to keep my weight on the low end of my 175-185 desired weight range. In fact, I am going to lower my range to stay below 180. This is down from 200 lbs 5 years ago. Along with lower weight, by blood pressure, resting heart rate, and stamina has improved. But, I still allow myself treats when I am at the low end or below. A Five Guys meal once a month (though that fills me up so much I do not need to eat anything else for that day). A jar of M&M peanuts from Costco that I take a month to eat. Dominos Pizza once a month (a single large one is 3 lunches or dinners for me). A slice of cake at social events. But when I do indulge, I try to balance it off somehow, if I can.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Tiger, I wouldn’t take any drug for weight loss. Just a observation.

 

[audreyh1]

From reading I have learned that the LCHF(fat) diet is a very low inflammation diet because by avoiding grains, and only eating high-fat dairy with most of the problem proteins removed or modified, you cut a lot of inflammation causing food out of your diet. Especially if you avoid seed oils - which means you have to shop carefully for mayonnaise and probably make your own salad dressings.

It will be interesting to see how my thyroid inflammation responds. I’ve eaten no wheat and dairy for a very long time with minor results - thyroid antibodies remain stable or dropping very slightly. Now I’m eating dairy again, but sticking to the highest fat dairy. FWIW my thyroid is still functioning normal range and I don’t need thyroid hormone.

 

[flintnational]

........Especially if you avoid seed oils - which means you have to shop carefully for mayonnaise and probably make your own salad dressings.........

audrey1, one of the last dietary changes we made was to start making our own homemade mayonnaise. It is fabulous! We then turn it into blue cheese dressing, caesar dressing or pimento cheese. This is the recipe we use.

Into a 2 cup standard measuring cup (the sloped sides kind -if it is not round, it does not thicken properly - any round walled container would likely work)
1 egg yolk
1 Tbs water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 dash of salt

With a stick blender, mix the above ingredients. Slowly drizzle 1 cup of avocado oil into the above ingredients. It makes about 1.5 cups of mayo. We tried EVOO but it is very strong tasting in mayo. Avocado is a neutral tasting oil and seems to work better for mayo.

 

[audreyh1]

audrey1, one of the last dietary changes we made was to start making our own homemade mayonnaise. It is fabulous! We then turn it into blue cheese dressing, caesar dressing or pimento cheese. This is the recipe we use.

Into a 2 cup standard measuring cup (the sloped sides kind -if it is not round, it does not thicken properly - any round walled container would likely work)
1 egg yolk
1 Tbs water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 dash of salt

With a stick blender, mix the above ingredients. Slowly drizzle 1 cup of avocado oil into the above ingredients. It makes about 1.5 cups of mayo. We tried EVOO but it is very strong tasting in mayo. Avocado is a neutral tasting oil and seems to work better for mayo.

Do you use pasteurized eggs or regular eggs?

That’s been the main stumbling block for me, plus very short shelf life.

I love EVOO, will even sip it, so that mayo would probably be fine for me.

 

[audreyh1]

Interesting that many folks thought a ketogenic diet was hard to get into. I found it pretty effortless. I admit I was highly motivated, but the appetite suppressant feature seemed almost immediate. Initial side effects were mild. I wasn’t even sure I was in ketosis until I started experiencing some leg cramps at night.