Trying low carb diet and watching out for the starchy carbs
I’m a person who tends to get stuck in their ways. So, if a diet worked for me 25 years or so ago, it stands to reason that it will work for me now, right? Right?
Not quite.
Since the holidays, I’ve not dropped a pound. Not for lack of trying. Following the low fat diet I trusted.
It is beneficial for me to follow a low fat/low sodium diet, it’s worked for me in the past, there is no doubt that I feel better, and the Lymphedema is better for it.
But it’s failing me now. Boo.
My favorite thing to eat is starchy carbs. Doesn’t matter if it’s made with white flour or whole wheat. Crackers, bread, pretzels, chips – the low fat kind. I love them and find it hard to give them up – these things are generally low fat, so it’s ok. Great justification, lol.
I can give up the chips fine but I like my bread and potatoes. Eating these things in excess is not good, especially when trying to lose weight.
My son has been looking into protein bars and drinks. I’ve been looking into them for him as well and while doing so, had a small epiphany: I should replace some of the starchy carbs (that I dearly love) with protein.
So I thought: why not try this? It can’t hurt.
Cut back on starchy carbs and replace with protein
Keep things reasonable, I don’t want to be on a fad diet but I do need it to work. Did a bit of research, sources say I should double what I’m supposed to have on a daily basis.
So I have. And I’m seeing results, to my surprise. At the 11 day mark I weighed myself and showed a 5 lb drop. I weighed myself the first week and didn’t lose a thing, but didn’t let this stop me, because I was feeling a change in my clothes.
I’m not following a low carb diet as strict as most. You can call it low carb-ish. My main concern is cutting back on starchy carbs like potatoes, pasta, bread. I’m still eating beans, and trying to be moderate on starchy vegetables. I’m trying to keep carb intake at 172 grams a day, or lower and really watching the starchy carbs. At this point, I can’t see myself dropping my carbs to 20 a day…
I’m finding that I’m not really hungry, and as each day passes, I’m losing the craving for starchy carbs. I am finding it difficult to meet my protein daily, however, so I either eat a protein bar or have a protein drink. Only problem I have with this is that I’m not fond of the fat calories. But I’m not fond of the fat calories in olive oil, either.
I’m also watching added sugar. Not worried about the sugar that occurs naturally, so much. I’m trying to keep fat at under 20%, ideally 15% or even below that.
I will stick with it and see what happens.