The Low Carb Lifestyle

[Ijustwannateach]

Some of the more successful forms of dieting for those of us with chronic flab involve carbohydrate control. This is not the easiest thing to do, especially here in a country that celebrates rice and seems to throw spoonfuls of sugar on every fried dish. Have you tried it here before? Please share your suggestions with us.

[steveromagnino]

Some of the more successful forms of dieting for those of us with chronic flab involve carbohydrate control. This is not the easiest thing to do, especially here in a country that celebrates rice and seems to throw spoonfuls of sugar on every fried dish. Have you tried it here before? Please share your suggestions with us.

Mate, a little learning is a dangerous thing.

Atkins and other low carb diets are one part of the solution, but are only a temporary one. The body needs carbs for energy, so going low carb is of some help, however it also makes the body more efficient and therefore magnifies damage from when you eat carbs.

You will do best not worrying about the carbs for breakfast and lunch, then try to make sure you have no rice and no noodle and no bread at all from about 3pm onwards. For dinner, order vegetables, preferably not fried, and try to avoid any softdrinks or fruit juice at the same time; lots of water is better. You could order (easily) guay teeo then ask for no noodles or a massively reduced amount of noodles; you could order tom yum goong and have just the soup no rice.

Your body needs carbs, and carbs can actually speed up your metobolism if eaten at the right times; such as when you wake up; go for immediate exercise like a short walk or jog if you can manage it, THEN eat porridge and drink coffee.

Of course, it goes without saying to eliminate wasted carbs:

- potato chips

-= beer

- soft drinks

- fruit juice

- snack foods

- no milk

- no sugar on anything in anything

Then at the same time

- increase fibre and green vegetable intake to feel full

- reduce amount eaten

- increase exercise

What overweight people usually need to do is to stop listening to when they feel full, and eat the right amount, this is always the routine I go through when losing weight (which is exactly the same for me and my goals of weight loss as it is for you).

The dead calories are easy to eliminate, and I have a big headstart being lactose intolerant.

THis is about the time you start making excuses for yourself and saying stuff like I need the fruit juice and milk for calcium/vitamin. <deleted>. Get vitamin supplements if you are worried about that. Two of the biggest sources fo sugar and fat plus being processed so much tey aren't healthy.

One step at a time, and don't look for quick fixes, because really the only way to go is reduce the amount you eat and increase the amount of energy you burn; not eating late at night and firing up metobolism early in the day are just like bonuses.

Good luck.

[Ijustwannateach]

Thanks for the advice, Steve, but not all experts would agree with your particular version of the low-carb diet (and what works for you might not work as well for others). Furthermore this type of diet doesn't only mean Atkins, but also sensible reduced-carb diets (which is what I think you have proposed). What I'd like to see on this thread is specific suggestions about how to approach low-carb eating for those who feel it is necessary for them- and you provided plenty of those, too, so many thanks!

However- don't a lot of the soups get made with plenty of sugar, or high-carb fluids like coconut milk?

What other Thai foods, as generally made and available, might be fairly low carb?

"Steven"

[Boo]

I found since following the GI (Glycemic Index) Diet (on the advice of my diabetic doctor) I have lost weigh consistantly. I don't deny food but try to mix low or medium gi foods (Baked beans, eggs, with high GI foods like Potatoes, pasta or rice. I also stopped snacking which is easier said than done. but the GI is the only one I have found that works for me. Your body needs some carbs but combining them with other counteracting foods seems to help.

[Tolley]

I eat plenty of carbs and have never had a weight problem.

You need to take a look at the kind of carbs you are eating.

Oats, whole grain bread, and brown rice and fine but all the refined carbs are a no no if you want to lose weight.

I recommend eating 80 percent of food you prepare for yourself as this is the only way you really know what you are getting.

Eat a good breakfast every morning

eg wholemeal bread with boiled eggs or poached eggs or porridge with stewed apple and low fat or soya milk or very easy low fat smoothie with raw oats soya or low fat milk and proper yogurt and berries.

For snacks raw pumpkin seeds or raw almonds, raw carrot sticks, fresh fruit juices or fresh vegie juices

Lunch ...wholemeal bread with salmon or tuna or chicken and at least two fresh vegetables ie carrot and lettuce

Dinner wholemeal pasta with chicken or tuna and salad or steamed veggies.

No no foods

Alcohol

Soft drinks

Bottled juices

All deep fried foods

Chocolate

White flour

Lastly this diet is good but without an exercise regime not enough for good health.

Find a sport that you like and start doing it 3 or 4 times a week ie weights, yoga, squash etc

[g00dgirl]

If you want to order a dish low in carbs from white rice it can be hard, even if you order "pak jeje" asking for a lot of vegetables and "khao nitnoy" not much rice, the outcome is too often not right and you still end up with mainly rice and only a few greens.

What you gotta order is "pak ruam luag". Then you should get mixed greens that were steamed not fried. (note: not "pad pak ruam" that would be fried and fatty with sauce and sugar in it!)

To make this into a healthy meal you would want a bit of a protein source as well , so if you like some chicken in the bag with that,

order "Pak ruam luag sai gai duay" asking to put in some chicken.

Do not completely remove carbs from your diet, 3 or so tablespoons of brown rice to go with that do no harm at all. This makes a nice lunch or dinner. Vary the chicken for some steamed fish a few times a week, too.

[astral]

I also stopped snacking which is easier said than done.

Amen to that.

I always have a plate of fruit and eat and apple or banana if I must have a snack.

NOTHING else...........

Difficult.

Keeping busy reduces the need to snack, or so I find.

[solo siam]

Tom Yum Goong

Tom Kha Ghai

Most Curries

Barbecued Prawns / Fish / Chicken

Laab

Jungle Soup

Chef Salad (Chicken, Bacon, Egg, Cheese, Ham)

Omelette (make sure they don't use condensed milk)

For snacks I eat Olives and Macademias or cheese with ham.

The OP is asking about low carb ideas, don't see why people are commenting about how good carbs are for you, some people just react differently to different foods. Seriously the Atkins and other low carb diets have been around for 20+ years, I've yet to see any trouble from the millions doing it unless they don't follow simple rules. All I do when I'm doing the diet is cut out sugars, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes and substitute it with Salad, Olives, fresh meats, fish, cheese and vegetables - every one of which is 100% natural and non-processed.

In terms of low carbing here, you will spend a lot of time cooking but there are some great recipes out there, Most Indian curries for example can be modified for low carbing (just no Naan bread or rice), My Jack Daniels Mustard Scrambled Eggs taste good.

[chuchok]

Some of the more successful forms of dieting for those of us with chronic flab involve carbohydrate control. This is not the easiest thing to do, especially here in a country that celebrates rice and seems to throw spoonfuls of sugar on every fried dish. Have you tried it here before? Please share your suggestions with us.

Mate, a little learning is a dangerous thing.

Atkins and other low carb diets are one part of the solution, but are only a temporary one. The body needs carbs for energy, so going low carb is of some help, however it also makes the body more efficient and therefore magnifies damage from when you eat carbs.

You will do best not worrying about the carbs for breakfast and lunch, then try to make sure you have no rice and no noodle and no bread at all from about 3pm onwards. For dinner, order vegetables, preferably not fried, and try to avoid any softdrinks or fruit juice at the same time; lots of water is better. You could order (easily) guay teeo then ask for no noodles or a massively reduced amount of noodles; you could order tom yum goong and have just the soup no rice.

Your body needs carbs, and carbs can actually speed up your metobolism if eaten at the right times; such as when you wake up; go for immediate exercise like a short walk or jog if you can manage it, THEN eat porridge and drink coffee.

Of course, it goes without saying to eliminate wasted carbs:

- potato chips

-= beer

- soft drinks

- fruit juice

- snack foods

- no milk

- no sugar on anything in anything

Then at the same time

- increase fibre and green vegetable intake to feel full

- reduce amount eaten

- increase exercise

What overweight people usually need to do is to stop listening to when they feel full, and eat the right amount, this is always the routine I go through when losing weight (which is exactly the same for me and my goals of weight loss as it is for you).

The dead calories are easy to eliminate, and I have a big headstart being lactose intolerant.

THis is about the time you start making excuses for yourself and saying stuff like I need the fruit juice and milk for calcium/vitamin. <deleted>. Get vitamin supplements if you are worried about that. Two of the biggest sources fo sugar and fat plus being processed so much tey aren't healthy.

One step at a time, and don't look for quick fixes, because really the only way to go is reduce the amount you eat and increase the amount of energy you burn; not eating late at night and firing up metobolism early in the day are just like bonuses.

Good luck.

I could say the same to you.

There is so much that I disagree with,that I don't know where to start.

steveromagnino you should read the book "The French Diet: Why French Women Don't Get Fat" french people have the lowest forms of obesity in the Western world,yet their food is FULL of fat, and they normally eat very,very well in comparrison to many other nations.Very low in heart disease as well.

If you must eat carbs,eat unrefined ones like wholemeal rice etc.Rice,sugar and potatoes etc have very little nutrititional food value.they are <deleted>.

eat foods with a low GI or when they are combined have a low GI.

There are lots of places/markets that sell great salad stuff.

Don't cook the living hel_l out of things like broccoli,cauliflower.over cooking actually increases the GI.Stir fries here are fine etc.

No fruit juices.If you must eat fruit,eat it with the fibre ie:Whole fresh fruit

vitamins are crap IMO.Most of them are <deleted> and unless your diet is insufficient,you should never have to take them.There is plenty of debate as to if they actually do any good.

plenty of steamed fish etc,that you can eat here.

Steve,best bet is to order food here without rice.I know a bloke that has been doing that for many years here.Avoid sticky rice at all costs.Sticky rice has a GI higher than sugar.

[chuchok]

Michel Montignac shares a mouth-watering entrée and two decadent desserts from his personal weight loss and weight maintenance recipe book, exclusively with Amazon.com customers. Bon appétit!

Chicken with Apples and Cider Cream

Phase 1 and Phase 2 (appropriate for both weight loss and weight maintenance)

Serves 5

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes

One 3-pound free range chicken

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 pounds apples, peeled and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup apple cider

1 cube chicken bouillon

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons goose fat or olive oil (See Note)

salt, freshly ground pepper, cayenne, and ground cinnamon, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425º

Brush the chicken with a tablespoon of goose fat (or olive oil). Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and place in a roasting pan. Roast for approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, or until juice runs clear.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of goose fat (or olive oil), and sauté the chopped apples, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes, until the apples are softened. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Reserve.

To make the cider cream sauce, boil the cider in a saucepan and reduce by three quarters. Add the chicken bouillon cube and dissolve well. Then add the heavy cream. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Correct the seasoning if necessary. After the chicken has roasted for about 1 hour 15 minutes, arrange the apples around the chicken in the roasting pan.

When ready, cut up the chicken, coat with the reheated cream of cider and serve with the cinnamon apples.

Note: Goose fat is available in some specialty gourmet shops and can also be ordered from gourmet supply stores online. If you are unable to find it, substitute olive oil.

Chocolate Mousse

Phase 2 (appropriate for weight maintenance)

Serves 6–8

Preparation: 25 minutes

Chilling time: at least 6 hours

14 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao content)

4 teaspoons instant coffee

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons rum (optional)

zest of 1 orange (organic preferred)

8 eggs

1 pinch of salt

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a double boiler. Mix the coffee with 1/2 cup of water and the rum, and add to the chocolate. Melt the chocolate, stirring constantly over low heat. If the mixture is too solid, add a bit of water. When the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, remove the saucepan from the stove.

Add half of the orange zest to the pot and stir. Separate the eggs into two mixing bowls—the egg whites in one, the egg yolks in another. Whip the egg whites, along with a pinch of salt, until stiff. Add the chocolate to the egg yolks, stirring until the mixture has a smooth consistency. Gently fold this mixture into the egg whites. Make sure the egg whites are well incorporated and no chocolate is left at the bottom of the bowl.

You can either leave the mousse in the mixing bowl, first cleaning the rim, or transfer it to a serving bowl or to small individual bowls. Sprinkle the remaining grated orange peel over the mousse and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Raspberry–Yogurt Ice Cream

Phase 1 (appropriate for weight loss)

Serves 4

Preparation: 15 minutes

Freezing time: at least 8 hours

1 cup low-fat yogurt

1 1/4 cups (about half of a pint basket) raspberries, fresh or frozen

1 large egg white, beaten until stiff

In a blender, puree the yogurt and raspberries. Pour the puree into a large ice-cube tray and leave in the freezer for at least 8 hours.

Cut the frozen mixture into small pieces with a knife. Puree again in the blender.

Add the stiffly beaten egg white and mix thoroughly.

Serve immediately.

Farang food I know,but they don't look too shabby.

[Ijustwannateach]

Yes, it seems that cooking is in the cards for me- but I don't currently have a kitchen in my cardboard box... something to think about next time I move.

[steveromagnino]

Some of the more successful forms of dieting for those of us with chronic flab involve carbohydrate control. This is not the easiest thing to do, especially here in a country that celebrates rice and seems to throw spoonfuls of sugar on every fried dish. Have you tried it here before? Please share your suggestions with us.

Mate, a little learning is a dangerous thing.

I could say the same to you.

steveromagnino you should read the book "The French Diet: Why French Women Don't Get Fat" french people have the lowest forms of obesity in the Western world,yet their food is FULL of fat, and they normally eat very,very well in comparrison to many other nations.Very low in heart disease as well.

Steve,best bet is to order food here without rice.I know a bloke that has been doing that for many years here.Avoid sticky rice at all costs.Sticky rice has a GI higher than sugar.

Agree with most of what you've written there Chuchok; to be honest the only reason I diet is for myself due to sports I've done in the past (triathalons, muay Thai) which have major weight issues, so much of my experience is based on what has worked for me, and isn't always applicable to others; I should remember that when advising (or attempting to advise!). Will take a look at the book you recommend if I can :-)

Regarding time of eating and metabolism, almost every boxer follows a similar routine in the 3 months leading up to a weigh in; most triathaletes as well; whether the theory currently supports it or not, the reality would suggest that it works.

Regarding rice, the brown unpolished rice is not bad stuff, and would seem to be high in fibre and thus in itself a bit of a fat burner and gut scrub. my mother swears by super food combinations, where according to her you get additional benefit through complimentary attributes; like baked beans on wholemeal bread which is less bad than say jam on white bread.

Regarding Thai foods without sugar, well since Thai food has 4 flavours, it does tend to have some sugar in almost everything to get the variety of taste...however:

- guay teeo mostly comes with MSG but without significant amounts of sugar; you add that yourself (or not)

- tom yum goong sai sai has no coconut milk; in fact I hardly eat anything with coconut milk in it at all; I think this is more a farang version of Thai food to do so; tom kha gai can do, but depends on the recipe

- larb, somtum, yum all have small amounts of sugar, but not excessive amounts, and are usually served with a large portion of vegetables

- gaeng juet, gaeng som, gaeng pah should all be ok

If eating at home, throw away all processed rice and go to brown rice, which to be honest tastes better anyway. At least how my family cook it.

Above all, get into the habit of exercise; as unless you address your workrate, IMHO you will struggle to lose weight by targeting intake only. And every boxer and triathalete will support me on that one. I can honestly say the best weight loss program for me other than those sports directly is swimming here, because of the heat here it makes for a fun time. There is also 'gilah nai rom' which is not bad provided you don't eat fast food straight after :-)

As I said earlier, a key is to get away from eating for the purpose of feeling full; I guess I am lucky because that recipe of yours Chuchok does nothing for me at all, but then again I am a lousy cook and I don't like western food much :-) Out of interest, in the book does it talk about wine intake playing a role as well?

Most important thing my mother had on her side in losing 1/3 of her body weight was the threat from a doctor that she would die if she didn't. Create a similar motivation, and realise it is for life, and then start changing your life habits to match I think is key. There are at most 5% who have something else to blame, the rest of us in the 95% need to look at what we choose to do and eat is enough :_)

[Tolley]

chuchok said

'vitamins are crap IMO.Most of them are <deleted> and unless your diet is insufficient,you should never have to take them.There is plenty of debate as to if they actually do any good."

That is so wrong. There is lots or research out there stating the exact opposite.

Some vitamins commercially available are indeed rubbish as they don't have enough of the active ingredients but there is way too much compelling research out there suggesting otherwise.

eg The new cutting edge preventative health treatments are collecting blood samples and splitting peoples DNA and seeing how well it replicates. The better it replicates the less likelihood of cancer and other diseases. They have done trials and put people on vitamin therapy along with improving their diets and have noticed big improvements in the DNA after making the changes.

Agree with most of the rest of what you said.

[stub]

Yes, it seems that cooking is in the cards for me- but I don't currently have a kitchen in my cardboard box... something to think about next time I move.

You can always try picking up suitable street food with no rice and buy a rice cooker for doing your own brown or red rice, or just skip the rice all together. A no-carb diet like Atkins is difficult, but I think a saner diet like CSIRO Total Wellbeing or roll-your-own is quite doable without a kitchen if you are not also trying to do low-fat, so no need to put things off until your lease expires. Plenty of suitable curries to choose from, boiled chicken, stewed pork knuckle, ka pow gai/moo/plah muek... Or wander into restaurant and grab a takeaway steamed fish.

[tom yum goong]

i dont think avoiding carbs altogether is healthy or even sustainable. the best solution i've found is what is mentioned above by Boo - eating low and medium GI foods and avoiding high GI foods.

i avoid white Jasmine rice, potatoes and bread (esp. white bread) whenever i can.

its quite hard to avoid rice when eating out but noodles and pasta are good alternatives and easily available.

when at home i cook brown/red rice, eat a lot of glass noodles (u can buy wholegrain glass noodles in the supermarket) and wholewheat pasta. i also snack a lot on fruits.

lost about 6 kgs in around 2 months when i first started and still losing a little more each month. its quite an easy diet to follow once u understand about GI. i don't get hunger pangs anymore despite eating less than before.

[Links must be posted in the links thread- your GI information link has been moved to the Links thread].

[Ozziepaul]

HOLY COW...am I thankful to have stumbled upon this part of the forum.

I have been trying to lead a Low carb lifestyle for around 5-6 weeks with very little results.

I am now trying a mixture of protein and carbs, especially green leafy, surface vegetables.

My missus can steam, stir-fry them and weave her magic as she does with food. I eat no to VERY little rice, no bread, no starchy veges etc and cannot recall the last time I had a beer.

I do drink whiskey as this is low to zero carb, although I do know it's not recommended. I only drink every 7-10 days. My water intake is around 2+Lt/day.

My humble question is if anyone would be so kind enough to tell me the vegetables (in phonetic Thai) that I get my wife to go and purchase from the market.

I HAVE to lose weight and am trying like all heck, but not much seems to be happening. I must admit though that I have NOT been able to exercise for at least 4-5 weeks, due to illness and injury.

I sure hope someone can help me, as my health is suffering and I am genuinely concerned.

Thanks.

Ozziepaul.

[firehorse]

I know about the lack of a kitchen. If youv'e gotta sink and a small work surface, about three ft. pop down to Tesco or someplace like that, get yourself one of those portable gas stoves, the ones that take the small gas cartridge. They only cost about 600 baht. 100 baht for 3 gas cartridges. Then splash out on a good teflon frying pan, one which is quite deep. you'll be able to cook most things in it. Check the internet for low carb recipies and away you go. It's great to have an omelette that hasn't been deep fried. The pan quality is important, you'll use a lot less oil when cooking.

[percy2]

Try a protein shake first thing in the morning.

It will curb your appetite for much of the rest of the day if not all of it.

Though it won't reduce your immediate hunger pangs.

Also learn to like sashimi.

If your going to go for a virtually carb free diet to initially loose weight I would suggest taking supplements (though I agree the jury is till out , they can't hurt)

I wouldn't stay carb free for more than a couple or three weeks , apart from anything else it will make you feel very uncomfortable , or it did me.

You will be surprised how little is required to make you feel full on a high protein diet.

After saying all that I'm back to lots of carbs and the weight is piling on (but burritos, sandwiches, pasta do taste good!)

Will be back to protein shakes tomorrow and increasing my exercise regime.

Cheers

[Aujuba]

I'm going to try low carbing with some walking starting in August. I hope to stick with it for the long term. I know it works because I've done it before. The hardest part low carbing for me here in LOS is lacking a kitchen. Low carbing really does work but like any diet if you stop doing it and you go back to your old ways you'll go back to your old weight too. As with believing in anything, you either believe or you don't. You either folllow or you don't. It's not for now it has to be forever. That's hard. Anyways, I hope to be back with some positive news in the future. There are lots of inspirational stories of low carbers on the net if you look for them. I often look at the site lowcarber.org. There are a few guys on that site who have posted pics of their weight loss. It's really amazing. So I'm going to give it a go again. yep, I did it before for a few months and it really did me well. I'm like an alcoholic when it comes to carbs. I'm trying to stop my addiction. It ain't gonna be easy but I've got to try.

[Aujuba]

This guy, Mike, lost low carbing. Okay most of us probably aren't as big as he is but it just shows that low carb with exercise works.

Before

After

Here's the link to his site: http://mysite.verizon.net/resp19p3/index.html

Edited August 27, 2007 by Aujuba

[Bellatrix]

Ozziepaul - try this website - it has photos of HEAPS of Thai vegetables, accompanied by the English plus phoenetic Thai.

http://www.simply-thai.com/Thai-Market_Fre...etables_eng.htm

www.whfoods.com is good for looking at what nutrients are in the different veggies.

[Dr. Burrito]

I've been using the South Beach Diet plan, along with getting my lazy arse back in the gym, and it is working just fine. But it is definitely the combination.

Saying that, to address the OP point, this is a fairly low-carb process to begin with to do away with foods that produce sugar and in turn insulin then fat (I think I have the correct order)

The carbs in it are the same as many have mentioned here, bulky, green things, cooked well, which I think as another poster here already said, basically means getting into the kitchen for yourself.

I don't have tremendous weight issues, nor do I ever want to, so I have taken this on as a positive step to better take care of my machine since 50 is not to far away and I want the ###### thing to run well over the last stretch.

It's motivation and commitment, and frankly, it's not for everyone, nor should it be.

I keep a stock of fresh vegetable, regularly cook lentils and snack on things like olives, almonds and walnuts.

Regular meals always include some high value carbs and quality protein. That and a 6:30 am wakeup call for the gym does it for me.

Dr. B

[tominbkk]

However- don't a lot of the soups get made with plenty of sugar, or high-carb fluids like coconut milk?

"Steven"

Hi there

Coconut milk is actually quite low carb!

[ProThaiExpat]

IJWT: I have been on every diet that has ever been "pronounced", including the "Hawaii Diet" and offer the following more generic approach.

The word "diet" is a bad place to start with. It, by the way it is used, suggests deprivation of things you normally like because what you like is what you eat.

I prefer to approach weight reduction as a change in lifestyle, in other words going on a food program that you will follow for the rest of your life, not one that only is a "quick fix", quick fixes never work and the honest ones in the diet industry will tell you so. Stats are abundant on abandoned diets.

Each change in your food program should be thought out and used for life, without ever getting near deprivation of what you "love" to eat. Foods do lose their appeal over time, I used to rank ice cream as my overall most favorite, that has passed.

I tend to gravitate toward a more mechanical approach to a food program at first, one that makes sense and not one dependent on what worked for someone else who has a total different metabolism than you do.

So, consider this:

Smaller plates, so what food you look at in front of you appears to be more than there actually is. This will help in reducing your quantity. By reducing quantity, you shrink the size of your stomach and thereby get the feeling of being full with less food. Remember everything is over time.

Eat slowly, it takes many minutes for the stomach's message that "I am full" to get to your brain. A fast eater usually over eats. The instant you feel full, even partially, stop eating, leaving food on your plate is "good", forget the "starving children in Africa" your mother used to have you finish your plate.

Eat many small meals throughout the day. Usually four or five is optimum.

Eat fibrous foods that tend to fill you up. Stay away from all foods that have been reduced to liquid, as they go right through you and leave you hungry. Grapefruit is great, the juice is problimatic.

Exercise does increase your metabolism and is good for that purpose, as higher the metabolism the greater the calorie usage, however, exercise does make you hungrier, as the body demands more food to feed the increased metabolism.

The "Zone" had the best approach I ever encountered in establishing a food program as it provides a reasonable quantity of carbohydrates. Unfortunately, for the "Zone" to work as a lifetime program you need a partner on it as well and they need to be very anal and able to focus on quantities of food groups. By trying it, you do get an appreciation for a food program rather than going on a "diet".

What I learned from the Zone was the importance of some fat in your diet. I find that when I go all carb and no fat, I get such a hunger for sweets that I am in a state of craving which I cannot fight. I can go without desert any time I have a tablespoon or so of fat in my meal. Your body does talk to you.

Eating your carbs in mid-day is fine, but they are "drowsy" inducing. Most carbohydrates are converted into sugar in the blood stream, the less complex the carbohydrate is, the quicker it is converted into sugar and that "sugar high" results in a drowsy low thereafter.

Caffeine in coffee or soft drinks is not fattening, but most nutritionists decry it because of the putting you "up" for a while that is followed with a "down" and the caffeine can stimulate "false hunger pains".

Do you live to eat or eat to live? A telltale indicator. So many societies surround eating with social interaction. Avoiding dinner "parties", eating "events" and the like shifts the emphasis in your social life from eating to other equally enjoyable activities that do not involve eating and drinking where food programs are abandoned.

Compare a date "Lets go to dinner" with lets go for a jog, movie or something other than eating. Can you see a movie without eating popcorn? If not, don't go the movies until you have broken that connection.

Surely you do things that don't involve eating that you enjoy. Shift to those as much as possible.

By changing your lifestyle away from eating and food consumption as a focus, you have started on a new life of excitement that doesn't involve food. How you consume the food you eat and its quantity is far more important than its exact makeup. You can always fine tune your food program and your new life by attending to what you eat after you have broken the "diet" "binge" cycle.

Good luck. It will work once you abandon "dieting" and all the b.s. associated with short term "fixes" to getting your weight where you want it. Abandon the term "failure" when it comes to changing your food lifestyle as an step is that direction is a "success" you can be proud of.

Edited September 26, 2007 by ProThaiExpat

[tw25rw]

i dont think avoiding carbs altogether is healthy or even sustainable. the best solution i've found is what is mentioned above by Boo - eating low and medium GI foods and avoiding high GI foods.

I'm yet to see a diet that advocates eliminating all carbs..

[tominbkk]

Actually a diet like atkins is not a "no carb" regimen, but a "low carb" one. But really you should be getting the vast majority of your carbs from leafy greens and broccoli and such. Just try to keep to clean proteins and lots of veggies, and you will do fine. Maybe a little boring, but not really. I love big salads and a couple pieces of steamed chicken or fish, or get some grilled chicken and yum dang gwa for lunch.....breakfast a couple of eggs and some protein, keeps me full til lunch. You just gotta be a litttle picky and get the carb moster off your back, which takes a week or so.

I've tried all kinds of diets, and this is the one that is, for me anyway, sustainable and enjoyable. Also the one I lose weight on.

[JungleBiker]

Actually a diet like atkins is not a "no carb" regimen, but a "low carb" one. But really you should be getting the vast majority of your carbs from leafy greens and broccoli and such. Just try to keep to clean proteins and lots of veggies, and you will do fine. Maybe a little boring, but not really. I love big salads and a couple pieces of steamed chicken or fish, or get some grilled chicken and yum dang gwa for lunch.....breakfast a couple of eggs and some protein, keeps me full til lunch. You just gotta be a litttle picky and get the carb moster off your back, which takes a week or so.

I've tried all kinds of diets, and this is the one that is, for me anyway, sustainable and enjoyable. Also the one I lose weight on.

Yes it's about choosing the right kinds of carbs - i.e. those that are low on the glycemic index like the leafy greens and broccoli rather than stuff like white bread and bananas. See: http://www.glycemicindex.com/ (The SB diet is also about choosing the right kinds of fats (e.g. olive oil instead of pork fat, etc).

Mind you, if you're into sports then high GI foods make good fuel to keep you going and to replenish your glycogen stores afterwards.

JB

[gavin hawaii]

I am also reducing my carbs to lose weight, help control diabetes and be healthier. The Glycemic Index is a great help and to me seems the way to go. The advice given on this topic is awesome. It really has given me some ideas and new insight.

[disgruntled]

Anyone still doing low carb? What are your results?

[frankman]

18 month ago I was 112 Kilo due to a backinjury I couldn't move too much. Than after I could walk again I walked EVERY(!) morning 1 hrs ca. 6 km in trainer and eat in the morning mueslei or better weetabix, gives you85% of your fibre you need for digesting. salad with fish or chicken or seafoog, no carbs and in the evening vegis and a few beers. 1 year later I was on 87 and still do the same. Sometimes a little here and ther but basicly Vegis fruits not to many carbs not too much fat and red meat no chickenskin. And very important, if you are full, leave the rest on the plate, not like me before, I almost couldn't finish my dish and than I aet the rest of my wife. I loved to eat full and reach and it all tastes so good. Now swaeting one hour walking made me adiccted to it. I walk also in monsumseason in the rain with an umbrella, people think im nuts. May be they are right. But try it. It worked and still works for me. Good luck.