Is anybody also watching carbs--?

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Larkspur
Posts: 438
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:30 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Is anybody also watching carbs--?

Post by Larkspur » Mon Sep 18, 2017 7:45 pm

Every so often I go into a mini tailspin over low-carb versus plant-based. Some people manage a lower-carb, plant based diet, though I am having trouble picturing that. I do feel like I might do better with weight loss and insulin resistance if I ease back on the carbs (though I have been very pleased with the changes in blood sugar regulation with just the no snack thing). I'm nervous of eating lots of animal protein like eggs or steak or what have you, plus they are not usually my favorite things to eat. I suppose I could eat more nuts or oil or--? Any suggestions out there?

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Post by ladybird30 » Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:08 pm

Hi Larkspur - what sort of foods do you like to eat? What foods and amounts suit your digestion? What types of foods do you feel well on? How does your blood work respond to different diets? And what sort of eating pattern enables you to eat in an ordered fashion and keep your weight where you want it.

These answers to these questions (which I'm not asking you to post here) are IMHO more important than any particular theoretical "healthy" diet.

Ladybird
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Post by vmsurbat » Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:35 am

I concur with ladybird30's suggestion to really think about the diet that makes you feel good--satisfied, strong, and healthy.

It helps to keep perspective that both historically and geographically most people groups have thrived on a relatively high carb diet. Now, that doesn't mean we can to the same degree because we live a more sedentary life. But it does mean that carbs in and of themselves are not the problem....

If the idea of a low-carb diet is distasteful to you (as it is to me), there are OTHER HEALTHY ways of eating, the Mediterranean Diet being one of them....

We once stayed longterm (several months) with a family that practiced high-fat, low-carb eating and of course, we enjoyed their provision, but I found it interesting that the results of my bloodwork (annual checkup) were, for the first time, flagged for cholesterol and something else. Once I went back to *my* normal diet (loosely Mediterranean--my husband doesn't eat fish, sadly), my bloodwork improved back to its usual good results.

All that to say, no need to blindly follow lo-carb eating because it certainly is not "best" in any absolute sense. And, for a no-nonsense look at other healthy diets (ie. not geared to weightless per se), check out Oldways https://oldwayspt.org which looks at traditional diets and how we might adapt them to a modern lifestyle.

Lastly, with NoS's sensible 1 plate limitations and no snacks, you'll naturally be eating fewer carbs, especially of the junk-food variety, so I wouldn't spend any emotional angst on the low-carb/high fat debate at this time. Rather, enjoy the freedom to fill your plate with good, tasty, food and then enjoy your meal!
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

eam531
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2014 9:17 pm
Location: Buffalo, NY

Post by eam531 » Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:50 am

What do you mean by "carbs"? I never understand what people are talking about when they say "carbs". Carbohydrates are one of the 3 macronutrients and despite dietary propaganda, carbohydrates are not "evil".

There's a big difference between cake made with white sugar and flour, and beans.

I've read about people attempting a paleo-like vegan eating plan. I doubt seriously something like that could be sustainable.

No S is all about sustainability. What's sustainable to me is: a whole-food, plant based vegetarian way of eating, controlling portion size, and limiting sweets. This has worked very well for me for years.

Diligence
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2013 6:09 pm

Post by Diligence » Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:56 pm

Hi Larkspur,

I am freshly back after too long of a break from No-S and the forum. After No-S-ing for a good while, I did cut carbs significantly (as well as certain other foods)--in large part to see whether it would help address some health issues. Prior to this modification, I had little success with No-S on weight loss despite have next to no (if any) red days. With the modification, I lost a good amount of weight in a short time.

My food restrictions were strangling me and weren't resolving my health issues. My particular restrictions made it very difficult to attend family meal-based gatherings and to eat on the road ("starve," bring my own food, or inconvenience others). Though the modifications helped me shake sugar and other carb cravings, once I had some again--wow, I couldn't believe how easily I would be triggered to have such foods again. It was a slippery slope away from No-S and the very, very low carb intake (my carbs were almost exclusively from vegetables and some fruits and fruit juice). I'm back again, restarting No-S vanilla-style. I might not get the great and relatively-quick results I had when I had all the other health-related food restrictions, but I am going to see where this goes and hope that it yields a way of eating that is more sustainable for my life and less of an imposition on others when I am a guest or want to eat out with family or friends.

With that background shared, from my personal experience, I recommend that you stick it out with vanilla No-S for a longer time before modifying, especially if you're happy with things as they are. If you're diabetic and concerned in that regard, I would probably recommend consider modifying the carbs at some point and seeing how that affects you if it is still an issue after getting even further acclimated to No-S. Dr. Richard K. Bernstein has a good bit out on this--both online and in his books, which are in many libraries. Ultra-low-carb is a challenging way of eating in our society, especially long-term, but it is doable for those who really need and are motivated to do so.

Also, I agree with the points and questions others have offered for your consideration. I just wanted to share my previous experience with further restrictions on No-S.

All the best,
Diligence

oolala53
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Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:40 pm

What people usually mean by carbs are starches: grain-based foods and potatoes, mostly. I consider legumes/beans starches, too.

I know of at least one person who turned an autoimmune situation around going keto. But without that incentive, it's not an easy way to live in this culture.

For a long time, I probably ate 6 or fewer servings of starches a day. It was a habit I got into on 40*30*30 and I found those meals satisfying. I am still playing with how to compensate for decreasing animal flesh. I've toyed several times with going low carb, but I feel sadder when facing it than I do with being a vegetarian, which I'm also not ready for. Is that a sign that I'm addicted to carbs? So be it for now.

There's not much else to do but live and experiment. A few days is not enough time to establish enough of a pattern to know how a new habit is changing things. Work out how much of any food you need and if you find any true motivations for being more strict, go ahead and incorporate them.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

ironchef
Posts: 1630
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:12 am
Location: Australia

Post by ironchef » Wed Sep 20, 2017 4:22 am

I still trip up sometimes on just basic No S, which addresses sweets, which, lets be honest, is the main issue with carbohydrates in our society.

When people have outlined low carb or paleo type things to me, it's always sounded like a relatively expensive way of eating, which is a bigger consideration for us now feeding more people with less income.

One thing I have noticed is if I eat an unbalanced meal (eg big bowl of pasta and little else) I am often very hungry before the next meal. Which isn't the end of the world, but does motivate me to make sure there is some protein, fat and veggies with my meals.

Luckily, No S is compatible with almost any dietary approach. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you've got a good habit of green N days under your belt first. No point worrying about redecorating if you haven't built the house.

vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Post by vmsurbat » Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:10 am

ironchef wrote:No point worrying about redecorating if you haven't built the house.
This is worthy of being put in the Sticky: NoS Catch-Phrase glossary!
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

Larkspur
Posts: 438
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:30 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Larkspur » Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:39 pm

What great, thought provoking responses. I am prediabetic. No, wait, I was NORMAL at my last check in-- high normal, but normal, so let's take a moment to celebrate that. And I can tell my insulin is better regulated, because I usually don't think about food between meals much-- which is awesome. However, I am still fat. So there's that. I was reading a diabetic website and they were describing diabetes as a disorder of carb intolerance. Maybe in my case what I'm looking at is a disorder of excess sugar/flour intolerance.

I mod my No-S to have a little sweet each day, and weekends/N days not too different. Monday I had a mini sticky bun, yesterday I had some dried pineapple and mango at lunch.

My top motivation to lose weight (here's one for you): my sweet girl gained a lot of weight in college, I'm guessing from a normal BMI to borderline obese. She's embraced Health At Any Size, which is kind of good, because (I think) she's not doing a restrictive diet. I want to show her It Can Be Done. But I haven't been a very compelling example of that particular trick so far!

Great food for thought here-- need to be better with my plating, and maybe lighten the carb load at one meal (dinner). Perhaps guilty of redecorating before the walls are built <G>

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Wed Sep 20, 2017 8:15 pm

IMHO, if HAES defends a person going from a normal BMI, I'm assuming without undue effort, to borderline obese, that is a big mistake. It seems to me the vast majority of heavy people use the HAES and IE reasoning to defend what is actually an addictive relationship with basically junk food. The majority of heavy people would not be as heavy at least, if they had been raised in a more moderate-eating culture. NO SLIM, HEALTHY CULTURE eats in an unrestrained way, nor do they eat very much of anything that compares to manufactured food. It's amazing how many times you see people who get scared by a health issue change their diet and voila! they suddenly lose weight when they said before they tried so hard and never could. The whole issue of eating unrestrainedly goes out the window when reality is at stake.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

levictoria
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:25 pm
Location: Minnesota

Post by levictoria » Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:08 am

Great question! I agree with what other folks said... eat what makes you FEEL good. As my mother says, "Eat a little bit of food, mostly plants." My husband and I don't keep bread in our home very often. If we want carbs, we do potatoes, quiona, oatmeal, wheat berries, bulgar, fruit, you name it. I've been having a tough time eating animal protein as I am very lactose intolerant, and the texture of animal meat has been weirding me out, so have been exploring the world of vegan options (just for eating! I still use soap and wear leather).

You are right to be cautious. However, after doing this for over a month, I have learned that I don't need to count much of anything to be successful. Just stick to the No-S mindset.
Victoria
Starting Weight 204.6
Starting Date Aug 24, 2017
Current 200.4
Total: -4.2

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