For those who cut out pasta, bread, rice, etc.—does this also apply to gluten-free varieties? (Maybe this is a dumb question but I’m genuinely curious, thanks for any feedback)

Op here - thank you for those with helpful responses. There’s always gotta be one though 🙄

There’s been a lot of discussion in this board around low carb. So I was trying to figure out what most ppl meant. I feel like Keto is it’s own animal. But it sounds like a mix in the responses.

I find keto specifically hard to sustain because it’s so easy to get knocked out of ketosis. Having fats constantly be the most consumed macro - over protein - isn’t always the easiest. I had the pee strips too and would watch this happen.

And to the pp above - I never said the diet “didn’t work.” It for sure did. I lost weight. But I also like pineapple sometimes. So it’s not necessarily right for me. I also felt like Keto taught (me, personally) poor eating habits with it’s focus on high fats.

Wearing a glucose monitor has opened my eyes to how much carbs raise my blood sugar level. I can get away with a small portion of carbs combined with fat and protein in the morning but any other time of day carbs spike my blood sugar levels and the level stays high for a while. Having seen my blood sugar levels I can see why I may have to give up most carbs if I want to loose weight—meaning no bread, no pasta, no rice, no potatoes.

I don't eat pasta, rice, bread, or cereal. The fruits I eat are strawberries and blueberries, sometimes blackberries. The veggies I eat are brussels sprouts and spinach.

I dropped 25 pounds on keto very quickly and kept it off easily.

I am baffled by people who say it's not sustainable because I find it very easy to sustain.

Don't complain the diet "doesn't work" if you stop doing it.

Anonymous wrote:What does that actually mean?

I’ve lost weight on Keto a couple of times, but find it hard to sustain and eventually gain it back. So I keep yo-yo’ing with the same 10 lbs. I do feel better when I don’t eat pasta/rice/bread. But what about high carb vegetables like carrots, which I love? Or fruits?

When I was younger, I’d eat a baked potato and broccoli for a meal and lose weight, but that wouldn’t work today. Now that I’m mid 40’s (female) I feel like I’ve forgotten how to lose weight and my body just doesn’t respond the same any more.

Curious what works for you? I’m not looking for “eat 3 tablespoons of celery for every meal” kind of advice. Would appreciate recommendations for realistic long term changes. I’m willing to count macros to start if that’s something that works.

I did low carb in around 2002 and have kept the weight off (30 pounds) for 20 years.

While everyone is different, and I don't know you personally, I really doubt that a portion of carrots are causing you to regain weight. Take a hard look at your diet and the carbs and sugar that you are consuming. My personal tip is to avoid carbs after your lunch time meal. I limit carbs but will have some in the first half of the day. It's not hard for me to abstain since I also feel bad when eating carbs, especially bread and processed foods. I have learned over time that eating rice is fine for my body, but breads and desserts will cause me to gain weight, so I eat accordingly.

I also weigh myself daily which helps me know when I need to cut back. If I am having trouble with weight gain, then I will do intermittent fasting or a juice diet for a few days until I get where I need to be. At this point, I probably do IF once a year and a juice cleanse every other year or so. Good luck on your journey and I am happy to answer any questions.

Everyone I know who did the Atkins diet has since gained all their weight back and then some. It’s just not sustainable l.

I lost 25 lbs and have kept it off, and though I like carrots I only eat them once a week or so. I focus more on lower carb veggies like greens, cauliflower, broccoli etc.

I eat some fruit in the summer (peak berry season can’t be missed!) and otherwise just a few bites here and there. If I’m cutting up a really fantastic looking peach or watermelon or whatever for my kids, yes I have a few bites. But that’s a far cry from when I was trying to fit in several servings a day.

I never eat potatoes, rice or pasta. Zero.

I’m not sure if that answers your question though - how long can you usually sustain weight loss? Are there small changes that can introduce carrots or whatever your favorites are that won’t cause weight gain?

If anyone ever actually read the Atkins book (remember books?) you were to start out on induction at 20 g of carbs a day and stay there for a period of time (longer if you had a lot to lose, less if you didn’t) and then add 5 g of carbs a week till you found your number of carbs in a day that allows you to maintain but not gain.

Nowadays the Atkins website is way more “forgiving” and I don’t want to say they encourage people to have more carbs, but they give you a serving and the carbs (like a quarter of a baked potato is 10 g). So if carrots make your heart sing, use them as one of your vegetables but count the carbs.

I'm 52. I've been carrying an extra 10 lbs since having my last kid a decade ago. I recently dropped 5 lbs (after many different attempts over the years) by cutting out sugar except the occasional dark chocolate square or two and really restricting white flours (crackers, most bread, most pasta, and pretty much all baked goods). at the same time, I added more fat and nuts and really upping a huge variety of veggies, reducing but not cutting out starchy carbs (I still have brown rice, quinoa, and some really high quality sourdough). I eat some fruit, but usually a handful of berries every other day, or maybe some melon, etc. Not a ton. I practice time restricted eating--two meals a day between 1 pm and 7 pm. It was hard at first and now I have no appetite until its my eating time. I also occasionally do a 24-48 hour fast. This extra bit of fasting has given me a bit more wiggle room to indulge in wine and cheese, for example, or go to a nice dinner. I also find that its a lot easier to make lunch and dinner veggie/protein/good fat heavy and to have two high satiety meals rather than 3 low calories, low carb meals that don't really seem enjoyable. Also, I found keto/ Low carb breakfasts get old really fast. I tried keto for a while and mostly lost weight because I couldn't face another freaking egg and I dont like meat all that much (and frankly, its not particularly healthy). soon as I stopped I gained it back. Right now I dont feel like I'm dieting, because I dont count calories and I'm not hungry. I just try to make good choices and occasionally pause eating for longer than a few hours. The weird thing is that the fasts have really reduced my cravings and blood sugar swings--and now whenI crave food, I crave avocado, not muffins.

Cut out processed food

When I tried low carb weight loss for the first time, I actually bought the little strips to pee on so I knew if ketosis was working. And it did.

For me, restricting calories didn’t really work without low carbing.

I don’t eat any fruit and eat don’t miss it. The sugars in fruit throw me off and make me crave more. I don’t add sugar to anything except a little to coffee. Meals are mostly a protein — fish or chicken — and a bunch of low carb vegetables. I eat mashed cauliflower for the feel of potatoes.

The food I do eat is food I love that tastes delicious to me. And as you see the number on the scale change, it’s a little easier to stick with it. Good luck to you!

For me it was no pasta, no rice, ezekiel bread a few times a week, and vegetables and berries. For sure no super processed foods such as crackers, chips, pretzels etc.

For me, no breads/processed carbs/potatoes, some fruit, some carrots, a little dairy, lots of leafy greens and protein. Keep an eye on calories as well unless you are keeping carbs under 50 per day. Plus add strength training, especially if you are over 40.

I don’t know how to lose weight and keep it off. But when I had gestational diabetes, I checked my blood sugar after every meal. Even though I was limiting carbs over all, they definitely didn’t impact my blood sugar equally. Flour and sugar made my numbers much higher than sweet potatoes, etc. Obvs blood sugar is only one dimension.

What does that actually mean?

I’ve lost weight on Keto a couple of times, but find it hard to sustain and eventually gain it back. So I keep yo-yo’ing with the same 10 lbs. I do feel better when I don’t eat pasta/rice/bread. But what about high carb vegetables like carrots, which I love? Or fruits?

When I was younger, I’d eat a baked potato and broccoli for a meal and lose weight, but that wouldn’t work today. Now that I’m mid 40’s (female) I feel like I’ve forgotten how to lose weight and my body just doesn’t respond the same any more.

Curious what works for you? I’m not looking for “eat 3 tablespoons of celery for every meal” kind of advice. Would appreciate recommendations for realistic long term changes. I’m willing to count macros to start if that’s something that works.