Let me start off by saying I donโt like the word โhateโ. I find it entirely too strong in most ANY instance, so just know the title is a bit tongue in cheek. ๐
That said, there are pros and cons to everything, including the Low Carb Diet!
So I thought weโd have some fun with it, vent a little, and have a good candid discussion about the negatives we each personally experienceโฆ
Iโll start with mine, and then you leave a comment below. I canโt wait to hear your thoughts! ๐
Top 5 Things I Dislike About The Low Carb Diet
1. The fact that I got fat in the first place, and had to go on it to lose weight. LOL.
2. The word โdietโ. To me itโs more a โway of eatingโ. If you slip up and use the word โdietโ people assume youโre a weight loss freak or have self-image issues or youโre one of those weirdo dieter types. Or at least thatโs what I think theyโre thinking. ๐
3. That Welchโs Grape Juice is not low carb. *pout*
4. Misinformed people with good intentions that say too much Bacon will kill me. Which is usually said while theyโre slugging a beer or have a mouthful of donuts.
5. The politics and the science behind the low carb diet. Quite honestly, I could care less. I eat Bacon and I lose weight. Thatโs all I really need to know! ๐
Your turn! What are your biggest issues with the low carb diet, or what ruffles your feathers most when it comes to the low carb topic?
the lack of brain power (gets foggy)
the lack of physical strength
that carbs have any effect on me as it is! Blah!!!
I hate that sushi is not low carb. Sometimes I suffer from low energy.
Sushi used to my my *favorite* food. ๐
You gals both suffer from low energy?? I havenโt had that experience. During the initial induction/ketosis phase I do have headaches and get *really* crabby โ and also restless, not able to sleep well. But I havenโt experienced lower energy.
Do you eat enough fat & good carbs? I try to eat 20 net carbs/day and plenty of fat โ which is what the body uses for energy in place of the carbs.
1) I agree that I donโt like to call it a diet โ especially now that I am in maintenance. So I say โ I donโt eat carbs, or I watch my carbs.
2) Explaining it to people and they always say โI canโt do withoutโฆโ โ Yes you can if you really want to lose the weight.
3) People who try my diet, and think that they have done well when they had fruit or โjust a littleโ sweets. Itโs all or nothing on sweets โ especially when youโre trying to lose. Once you cut them out, the cravings go away.
4) That I had to give up pizza. But, now that Iโm on maintenance โ I eat Papa Murphyโs de-lite pizza with super thin crust.
5) That if I want to eat bread (that is very low carb) that I have to order expensive loaves online, and then pay a bunch of money to have it shipped. I wish Julian bread was sold in my town.
But there are lots of PROS: And yes, BACON is probably #1!!
Bacon is definitely a PRO ๐ lol
I try to avoid the topic altogether, unless Iโm with my low carb friends. Often Iโll just say โI already ateโ or โHmm, thanks but that doesnโt really appeal to me at the moment. I think Iโll have __ instead.โ etc.
Itโs not like Iโm having to count points or do any major studying of the menu to eat out either. Steak and green vegetables, salmon & broccoli โ all normal menu items. So it doesnโt even *need* to come up in conversation most of the time. Which I like. ๐
How many carbs are in the Papa Murphy pizza?
My #1 hate of the low carb lifestyle is when folks want to argue with you and tell you how much your body needs carbs! Um, hello โ I said LOW carb, not NO carb. Big difference.
That one bugs me too, Traci. ๐
I do eat carbs. Like broccoli. ๐
I think that Traci is correct. The answer is โvery low carbโ not โno carbโ. Then you get the best of both worlds: a slow weight loss without the loss of energy. There is never a foggy feeling (unless you donโt have a little caffeine in the morning!). I am using Pinterest to collect lo-carb recipes. You can go there to see what Iโve found. Some are converted regular recipes. This is so much fun! I just made a delicious sugar-free cheesecake with sugar-free cherry topping. Yum! Today I am making spaghetti and meat-balls, using spaghetti squash as the noodles! Super yum and super easy!
Yum, Christina! Can you share the link to your Pinterest board? I want to connect with you there! ๐
Iโd like to connect with you on Pinterest as well. Iโm nikimaas
I would like to see them also. Iโm 52,male, work offshore around a bunch of men who eat anything. But one good thing is the healthy way of eating is catching on out there and I do my best to eat the low carb way.
I hate that I lost weight but it seriously elevated my cholesterol.
I hate that it is very unforgiving if you have a slip up.
I hate that it cost so much to buy the food.
I hate that I happen to be insulin resistant and therefore must stay vlc.
I hate that it can be rather inconvenient.
I havenโt had that experience with cholesterol. Iโve read most people experience the opposite. Did you have a recent appt with your doctor about that? Iโd be really interested in what they discovered.
I do slip up. All the time, lol. Fortunately it hasnโt been a major issue. A couple pounds of water weight mostly. But I donโt have any real health issues, which may be the difference?
As for the cost, I havenโt seen a big change there. But I was eating *terrible* before, which included lots of bad (and expensive, lol) take outโฆ
Iโve come full circle on low carb diets. At 25 I was 230lbs and the Atkins diet was all the rageโฆ I read the book and in 8 months I lost 70 lbs! I was soooo happy! Unfortunately I was not able to keep it up and quickly gained all the weight back โ and more ๐ You see, back then, the book didnโt discount the fiber, so there were no NET-CARBS, Plus, he never talked about supplements or exercize.
I agree with you that the problem is thinking of losing weight as a diet. Itโs got to be a lifestyle โ as you explainโฆ and the main thing is to avoid processed foods and stick with as much clean (organic) foods as possibleโฆ
Now, regarding bacon and red meats, Iโve changed completely after seeing โforks above knives: and โfat, sick and nearly deadโ. Amazingly, the main culprits still remain: HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS! Theyโre the culpritsโฆ Itโs the DENSE carbs thatโs the problemsโฆ Plus all the chemicals they use: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Refined Flower, Refined rice, etcโฆ
Thanks for explaining all this so wellโฆ
Good point. I love to โeat cleanโ and find I lose weight best when I skip any โproductsโ and just eat โreal foodโ.
Hi George,
I read your post this morning and looked into those films you mentioned. The bad thing is it was just after having purchased tons of animal based foods yesterday ;-(
Now Iโm considering a switch to a whole foods diet. In Forks Above Knives, the research findings are amazing. I had never heard that something as innocent sounding as milk proteins (casseinate) could be related to cancer and other serious health issues.
Thanks for mentioning those films.
I hate that your body craves the food you canโt have anymore even if you could have cared less about eating it before.
I find that I only crave when Iโm โcheatingโ (another word I โhateโ to use, lol). Other than that, when I get a random craving like youโre describing โ I often wonder where in the world it comes from. I think for me itโs mostly psychological, so I have to blow it off and have some almonds & string cheese. ๐
I once read somewhere that when your body is craving something it usually means youโre deficient in it. So like if I am craving oranges or orange juice โ it could mean I am low in Vitamin C.
I think thereโs some truth to it.
Iโm careful with my rationalizations though. Like I could rationalize craving a hot fudge sundae lol. But I know what you mean. Lately Iโve been craving dried cranberries. High in natural sugar, but Iโll have a few in the palm of my hand sometimes and count it in for my daily carb count. Does the trick! ๐
I have been getting the โThat canโt be good for youโ from my husband and I love Welchsโ grape juice, too! ๐
That stuff rocks, lol โ like heaven in your mouth! Itโs hard to resist. ๐ What part of low carb does he feel canโt be good for you? Something specific youโre eating โ or something youโre NOT eating (which I find is usually the case)โฆ ?
Interesting how everyone โhatesโ different things about it.
โ I hate how people act like Iโm doing something unsafe. My last question was โWhere do you get potassiumโ when I said I am not currently eating bananas or potatoes (though I do slip in some potatoes at times). I had no idea where I got my potassium from but I googled foods with Potassium and found out that Avocados, Nuts, Fish and a bunch of other foods I still eat have lots of it.
โ I hate how people think low-carb = no-carb (like Tracy said).
โ I also hate calling it a diet because I think people will think Iโm a diet freak or trying to be a model or something (the models in movies seem to be low-carb/no-carb crazy). This is actually the first โdietโ Iโve even done! And Iโve been at it for six months nowโฆ. itโs definitely a lifestyle change for me too.
Great post Lynn ๐
Ahh โ I get that question a lot too! It IS found in a lot of other foods. ๐
when I order bone in buffalo wings and forget to ask if they are breadedโฆ and you guessed it! They come out breaded. (Though they should never be!)
If you complain, waiter thinks youโre psycho. Youโve been doing so well so you donโt eat them, then the people you are with think your psycho. Or you eat them then wish you didnโt!
Friends thinking what you eat is gross (they now finally get it thank gosh!)
Ahh. I play โdiabeticโ when I eat out, but only if thereโs an issue. And then I get it replaced with something else, and tip well for it. If the wait staff were rude, and I werenโt with friends, Iโd get up and walk out. ๐
I try to play it safe when Iโm in a restaurant. I often look at the menu online beforehand just to be sure, and get an idea what Iโll order. I prefer to avoid situations if at all possible.
But speaking of wings, I *love* them too! I get them from Applebeeโs quite a bit, as we have very few restaurants in my town. What a treat!!
I hate when people ask how I have lost all of my weight (140 pounds) in such a short time, and I explain itโฆ. And they look at me like and say โThat is so unhealthy!โ What the heck. Being almost 300 pounds on a 5โฒ frame is unhealthy. Period. I did this myself, no surgery and with very little support from friends and family. I just had to do it and did it for me.
I also hate when people ask for help with trying low carb, so I am really supportive: write up some helpful notes, recipe websites, stuff about countin carbs, issues I had, etc. The person tries for a week, then just gives up and says โIt doesnโt work.โ Oh come on!
Finally, I hate how easy it was to lose weight without much exercise because it made it hard to work out. Now Iโm regretting that I didnโt work out more and dealing with loose skin.
Ohhhh, and I REALLY HATE how easy it is to fall off the wagon. ๐
LOL I can relate to that last one. ๐ Ditto!
Kudos to you for doing it on your own, and losing SO much weight! Congrats! ๐ *cheers*
I have no idea why people believe eating low carb is โunhealthyโ. Seriouslyโฆ
Good for you for losing that much weight on your own, congrats!!
I forgot the exercise thing but itโs one of my hates too. I do want to exercise because I know Iโll be healthier if I do but Iโm sooo unmotivated to do so knowing that I donโt really need it, lol!
There were times in my life where I exercised (well, walked every day) to lose weight because I thought you had to. Now I know better Iโm finding it hard to get moving.
Iโm trying to find fun stuff thatโs active like Hula Hooping (for adults), Swimming, etc, but those are more summery things and itโs so cold out right now!
Iโm struggling with it too, but really pushing myself. I want to get toned up โ mainly in the thighs, butt & arms ๐
Have you ever seen the movie โFatHeadโ? It explains a lot about how all the misinformation about what is and is not healthy.
My biggest peev is when people start telling me about how I need carbs, and how low carb is dangerous. They start quoting recycled mumbo jumbo about how anything that restricts fruits is wrong. My father in law is diabetic and finally had to learn about carbs but now he thinks he is an expert on them and gets on my case for not eating 50 carbs at each meal, and 30 for snacks.
Just last month I was 390 lbs, and today Iโm 354. Im dropping weight fast and have so much energy you can barely keep me out of the gym. To me, the best motivation is when the ketosis strip is purple and you realize that every bit of exercise youre doing is getting real results.
Before this attempt, I had done low carb once before in 2004 where I had lost 200lbs, but stopped when my family got worried. (went from 360 to 160). They stopped letting me exercise and threw out all low carb foods. I was sabotaged by my own family. how sick is that? Wellโฆ needless to say thats no longer an issue. I live several states away and we dont have contact. (no lectures please. you dont know them. blood doesnt always equal family)
My goal is to reach 160 lbs by April of 2013.
Fingers crossed.
I use โmyDietDiaryโ app and it gives a medhelp login. If you want to talk im on there as violet_rage
How sad โ Iโm so glad youโre on your own path now without any hindrances. Good for you! And way to go on your recent weight loss and your goals!! ๐
I miss my Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ๐ Otherwise I am very happy with the low carb life style. I have made some very delicious food replacements for the not so carb friendly foods. It is a good thing I like to cook and experiment. ๐
By the way, I missed your postings the last few days. I thought you might have dropped off the face of the earth.
-Les
Hey Les! Nope, I didnโt fall off the earth, just fell off the wagon โ LOL. ๐ Iโve been especially busy between writing a new guide and fostering another great dane. I just picked her up a week ago yesterday, so itโs been a crazy week getting her adjusted and enjoying her company. ๐
Iโm in the honeymoon stage on day 12 so I donโt have too many gripes at the moment but I remember what tripped me up in the past was missing BREAD and PASTA! I love that stuff!
One thing Iโm doing much better with this time around is that Iโm eating plenty of salad. I know in the past I did not get enough pure veg and it made things rough fast.
I also wasnโt willing to give low carb recipes a try before and I have a much more open mind now that Iโve checked out some of your ideas here on the blog.
My only gripes right now:
1. I miss my high fiber oatmeal which was my habit for a long while.
2. I miss sugar in my coffee โ but Iโm getting used to the sugar free syrup slowly.
Kelly โ I use Xylitol as a sweetener. Itโs a sugar alcohol, looks and tastes just like sugar and doesnโt give me migraines, and doesnโt mess with my blood sugars. Iโm hypoglycemic, so have to be very careful with sugar and carbs. http://www.xylitol.org/
Hey, thanks for the recommend Traci ๐ Iโll check it out.
Coffee was my biggest hurdle when I first started too. Getting the combination just right so I could enjoy it again. I like the sugar free syrups. I did eventually get tired of them, and have since switched to Splenda, but Iโll switch back when I get tired of that. I tend to like things in phases, then switch it up. ๐
By the way, youโre first week was awesome โ congrats! How much weight have you lost now?? ๐
Kelly I donโt know if you can do it but when I started I went straight to no sugar and only cream, thick cream. I got used to it and I really love my coffee without sweetener at all!
I gave up tea though. I used to drink tea and not so much coffee but I canโt do coffee without sugar, lol!
Other drinks I love are Almond Milk (1 carb), Soy Milk (2 carbs) and I do drink some Diet Coke. Not all brands of the milks are that low in carbs, you need to buy the unsweetened and look to make sure.
Pasta that tastes like pasta: dreamfields (5 net carbs)
kinda pastaโฆ diff textureโฆ. 0 carbs and cals: shirataki pasta or miracle noodles
Bread: julianbakery.com they have 1 and 2 carb breads ๐
theres a locator there to tell you if any stores nearby sell it.
Hi Lynnand all you beautiful People,I can understand where you are all coming from, I donโt like diets, love my food to much but the right foods, had a sugar problem so my health and dietisian told me to use stevia, the Liquid type, 7 drops equals one teaspoon so i did and its not even made my sugar levels rise which is great, I even use it in cooking as well, Iโve cut oput all Processed foods from my way of eating, and also all Dairy like cheeses, which I loved, but no more Milk, cream,dairy yogurt, made from cows milk and cream but goats ok, I like to eat clean greens and most fruits.So Lynn and every one keep up this great Blog, helps a lot of people but remember canโt please every one so donโt try. Kind and encouraging thoughts from.Garry.
Hi Garry,
Your dietician recommended you eat fruits, with a sugar problem? Just curious as they contain so much natural sugarโฆ
I stick to berries, and otherwise get what I need from veggies. ๐
i, like you, despise when people try to tell me that i am eating โunhealthyโ. (as they eat a cakeโฆ.)
Ridiculous, isnโt it? ๐
I definatly agree with your on point 4, it is even worse when they are not open to even looking into low carb science to be able to accept that eating bacon is fine !
Exactly ๐
I donโt like it when people with little to lose think they can use the lc way of eating to drop a few pounds, then go back to their former way of eating thinking they will be okay โ this is not a quick fix diet, itโs a way of life eating! Also, if you need a โgrape fixโ โ try Great Value Drink Enhancer found at Wally World.. itโs quite tasty and satisfying!
Thanks, Iโll check that out! And I agree. Itโs an easy way to lose weight *quickly*, but pointless to go back eating like crap and expect the results to stick. ๐
Didnโt like โfeeling yuckyโ during induction phase- constant nausea, vomiting, horrible headache, shakiness, fatigue. I found that I had to up my carbs a little as I take med that depletes my potassium levels and had to add additional carbs (only 5-8) to allow for some items such as V-8 or tomatoe juice, strawberries or cantalope. Now trying to stay between 20-28 per day, working well and weight is coming off, though probably a little slower than I would like! Energy levels are up and am adding more exercise each day!
Oh wow, Bessie โ I didnโt feel anywhere near that bad during induction. I wonder if it had to do with your med and/or potassium levels. No fun!
What kind of exercise are you doing? Iโve been doing Zumba DVDโs at home, but am signing up for Curves this week. (they have a special offer for a free week to try it out)
Just lots of walking, hula-hooping-great for tummy-and some light weights-doing all exercising at home-lost 5 more pounds this week!!
Awesome! Congrats ๐
I love that I can eat bacon, butter, cream, and nuts!!! Iโve lost 155 lbs!!! I love that my energy is good, my skin, nails and hair all love itโฆ. but probably the thing that rocks me with โHAPPYโ is that after a year of watching what happens on LCโฆmy Dr. statedโฆ โTHERE IS NOT ONE THING I WOULD CHANGE ON YOUR BLOOD WORK. EVERYTHING IS RIGHT ON TARGET! NOW TELL ME MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING THAT YOU ARE CONTINUING TO LOSE WEIGHT WHILE โOTHERSโ QUIT TRYING!!!โ (p.s. 100 lbs of my weight loss was in 1 year) I hope to lose another 50 lbs. and recognize that even then I will be overweight because of the huge amount of excess skin I carry as a result of being up to 388 lbs at one time. Because of my age (73) I would probably never be approved for removal of the excess skin. But I would be mentally aware that I have won the victory over the battle I have struggled with since I was in grade school!!
Thatโs amazing, Shirley. ๐ Way to go!!
What a huge achievement. You must be VERY proud of yourself, and rightly so! ๐ *cheers*
I have used this for years. Need something GOOD AND SWEET? Sugar free A & W Root Beer and a shot of cream or half and half. SO GOOD!! I also use a sugar free orange soda and a shot of cream or half and half and it tastes like an orange dreamcycle I have not tried it but bet you could freeze it.
Since I am new I hope I am not repeating. I use a bread from Aldi that is VERY VERY low carb. I make french toast with it (and low carb syrup) so satisfying and you are not hungry.
You can also put it in a blender with eggs and flavorings and make pan cakes.
Can you tell us more about the Aldi bread thatโs low-carb?