Do you want to eat real food (as much as you like) and improve your health and weight? It may sound too good to be true, but LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat) is a method that has been used for 150 years. Now, modern science backs it up with proof that it works.
There is no weighing your food, no counting, no bizarre “meal replacements,” no pills. There is just real food and common sense. And all the advice here is 100 percent free.
Contents
- Introduction
- Dietary advice (in 20 languages)
- Theory
- Tips and recipes
- Cookbooks and more
- Frequently asked questions
Introduction
A LCHF diet means you eat less carbohydrates and a higher proportion of fat. Most importantly you minimize your intake of sugar and starches. You can eat other delicious foods until you are satisfied – and still lose weight.
A number of recent high-quality scientific studies shows that LCHF makes it easier both to lose weight and to control your blood sugar. And that’s just the beginning.
The basics
- Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).
- Avoid: Sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes).
Eat when you’re hungry until you are satisfied. It’s that simple. You do not need to count calories or weigh your food. And just forget about industrially produced low fat products.
Real food. Add some good fat (like butter).
There are solid scientific reasons why LCHF works. When you avoid sugar and starches your blood sugar stabilizes and the levels of insulin, the fat storing hormone, drops. This increases your fat burning and makes you feel more satiated.
Note for diabetics
- Avoiding the carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar decreases your need for medication to lower it. Taking the same pre-low-carb diet dose of insulin might result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You need to test your blood sugar frequently when starting this diet and adapt (lower) your medication. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a knowledgeable physician. If you’re healthy or a diabetic treated either by diet alone or just with Metformin there is no risk of hypoglycemia.
Dietary Advice
Eat all you like
- Meat: Any type, including beef, pork, game meat, chicken, etc. Feel free to eat the fat on the meat as well as the skin on the chicken. If possible try to choose organic or grass fed meat.
- Fish and Shellfish: All kinds: Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring are great. Avoid breading.
- Eggs: All kinds: Boiled, fried, omelettes, etc. Preferably choose organic eggs.
- Natural Fat, High-Fat Sauces: Using butter and cream when you cook can make your food taste better and make you feel more satiated. Try a Béarnaise or Hollandaise sauce, check the ingredients or make it yourself. Coconut oil and olive oil are also good options.
- Vegetables that Grow Above Ground: All kinds of cabbage, such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, lettuce, avocado, onions, peppers, tomatoes etc.
- Dairy products: Always select full-fat options like real butter, cream (40% fat), sour cream, Greek/Turkish yogurt and high-fat cheeses. Be careful with regular milk and skim milk as they contain a lot of milk sugar. Avoid flavored, sugary and low-fat products.
- Nuts: Good to eat instead of candy in front of the television (preferably in moderation).
- Berries: Okay in moderation, if you are not a super strict or sensitive. Good with whipped cream.
Basic tip for beginners: Maximum 5 grams of carbohydrate (excluding fiber) per 100 grams of food
Avoid if you can
- Sugar: The worst. Soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream, breakfast cereals. Preferably avoid sweeteners as well.
- Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, French fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on. “Wholegrain products” are just less bad. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK (unless you’re eating extremely low carb).
- Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.
- Beer: Liquid bread. Full of rapidly absorbed carbs, unfortunately.
- Fruit: Very sweet, lots of sugar. Eat once in a while. Treat fruit as a natural form of candy.
Once in a while
You decide when the time is right. Your weight loss may slow down a bit.
- Alcohol: Dry wine (regular red or dry white wine), whisky, brandy, vodka and cocktails without sugar.
- Dark chocolate: Above 70 % cocoa, preferably just a bit.
Drink most days
- Water
- Coffee: Try it with full-fat cream
- Tea
Advice on LCHF in other languages
- Bulgarian (pdf) (another version)
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish (Word)
- Dutch
- Estonian
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Hebrew
- Hungarian (pdf)
- Italian
- Norwegian
- Polish (pdf)
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Spanish (another version)
- Swedish
The Theory Behind LCHF
What are you designed to eat?
Humans evolved over millions of years as hunter-gatherers, without eating large amounts of carbohydrates. We ate the food available to us in nature by hunting, fishing and gathering all the edible foods we could find. These foods did not include pure starch in the form of bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. We have only eaten these starchy foods for 5 – 10 000 years, since the development of agriculture. Just a limited adaptation of our genes takes place in such a relatively short time.
With the Industrial Revolution, 100 – 200 years ago, we got factories that could manufacture large amounts of pure sugar and white flour. Rapidly digested pure carbohydrates. We’ve hardly had time to genetically adapt to these processed foods.
In the 80s, the fear of fat gripped the western world. Low-fat products popped up everywhere. But if you eat less fat you need to eat more carbohydrates to feel satiated. And it’s at this time in history that our disastrous epidemics of obesity and diabetes started. The most fat-phobic country in the world, the USA, was hit the hardest and is now the world’s most obese country.
Today, it’s clear that the fear of real food with natural fat contents has been a big mistake.
The problem with sugar and starch
All digestible carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars in the intestines. The sugar is then absorbed into the blood, raising the blood glucose levels. This increases the production of the hormone insulin, our fat storing hormone.
Insulin is produced in the pancreas (pictured to the right). In large amounts insulin prevents fat burning and stores surplus nutrients in the fat cells. After some time (a few hours or less) this may result in a shortage of nutrients in the blood, creating feelings of hunger and cravings for something sweet. Usually at that point people eat again. This starts the process again: A vicious cycle leading to weight gain.
On the other hand, a low intake of carbs gives you a lower, more stable blood glucose, and lower amounts of insulin. This increases the release of fat from your fat stores and increases the fat burning. This usually leads to fat loss, especially around the belly in abdominally obese individuals.
Weight loss without hunger
A LCHF diet makes it easier for the body to use its fat reserves, as their release is no longer blocked by high insulin levels. This may be one reason why eating fat gives a longer feeling of satiety than carbohydrates. It’s been shown in a number of studies: When people eat all they want on a low carb diet caloric intake typically drops
So, no counting or food weighing is necessary. You can forget about the calories and trust your feelings of hunger and satiety. Most people don’t need to count or weigh their food any more than they need to count their breathing. If you don´t believe it, just try for a couple of weeks and see for yourself.
Health as a bonus
No animals in nature need the assistance of nutritional expertise or calorie charts to eat. And still, as long as they eat the food they are designed to eat they stay at a normal weight and they avoid caries, diabetes and heart disease. Why would humans be an exception? Why would you be an exception?
In scientific studies not only is the weight improved on a low carb diet – the blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol profile (HDL, triglycerides) are also improved. A calm stomach and less cravings for sweet food are also common experiences.
Initial side effects
If you stop eating sugar and starch cold turkey (recommended) you may experience some side effects as your body adjusts. For most people these side effects tend to be mild and last a just few days. There are also ways to minimize them.
Common during the first week:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Heart palpitations
- Irritability
The side effects rapidly subside as your body adapts and your fat burning increases. They can be minimized by drinking some extra fluids and by temporarily increasing your salt intake a bit. A good option is to drink some broth every few hours. Alternatively, drink a few extra glasses of water and put extra salt on your food.
The reason for this is that carbohydrate-rich foods may increase the water retention in your body. When you stop eating high-carb foods you’ll lose excess water through your kidneys. This can result in dehydration and lack of salt during the first week, before the body has adapted.
Some people prefer to decrease their intake of carbohydrates slowly, over a few weeks, to minimize the side effects. But the “Nike way” (Just Do It) is probably the best choice for most people. Removing most sugar and starch often results in several pounds lost on the scale within a few days. It may be mostly fluids but it’s great for the motivation.
How low to go?
The less carbohydrate you eat the more pronounced the effect on your weight and blood sugar will be. I recommend following the dietary advice as strict as you can. When you’re happy with your weight and health you may gradually try eating more liberally (if you want to).
The Food Revolution
This presentation I gave at the Ancestral Health Symposium 2011 summarizes the history and science behind the ongoing LCHF revolution.
More theory and practice
Here four of the world’s biggest experts on the subject explain the theory and practice of carb restriction:
Tips and recipes
Breakfast suggestions
Eggs and bacon- Omelet
- Leftovers from last night’s dinner
- Coffee with cream
- A can of mackerel and boiled eggs
- Boiled egg with mayonnaise or butter
- Avocado, salmon and crème fraiche
- Sandwich on Oopsie-bread
- A piece of very thin hard bread with lots of butter, cheese, ham, etc.
- Cheese with butter on it
- Boiled eggs mashed with butter, chopped chives, salt and pepper
- A piece of brie cheese and some ham or salami
- High-fat yoghurt with nuts and seeds (and maybe berries)
Lunch and dinner
- Meat, fish or chicken dishes with vegetables and a rich full-fat sauce. There are many alternatives to potatoes, such as mashed cauliflower.
- Stews, soups or casseroles with low-carb ingredients.
- You can use most recipes in cookbooks if you avoid the carbohydrate-rich ingredients. It’s often a good idea to add fat (e.g. butter, cream) to the recipe.
- Drink water with your meal or (occasionally) a glass of wine.
Snacks
When you eat a low-carbohydrate diet with more fat and a bit more protein you will probably not need to eat as often. Don’t be surprised if you no longer need to snack. Many people do well on two or three meals per day. If you need a snack:
- Rolled-up cheese or ham with a vegetable (some people even spread butter on cheese)
- Olives
- Nuts
- A piece of cheese
- A boiled egg from the refrigerator
- Canned mackerel in tomato sauce
Olives and nuts can replace potato chips in front of the TV. If you always get hungry between meals you’re probably not eating enough fat. Don’t fear fat. Eat more fat until you feel satisfied.
Dining out or meals with friends
- Restaurants: Usually not a big problem. You can ask to have potatoes/fries switched for a salad. With meat dishes, ask for extra butter.
- Fast food: Kebab can be a decent option (preferably avoid the bread). In hamburger chains the hamburgers are usually the least bad option. Avoid soft drinks and fries, obviously. Drink water. Pizza toppings are usually OK, and the stricter you are the less of the pizza crust you will eat.
- If you eat strictly everyday it’s less of a problem to make a few exceptions when you are invited out. If you’re not sure what will be served you can eat something at home before you leave.
- Nuts or cheese is good “emergency food” when there are no other adequate options to be found.
Shopping list for beginners
Print this list and bring it to the store:
- Butter
- Heavy cream (40% fat)
- Sour cream (34% fat)
- Eggs
- Bacon
- Meat (minced, steaks, stew pieces, fillets, etc.)
- Fish (preferably fatty fish like salmon or mackerel)
- Cheese (preferably high-fat)
- Turkish yoghurt (10% fat)
- Cabbage (cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, etc.)
- Other vegetables that grow above ground
- Frozen vegetables (broccoli, wok vegetables, etc.)
- Avocados
- Olives
- Olive oil
- Nuts
Clean out your pantry
Want to maximize your chances of success? Especially if you have difficulty with cravings / sugar addiction, it is smart to throw out (or give away) sugary and starchy foods, “light” products, etc. These include:
- Candy
- Potato chips
- Soft drinks and juices
- Margarine
- Sugar in all forms
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Breakfast cereals
- Everything that says “low fat” or “no fat”
- Ice cream
- Cookies
Why not do it now?
The Serpent in Paradise
Be very skeptical of special “low-carb” products such as pasta or chocolate. Unfortunately these products usually stink. They have prevented the weight loss for loads of people. They’re usually full of carbs once you see through their creative marketing.
For example, Dreamfields’ “low carb pasta” is almost pure starch that’s absorbed more or less like any pasta:
How about low carb bread? Be careful: if it’s baked with grains it’s certainly not low carb. But some companies still try to sell it to you as a low-carb option. Here’s an example:
Low-carb chocolate is usually full of sugar alcohols, which the manufacturer does not count as carbs. But roughly half of these carbs may be absorbed, raising the blood sugar and insulin. The rest of the carbs ends up in the large intestine, potentially causing gas and diarrhea. Furthermore any sweeteners can maintain sugar cravings.
If you want to be healthy and slim, eat real food instead.
RECIPES
Easy ways to cook eggs
- Place the eggs in cold water and boil 4 minutes for soft-boiled or 8 minutes for hard-boiled. Eat them with mayo if you like.
- Fry eggs in butter on one or both sides. Add salt and pepper.
- Melt some butter in the frying pan and add 2 eggs and 2-3 tablespoons of cream per serving. Add salt and pepper. Stir until done. Add some chives and grated cheese on top. Serve with fried bacon.
- Make an omelet batter with 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of cream. Add salt and spices. Melt butter in the frying pan and pour in the batter. When the omelet solidifies on top you can fill it with something tasty. For example one or several kinds of cheese, fried bacon, fried mushrooms, good sausage (read the ingredients) or left-overs from last night’s dinner. Fold the omelet in half and serve with a crispy salad.
Instead of bread
Will you have a hard time living without bread? Ooopsies are a good option. It’s a “bread” without carbs and can be eaten in a variety of ways.
Oopsies
6–8 depending on size.
3 eggs
100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cream cheese
a pinch of salt
½ tablespoon fiberhusk / psyllium seed husks (can be excluded)
½ teaspoon baking powder (can be excluded)
- Separate the eggs, with the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another.
- Whip the egg whites together with the salt until very stiff. You should be able to turn the bowl over without the egg whites moving.
- Mix the egg yolks and the cream cheese well. If you choose, add the psyllium seed husk and baking powder (this makes the Oopsie more bread-like).
- Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mix – try to keep the air in the egg whites.
- Put 6 large or 8 smaller oopsies on a baking tray.
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 150° C (300° F) for about 25 minutes – until they turn golden.
- You can eat Oopsies as bread or use them as a bun for a hotdog or hamburger. You can also put different kinds of seeds on them before baking them, for instance poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds. One big Oopsie can be used for a swiss roll: Add a generous layer of whipped cream and some berries. Enjoy.
Less strict: some bread
Can’t live without real bread? Then have a thin piece of bread and add lots of butter and toppings. The more butter and toppings the less bread you need to feel satisfied.
Instead of potatoes, rice, pasta
- Mashed cauliflower: Divide the cauliflower into smaller pieces and boil them with a pinch of salt until soft. Remove the water. Add cream and butter and mash.
Salads made from above-ground vegetables, perhaps with some kind of cheese. Try out different kinds.- Boiled broccoli, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts.
- Vegetables au gratin: Fry squash, aubergine and fennel (or other vegetables you like) in butter. Add salt and pepper. Put in baking dish and add grated cheese. Heat at 225° C (450° F) until the cheese melts and turns golden.
- Vegetables stewed in cream, e.g. cabbage or spinach.
- Cauliflower rice: Grate cauliflower, boil for a minute or two. Great substitute for rice.
- Avocado
Snacks and dessert
- Mixed nuts
- Sausage: Cut it in pieces, add a piece of cheese and stick a toothpick through them.
- Vegetables with dip, Try cucumber sticks, red, yellow or green peppers, cauliflower, etc.
- Cream cheese rolls: Roll some cream cheese in a piece of salami, air-dried ham or a long slice of cucumber.
- Olives
- LCHF chips: On a baking tray, form small piles of grated Parmesan cheese. Heat in oven at 225° C (450° F). Let them melt and get a nice color (be careful – they burn easily). Serve as chips, perhaps with some dip.
Cookbooks
There are a million cookbooks with low-carb recipes. Just avoid books that are unnecessarily scared of fat. Remember: If you avoid carbs you have to eat more fat or you’ll be hungry. Don’t fear fat. Fat is your friend. Add fat until you feel satisfied.
Here is a good example:
Good luck with your new LCHF life!
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Further reading
Do you have more questions about LCHF? See my page with common questions and answers.
Do you want to lose weight as effectively as possible? See How to Lose Weight.
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46
2,130 Comments
http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Weight-Eating-Scandinavian-Diet/dp/1908018...
http://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-No-Thanks-Scandinavian-Diet/dp/1908018...
And from Norway;
http://www.amazon.com/Scandinavian-Diet-Sofie-Hexenberg/dp/190801802X...
I've searched the site but can't find anything about bad breath. Has anyone experienced this on LC? There's lots on the internet but I prefer to get my info from places like this.
Any ideas?
There is altso Dragonbreath.. but thát is not to prefer, becuse then you use protein as energi, its smell amonia.
http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19063904.php
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/fat-not-protein.html
If you have trubbel with high glykemic load its not that healty.. its almost carbs.
And if any have problems about glucose metabolism then its no big differens about what you name the carbs.. its all gonna be glucose in your blod in the end.
I grew up in South India, my brother still lives there and his girlfriend is having some of the same struggles (she is type 2 diabetic.)
It's really interesting reading everything on here! I'm starting tomorrow
Does anyone know how long oopsies keep in the fridge? And could you freeze them ok??
Cheers
'No animals in nature need the assistance of nutritional expertise or calorie charts to eat. And still, as long as they eat the food they are designed to eat they stay at a normal weight and they avoid caries, diabetes and heart disease. Why would humans be an exception? Why would you be an exception?'
Animals exercise ALL THE TIME, and only have access to foods which are good for them. Throughout our evolutionary history, humans have craved fats, sugars etc because these are essential and were extremely difficult to find. Now that we have them in excess, they are bad do us harm, not good.
Also, while there is evidence that high fat diets cause fat loss, there is also substantial evidence that this is VERY UNHEALTHY in other areas e.g. raising cholesterol.
Take all the above with a pinch of salt (does the diet allow this?). The advice is free but the author wants you to buy his book, and personally I dont trust advice when the advice giver has a vested interest in me taking it.
THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENCE IN VEGETABLES AND HOW MUCH NUTRITION THEY CONTAIN...WE SHOULD ALL DO A STUDY ON B R I X LEVELS OF OUR FOOD...IS YOUR FOOD FULL OF VITIAMINS AND MINERALS OR IS IT ALMOST WORTHLESS EXCEPT AS A FILLER...HEALTHY SOIL GROWS HEALTHY FOOD...PERIOD....
Watch any documentary of traditional human groups -- say recently discovered in the Amazon basin -- and see just how much time is spent in camp, lounging on an hammock or sitting around the fire. Yes there are periods of more intense activity but not all day, every day.
As for Dr Eenfeldt's ulterior motive being to sell us a book... it is not even translated into English!
Your arguments are specious and make me question your motivation to post here.
---
@Nan $417 -- yes indeed! My teeth and gums have gone from strength to strength, eating this way.
http://nourishedkitchen.com/against-the-grain-10-reasons-to-give-up-g...
Here's some info via Jimmy Moore's "livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog"
re: Oopsies' storage and freezing:
I store them in a Ziplock bag with the bag open partially (this way they breathe and don't get too moist) and keep them in the fridge after the first day. Then, when you want to use them, take them out and set them on the counter for 15-30 minutes or until they are room temperature. This makes them more "dry" and less sticky.
As for freezing, I tried freezing and they do freeze. This time you want to close the Ziplock when storing (I only store two per bag). To thaw, let them rest on the counter until room temperature in the bag with the bag open. When they're close to room temperature, set them outside of the bag so that they can "dry" out slightly for use.
Thanks to Jimmy Moore for posting this on his site
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2008/03/cleochatras-amazing-low...
Awesome, thanks! I'm off to the supermarket now
Before I came to US, I got a bit overweight.
I started doing the "Starving diet" cutting down calories (500 less than you consume per day).
It was REALLY hard, I had cravings all the time, and it was hard to not cheat on the diet.
After frustration and losing about 3-4 pounds i totally gave up and I heard from my mom about this diet, and Yeah i didn't believe in it at all. But since i was about to give up I didn't have any choice.
I started the LCHF, and i went down...total: 20 pounds and this is from 200 pounds to 180 in 2-3 months.
So I moved to California from Sweden, starting to work out, and tried to keep the LCHF diet, which was pretty hard because I'm not really used to the food here (EVERYTHING has carbs, even meat can have carbs added)
I started thinking of gaining muscle tissue, so I started bulking with a personal trainer.
And yes the trainer told me "Eat lots of carbs and protein).
So i started doing that... Within 4 months, i was back at 200 pounds, with more fat than muscles gained.
So i started with the same procedure again after 4 months, because my trainer told so.
"Eat lean white meat, every 3 hours, maximum 2100 calories a day".
So I did so, 2 months passed, i lost about 3-4 pounds... from eating whole weat foods and low fat.
So I gave up and went back to LCHF again, now that i know more about the products in US it makes the diet easier.
Guess what... My weight is dropping, and I'm gaining in muscles!!!
It's hard for me to reach out to the fat american people here and say to them that carbs are the enemies, because these guys brains have been so brainwashed about how bad Sat fat is, that it's impossible to turn them. And their sugar addiction doesn't make it better.
There's got to be a way to make people here understand, but yes it will take a very long time I think, maybe try to get to the talk shows, like Oprah, or other talk shows that are actually open to diets.
me I wanna eat what I want LOL. and oh by the way sometimes the cause of bad breath is diseases, like ulcer etc.
I use TWO eggs (not three) and add 100 grams greek yogurt to this mix along with 50 grams of ground linseeds. I can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days and toast them when I'm ready to eat them.
@416: "Animals exercise ALL THE TIME, and only have access to foods which are good for them."
Wild animals are a bad comparison for diet and health, although I do think that there is an important factor there for modern-day humans.
Animals in the wild only exercise as much as they NEED to. As FrankG pointed out, most of them will spend the bulk of their day resting, not exercising. In the wild, getting the food you need often requires considerable effort (for meat eaters especially) and considerable risk (for prey species). They generally have access to foods that they are adapted to survive on, and the amount tends to be limited, either by the effort required to obtain it or by scarcity, or both. Energy that is not expended on feeding or reproduction is wasted, and wasting energy in that environment is dangerous.
Modern, civilized human societies have turned that situation completely on its head. We generally have access to much more food than we need, and we have spent centuries finding more and more ways to make our lives less physically stressful. More and more people are in a situation where the only exercise they are required to do is minimal, and the reward is an abundance of foods designed to provide a full sensory experience. It is no surprise that for most of us, the effort is in the opposite direction: in order to be healthy and fit, we must deliberately plan our lives in order to AVOID food and SEEK OUT exercise.
The question that sites like this one seek to answer is 'which type of foods to avoid, and which to prioritize?' Animals in the wild do not have this luxury, and most humans are not forced to gather or hunt for each meal of the day. Research into optimal nutrition and diets is (IMO) both pitifully lacking and of dubious merit (Campbell's China Study being a shining example of the latter). So we keep searching and learning, seeking and discovering.
Thanks for that! It's a pain doing the whites separately! I used to use a 'pizza' base that was cream cheese, egg and cheese, which was great but certainly a lot runnier than the oopsies mix. They're pretty good!
I had streaky bacon, scrambled eggs and hollandaise sauce for brekkie this morning...my dream breakfast!!
I'm 41, female, and have successfully done some version of Atkins for most of my adult life.
Two years ago I started taking a very low dose (only 12.5 mg) of Seroquel for insomnia, and gained a bunch of weight. It caused terrible carb cravings about 1 hour after taking it but, beyond that, I just started gaining weight rapidly in spite of being very good with my diet. So I stopped the Seroquel as it was the only reason I had to explain the rapid weight gain.
Now I am being very, very strict with my diet. No more than 20 carbs per day, plenty of fat, protein, and even strict with how much salad and greens I'm eating, but I am not losing anything. It has always worked in the past, just as is promised on this and many other websites.
I am in ketosis (moderate - dark on the keto strips) and should be losing weight.
The only thing I can see that is different for my weight loss now vs. other times in the past is that nowadays, even my organic (Organic Horizon's and almost every other brand) cream has carrageenan added to it; whereas this was not the norm a few years ago.
Would very much appreciate comments from folks who have experimented with carrageenan to see if it is the culprit.
Sorry to hear you're not having success with your weight loss. When you said you were having plenty of fat which fats are you eating? Also are you counting your calories? A LCHF lifestyle should diminish your desire to eat as much. Are you eating less?
There are so many variables to consider when eating low carb. Go to the website below and read "Top ten low carb mistakes". Perhaps you'll find an answer to your obstacle. If you're still facing a roadblock come back, there are a lot of caring people here more than happy to help you out. Good luck!
http://ca.mg202.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.partner=rogers-acs&.gx...
Sorry I gave the wrong website. Here's the correct one.........
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/lowcarbmistakes.htm?nl=1
Check this website............ I don't eat too many legumes as they are high in carbs but, there is a comment here about so called "safe starches". I tend to view it as one would view smoking cigarettes with a filter(less bad) vs no filter. With it being "less bad" does it make it okay?
It is said on the website...... "in moderation, they(legumes) can be excellent choices for people who don't process sugar well."
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/ig/Low-Carb-Food-Pyramid/L...
As a test yesterday, I ate only a small amount of cheese, and some coffee with cream, and gained and ounce. I exercised twice as much as usual and even skipped dinner. so this is becoming perplexing.
When I consume fat, it is cream, butter, fat found naturally in meat meat, coconut oil, and rarely, olive oil. I gave up polyunsaturated fats (liquid vegetable oils) of all kinds, including my beloved mayo, about 8 months ago and noticed many health benefits from doing so.
Regarding the link provided by Depirts, I am an old pro at low carb living. I've been on this 20 or fewer carbs plan since Dec 19th, and am not over-consuming calories so that is not the problem.
I am not hungry. I feel great. I am just not losing weight.
I think Diane is right re the ultra pasteurized cream. It could just be the ultra pasteurization and not the added chemicals. It totally sucks that we can't even buy organic food that is unadulterated in this country! Diane's comment reminds me that a few months ago, when I was not low carbing, I discovered myself losing weight simply drinking milk from a local dairy - it wasn't raw milk - but it was from grassfed cows. I've become so discouraged with this inability to lose weight that I've considered stopping the LCHF and just drinking that milk to see if it would work.
But first, I will try buying that same brand but just in cream instead of milk - giving up up the carrageenan/ultra pasteurized cream to see if that is the culprit. I do tend to use a lot of it.
In the interim, if anyone has direct experience with whether carrageenan causes weight gain, I'd be glad to hear about it.
THANKS!
A study published in 2006 indicates that carrageenan induces inflammation in human intestinal epithelial cells in tissue culture through a BCL10-mediated pathway that leads to activation of NFkappaB and IL-8.[18] Carrageenan may be immunogenic due to its unusual alpha-1,3-galactosidic link that is part of its disaccharide unit structure. Consumption of carrageenan may have a role in intestinal inflammation and possibly inflammatory bowel disease, since BCL10 resembles NOD2, mutations of which are associated with genetic proclivity to Crohn's Disease.
Carrageenan is reported to interfere with macrophage activity.[19][20][21]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan
Mayby not the most toxic food aditive, but totaly unnesecery whith real food.
Scientist Ray Peat (Google him) states that Carrageenan causes weight gain, cancer, and is the culprit in many milk allergies as well.
http://raypeat.com/articles/nutrition/carrageenan.shtml
I'm so disgusted with American food. We are a society that is solely driven by price. They can make it last a little longer, and cost a little less, and also taste a lot worse, by adding crap to it, and we just continue buying the stuff because we're none the wiser. We are getting sick from so many little things. ORGANIC food is supposed to be natural food. We already accept that it costs more. But when they start adding carrageenan to our organic milk products, it's time to start sending nasty letters and boycotting those companies who do it.
Many thanks in advance.
Love this web site though
Perhaps this one will be what you're looking for........
http://www.pig2twig.co.uk/
I have been using the recipes from Karen Barnaby's book, "The Low-Carb Gourmet"for some considerable time now. They're easy to follow and most important of all, delicious!! You can find the cookbook on Amazon.co.uk
Am I doomed as I am a veggie and dont even eat fish and not so keen on eggs either....any ideas and I will happily try them...
You are doing amazing stuff out there with this site.....wonderful!
You can always use some more fats.. in your case then cocnut oil and oliv oil, then there is not that much need to eat to much carbs for energy.