The Biggest Fears on Low Carb – and the Solutions
What is the biggest fear that people have when starting a low-carb diet?
We recently asked our members this question, and got 826 replies. Here are the results:
Other answers include some brave people having no fear at all, concerns about safety, losing sports performance as well as the fear of losing too much weight.
So what can be done? Here’s a guide to conquering these fears:
Giving up foods I love
Here are our recipes for low-carb versions of foods you may love:
What else do you love that is high carb? Please let us know in the comments below, and we’ll look into it.
Failing
Not losing enough weight? Check out our How to Lose Weight page with helpful tips.
Don’t know how to start on low carb? Join our free two-week low-carb challenge.
Suffering side effects? Check out our page on how to cure low-carb side effects.
Do you have other specific problems? Check out our low-carb Q&A page.
Lacking inspiration? Check out our low-carb recipes page or 100+ low-carb success stories.
Eating lots of fat
No need to eat “lots” of fat. Just use as much in your cooking as you need to feel satisfied. Let your body tell you how much fat your body needs.
And remember: on a low-carb diet your body turns into a fat-burning machine.
Dealing with social situations
We’ll add a guide on this topic soon. Please help us out by leaving a comment below about what kind of social situation you find hardest, and why.
A general tip can be to eat before you leave for a social situation, when you predict it will be hard to find good food. This will at least minimize any damage. And if you are addicted to sugar or processed foods, check out our video course for helpful tips >
Feeling hungry
Most people feel way less hungry on a low-carb, high-fat diet. There’s no need to be hungry on low carb.
In fact, if you’re hungry between meals you’re probably doing it wrong. Eat bigger meals, specifically add more fat to your cooking.
If you like, sign up for our free two-week low-carb challenge. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Safety
Low carb is very safe. Millions of people have been using it over hundreds of years, with no major risk identified and proven. There’s not a single drug on the market with anything similar to that safety record.
However, there are a few situations to be aware of:
- If you’re on diabetes drugs, especially insulin, low carb is great for you, it may be the best thing you can do. But make sure you adapt (lower) the doses as appropriate so you avoid low blood sugar. Consult with your physician. More >
- In type 1 diabetes, low carb is great for controlling blood sugar. But don’t do super strict low carb. Unless you absolutely know what you’re doing, stay above around 50 grams of carbs per day. Strict low can result in high ketone levels (1+ mmol/L). This is fine for other people, but in type 1 it is uncomfortably close to ketoacidosis. Missing an insulin shot or two – or a brief pump malfunction – in this situation can tip you over the edge. You’d risk ending up in the hospital. More >
- When breastfeeding, don’t do a super strict low-carb diet. Stay above 50 grams of carbs per day. More >
Sports performance
Learn more about maximizing sports performance on low carb >
Losing too much weight
If you eat to satiety at meals, this will not be a problem. Low carb works by lowering the fat-storing hormone insulin, but it never goes away completely. You’ll always eat tiny amounts of carbs, and protein also raises insulin.
The bottom line is that on low carb, as long as you eat to satiety, weight loss will slow down and stabilize within the normal zone (BMI 18,5 – 25). Where in this range you stop will depend on your genes and other lifestyle factors. But you’ll never become underweight.
More questions
Check out our full low-carb guide and our low-carb Q&A page for more tips.
Guides
Also, I'm deathly allergic to eggs, quinoa, and oatmeal and sensitive whey protein which is what most low carb breads are made out of. It is really depressing.
You might try some heavy cream or coconut milk and a few drops of vanilla in your coffee--it won't be the same, it won't be sweet, but over time you will come to enjoy it just as much (when your tastebuds are no longer overwhelmed with added sweetness, you'll be very surprised to find out that many things including heavy cream and coconut milk have a natural sweetness to them). Try eating a hearty breakfast and make your coffee at home, so that you aren't tempted to stop on the way to work. It's just as fast to make coffee at home as it is to wait in line at a coffee shop and It will save you money in the long run, too. If you want to take your coffee to work, invest in a good thermal commuter cup.
Breads are still a problem, your fake "bread" isn't. I don't have a problem with using other things for texture - like pizza crusts, but it still sn't bread.
I'm testing eating controlled portions of Einkorn (from Jovial foods https://jovialfoods.com/einkorn/ ) - which is the original wheat - no hybridization, so it is higher protein than Quinoa and such and even the Gluten is a much lower molecular weight. More vitamins, less starch. I'm doing it as sourdough since I don't need sugar - the lactobacilli digest the starch, so the Yeast gets sugar from the grain.
So far, so good - I'm only eating a little bread but with lots of butter, usually pan fried, often with eggs. It isn't for "strict" but I seem to be doing fine with it as part of "moderate". It is a pain to make, but is real bread - actually better tasting.
Zoe Harcombe says "eat real food", and even real-food carbs are much different. Even fruit has been bred to be much sweeter. We are able to digest and use sugars and starches, but in proper proportion. They had sugar and grains for centuries, but our ancestors weren't poisoned by it. But what we have to day called "food" has been through a lot of factory processing.
have an ice cream when you wanted?
I can and often do eat ice cream every
day. But it's close to 100% fat. Why
would you want any other kind?
What else do you think you are being
deprived of? Are you saying only carbs
can mitigate your deprivation?
Sorry to hear that...but I don't get it.
Sick of salads? Don't eat what you don't
want to eat. It's a simple concept.
What about when I travel ? I Love to eat the local food ? Can I do that intermittently ?
Giving up foods I love: brownies, chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles. Finding recipes that are dairy-free is especially difficult.
We've lost a lot of friendships since eating LCHF. Not that we argued or anything; they just stopped inviting us when it became clear, meal after meal, that we couldn't eat what they provided and that it was troublesome to figure out what we could eat that they could cook. (To us, it seems straightforward, but if you're not used to it, LCHF can seem mysterious and counterintuitive.) While I'd like to say, "Oh, good riddance to those terrible 'friends' who wouldn't cater to our needs," the truth is they were good people. They were just busy like most of us, and it was a troublesome thing to attend to at every get-together. I imagine it's often not even conscious why so-and-so just doesn't seem like a fun person to invite over for a meal. (I tried suggesting things to do together that don't involve food, but this is the South, and they were totally not up for things that don't involve food! haha You have to bring food and eat even if you go to the park or watch a dvd together at home.) I thought about bringing food with us, sort of potluck, and we tried that a few times. My husband and I ate what we brought and they ate what they brought. It sort of worked, but it caused a social awkwardness that deteriorated the relationships we tried it in. Again, I'd like to say, "Well, they must not have been good friends, then," but it really wasn't like that. They were good people and we had things in common. The differences in food make for big differences in social relationships, at least in certain social groups in the deep South. There are probably lots of cultural groups elsewhere in other states where it isn't an issue.