What advice would you give to a friend who struggles with low carb?

June 27 2018 by , medical review by in Surveys
Keto, ketogenic diet, low carb, high good fat , healthy food

If a friend struggled with low carb, what advice would you give him or her? We asked our members and received more than 3,700 replies.

Here are the most common answers:

  1. Go to Diet Doctor
  2. Eat enough fat
  3. Try fasting

So are these things helpful? This is what I think:

1. Go to Diet Doctor

We have many resources for people who need guidance on their low-carb journey. I have two free guides at the top of my mind, and both are especially useful if one is struggling with weight loss:

How to lose weight

Top 10 tips to lose weight on low carb for women 40+

Other than that, we also have many helpful videos. Here are the top ones right now:

  • The keto bread
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #46 with Dom D'Agustino, PhD
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #25 – Alison Gannett
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Crispy bacon & kale with fried eggs
  • Diet Doctor Podcast - The importance of protein
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #63 with Ben Bikman, PhD
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Steak and veggie kebabs
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #64 with Jason Fung
  • Arthur Agatston, MD, FACC – Integrating imaging and advanced blood testing for screening, monitoring and treating chronic dise
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #62 with Gary Taubes
  • Side effects and how to handle them
  • My low-carb story with Marc Gossange
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #78 — Vegetable oils: Are they healthy?
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    A global food revolution
  • My success story with Kenneth Russell
  • My success story with Chuck Hicks
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Eating keto to survive cancer
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Part 8 of Dr. Jason Fung's diabetes course

 

2. Eat enough fat

Don’t be afraid of fat! It is healthy and helps you stay satisfied and on track with your low-carb diet.

A tip is to try to eat enough to feel satisfied and not hungry after a meal, but avoid adding fat beyond that.

If you hit a weight plateau after having followed a low-carb diet for a while, the solution isn’t to drink more Bulletproof coffee or eat a dozen fat bombs a day. I’ve been there and done that, and it didn’t help me lose weight.

But don’t be afraid of fat either, as it actually helps you keeping the fat-storing hormone insulin low. It’s about finding a balance and getting to know your body.

Does this make you confused? Are you not sure how to eat fat on your low-carb diet? Do you want more advice on how much fat to aim for? Then the guide below is for you.

The top 10 ways to eat more fat

You can also learn more about fat by watching the videos below:

  • The cholesterol network system
  • The big fat surprise
  • The unknown story of vegetable oils
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    The myth of vegetable oils
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Why our dietary guidelines are wrong
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Vegetable oils – the unknown story
  • Is saturated fat bad?
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    What makes people obese?
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Dietary fat and cardiovascular disease

 

3. Try fasting

If you have been eating low carb for a while, but don’t get the results you sought after when it comes to weight loss or type 2 diabetes reversal etc., then intermittent fasting might be a good next step. Many people report that it ramps up weight loss and other health benefits.

So are you ready to try it? Just make sure to check out this guide first:

Intermittent fasting for beginners

You can also learn more about fasting by watching the popular videos below:

  • MEMBERS ONLY
    The 2 big lies of type 2 diabetes
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    The top 5 myths of fasting
  • The 7 benefits of fasting
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    The cause of obesity
  • What to do instead of counting calories
  • The top 5 tips to make fasting easier
  • Breakfast! Is it really that important?
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    The most common questions
  • The perfect treatment for diabetes and weight loss
  • How to fast - the different options
  • Therapeutic fasting
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Q&A about low carb & fasting
  • The power of a 7-day fast
  • How to get started with fasting
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Clinical use of therapeutic fasting
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    Can fasting be problematic for women?
  • Diet Doctor Podcast #23 – Dr. Jason Fung
  • What is fasting?
 

What advice would you give to a friend who struggles with low carb?

Let us know in the comments below.

Earlier surveys

All earlier survey posts

11 comments

  1. 1
    Bruce Feldman
    June 27 2018
    My advice: small steps. Unlike giving up tobacco or alcohol, perhaps, with the lchf diet the small steps are cumulative; they certainly were for me. I stopped grains first, then all sugar, then artificial sweeteners,... etc. It worked! My current goal is time restricted feeding and because of a record of success by taking small steps, I have no doubt that I will accomplish that, too.
  2. 2
    C. Preston
    June 28 2018
    My advice would be to listen to your body. Chart how you feel when you are eating too many carbs compared to when you limit your intake of carbs. Review your notes and use them to help you stay on track. Most people feel much better when they are practicing a low carb diet.
  3. 3
    Suzanne Knott
    June 28 2018
    Mind over matter. If you want it bad enough, YOU CAN DO IT!!! Keep looking at pictures from High School or other pictures that make you say " I want to look like that again". That is what is inspiring me. I am down 18 pounds in two weeks and I am not starving and building up my endurance by walking before implementing a workout routine. I am 5 ' 1" and was 268 pounds when I started.
  4. 4
    Tasha
    June 28 2018
    I don't know how I'm not successful. I have been doing Keto for 3 weeks. No initial weight loss! No weight loss ever on Keto but I want to stick with it this time.

    I keep to the net carbs of 20 g. I follow the recipes. I guess they must be too much fat for me after all! So I switched to one meal a day and only allow one 20oz coffees with me heavy cream now. I pour no more than 60g. Usually that keeps me full all day but now I'm ravenous. How the heck do I get this right? Why I keep failing? Should I switch to total carbs instead of net? More exercise? I already get 10000 steps a day. I weight 214lbs, 5'5.
    Frustrated.

    Reply: #10
  5. 5
    Karen
    June 29 2018
    My advice would be...
    Lose the sugar and grains.
    Eat high alkaline fruit and vegetables with good high fat the high alkaline balances your pH.
    Keto is not all Bacon n Butter. Both that I love and enjoy. Learn to bake the bread, tortillas , mix up your meal plan two days vegan, and three days with high fat meat/ vegetable.
    Drink plenty of lemon water. Take 500 milligrams of magnesium an hour prior to sleeping.
    Think of this as lifestyle change, not a diet.
    I have been sugar and gluten free for 186 days eating Keto and am down 37 pounds, lost 15 inches off my waist and two inches off my arms.
  6. 6
    Karen G.
    July 4 2018
    My advice would be to go to one meal per day with as low carb as you can. This will get rid of your hunger and allow your body to burn fat probably 16 hours per day.

    If you have fat reserves (commonly called overweight), then try fasting. You'll have a much easier time then people who still have hunger and never burn fat. Try 5 days with only bone broth, coffee, tea and water. I add microgreens to the bone broth. If you just HAVE to cheat - make it special, with as much ritual as possible (no carbs). Maybe separate the yolk from a free range chicken egg and lightly fry it so that it stays a ball and is still runny in the middle (give the cooked white to your dog) or have a small slice of your very favorite cheese.

    On your 6th day, stick to the ONE meal you're used to and make it something you REALLY want and like. Keep the portions normal or a little smaller size, you don't want to throw yourself into a sugar rush. It will make you feel terrible. Plan that meal, spend some money on it and savor it. Don't feel guilty. Then go back to fasting.

    You'll get your insulin back under control and use up some of your fat reserves. Do this as long as you still have fat reserves that you don't want to carry around anymore. The go back to one meal per day - low to moderate carb.

  7. 7
    Vivien
    July 4 2018
    This sound's awful to me. I am sticking to low carb, 20 and under. Have done intermittent fasting, and still cannot lose weight after about 20 weeks. My husband has success even though he cheats! I walk my dog every day, do yoga once a week and aquasize twice a week. I am active. If the only way to lose weight is to eat bone broth for 6 days then I will choose to keep the weight.....
  8. 8
    Rawger
    July 4 2018
    I had a large coworker asking me how I lost weight. She seriously wanted to lose weight, or so she said anyway, but was so against any advice I had. The last time she asked me, I told her this – either beat yourself over the head with a hammer, or go to Diet Doctor .com and trust somebody else to help you other than your own fat self! You say you want help, but you don’t except any! Eventually, you need to trust someone other than yourself! Diet doctor.com will help you!
  9. 9
    Trish
    July 4 2018
    Stop trying to replace the high carb stuff and stick to natural meats, cheese and low carb veggies. Eat until you are satisfied. Stop obsessing over food. Make sure you are really hungry and not just bored before you eat. Get up and move your body. Walk, dance, workout, garden. Just stay off of your butt. And don’t forget to thank God for the problem. Too many people in the world don’t have enough food to live, let alone get fat.
  10. 10
    Reply to comment #4 by Tasha
    Karen
    July 5 2018
    Maybe some keto groups on facebook would help you in your journey. Optimal Ketogenic Living, Ketogenic Dieters, and Ketogenic Women are a few that I know of. I also follow Aimee Fields Perrin and find he pictures of meals and her journey inspiring. Good luck!
  11. 11
    Maggie
    July 7 2018
    Tasha sorry that you are struggling with your LCHF diet and weight loss....you should not be hungry...follow the recipes and stop counting all of the time...it isn,t needed...relax ....eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full ...look up on the site about what could be going wrong ...it could be something simple that just needs a tweak...

    All the best on your journey....you can do this
    Xx

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