For the last two weeks I’ve cut a lot of carbs out of my diet (no wheat at all) and lost about 4kg which is fab.
Is it advisable to take a day off occasionally and eat the foods that I’d normally have or just carry on?

Depends what you cut out to get there?

Whatever keeps you sane.

The “one carb day a week” approach has worked for me. I’ve read up about it and there’s a bit if (possibly questionable) science backing it up.

However, if I’ve really been pushing it hard for a long day then I’ll make that a carb day anyway.

I lost 17 kg cutting out carbs early this year. I certainly didn’t “need” t have a carb day, but every now & then I wanted one so did. The first piece of cake I had on my daughters birthday was such a disappointment, and I haven’t really eaten cakes/biscuits since.

If you want a day off it won’t ruin your diet. I’ll also wager you won’t eat as much carb on that day as you used to.

15kg this year. Not had a cheat day, nor wanted one. Eggs, bacon sausages, tomatoes and liver for breakfast, why would you want carbs?

, why would you want carbs?

They are quite tasty, everything in moderation and all that. Depends what you were eating before as to what cutting them out means. If you were eating huge numbers of calories from carbs then cutting them out would be a big step but eating a few won’t be a bad thing.

Yeah, I was doing a lot of carbs looking back at it:
Breakfast: toast
Lunch: sandwich
Tea: nearly always something with rice/pasta/potatoes

Add in a few biscuits!!

So now there’s no bread, rice, pasta, biscuits, etc. but lots of eggs, meat, fish and vegs. I’m the same weight as I was in 2012 but the target is to lose another 5kg and then see what happens.

I’m sure xmas will get in the way but then I’ll start again in January knowing what’s achievable.

Just balance it out then, have some when you want and make sure you are expending more than you are eating

I’m on a ketosis diet, less than 50g carb per day.

Dropped from 71kg to 68kg in a week or so.

Initial weight loss is normally down to water, keep hydrated!

If you want a day off it won’t ruin your diet. I’ll also wager you won’t eat as much carb on that day as you used to.

That. When I have (relatively) carb-heavy day’s, I really miss the balanced energy levels I usually have when I’m not feeding on glucides. Once I’d got over the ‘hump’ and changed my relationship with carbs, they generally became a much less attractive option. Except for Borders dark chocolate gingers; I’d gladly blow my daily allowance on a couple of them every once in a while.

I struggle to eat any heavy carbs nowadays.

Anything more than a tablespoon full of rice or 1 slice of bread and I feel bloated.

The only thing I miss is the convenience.

I’ve been low carb as in veg but no spuds, sweet potato instead. Reduced bread as in whole meal only and about 80% less. No pasta or white rice etc. I’ve been doing this for two years now. It’s become kind of normal. I don’t really want heavy carbs now. I do have the odd bit of cake or a scone but find them to sweet. It’s still early days for you. The odd treat won’t make much difference.

Low carb diet = low levels of stored glycogen which means significant weight loss from water loss.

If you have a “day off” and eat a lot of carbs you’ll replenish your glycogen stores and get heavier due to the water that you’ll retain (until you burn off all the glycogen again).

I like carbs and believe that there is no need to remove them from your diet or restrict them severely.

If you want to lose weight the most significant criteria is a negative energy balance. The macro nutrient balance is less important.

Are sweet potatoes lower in carb than normal potatoes then?

Are sweet potatoes lower in carb than normal potatoes then?

No. They are higher. A lot of sugar.

Ordinary pots have around 20% more carbs than sweet potatoes.

Hmmm.

A bit of googling throws up a variety of figures. Some suggest they’re about equal, though the SP still wins nutrionally.

Well I decided to have a day off and on the end my total carb intake consider of a small piece of cold toast and a bit of mashed spud.
So not a lot.

Feeling guilty now

Feeling guilty now

I ate a whole tube of Pringles on Friday night.

I will take your guilty burden from you, friend.

I did a restricted carb diet pre kids and dropped down from 78kg to 72kg fairly easily. I also didn’t miss the carbs at all, I remember I ate alot of beans and salad in balsamic vinegar for lunch. I also remember fresh bread tasting like the most amazing cake in the whole world.

Well and truely off the wagon now, and finding it very difficult to get back on when the missus doesn’t believe in it and she does the majority of the cooking. Back to proper craving chocolate and the like and up to 83kg…

Well I decided to have a day off and on the end my total carb intake consider of a small piece of cold toast and a bit of mashed spud.
So not a lot.

Feeling guilty now

Don’t beat yourself up or obsess over diet. Life is too short to guilt trip yourself for eating a potato.

I also didn’t miss the carbs at all, I remember I ate alot of beans and salad in balsamic vinegar for lunch.

As low carb or as normal?

Yeah it’s pretty amazing how quickly your body adapts to the new diet and how your taste buds change overnight.

I used to be a cadbury’s milk chocolate person, I’m up to 85% now anything else just tastes too sweet. 😆

Sweet pots have more fibre than white potatoes so take longer to digest. Better for stabalising my blood sugar. Portion size also plays a big part. I still eat carbs just made up from veg mainly, not wheat or sugar based. It works for me, weight has been steady for a year now. 6ft 4″ was over 20 st down to just over 15 so still not a racing snake but i’ll take that. At 47 trying to build muscle and maintain it is the hardest bit.
As for choccy I go for the Lindt 90% stuff. So much cocoa in that theres no room for sugar!

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