Has anyone gone sugar and carb free?

[Upgradable]

At the beginning of February I decided to eliminate sugars and simple carbs (wheat, potatoes, pasta, rice) from my diet. I was seeing symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia. With my fibromyalgia I need to get as healthy as possible, ideally drop about 40 pounds, and avoid the development of diabetes.

I craved sweet/starchy foods, and they probably made up 75% of my diet. I would have hunger headaches and shakiness, sweats, and bouts of extreme weakness.

I''m having some success, but I''d like to hear if others have done this and what their experiences, pos and neg, have been?

 

[Catmom]

My hubby and I have been low carbing for over 6 years now and we will never go back. It took me several weeks to get past the sugar addiction[I was a terrible sugar and starch addict] and it was hard but once that was done I never felt better. Before low carbing I was getting 3-4 migraines a week. After low carbing I would get 1-2 a month. Pre low carb I would get sick at the drop of a hat. If anyone had a cold within a mile of me I swear I would pick it up. Since low carb I have had 1 cold in 6 years. I''ve been off of sugar so long that if I were to have any now I would get deathly ill. We were in Maui a couple years ago and I was given a free pina colada at the hotel pool. I didn''t think about the amount of sugar it contained and I drank it. OMG, I can''t tell you how sick I got. From that point on I will NEVER eat sugar or anything containing sugar again.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 3/12/2009 10:00:36 AM
Author: Catmom
My hubby and I have been low carbing for over 6 years now and we will never go back. It took me several weeks to get past the sugar addiction[I was a terrible sugar and starch addict] and it was hard but once that was done I never felt better. Before low carbing I was getting 3-4 migraines a week. After low carbing I would get 1-2 a month. Pre low carb I would get sick at the drop of a hat. If anyone had a cold within a mile of me I swear I would pick it up. Since low carb I have had 1 cold in 6 years. I''ve been off of sugar so long that if I were to have any now I would get deathly ill. We were in Maui a couple years ago and I was given a free pina colada at the hotel pool. I didn''t think about the amount of sugar it contained and I drank it. OMG, I can''t tell you how sick I got. From that point on I will NEVER eat sugar or anything containing sugar again.

OMG Catmom you are my HEROINE!

I did that for about a year and felt wicked good...then when I got sick and couldn''t chew anything, all I ate was pasta and soft white bread (with Kraft Cheese slices - I know, shoot me now).

But when I was low carb and no sugar I felt so empowered and strong. And you are so right about the migraines. For me it is sugar = migraines. And when I get a migraine, I CRAVE the sugar even more. To the point of binging.

Geez, I gotta clean up my act. But I''m still in the ''recovery room'' so it may be a while yet...

LS

 

[Upgradable]

Michelle, those are some of the benefits I''m looking forward too. My immune system is crap right now, and I can''t afford to get sick (it causes fibro flares that can last for weeks)!

I also second the withdrawl is hell!! For the first ten days I would have eaten the window trim. Then, magically, it disappeared! I also have to be careful with IBS. Much less of a problem since changing my eating, and I''ve already dropped 20 pounds!

The biggest challenge is going making this stick as a permanent lifestyle change!

 

[vintagelover229]

I did it. I only did it for weight loss though. I dropped my carb count to 20 or less a day for 2-3 weeks, max a month in a half...I can''t remember correctly. I remember it did SUCK at first though. I didn''t cheat myself though. I could eat like 3 cheetos if I needed to, and counted them as my carbs for the day and stuck to meat and eggs, etc.
I bought low carb bread and made french toast with a liquid sweetner and cinn. I found a super unique low carb brownie...I cant remember what we used...but i think it was flax seed...they were expensive to make...like 12.00 for the batch of brownies...and they took a wee bit of getting used to to eat. I also bought myself low carb jelly and measured how much I used. I bought the salad spritzers...they were SUPER low in carbs, the Italian one I think...not sure.

I lost 25 lbs. I know that sounds like a lot fast, but I did gain a few lbs back (less than 10) its not 2 years later and I weigh 109, down from my almost 140. I''ve been off the diet for quite a while, but I tell you what, when I reintroducted SUGAR...even just regular jam...it was SICKING SWEET. I didn''t like it.

Oh, and I used to drink adult beverages, and so I went to diet pop and captain morgan. That didnt count cuz it was 0 carbs. I had to kiss wine goodbye though.

The hardest part for me was the milk. NO MILK. It sucked. And potatoes...I LOVE potatoes...

 

[icekid]

Upgradable- I''ve been eating this way since I was 19, so for about 8 years now. And this is not to say that I don''t eat ANY carbs. I do- whole grain with tons of fiber, veggies, fruits, sweet potatoes (not white!). It''s a great and healthy way to eat. Sugar truly is not good for many people (yes, moderation in everything). However, for ME, eating white carbs is a vicious cycle. The more I eat, the more I crave. Obviously, this drives up the amount of calories consumed. So in general, I am much better off avoiding completely. Of course, I have to admit this did not stop me from eating gelato and pasta when in Italy, and French pastries and baguettes in Paris last month

So I do occasionally partake, but it''s not an everyday occurrence.

Purely anecdotal of course, but I do believe it has been great for my immune system, as well. I''m a doctor, and therefore essentially live in the hospital around sick people all day. My last bad cold was probably 4 years ago! Seriously. That''s a perk I can live with.

This is definitely a forever eating style for me!

 

[Upgradable]

I cannot do aspartame. It gives me mighty migraines.

When embarking on this I did a super-long research on sweetners. It was eye opening!! If you're interested, here's the link. When digested, aspartame breaks down into components including phenylalanine, methanol, and formaldehyde. Yup, that's what I want in my body!!

I've been using Stevia. It is a sugar substitute, but is natural instead of chemical.

 

[Catmom]

For me, the key to making this a life long change is to never cheat period. I know myself and once I start eating something I will not stop so I just don''t start. My hubby on the other hand can eat a small slice of birthday cake and other than a headache be ok. I can''t do that so I haven''t cheated in 6 years. By now it''s easy to say no. I don''t have a problem with Splenda so that is what I use in small amounts to sweeten my coffee, etc. I make a mean low carb pumpkin pie.

LS, you''ll get back there but you need to recover first. The worst thing for me was when I was in the hospital and they were pumping those glucose IV''s into me. I just wanted to scream noooooooo.

 

[Upgradable]

Date: 3/12/2009 10:21:36 AM
Author: icekid
Upgradable- I''ve been eating this way since I was 19, so for about 8 years now. And this is not to say that I don''t eat ANY carbs. I do- whole grain with tons of fiber, veggies, fruits, sweet potatoes (not white!). It''s a great and healthy way to eat. Sugar truly is not good for many people (yes, moderation in everything). However, for ME, eating white carbs is a vicious cycle. The more I eat, the more I crave. Obviously, this drives up the amount of calories consumed. So in general, I am much better off avoiding completely. Of course, I have to admit this did not stop me from eating gelato and pasta when in Italy, and French pastries and baguettes in Paris last month

So I do occasionally partake, but it''s not an everyday occurrence.

Purely anecdotal of course, but I do believe it has been great for my immune system, as well. I''m a doctor, and therefore essentially live in the hospital around sick people all day. My last bad cold was probably 4 years ago! Seriously. That''s a perk I can live with.

This is definitely a forever eating style for me!

Oooohhhhhh yeah! That''s me in a snapshot!

Again, I''m hoping that once I''m detoxed from it I can occassionally enjoy the pasta or baguette. I just don''t want them controlling my life!!

 

[tlh]

I''ve thought about it... never done it. I just find it too restrictive to what I''d actually enjoy eating. Its like sure, you can eat as much cold veggies as you want... but man, after a couple of weeks I was like, this sucks... pass the bread.

So, I exercise and eat lotsa carbs.

My grandmother also has fibromyalgia and I know that this is not an option. She did the south beach, and it worked pretty well for her. She dropped 20 pounds, and is still trying to find the energy to get in some mild exercise, but it is difficult because her muscles have atrophied from non-use, and the fibromyalgia leaves her exhausted and weak. So she talks about it w/ family and friends for support, and her Dr for advice.

Best wishes!

 

[Upgradable]

Date: 3/12/2009 10:54:30 AM
Author: tlh
I''ve thought about it... never done it. I just find it too restrictive to what I''d actually enjoy eating. Its like sure, you can eat as much cold veggies as you want... but man, after a couple of weeks I was like, this sucks... pass the bread.

So, I exercise and eat lotsa carbs.

My grandmother also has fibromyalgia and I know that this is not an option. She did the south beach, and it worked pretty well for her. She dropped 20 pounds, and is still trying to find the energy to get in some mild exercise, but it is difficult because her muscles have atrophied from non-use, and the fibromyalgia leaves her exhausted and weak. So she talks about it w/ family and friends for support, and her Dr for advice.

Best wishes!

I''ve found a great online support group. If your grandmother is computer saavy, direct her on over! MDJunction Fibromyalgia Forum

 

[hoofbeats95]

To those non carb people - care to share what your daily menu is like? I don''t know if I could do this, but I need to learn to cut somewhere. I just have a hard time translating this to what I CAN eat. I tried it once and I spent hours in the grocery store and walked out with very little. I felt like I couldn''t eat ANYTHING!

 

[tlh]

Date: 3/12/2009 11:00:48 AM
Author: Upgradable
I''ve found a great online support group. If your grandmother is computer saavy, direct her on over! MDJunction Fibromyalgia Forum

Thank you!

 

[Upgradable]

This is what I'm using. The first month is the Strict diet, and the first ten days were hell! After that I haven't had a problem.

Sample day's menu:
Breakfast- 1/4 canteloupe, cottage cheese with sunflower seeds, coffee or tea
Lunch- salad with tomatoes and broccoli or cucumber and chicken, ranch (real!) dressing
Dinner- meat (pork chop, steak, burger pattie, chicken breast), green vegetable
Snacks- thick slice of cheese, almonds, sugar free jello

Oh, and lots and lots of water!

 

[lyra]

Well, since I am diabetic, I am on a permanent low carb (not NO CARB) diet. It becomes routine. Things get boring though. I can no longer eat brown rice or bran flakes for instance. Just had too much of them as they are great for low carb eating. If you want pasta, do try Dreamfield''s brand. It is low carb and is the only pasta I can eat. It does not raise my glucose levels at all, which is what you are aiming for really, a steady glucose level will eliminate hypoglycemia. I almost never eat bread, but did find one really good brand that is also low carb high fiber. Mostly you are going to be upping your fiber as much as possible, since it is very filling when you are eliminating the unnecessary carbs. You can still eat 40 carbs per meal, that is within guidelines, but of course you will choose non-processed or refined carbs. Sweet potatoes are a good substitute for regular potatoes, lower in carbs. As long as you''re not eating any sauces or anything, potatoes cooked with skin on is fine occasionally. Basically, look at the diabetes diet and you''re good. You don''t have to use artificial sweeteners at all, I don''t. I did at the beginning with some cereals, but now I use fruit (blueberries are *great*) instead. Fruit has carbs too, but also fiber. Avoid fruit juices completely. Read labels carefully. You''ll see that if 40 carbs is a meal, you don''t want to spend 20 carbs on something that is not filling at all (some yogurts for instance). To get the carb value of an item from the label, you do subtract the fiber value from the carb value. Eat your veggies!

 

[hoofbeats95]

Date: 3/12/2009 12:20:30 PM
Author: Upgradable
This is what I''m using. The first month is the Strict diet, and the first ten days were hell! After that I haven''t had a problem.

Sample day''s menu:
Breakfast- 1/4 canteloupe, cottage cheese with sunflower seeds, coffee or tea
Lunch- salad with tomatoes and broccoli or cucumber and chicken, ranch (real!) dressing
Dinner- meat (pork chop, steak, burger pattie, chicken breast), green vegetable
Snacks- thick slice of cheese, almonds, sugar free jello

Oh, and lots and lots of water!

WHAT?! No bananas? Limited strawberries?! I would die! I have to have those every day. Is that bad? Yikes. I''d turn over chocolate for those two fruits and I''m an accomplished chocoholic!

 

[Upgradable]

No bananas. However, my favorite dessert is sliced strawberries covered in real whipped cream sweetened with stevia. What an incredibly indulgent treat!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

DH and I tried this - the first few weeks of the South Beach diet. I was MISERABLE. I''ve seen these kinds of diets work really well for some people, but I not only didn''t lose any weight, I was also crabby and exhausted the whole time.

That said, most of the carbs I do eat come from whole grains, beans, veggies, fruit, etc...and I almost never eat white breads or white pasta or anything like that because we just don''t keep it in the house.

I do have my piece or two of chocolate each night, but that''s about it for added sugar on a daily basis for me...

 

[Catmom]

Date: 3/12/2009 1:11:16 PM
Author: Upgradable
No bananas. However, my favorite dessert is sliced strawberries covered in real whipped cream sweetened with stevia. What an incredibly indulgent treat!!!

YUM!! Same here except we do it with a dish of mixed berries.

 

[kcoursolle]

Yes, I''ve done this and although I''m not strict right now I still adopt many of the aspects into my life. When I want to loose weight I get rid of all starch and sugars and go lean with meat and the weight falls. My meals on this phase consist of lean protein like fish and chicken breast with veggies and low-fat dairy like mozarella cheeze.

Right now I''m not really trying to loose as quickly so I keep in whole wheat bread (make sure the label actually says 100% whole wheat otherwise it''s not) and fruits. This is easier to maintain than phase one. In general, I try to keep my animal fats fairly lean as well. I don''t like the idea of just eating bacon and broccoli. You''ll loose weight, but this may not be heart healthy.




My hubby adopted this lifestyle with me a while back and his cholestrol and it went from 220 to 149 in 2 months!!!!!!!! I''m so proud of him!! High sugar processed products are definitely evil and really bad for the body!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 3/12/2009 12:20:30 PM
Author: Upgradable
This is what I''m using. The first month is the Strict diet, and the first ten days were hell! After that I haven''t had a problem.

Sample day''s menu:
Breakfast- 1/4 canteloupe, cottage cheese with sunflower seeds, coffee or tea
Lunch- salad with tomatoes and broccoli or cucumber and chicken, ranch (real!) dressing
Dinner- meat (pork chop, steak, burger pattie, chicken breast), green vegetable
Snacks- thick slice of cheese, almonds, sugar free jello

Oh, and lots and lots of water!

This is excellent, but I have one suggestion. I would add in an egg to your morning meal. You need a bit more to sustain you and the egg will help a great deal otherwise the canteloupe will have you craving more sweets during the day.

 

[Upgradable]

I know, but eggs make me gag. Seriously!!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 3/12/2009 2:29:07 PM
Author: Upgradable
I know, but eggs make me gag. Seriously!!

Any kind of lean protein then

I used to not like eggs that much, but after eating them so much now I really like them. We also buy the fancy "egglands best" eggs which I think have such a better taste than regular eggs. They are more expensive, but they really do taste better.

 

[hoofbeats95]

~Soutwest Style Egg Beaters are YUMMY!

 

[snowflakeluvr]

thank you for this discussion, upgradable and all. after having two more children in my 40''s, my son became type 1 diabetic. i had lost soo much weight with last baby due to nursing, and being a busy mom-i''ve put 40+ back on and KNOW that i need to go sugar-free.i am more than a chocoholic and pre 40''s i had the metabolism to keep the weight off generally. but now-yikes! this has encouraged me and given me some good ideas. i recently read a wee bit about the south beach which seems to push protein. i just left the library with my little ones and guess what i forgot to check out? the south beach book-drats...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I went entirely sugar/carb free for six weeks. It was difficult to handle and when I'd go into the grocery store, I could smell the bakery from all the way across the store. I'd pick my son up from preschool and could smell the sugar from the second floor! I craved it like crazy.

The reason I couldn't stay on the diet was because I'm allergic to dairy, eggs, and nuts, so my diet was exclusively meat and non-starchy vegetables and I lost weight so quickly, I began to look anorexic. I was down to about 105 lbs and was a size 0 and my face and arms looked guant and I lost the softness to my skin. The veins on my arms began sticking out. In only 6 weeks!

*** Oh, and I'm predisposed to diabetes. Even at 112 lbs., my sugar levels aren't ideal. I thought if I went low-carb it would get better. Maybe the best solution is to go low-glycemic (which I did during both my pregnancies when I had Gestational Diabetes - imagine my shock when I was diagnosed with GD!)

Question: does diabetes run in your family? On another board I use to read, one mom got down to a size 4 and still has sugar problems. Genetics can suck at times.

I've read that one way to reduce fibro symptoms is to go entirely gluten free. That means researching and finding all the hidden names manufactures use in their ingredients list. Possibly check out Celiac websites for tips. I guess if you try that diet, within two weeks your symptoms will reduce. (Or maybe go a month. Remember even a grain of gluten means you're NOT gluten free! If you buy rice bread, also buy a toaster that is exclusive to you and won't be used for wheat bread. One drop = being on a gluten diet!!!)

 

[Upgradable]

No diabetes in my family, but I certainly didn''t like how I was reacting when my blood sugar plummeted. It was often-times scary. I would get all shaky and weak.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

With a low-glycemic diet, you can still have carbs, but your blood sugar won''t spike and then drop. Take potatoes, carrots, beets, etc., out of your diet, but keep in whole grains. Quinoa is a good protein source that won''t spike your sugar and it''ll give you a break from meat/veggies.

 

[omieluv]

When I was at college, I gained like 30 lbs, yuck. At grad school, my roommate and I would cook together and we both liked similar foods. So for most nights, we ate grilled chicken and a veggie for dinner, to mix it up we would change out chicken with pork chops. We rarely ate out or fast food, let's face it, we were broke grad students. Breakfasts were eggs or oatmeal and lunch was rare to eat because I was at school, but always had a piece of fruit. Funny thing, the weight just came right off of me and I could not understand why so fast. Sure, I was not eating fried foods anymore, but dang, within a few months, I needed new clothes (which kinda stunk because I did not have much money). By the end of grad school (1.5 years), I had lost the 30 lbs I started with and then about 10 more, with zero exercise! When I went back home, my eating changed, not that it was bad, but I started to put weight back on, so I joined the gym. I went back to eating crappy on the weekends, but the gym kept me in check, but I could never figure out why I did not get many results...DUH....

The funny thing was, my intent was not to diet when I was in grad school, it just kinda happened that I was making better food choices. I guess it is back to basics for me again (and to the gym), now that I know why I lost so much weight so quickly.

 

[diamondringlover]

Yep I have I developed type 2 diabetes..now if I could just give up wine