I've fallen out of love with low-carbing.......

[Happymschicken]

Last summer I lost a stone low-carbing. At the time, I think I was in 'the zone' in that I stuck rigidly to it more or less.

Over xmas I put 5lbs back on and while I'm still not eating bread or potatoes, I'm just eating crap such as chocolate and biscuits instead.

I just can't get back into the zone again and I've put another 2lbs on in the intervening months.

I think the problem is that a life without carbs is just so depressing. I don't miss bread or potatoes but I do have brown rice with curry.

I've also started having a small bowl of porridge in the morning because quite frankly I can't face ever eating Greek yogurt again.

I think I need help to get me back on track and wonder if the Harcombe diet may suit me better?

[throckenholt]

I think you pointed it out yourself - it is the chocolate and biscuits that you need to lose. Don't think the porridge is doing any harm (lots of good things about oats).

Personally I think refined sugar, especially when combined with fat, that is the most damaging because it is the most appealing and so easy to overload on.

[Happymschicken]

Oh yeah I know the sweet stuff is doing me no good but it's like an all or nothing mentality.

I was so proud of the weight I'd lost and was positively evangelical about low-carbing, which I still am to be honest.

[throckenholt]

I think you can have low carb (eg brown rice if you want it) without being no carb. If you feel better with fewer carbs, then have fewer carbs.

The problem is that chocolate and biscuits are so easy to buy, so easy to eat, and so uniquely formulated that we can't resist them. I kind of think if they weren't for sale it would be so much better for everyone.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

Yes I think it's better to add rice and potatoes than not eat them but instead eat biscuits.

[DurhamDurham]

I have up bread, potatoes, pasta and rice at Christmas, haven't missed them at all. I did miss chocolate and started eating that again last month. I try to eat dark chocolate and stick to one or two squares but I can see that I am consuming it on a regular basis and probably in larger chunks. I have lost weight and am marinating now ( probably consume too many calories to lose any more weight ) and feel less bloated so I don't think I will be eating potatoes, bread, pasta or rice any time soon.

[annebullin]

Get rid of the sugar. I can't face Greek yogurt either after Xmas though!

[Happymschicken]

Low carbing has out me off Greek yogurt and cheese for life! I think I c

[Happymschicken]

Bloody iPhone!

I was going to say I consumed so much of if, I just can't face it now.

Next week I'll start agsin and see how I go.

[FourArms]

The Harcombe diet might suit, but chocolate (except dark) and biscuits would still be a no go.

I don't eat any biscuits or cake, but I make up for that by eating copious amounts of belly pork, crackling & pork scratchings :) 55lb down since Sept :)

[Doshusallie]

Hi Happy.

I too was/am evangelical about Low Carb. I didn't lose much weight on it, but maintained easily at my preferred weight and felt mich better for eating that way.

Then I got lazy. I stopped eating berries, dairy, nuts and then found I was too scared to reintroduce them. I was eating the same food every day, eggs, salad, fish. It was so boring.

So now I do Harcombe. I have reintroduced berries and dairy. I eat baked potatoes with low fat cottage cheese if I want. I eat porridge for breakfast. The range of food I now eat is drastically increased. I never eat biscuits or chocolate though as I do not want to get fat! Simple as that really.

In summary - recommend Harcombe as essentially it is low carb with healthy carbs eaten in a sensible way.

[Doshusallie]

I just had two wholemeal pitta breads with grated carrot, low fat huumus and salad for lunch, followed by 0% fat greek yoghurt and strawbs. yum.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

Why the low/0% fat?

[Doshusallie]

Because on harcombe you don't eat carbs and fats together at the same meal. That way the body uses whatever fuel you give it to burn as energy rather than storing the fat and using the carbs. If you eat a carb meal you can eat very low fat dairy with it. If you eat a fat meal you can eat full fat dairy.

[Happymschicken]

I think Harcombe might suit me better from what I've read online.

It's interesting about not eating carbs and fat together though. Ill order the book tonight.

[nkf]

I've tried the no mixing carbs and protein diet. It works, but very normal things start to become insanely desirable. A ham sandwich for example. Or poached egg on toast. And it is hard at other people's houses. What if they serve lasagna? But if you need a bit of a shake up, it could be good.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

Interesting, it's a standard to eat combined meals but it's actually best to not mix food types?

[Doshusallie]

According to Zoe harcombe briar, yes. In phase 2 of her regime, if you want to lose weight, do not combine fats and carbs. Do not eat foods that encourage your food intolerances of which there are three: candida, food intolerances and hypoglycaemia. If you have been low carbing for a while though you are unlikely to have any of these conditions as you won't have been eating sugar or processed foods anyway.

I am in week three of her phase 2 and feel extremely liberated in what I can choose to eat compared to what I was doing before (but I was extreme low carbing and not eating enough actually). Some find harcombe overly complicated.