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Reader question:
I found that I am avoiding carbs as much as I can. Or I select small amounts hoping to balance my meals. I have keep my BS below 100 but still hungry. Where do I go from here?”
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Cutting The High Carb Foods
Cutting high carb foods like bread, cereal, pasta, rice and potatoes is the best ways to lower blood sugar and even ‘reverse’ your diabetes.
But when you do give them the cut, it can leave you, well, hungry. It’s usually down to a couple of simple mistakes (we’ll get to these in just a moment).
Just think of these high carb foods. Let’s take breads and pasta as examples.
When we eat them they are bulky foods, they tend to bloat us and make us feel more full. It’s a ‘sensation’ we get used to.
When we cut them out, we no longer get that bloated, bulky feeling. This in itself does take a little getting used to.
But it does come down to a bit more than that.
You Need To Eat More
When switching to a low carb diet, many people eat too much protein.
What you really need to do is replace the high carb foods with other carbohydrates – VEGETABLES!!
Most people don’t eat enough vegetables. Even if you’re eating some and feel like you’re loading up your plate, you could probably eat more. They contain low calories compared to bread or pasta, so naturally you will need more of them.
Vegetables contain loads of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, and the fiber helps fill you up too.
A low carb diet is not a no carb diet. You’re still eating carbs, but you’re getting all your carbs from healthy, nutrient dense veggies.
Eat as many veggies as you want from this list. In fact, you can keep munching on the veggies in that list all day long if you want to.
Eat More Fat
If you decrease carbs you also need to increase fat intake.
It is almost impossible to eat a low carb and low fat diet. Quite simply, your body needs the fat.
That’s not a free license to go and chow down on all the pork rinds and bacon fat you like, far from it. Those are not healthy options.
We’re talking about eating more avocado (try our guacamole dip), nuts, seeds, olives, virgin olive oil, cheese, and cottage cheese.
You can sprinkle nuts and seeds over your salads and meals. Do the same with olive oil. Grab a handful of macadamia nuts. Or put some avocado slices or a spoonful of cottage cheese on top of your veggies.
The point is that, you really shouldn’t be hungry so it means you need to make some adjustments.
Sure, it can take 3-4 weeks for your body to get used to living without all those carbs. But when you’re cutting them down, or out, make sure they are replaced with something.
For example, if you’re cutting out rice – eat cauliflower rice with your meal and include a side salad sprinkled with nuts and olive oil.
If you’re cutting out pasta, serve your bolognese sauce with loads of steamed veggies and cheese or cottage cheese.
Drinking more water can help too. Make sure you’re drinking at least 1.5 liters per day.
Need some extra help with balanced low carb meals?
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maybe you have an idea as i have diabetes when i eat eggs it puts my blood sugars up also i am hungry a lot off the time i have spoken to my doctor also a diabetic nurse who can not answer my questions
Hi Dennis, when you say “up” how high are you referring? Are you eating other food with the eggs? Certain medications taken around the same time? More than likely it is not the eggs that are raising your blood sugars. If you are hungry often while eating low carb you want to make sure you are eating enough healthy fats and and fiber from non-starchy veggies which can help.
I’ve tried many diets and weight loss plans, including a vegetarian diet for over 20 years and occasional fasts as long as a week, but I’ve never counted carbs. Now I’m pre-diabetic (diabetes runs in my family,) and now I am forced to cut carbs. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
I, too, am constantly hungry, in spite of eating more healthy fat, which, I’m beginning to believe, is preventing me from losing weight, and I have to lose weight to control my blood sugar. Two weeks into this new diet without results, and not only am I starving, I can’t sleep at night, and I’m depressed. (Perhaps the carbs helped my serotonin levels?)
How am I going to suffer this diet for the rest of my life? Due to my horrible family history, diet and exercise never helped control my blood pressure or cholesterol, and it looks like it won’t help me prevent diabetes either. I must sound like a whiner, but it’s very hard to deny myself the foods I love, and even worse to torment myself with one or two bites of ice cream or pasta, especially hard when my efforts appear useless.
Should I undertake a long fast? I wear a size 10 now, need to drop 25 lbs., but how? My age (64) and auto-immune hypothyroidism don’t help, but my thyroid is checked every 6 months and labs are in the normal range.
Hi Colleen,
I know it must feel frustrating but just know that despite genetics, your diet will still have an impact on your health! I really encourage you to keep a positive attitude as that in itself can make this undertaking a bit easier. Perhaps your carb restriction is too much at this point? Focus on the foods you CAN have rather than what your are restricting. It also has only been two weeks so your body still has a lot of “figuring out” to do before any weight loss may occur. I can’t provide you with specific dietary recommendations since I don’t know your entire health/diet history, but if you are struggling I would encourage you to meet with a dietitian or nutritionist that practiced functional nutrition- with auto-immune disease there may be additional factors at play when it comes to your weight loss.
Thank you for responding to my post. This is uncharted territory for me, and it’s easy to get discouraged. I’m going back to My Fitness Pal and logging everything I eat so I can get a better idea of my macros. I guess two weeks doesn’t tell the story, so I will persevere. My past efforts must have done me some good. I’m five years older than my parents were when they had their first strokes and heart attacks, and I’m still healthy enough for backpacking, kayaking, and anything else I want to do. Thanks again!
You can do this Colleen! : )
I want veg protein recipe
The very best vegetarian protein is eggs and there are many ways you can cook them! Try these egg muffins.
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