Low Carb/no Carb Diet

Okay, I did this a while ago and I felt good the first two weeks then the lethargy came. Oh, I did not want to move, I had little to no energy even with a proper night's sleep. I ate normally for a day or two and felt better - never looked back. This style of eating is not quite right for everyone; I reduce but do not cut out - and I listen and pay attention to my body's needs. I have found that if I cut out things like soda, fried foods, overly greasy and sugary I do well vs cutting out an entire food group.

My husband has been low carb (less than 100 grams per day) since around November. He has lost at least 30 pounds since then. Our grocery bills are sky high now that I'm buying so much meat and cheese though! We just had his bloodwork done, and surprisingly, he still has very low cholesterol too.

If you want to go low carb at the coffee shop, you can have regular coffee with artificial sweetener. Cream has no carbs, but half and half does. Or just drink tea without sugar. If you get the munchies, you might want to bring some nuts to snack on so you're not tempted to eat pastries.

Congrats on your progress with the new diet. I don't have the willpower to do it myself, but I have reduced the amount of carbs that I eat. It does help me keep the blood sugar spikes at bay.

Great job! I'm a nutrition coach and I'm always encouraging clients to try to eliminate wheat and gluten simply because many of us don't digest it all that well. Make sure you are eating lots of GOOD carbs - veggies, especially the dark leafy greens like kale, chard, spinach and my personal favorite, arugula.

Green tea is a wonderful choice, loaded with anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory nutrients. My favorite is Zen green tea by Tazo, which you can get at Starbucks. It's great hot or iced.

You can have tea. Black or green. Black or add artificial sweetner and lemon.

I cut all carbs and dropped 10 lbs. I felt fantastic. I was shocked to realize, the carbs were causing the cravings. I added back in whole grains. Brown rice, quinoa, carby vegetables, and still feel great. Cutting all processed carbs is what made the most sense for me. No white rice, flour, sugar, or anything prepackaged. I'm still losing and feeling great. I'm never hungry or sluggish.

Don't fall into the trap of "You can have all the meat, chesses, egg, and bacon you want." Too much of anything is bad news. Be reasonable. CUt the bad super refined foods, but don't replace them with fatty foods like burger patties. Eat lean meats and low fat cheese. Fill up on leafy greens and fish, limit red meat.

Coffee with half and half. There are a few carbs in the 1/2 and 1/2, but not much.
ETA:
I was in a hurry earlier so I didn't go into my experience with lo/no-carb eating.

I have done it, and I have done it for lengthy periods of time. Once, post baby to lose pregnancy weight (I'd gained 50 lbs). It is hard at first, and yes, you are tired a bit at first. But after a week or so, my energy was way up. You have to be sure to get adequate sleep though.
I found that any time I "indulged" in things carb laden, I felt AWFUL. Really... just AWFUL. And I'd need a nap. Birthday party, and a have a big slice of cake and small serving of ice-cream... a handful of chips b/c that is what the snack food was.... UGH. It was awful.
I also found that if I had 2 or 3 eggs in a veggie/cheese omelet for breakfast, that I really wouldn't be hungry until 1 or 2 pm. Then a piece of LIGHT bread (most have 7 carbs per slice) with egg salad or peanut butter, or tuna salad (without relish in it)... and I was good until dinner.

I didn't even need snacks. But I learned also to carry a snack size ziplock baggie of cashews or peanuts or almonds or walnuts with me. Because when you need food, you need it in a hurry, or you can start to feel yucky and end up grabbing a Snickers bar or something terrible for you.

I did lose weight. And it works and I felt great when I did it, both times. I stayed at 30 grams of carbs per day or less. For months at a time. I ran into problems when I tried to reintroduce a few carbs (to stay below 50 grams)... that was just too many and it was like being an addict. I could basically have almost NONE, or I had no control at all.

My husband still basically lives with a modified version of this. He doesn't eat many starches and enjoys sugary sweet treats rarely. He prefers greek yogurt (highest protein content for yogurts, and low fat and low carb) for his "dessert" every day. He loves Kashi products and Zone bars. And he tries to only eat "light" bread, except when we enjoy a loaf with olive oil and spices. :)

Fresh green salads, seeds/nuts, whole fruit (not juices) and very little processed starch of any kind. We L. grilled foods: chicken, pork, steak, fish, and tonight-- grilled meatloaf!

I've been doing low carb since August 2011 and I have lost 60 lbs. I feel great and I will continue until I lose 30-40 more lbs. I drink lots of water with True Lemon in it (don't really like plain water) I exercise (walk) and I think about every single piece of food that goes in my mouth. I L. the results I am seeing and that really keeps me motivated! Good Luck

Congrats! It's so much fun to find the foods that are right for you.

You have already received answers about your coffee get-together, and I second the suggestion that you bring a few nuts to treat yourself with.

I lost 30 pounds since eating low carb and have kept it off. If I find myself "treating" myself and gaining a few pounds, I know exactly what to, and not to, eat to lose those pounds.

I feel great, loving all the regular fat meat, chicken with skin, full fat cheese, avacado(s), eggs, etc. And my cholesteral is so good, my doctor said that he is jealous!

If you add carbs back for variety or fiber, may I suggest fiber cereal (check each box carefully for sugars) and the low carb (not whole wheat) pasta (Dreamfield's). Also, be careful about artificial sweeteners. For some people they seems to get in the way of weight loss.

I have also recently starting cutting carbs and lost 2 pounds in one week! yea. I also feel great. When i get hungry at night after the kids go to bed, I have been choosing healthier foods instead of crackers or chips.

Yes, I, too, have followed a low carb diet. I lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks; that was a great motivator! In all, I lost almost 100 pounds in about 8 months, and I, too, felt great. This was about 11 years ago. Unfortunately, I lost my job and then couldn't afford to keep eating the proteins, as they are more expensive and I have gained it all back. I am hoping to be able to get back on it soon, as I really need to take the weight back off. It did take about 6 years to actually put it all back on.

When I did low carb I got a breve with sugar free syrup.

You can also ask the barista. Many of them are familiar with low/no carb options.