What to do: Carbs, or skipping meals?

[Tigerlily]

Try no carbs after lunch. It's worked well for me. If I'm unable to do carb free I just eat smaller portions. Moderation and try and keep away from anything with more than 6 grams of sugar especially in the evenings.

 

[mmhmm]

College and Dorm rooms??! Help!! - Low Carb Friends

-nuts/almonds (i really like microwaving my almonds for like 45 seconds, they taste so much better! less nutrients, tho)
-sugar free swiss miss (a great snack if you aren't really hungry but just want something sweet. to add some variety, add some heavy cream and splenda to it, it tastes a lot less watery)
-sugar free jello (easy to make if you have a microwave and a fridge)
-sometimes i would get some protein bars (i love atkins peanut butter and chocolate ones!) that i really liked and cut them up into pieces and put them in plastic baggies the fridge. this helps portion control and when they are cold, preferably frozen, they take longer to eat.
-fruit! i often brought some cut up canteloupe or blueberries back to school with me or took some from the dining hall and kept it in my fridge. if the melon is out of season, keep a stash of splenda and sprinkle a little on top.
-string cheese!
-cottage cheese (if you like it!) i would sometimes mix this up with some splenda and maybe some fruit.
-atkins muffins. you can make these at home (or wherever you have access to an oven) and freeze them/put them in the fridge. one batch yields about 12 and they make a great snack.
-get some different kinds of sodas and add a little bit of heavy cream to them for a snack. i sometimes added heavy cream to diet orange soda for a creamsicle or to diet root beer for a rootbeer floa-like drink. plus, the cream has fat which will help you feel like you ate something
-deli meats. keep some cheese slices in the fridge too and wrap the cheese up with the meat occasionally for a snack.
-bring your own salad dressing. i got REALLY sick of dining hall salad dressings and starting taking my own bottle with me lol.
-your dining hall should have eggs!
-smuggle out some veggies from the dining hall and get some ranch dressing and eat that.
-tuna pouches

 

[Haphazard]

I wouldn't be taking medical advice from the internet - no matter how knowledgeable the people giving the advice, they still don't know you in person. Go see a doctor if you're concerned. He/she can give you advice on a suitable diet for your needs.

According to the internet, I'm very ill. My doctor is just like, "meh, get some exercise, you'll be fine."

 

[Oeufa]

Go to a different doctor. *shrug*

 

[Haphazard]

Go to a different doctor. *shrug*

Why shouldn't I believe him?

 

[nanook]

whenever i went to a doctor i hated myself afterwards for a couple of months. meaning his "truth" supressed the truth of my body intelligence and instinctive behavior. german doctors dont recognize "pre"-diabetes. either you are dead sick or you are just normal. nevermind that normal (and elderly) people are mostly sick bastards these days. so he told me i was healthy. that idiot. not a single cell in my body is anywhere near being healthy, because i ate pure shit for 30 years and never execised, its a fucking wonder that i am still able to move my body to a doctor, even though my concentration disorder and diabetes related memory loss keeps me from reporting my 1000 symtpoms in a coherent and well phrased way, that would convince the doctor. his diagnosis "it's not diabetes" was good though, becaue it made me give up the hope to get a fix (medication, insulin or something) that would allow me to continue my high carb, low protein, low fat diet. thinking about it, i recognized that insulin as a medication is an insane paradigm anyway. i had that typical predudice about ketosis being unhealhty (confusion with ketoacidosis), which had prevented me from thinking in that direction before, but then i did more reseach and startet low-carb...

 

[Haphazard]

They recognize prediabetes here, though.

 

[Oeufa]

Why shouldn't I believe him?

I got the impression from your last post that you didn't fully believe your doctor or trust his judgment. Apologies if I misinterpreted that

 

[Little Linguist]

Dude, I don't want to preach, but I don't think going no carb is a great idea. Your brain requires glucose to function properly - it's all about the KIND of carbs you eat and how quickly your body metabolizes it.

If you eat carbs low on the GI (glycemic index) it won't spike your blood sugar; rather it will give you a controlled, stable amount of carbs over a long period of time. Of course meats are always low GI, which is why they tell you you should eat meat. But other foods are also low GI. Here are some examples:

Fruit: Nearly all berries, rhubarb, lemons, sour cherries, maracuja, sweet cherries, apricots, limes, mandarine oranges, grapefruit, and pears. Make sure they are fresh, organic if possible, and NO SUGAR ADDED to them. Also decent in moderation: guave, figs, plums, mango, mirabelle, oranges, apples, pineapples, grapes, peaches, and nectarines

Veggies: Spinach, rucola, green cabbage, cress, chard, horseradish, rapunzel lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, fennel, radishes, radicchio, savoy cabbage, black and green olives, artichokes, red cabbage, cauliflower, romaine salad, leeks, sauerkraut, garlic, green beans, escarole, asparagus, kohlrabi, white cabbage, celery, red peppers, Chinese cabbage, carrots, chicory, iceberg lettuce, green peppers, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, and cucmbers

Lentils, sprouts, mushrooms: soy beans, soy milk, ripe lentils, mushrooms (pretty much any kind), soy sprouts, tofu, bamboo sprouts, mungo bean sprouts

Grains and grain products: FORGET IT! Unless the sort-of good grains, like quinoa, whole grain products, but limit as much as possible.

Milk and milk products: pretty much any kind of cheese and sour cream - milk, yogurt, and kefir ISN'T as good as cheese though unless you limit the uptake of the natural sugar with fiber

Any meat, fish, seafood is going to be low GI

Nuts/seeds: pretty much any except chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Especially good: pistachio, almonds, pecans, peanuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and coconut

Chocolate/sugar: LIMIT!!! But once a week, let yourself have ONE serving of:

- bitter chocolate
- cocoa powder (no sugar added)
- dark chocolate

Juice: NONE!!!!! It enters your bloodstream like a shot of lightning. Except lemon juice in some water. That's cool.

Other beverages: green tea, coffee (in moderation), black tea, fruit tea, herbal tea, peppermint tea, malt coffee, natural mineral water (LOTS!), and water

So you see you have a HUGE choice. Just remember: FRESH! No artificial shit (sweeteners, preservatives)! No sugar added, and feel free to add good oils as a taste enhancer. FAT IS BETTER THAN SUGAR (assuming it is the right fat - with omega 3). Linseed oil, walnut oil, canola oil, and coconut oil are great choices. And SPICES are good for you (LIMIT THE SALT!!!). And add yummy, yummy flavor. Again, just make sure there's no shit in it.

Wrong kind of fat: fucking margarine, partly hydrogenated blah blah fucking blah. These are what are commonly known as trans fats - they take an oil and make a naturally fluid oil solid by adding shit to it. Stay the eff awayyyyyyyyy from that stuff.

If you don't spend money on your health, then you haven't got any right to spend money on anything else.

NEVER SKIP MEALS!!!!!! Your body goes into starvation mode, and you end up gaining more weight. Better to eat 5-6 smaller meals. Oh, yeah, and btw. It fucks up your blood sugar and prevents you from losing weight.

A lot of people think if Calories Burned (B) > Calories Consumed = Weight loss. That is INCORRECT. You are much more complicated that that. You have a lot of hormones and enzymes and triggers that are set off by certain things. According to the B>C = WL method, I should be able to eat 1,000 kcal of chocolate cheesecake in one sitting, starve myself the rest of the day, and still lose weight. Fuck no. If only it were that easy.

The best bet for slow weight loss is consistently good eating and exercise. Who gives a flying fuck what some idiots online think??? Even me. Listen to your doc.

However, you mentioned something about anorexia. I think the whole problem here is if your body is not acclimated to sugar and you pump your body full of it after you start eating again, your body goes HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!! So you have insulin resistance because your body went so long starving without any anything.....

So try introducing low GI foods, and your body will get a SLOW, gradual introduction to sugar again and be able to deal....

Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT pump your body full of artificial sweeteners. These are REALLY AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL for you. Think: rat poison for humans.

 

[freeeekyyy]

Pretty much everyone's suggested that I go "paleo" and not eat any carbs. However, considering that I'm living in a college dorm with a dining hall, this may lead to me going hungry... a lot.

However, apparently because I'm at risk for becoming diabetic I'm unable to process carbohydrates. Is it better to avoid carbohydrates and skip meals, or eat and possibly become diabetic?

Don't cut carbs out entirely, but move to complex carbs. Potatoes, rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. Simple carbs are the killer, not carbs in general. Cut out all carbs and you have no energy. The atkins diet is not good for most people.

The best way to eat is six meals a day, one fist size portion of lean protein, one fist size portion of complex carbohydrate, and a glass of water. For two of those meals, you also add a fist-size portion of vegetables.


Edit: Basically what little linguist said.

 

[Little Linguist]

Don't cut carbs out entirely, but move to complex carbs. Potatoes, rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. Simple carbs are the killer, not carbs in general. Cut out all carbs and you have no energy. The atkins diet is not good for most people.

The best way to eat is six meals a day, one fist size portion of lean protein, one fist size portion of complex carbohydrate, and a glass of water. For two of those meals, you also add a fist-size portion of vegetables.

Yeah, exactly....Small, often, good portions, good quality food, low GI, and you're good to go.

 

[Sparrow]

Just eat sensibly and smaller portions, stick to 1200 calories at the lowest so you dont screw up your metabolism. Dont deprive your self either, if you want a slice of pizza every now and then go for it just dont go overboard. If you deprive yourself you might end up yo yo dieting...never works. Instead of "dieting" you should think of it as a lifestyle change. Dude, I sound preachy...sorry . Anyway, stay healthy and dont hurt your body, you need carbs. Take care k!

 

[Haphazard]

According to the B>C = WL method, I should be able to eat 1,000 kcal of chocolate cheesecake in one sitting, starve myself the rest of the day, and still lose weight. Fuck no. If only it were that easy.

That's exactly what I did and I lost about 15 lbs and haven't yet gained it back.

Or perhaps I should say, that's exactly what I did, and then I got sick and lost about 15 lbs and haven't gained it back yet...

It's pretty much impossible for me to eat 6 meals a day around here (I'm talking about any food at all). Really, over 2 most days is a challenge...

 

[nanook]

having less than 5% of calories from carbs (that is something 20 grams of flour) is for weight loss diets, for a limited amount of time.

low carb diets are not for everyone but i am rather sure they are for almost everyone who gets fat without feeling that he eats to much or even when he feels that he eats moderate or when he diets for years without success. this 'feeling' is a sign of one of two things, or both: 1) insulin resitance (cause by high carb) related modulation of metaboism wherein you feel hungry and lazy, you "need" to eat and your body won't mobilize the energy needed to excercise - 2) it's sign of having bad deficiencies caused by low-fat and/or low-protein. and this deficiencie can be relative to your nutrition type.

remember people don't get fat because of eating too much, they eat to much and are lazy because they eat wrong and are sick/ill-adjusted as a result of eating wrong for a lifetime.

weeks of ketogenic low carb are recommendet, but months are not a major problem either.

on the long run, you can't eat to much veggies. but you can eat the wrong ones, don't eat anything that makes you feel sick. ayurveda might be a good hint as to which choices are good for you or compatible with each other.

 

[Haphazard]

If I limit stuff too much I lose the will to eat.

 

[freeeekyyy]

Okay, I guess the question is: what foods are available to you?

 

[Little Linguist]

Most cafeterias have a well-rounded salad bar. You can basically eat salads 6 times a day, and no one cares. Keep fruit as a healthy snack (dried, fresh, etc.) For breakfast, try fruit bowls, fruit or veggie smoothies, veggie juice (different from fruit, has less sugar), eggs are an excellent source of everything, especially hard boiled so no extra crazy fat. Whole grain rolls or bran are good. Milk is good. Drink lots and lots of water, tea, and milk,......just be sure to combine it with some kind of fiber. Same with yogurt. Yogurt and fruit is a great combo (protein/sugar, acid/base, fiber). And seriously if all else fails, milk has EVERYTHING you need for one meal if you're in a hurry and on the run.

Lunch: lean meat, salad, fruit, tofu, whole grain pasta or rice, any kind of meat, really or fish even.

Dinner: same deal

Let's say you're on a 1800 kcal diet. Eat 300 kcal 6 times a day, give or take. You'll be good to go. And if they don't let you go in between meals, steal some shit and hide it. No one cares.

Some dietitians even say to start off your day eating meat. It kicks certain processes into gear...but I think that depends a lot on body type and history, which we don't know. That's why it's so important to see the doc on a regular basis and get his opinion. Or see a dietitian.

 

[Haphazard]

All the food is cooked and can't really be taken out inbetween meals except for, well, cereal.

Salad bar is nice but is generally not well stocked enough to steal.

 

[Little Linguist]

Way to provide nutrition to the most intelligent people in the populace. Damn. This country is really interesting.

If you go into any canteen here in Germany, you'll find fresh salads, quark bowls with fruit, whole grain rolls with meat or cheese or even veggies. Fresh fruit cups, buttermilk, milk, water, etc.

Wow. That really blows.

Hmm....well I'm at a loss. If I were you, I'd...cook for myself lol....

So specifically, what do they offer? Do you have a meal plan?

More importantly - is there only the big hall where you eat, or also a canteen or something around with healthier alternatives?

For example, at my uni, we had the big mess hall lol and then we had a mini cafeteria with lots of healthy stuff, too. And we even had a smoothie counter with frozen or fresh fruit or even veggies.

 

[Haphazard]

Way to provide nutrition to the most intelligent people in the populace. Damn. This country is really interesting.

If you go into any canteen here in Germany, you'll find fresh salads, quark bowls with fruit, whole grain rolls with meat or cheese or even veggies. Fresh fruit cups, buttermilk, milk, water, etc.

Wow. That really blows.

Hmm....well I'm at a loss. If I were you, I'd...cook for myself lol....

So specifically, what do they offer? Do you have a meal plan?

I have 14 meals a week.

There's some kind of cook smooshy vegetable, some kind of badly-cooked meat, a salad bar which, by the time I get there, often has slim pickings, pizza, and sandwiches. The sort of food that could be low carb, aside from the salad bar, is extremely variable every meal and is sometimes high-carb or sometimes just plain inedible. Fruit is often there but often low (as in barely scrape-up-able from the bottom of the bowl), flavorless, very bruised, etc.

Because of the variation in the hot foods line, it'd be impossible to guarantee any kind of balance to meals. Many times I'd be eating only spinach.

Milk and hot water for tea is available at every meal, but often the mugs are out, which makes brewing tea difficult without scalding yourself. There's soda and fake juice (juice with additives) also, and water. Cereal is always available near the milk, but often certain individual types are out.

I have 14 meals a week, 3 meals are served on week days and 2 on weekends. On weekends I sometimes go out. 2 days a week it's impossible for me to go to dinner in the hall due to classes.