r/lowcarb

I try my best to be healthy (although I'm a bit sedentary since I lost my job) i dont eat processed food on a daily basis i cheat here and there but a high carb diet isnt interesting to me anymore i havent eaten a plate of pasta in 2 years, you get the picture, i went low carb first then keto then low carb again i dont go over 70g of carbs daily. im on the low BMI range also. i hate this.

I’ve been doing keto for about a month now, and overall I honestly really like it. I’m not doing it to lose weight — I’m happy with where I’m at physically — but I love how full it keeps me and especially the mental clarity/steady energy that comes with ketosis. I’ve been in ketosis consistently for a couple weeks now and that part has felt genuinely great.

The thing I’m struggling with is more the enjoyment/creativity side of food. I’m a cook, so food is usually something I really enjoy thinking about and making, but lately I feel like I’ve mostly just been eating meat, cheese, butter, eggs, etc. because it’s simple and those foods keep me the fullest. It works, but after a while it starts feeling less like “I’m excited to eat this” and more like “I’m just trying to fill myself up.” It’s not even that I dislike those foods — I actually do enjoy them — it just feels like keto cuts down your options so much that food starts to feel repetitive and kind of sad sometimes.

I also recently quit nicotine pouches, so I’m wondering if part of this feeling is my brain missing the constant sweetness/flavor stimulation I used to get from those.

I stay pretty active too — I jog most days and stay busy — so I don’t think it’s an energy issue.

I’m curious if anyone else felt this way early into keto, and if it eventually passed. Also, for people who eventually added carbs back into their diet after doing keto for a while, did you notice any major differences mentally, physically, energy-wise, hunger-wise, etc.? Did you feel better, worse, or just different?

What are the best rice substitutes that actually taste good? lol

I started reducing my carb intake back in mid March to lose a few pounds. Keeping up with meals and electrolytes have been easy - just avoid the junk and high carb items or limit to a small portion.

Yet my family isn’t taking too well with my recent changes. They usually eat take out on the regular, buy too many tortillas/sweet treats that have recently become stale since I’m not eating any of it. We are attending a quinceañera on Saturday evening and I mentioned to my mom that I won’t be eating the mayo laden potato salad and will only nibble at dry brisket/meat. She got upset, saying that I should at least enjoy the rice or whatever food is there. Same with a coworkers retirement - I am starting to not enjoy pizza or cake as I once did!

But to be honest, I think I’ve grown to enjoying this new way of eating. I feel more energized and eager to get through with tasks/things in my life that never got my attention before.

How exactly do any of y’all deal with nay-sayers to little carbs

I recently started the low-carb high protein diet in an attempt to lose weight. However, I've kind of been struggling with things to make. Would anyone be kind enough to comment their favorite simple but delicious recipes to make? I really need recipe ideas. Thanks in advance!

https://preview.redd.it/xoc12iy9yj1h1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88ec8d59a1c93e4526021f27c1517dee08d7734c

Nutritional info in comments.

My husband was craving a vanilla blueberry cheese that we get from the grocery store - not low carb. So I improvised on another recipe I had and made him these mini-blueberry cheesecakes instead. I made them in tiny mason jars and I used pure monkfruit extract powder - no erythritol or other fillers, so the amount is small. They came out pretty good for mostly winging it.

(Greasing the mason jars may not actually be necessary. Originally I was planning on making a crust with it, but decided against it.)

Ingredients:

• 450 grams of cream cheese (2 bricks)
• 3 teaspoons of pure monkfruit extract powder, no filler (If using another sweetener, use the equivalent of 1/2 cup of sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• butter for greasing cups (the butter isn't included in the nutritional info card)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom and sides of 12 mini mason jars with a little melted butter.

Warm blueberries in a pot on the stove. Smash them down and simmer for about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Using an electric hand mixer, whip the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time just until well incorporated. Do not overmix.

Divide out the batter among the 12 mason jars. Add a little blueberry mixture on the top of each one, then use a toothpick to swirl the blueberries in the batter.

Put the mason jars on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Then turn the oven off, open the oven door about a foot wide, and let the cheesecakes cool to room temperature, about an hour. Then chill for two hours before serving.

Lewis's keto bread is low in calories high in fiber but depends on resistant wheat starch for low carb carb count. Have any of you used this? If so did your weight loss stall. I think it is probably a "cheat" but the low calories compared to home made low carb breads are really tempting. I am 70 yrs old and the pounds even on low carb don't come off as easy. Thanks for your experience!

One thing I keep noticing is that a lot of people with type 2 or prediabetes get told to “cut carbs” but not really told what that means.

Like… cut them completely? eat less bread and rice? avoid fruit? only count sugar? count total carbs?

I’m curious how people here figured out their own carb limit or what foods worked for them.

Did you use a meter, a food log, trial and error, a dietitian, or just slowly change meals?

Also what carb foods surprised you the most, good or bad?

I realized how much my meals revolve around carbs as the base so looking to eat healthier without breaking the bank, I appreciate any and all dinner ideas! TIA!

This is my first Reddit post so hope I’m doing it right.

After a few false starts, I want to dedicate myself to a low-carb diet long term. Nothing too strict. Right now I’ve been eating 50 grams net carbs or less per day - with one cheat per day per week. I think this is really sustainable. I started lurking on this sub about a week ago. I have found it to be helpful and encouraging for low-carb living.

What other subs would you recommend?

About a month into this low carb/keto way of eating and honestly it’s been amazing for my mental and physical health. I’m actually trying to maintain weight, yet I still like to track calories to get an idea of my body’s needs.

Last night I was drinking and definitely ate way over my normal calories lol, but what surprised me is that my body still defaulted to stuff like grilled meats, cheese, egg salad, etc.

instead of turning into a giant processed-carb event like I would’ve had before, my carbs only ended up around ~50g net, which is high for me since I usually stay around 20-25g, but still doesn’t load up my body with crap going into the next day.

The craziest part is how different I felt this morning. Before low carb/keto, if I overate, I’d wake up looking and feeling like a bloated swollen mess. Now it’s basically just “oh, I ate a lot,” and that’s it. No crazy puffiness, no food hangover, and hunger today is legitamately non-existent, maybe like my body just balancing naturally.

Big thanks to this low carb community too, because reading everyone’s experiences really helped me get here. Curious if anyone else notices that overeating this way feels completely different than overeating used to.

I’m working on an iPhone app called MetricSync that lets you take a photo of your food and get an estimate for carbs, calories, protein, and fat.

The idea is to make low-carb tracking faster. Instead of manually searching every ingredient or building the whole meal from scratch, you can take a photo, get an estimate, and then edit anything that looks wrong.

I know photo estimates will never be perfect, especially with sauces, oils, homemade meals, and portion sizes. But I’m wondering if a fast editable estimate would still be useful as a starting point.

For people here who track carbs or macros:

Would you use photo-based carb estimates if you could edit them, or would you only trust manual logging?

I can share the app link if that is allowed here.

I’ve been doing keto/low carb for about a month now and honestly it’s been awesome so far. I’ve noticed physical, mental, and cognitive benefits pretty quickly — more stable energy, better focus, less brain fog, and overall I just feel better day to day.

Right now though, I’m not doing super intense physical work yet. I’m about to start a house painting job, so I’ll be on my feet all day.

I’m mainly wondering how keto or low carb plays into long-term sustainability and energy levels with a physically active job like that.

For those of you who work active jobs or live a higher-activity lifestyle:
Did your energy hold up throughout the day once adapted?
Did you have to increase electrolytes/calories a lot?
Did you ever feel weak or drained doing hard physical work while low carb?
Do you feel better than when you were eating higher carb?
How long did it take before your body fully adjusted?

I really want to keep eating this way because I genuinely like how I feel on it, but I also want to be realistic going into a much more physical lifestyle.

I appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks.

Bonjour à tous. Après 75kg perdus en 10 ans et un âge qui avance (F41) voici un an que mon poids ne bouge pas malgré la diète et le sport . Je me lance dans une nouvelle approche plus adéquate à mon profil hormonal en baissant considérablement mon apport en macro journalier (15 à 20% de glucides). Je trouve cela difficile d’un point de vue social surtout voir impossible . J’aimerais avoir un peu les retours des personnes qui suivent ce modèle depuis longtemps et vos avis , conseils , échecs réussites …. Merci à la communauté ❤️

Hoping to talk to a few people here for 30 minutes.

Quick context: I'm 44 and got diagnosed pre-diabetic about 18 months ago.
I overhauled how I eat — cut ultra-processed foods, started strength
training, fixed my sleep — and lost 45 lbs. The hardest part wasn't the
kitchen or the gym. It was eating out. Sit-down restaurant menus aren't
built for people trying to stay on track, and I kept getting tripped up.

I'm exploring whether anyone else in this community is dealing with the
same thing, and I'd love to hear your stories. I'm not selling anything,
not pitching a product, not running a survey. I just want to talk.

What I'm asking for:
- 30 minutes on Zoom or phone, whenever works for you
- I'd record audio with your permission, just so I can listen back
- $25 Amazon (or equivalent) gift card as a thank-you for your time

I'd especially love to hear from you if:
- You're managing a metabolic condition, actively losing weight, or
following a strict protocol (keto, Mediterranean, low-carb, etc.)
- You've eaten at a sit-down restaurant in the last month
- You asked the server for some kind of modification — dropped an
ingredient, asked for something on the side, swapped a side, etc.

If that's you, DM me with your time zone and a couple of windows that
work this week. Happy to share more about who I am and what I'm doing
before we talk.

Thanks for reading.

I’ve got a buddy coming over this weekend and we’ll probably hang out and have a few drinks. I’m trying to stay super low carb/keto though, so I’m looking for tips/tricks from people who’ve figured this out without totally wrecking progress.

I already know the obvious stuff like sticking to straight liquor / clear alcohols and avoiding sugary mixers, beer, etc. But I’m curious about the practical side of it too.

• Do you still need to eat beforehand as much when you’re keto/low carb?
• Do you get drunk faster on low carb?

I just feel so good on this diet, and wouldn't want something silly like drinking to offset how good the diet feels.

Would appreciate any advice from people who’ve done this successfully.