I've been on a low-carb diet lately (less than 30g carbs a day) and it has been working out great. The first week was a bit hard as I was always feeling tired, but after that I stopped having carb cravings and also my energy levels stabilized completely. I'm eating a lot of fatty foods with plenty of protein and this has had significant benefits for my body composition as well as workouts. I've been sleeping much, much better, and I'm also in a great mood all the time.
The problem is that I will be spending this weekend and next weekend at my uncle's. The reason this is a problem is because he is a baker, and always bakes his own bread. He has a pretty huge belly that he claims he hasn't been able to lose despite lots of exercise over the past year, and honestly I don't want to deal with trying to convince him to eat better.
The typical foods they eat are also full of carbs. Mornings have cereals and bread and yogurt, and lunch and dinner usually has rice and pasta and potatoes and things like that (also meat, but that's usually a small amount).
Here's my question: do you guys think it would be too extreme/rude if I took some of my own food with me when I go down to my uncle's? I'm thinking several servings of nuts and beef jerky for snacking on, and maybe some protein powder in a ziplock bag to supplement that. I'm also trying to figure out a way to politely decline all the carbs that they will no doubt try to make me consume, primarily because baking is sort of a family tradition on my uncle's side of the family and he is quite proud of the breads he bakes.
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Enjoy your carby meals and enjoy the family
Ha! That's exactly what I always said about weight loss. Kudos.
Moderation is the key here, and to life. Just indulge and enjoy your family's company and good food.
As per your question, I wouldn't consider it rude, but in truth if I were your family member it would rub me the wrong way.
Maybe I am just being a little OCD about this, but it's actually a total of 6 days in the next 14 days that I'll be staying with them.
I realize that it's a long term thing, but I don't want the food I eat there to kick me out of ketosis. I already have some belly fat that I am trying to get rid of and eating carbs (even in "moderation") is not the way to go about it.
Well, what about certain parts of the meal? Can I go for the fatty meats and ignore the carbs?
I am in a cutting diet too so I know what you are talking about. If you were a vegetarian, your family wouldn't have any qualms in modifying their cooking for you or at least let you cook alternatives, but with low carb, that's not going to happen. It sucks but that's how it is. That said, even in ketosis, if you eat carbs, you won't be losing that much progress. At most you will be falling into the "carb cycle" regimen, which ain't so bad either.
I say don't sweat it, but don't get used to it. If you want to be extreme with this, you could try explaining them that you are following a very strict regimen and that you'll cook your own food. That usually helps
(I eat 70 gr of carbs a day)
If cooking is very important to your family and you know it, it is a huge slap in the face to the host to bring your own food to the table and eat it almost exclusively. That's all.
Yes I think this sums it up. Bringing food with you is a big no-no, unless it's snacks, but actually going to the market and buying stuff to cook during your stay isn't rude at all. In fact, I would love it if all my guests cooked for me lol