Low Carb Diet

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  • ronrstaats
    ronrstaats Posts: 294 Member
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    Low Carb is not a quick fix way of eating to drop a few pounds in a couple of weeks.

    You would do better to eat better foods, eat fewer calories for the next 3 weeks and get in some exercise..
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    You say reducing calories has not helped, but have you tried logging what you REALLY eat? Sounds obvious, but I find if I don't log what I eat when I eat it (or before) it gets forgotten, so it looks like I've eaten less than I have.

    Everyone I know who has been on Atkins ended up regaining the weight - and more!

    Eat a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, lean meat,fish, eggs etc., keep things like pasta and rice moderate (don't cut them out, just have a smaller portion) and keep to a sensible calorie level - 1200 is the absolute minimum, and if that is all you are eating then eat back ALL your exercise calories. And make sure you log everything, weighing it on a food scale - its surprising how an extra shake of this or nibble of that can add up!

    This should lose you at least 3lb in 3 weeks, possibly more depending on your metabolism and activity levels.

    When you get back from holiday, keep logging accurately and if you still don't lose weight see a doctor.
  • ronrstaats
    ronrstaats Posts: 294 Member
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    Everyone I know who has been on Atkins ended up regaining the weight - and more!


    Everyone that I know that loses weight then goes back to regular eating habits gains back the weight and more. Doesn't matter the diet they follow. And I hope I don't gain back all the weight and more from doing low carb. I really don't want to go back over 400. :wink:
  • tasharomie
    tasharomie Posts: 5 Member
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    Boy, do I have a lot to say about Low Carb Diets. I've been following the atkins diet for a couple of weeks now. And yes the Carb Count is very low when you start. 20g 's per day. There isn't too many foods you can eat that won't put you over, so you mainly stick to meats and veg's, and of course fat, lots of good fats. But I think when it comes to Atkins, he is trying to get people to their own personal best Carb intake where they don't have cravings and don't feel bloated. His diet does allow for increased Carb's over the next few weeks, and of course as you add carbs you still have to watch your Calorie intake, but my understanding of the program, is to watch as you increase your personal Carbs, at what point do you start to have cravings and or feel bloated and start gaining weight back, once that happens you know your allowable daily carb intack. This can be at any number, as it's personal to each person. So I don't believe it's meant to stay on low low Carbs forever as some might think. I do believe he is reducing you to minimul for a couple of weeks, so you can gage your personal levels when you start to increase. I have realized any diet shall we say, is going to be a life long commitment, low calorie, low carb etc. This one works for me, and I was just saying this morning to my husband, it's not going to be a situation that when all is lost (weight wise) we can stop counting, planning etc. If I want cake I will eat cake, but I had better record it and act accordingly over the next couple of days, either by watching what I put in my mouth, or by excerise. When I shop now, I'm shocked how many Carbs we were eating daily, and can see how I was gaining and gaining weight. Also, it's difficult not to get discouraged when pounds aren't falling off quickly, but remember we didn't gain this weight in a month, so why do we expect to lose it in a month. The biggest negative I have found on the low Carb diet is eating on the go. Fewer choices out there when running around with work, so I pack a lunch now, I have also become a want a be chef lol, experimenting with different ways to cook, I have to say, some of them are really good. Mushroom wine sauce over fried chicken breast, asparagus with a touch of butter, and celery with cream cheese and diced olives. Some realy good choices if you look for them. Any ways, all I'm saying is this is not a one time deal anymore, at least not for me. I am down 22 pounds so far although my ticket on mfp, only says 6, lost the first 16 before signing in again. Enjoy your food, think of new ideas so you won't get bored. This new path isn't easy at first, but I think if we stick to it, it will become a part of our new way of doing thing. Good Luck to you all. Happy Eating
  • VeganCoco
    VeganCoco Posts: 104 Member
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    Well I would present you with a comprehensive account of the issues with the Atkins diet that come from 4 years of Bio-medical Study and personal research but as you decided to reply with one word I will leave you to do your own research, or don't bother, makes no odds to me.

    You should substantiate your wild allegation that the Atkins diet is "very dangerous", for sure. That's something I haven't seen - in fact earlier this week I read how three different macro ratios including very low carb had no long term impact on kidney health.

    You will of course need to indicate if your Vegan views are an influence on your analysis, or your personal experiences / weight etc.

    Oh, and before you make a basic error Dr Atkins died a week after falling on ice, aged 73. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4327741/ns/dateline_nbc/t/defending-dr-atkins/ "It shows he was a technically overweight but not obese 195 pounds. That was also born out by Dateline’s visit with Dr. Atkins six weeks before the fall that killed him. He was an active 72-year-old, big, but not bloated and hardly obese."

    My Veganism does not influence my views, I was not vegan for 75% of my time at university and held the same opinion then.

    Way to assume that the only thing they teach at universities is how somebody died :-/ strange thing to say.

    I'm not wasting my time providing research for you, I would have if you'd managed to construct a full sentance in response.

    I repeat - do your own research, it's out there.

    I'm out - message me if you have any issues don't block this thread anymore.
  • HotrodsGirl0107
    HotrodsGirl0107 Posts: 243 Member
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    Don't over complicate this. If you want to eat less carbs then go ahead. You don't have to, unless you have a professionally diagnosed medical condition, but if that is what you would like to try then don't make a bigger deal about then you have to. Just eat less carbs and more of everything else. That's it.

    But like i said, you don't have to eat less carbs to lose weight, just less calories.

    Less calories doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere though!

    Of course it isn't working... you don't log consistently and you are under eating. Why on earth would it work when you are not even doing it right. You half *kitten* something, prepare to get half *kitten* results. How about trying to count calories correctly before claiming it isn't getting you there. I highly doubt low carb would help, you will have to be consistent with that too.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I'm not wasting my time providing research for you, I would have if you'd managed to construct a full sentance in response.

    Toss out an unfounded allegation and run for cover then. Bye.
  • Silver14
    Silver14 Posts: 141
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    3 weeks is TOTALLY worth it! I did it for 1 week before I had a event. Man, I looked so much better within that week. Not just my head, my pants even fit better, I was more toned and tight, less fat. It was amazing how quickly my body adjusted and LOVED it! I say do it girl! Eat lots of chicken, fish, eggs, veggies, salads, nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, whey protein, and moderate-small amounts of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and low carb fruit :) It's actually yummy too! I make my veggies with olive oil and toasted sesame seeds now, yum! I use olive oil on my fish, eat Guacomole, lots of yummy nuts etc :)

    You must still be in deficit though, but with no carbs (apart from fruit, veg and lactose) it's easy and your very satisfied :)
    Try it :)
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
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    3 weeks is TOTALLY worth it! I did it for 1 week before I had a event. Man, I looked so much better within that week. Not just my head, my pants even fit better, I was more toned and tight, less fat. It was amazing how quickly my body adjusted and LOVED it! I say do it girl! Eat lots of chicken, fish, eggs, veggies, salads, nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, whey protein, and moderate-small amounts of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and low carb fruit :) It's actually yummy too! I make my veggies with olive oil and toasted sesame seeds now, yum! I use olive oil on my fish, eat Guacomole, lots of yummy nuts etc :)

    You must still be in deficit though, but with no carbs (apart from fruit, veg and lactose) it's easy and your very satisfied :)
    Try it :)

    I'm doing the same this week for a wedding I'm in this weekend. I know my body loves and reacts really well to low carbs.
    I've been lifting, eating at a moderate deficit with balanced macros and losing slowly and steadily, but I just want to drop this water weight and look good in my dress this weekend
  • ahmadfahmy
    ahmadfahmy Posts: 214 Member
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    Hi everyone,

    I am going on holiday in about 3 weeks and was hoping to do a low carb diet until then. Will this help me to lose weight and what sort of thing can I actually eat?

    Any help appreciated :smile:

    caloric deficit is the only thing that will work...doesnt matter how many carbs you eat.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    The idea of any low carb diet is to eliminate most grains and sugars. One because they tend to have big effects on your blood sugar levels (this is why if you wolf down a big bowl of rice or a lot of bread you feel sleepy an hour or so later.)

    The bigger thing, IMO, is that grains and sugars have the biggest calorie density of just about anything you eat. By eliminating them and focusing on food that will fill you up faster and satisfy you longer, you almost always end up eating less calories than before.

    Add that in with some weightlifting and moderate cardio and you should have noticable results in the timeframe you are talking about.

    Of course, when you go on holiday and off diet you're going to put back on a ton of that weight almost instantly. When you start eating carbs again you retain more water in your body.
  • Silver14
    Silver14 Posts: 141
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    The bigger thing, IMO, is that grains and sugars have the biggest calorie density of just about anything you eat. By eliminating them and focusing on food that will fill you up faster and satisfy you longer, you almost always end up eating less calories than before.

    Sorry, but in my experience my calories have been the same, if not higher, with low carb. I make sure of it so I have energy. My body just reacts ready well to low carb, not low calories. Definatly a differnce in my body composition. Much flatter tummy, and more toned lean legs and arms. Everyone's body's different I guess :)
  • maddieftaylor
    maddieftaylor Posts: 65 Member
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    Why wait till 3 weeks before vacation to decide now is the time.

    Not that I need to explain myself but I've been really ill since about January and have only just recovered - hence the need for a quick fix. I decided now was the time months ago but it wasn't possible.


    3 weeks is TOTALLY worth it! I did it for 1 week before I had a event. Man, I looked so much better within that week. Not just my head, my pants even fit better, I was more toned and tight, less fat. It was amazing how quickly my body adjusted and LOVED it! I say do it girl! Eat lots of chicken, fish, eggs, veggies, salads, nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, whey protein, and moderate-small amounts of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and low carb fruit :) It's actually yummy too! I make my veggies with olive oil and toasted sesame seeds now, yum! I use olive oil on my fish, eat Guacomole, lots of yummy nuts etc :)

    You must still be in deficit though, but with no carbs (apart from fruit, veg and lactose) it's easy and your very satisfied :)
    Try it :)

    I'm doing the same this week for a wedding I'm in this weekend. I know my body loves and reacts really well to low carbs.
    I've been lifting, eating at a moderate deficit with balanced macros and losing slowly and steadily, but I just want to drop this water weight and look good in my dress this weekend

    Thank you both for the support!
  • maddieftaylor
    maddieftaylor Posts: 65 Member
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    Don't over complicate this. If you want to eat less carbs then go ahead. You don't have to, unless you have a professionally diagnosed medical condition, but if that is what you would like to try then don't make a bigger deal about then you have to. Just eat less carbs and more of everything else. That's it.

    But like i said, you don't have to eat less carbs to lose weight, just less calories.

    Less calories doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere though!

    Of course it isn't working... you don't log consistently and you are under eating. Why on earth would it work when you are not even doing it right. You half *kitten* something, prepare to get half *kitten* results. How about trying to count calories correctly before claiming it isn't getting you there. I highly doubt low carb would help, you will have to be consistent with that too.

    Just because I don't log consistently every day doesn't mean I don't count calories or that I am taking a "half *kitten*" approach.
  • xLoveLikeWinterx
    xLoveLikeWinterx Posts: 408 Member
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    The true Atkins diet is very dangerous, you can cut down your carbs but you'd be silly to follow Atkins.

    Just eat extremely clean with high protien and limited carbs (and when you do eat carbs keep them good - sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice etc)

    This is what I do. I am vegetarian, so I supplement with protein shakes, but I just follow a general rule of higher protein/limited carbs, but don't stress over it. If I do eat carbs, I do a quarter sweet potato, quinoa, etc.
  • Silver14
    Silver14 Posts: 141
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    [/quote]

    Thank you both for the support!
    [/quote]

    No worries :) Everyone's body's different, if it doesn't work for others that's ok, but if it works for us, we can roll with it :)
  • remanasco
    remanasco Posts: 1 Member
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    what are some of the things you eat for snacks?
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
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    what are some of the things you eat for snacks?

    String cheese, nuts and nut butter, seeds, protein shakes, veggies, hard boiled eggs, cold cuts, any combination of these.

    Making these tonight:
    Spinach Chips
    Simply toss some fresh spinach in a little oil, and garlic powder and bake in a 250 F oven for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet. You will not be able to keep these in the house, they go too quick!
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    The bigger thing, IMO, is that grains and sugars have the biggest calorie density of just about anything you eat. By eliminating them and focusing on food that will fill you up faster and satisfy you longer, you almost always end up eating less calories than before.

    Sorry, but in my experience my calories have been the same, if not higher, with low carb. I make sure of it so I have energy. My body just reacts ready well to low carb, not low calories. Definatly a differnce in my body composition. Much flatter tummy, and more toned lean legs and arms. Everyone's body's different I guess :)
    Most of carbohydrate food will have a decent amount of residue in your stomach. I understand where you are coming from

    Food for thought: Did you know that the human body can hold about 500g of carbs on average? each gram of carb binds to 3g of water molecules to store as glycogen.

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