tell me your experience with low carb

Monna2
Monna2 Posts: 100 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
tell me your experience with low carb
«13

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I ate moderately low carb when I was fatter and had issues related to my PCOS. Once I lost weight and had the symptoms under control I upped my carbs from ~100g to around 200g. It worked well for me but I wouldn't go low carb without a medical reason to do so.
  • harpsdesire
    harpsdesire Posts: 190 Member
    I felt pretty cranky and gross, didn't really lose any weight other than a bunch of water at the very beginning and ended up giving up... My results probably aren't typical, but I didn't experience all the awesome benefits many people claim, at all.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
    Lots of weight lost, I can also eat more calories and still lose, the food is delicious, I no longer binge, my skin is beautiful, I don't get super hungry any longer.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    No more reflux (except that yoga immediately after the bacon cheeseburger incident, don't recommend), reduced inflammation, slowed progression of a genetic condition, maintained a 300lb loss for 13 years, gained some back when I got sick and didn't give a damn for a while, have since lost 50 of it again since November. Never had keto flu, my mental clarity is fine, my bloodwork/bp/etc are perfect.

    There's a LC group here where you can talk to more people: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • jorinya
    jorinya Posts: 933 Member
    Going well so far. Had to do it as a last resort because wasn't too healthy, had typhoid and other health issues. Since starting low carb my health is improving and I am feeling a lot better and it shows.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
    Kept waiting for the "low-carb flu" to pass, but it never really seemed to. My gym performance definitely took a hit; I just couldn't lift as well.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    It's a good way to cut out high-calorie foods, which makes weight loss easier. Proteins and fats can help stave off hunger. But you can overeat on a low-carb diet just like you can without one.
  • Yogi_warrior
    Yogi_warrior Posts: 5,464 Member
    Best thing to happen in my fitness journey. First four weeks were nightmare, it was hard for my body to adjust in the beginning but after that it was very easy to follow. Not just the weight loss but I recover much faster from workouts when I keep carbs low.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    I carb cycle which alternated low carb and high carb. It works better for me and it us easy. I never need to cheat. I feel full all the time. I lost almost 20 lbs so far! And if I feel too low on energy for exercise I have a banana preworkout and that takes care of low energy workouts.
  • theecatt
    theecatt Posts: 31 Member
    I'm only 18 days in, but here's my journey so far:

    I went with 20g of carbs a day for the first week. It was rough when I was running out of glycogen stores, and breaking old habits (dessert with the family, etc). Once I got past that point, my energy level really leveled out.

    My weight lifting has taken a slight hit. My cardio has taken a pretty significant hit. I can still go the same distance as I used to (50+ mile bike, 2 mile swim, 5 mile run, etc), just a lot slower (10-15% slower). I used to hit a wall around 180-190bpm of heart rate, now I hit it around 160-170bpm. When I sprint, I can sprint as fast as I could before hand, but do fewer sprints. (5x100s when swimming instead of 10x100s).

    I'm now around 60g of carb, spaced out throughout the day, mostly lunch/dinner/snacks. I feel fine, my energy levels are good, and I've dropped 12 pounds in those 18 days. Body fat has dropped by 5% points.

    It's not magic, but my taste buds are certainly less picky than they used to be. Tomatoes, which I would never eat raw before, taste OK. Broccoli, asparagus, spinach, etc all taste much better than they used to.

    I have a horrible sweet tooth, which has always sabotaged me in the past. I sate it with diet soda (which I had quit drinking beforehand). I'd like to cut down on that too, but getting in shape is more important to me at present.
  • kittykarin
    kittykarin Posts: 104 Member
    I started out my weight loss journey doing low carb and that worked very well for me. Cravings are very minimal for me when I am doing low carb. When I eat processed snack food or other processed carbs, I am STARVING again in 30 minutes but proteins and veggies fill me up much more! Now that I only want to lose about 30 more pounds (I have already lost almost 140 lbs) I have been exercising much more and trying to increase my running stamina so I am increasing my carbs a bit. I stay at about 40 to 50 carbs a day which is still considered low carb. The longer distances I start to run, the more healthy carbs I will start to adding to my diet. Good luck!
  • Monna2
    Monna2 Posts: 100 Member
    Thank you , guys, for your input.

    My question is: how do you count the carb grams? Eggs ,for eg, or fruit have carbs too, but they're not bread or rice. So, do you count the carbs in them too?
  • theecatt
    theecatt Posts: 31 Member
    Monna2 wrote: »
    Thank you , guys, for your input.

    My question is: how do you count the carb grams? Eggs ,for eg, or fruit have carbs too, but they're not bread or rice. So, do you count the carbs in them too?
    Yes, all carbs. Personally, I avoid most fruit at this point, or eat them sparingly.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    Monna2 wrote: »
    Thank you , guys, for your input.

    My question is: how do you count the carb grams? Eggs ,for eg, or fruit have carbs too, but they're not bread or rice. So, do you count the carbs in them too?

    Yes, that's why you limit rather than eliminate carbs. The goal is to get them from vegetables, cheese, eggs and nuts instead of from grains, where they come in much higher concentrations. Also, most people count net carbs, which, in the US, is the total carbs minus the fiber. In other countries, that math is already done for you on the label.
  • Chrysalid2014
    Chrysalid2014 Posts: 1,038 Member
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Also, most people count net carbs, which, in the US, is the total carbs minus the fiber. In other countries, that math is already done for you on the label.

    Oh... I didn't know that. So are the database entries on MFP net carbs, or total carbs?
  • psychicseppuku
    psychicseppuku Posts: 1 Member
    I was eating under 50grams carbs (usually under 30 to get in ketosis) and I don't think my body liked that at all. I was light-headed and weak and although I did lose weight quickly, it wasn't worth it. My skin lost its elasticity too and wasn't really a good look, although it did effectively knock off 10 pounds in a month. I eat mostly fruits and veggies so I have trouble with low carb diets...didn't leave me with very much but that was probably because my carbs were way too low.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    Chrysalid2014 wrote: »
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Also, most people count net carbs, which, in the US, is the total carbs minus the fiber. In other countries, that math is already done for you on the label.

    Oh... I didn't know that. So are the database entries on MFP net carbs, or total carbs?

    Total. There's a script you can add to show net, but it only works on a computer, not mobile.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    psychicseppuku wrote: »
    I was eating under 50grams carbs (usually under 30 to get in ketosis) and I don't think my body liked that at all. I was light-headed and weak and although I did lose weight quickly, it wasn't worth it. My skin lost its elasticity too and wasn't really a good look, although it did effectively knock off 10 pounds in a month. I eat mostly fruits and veggies so I have trouble with low carb diets...didn't leave me with very much but that was probably because my carbs were way too low.

    Actually, you were dehydrated and your electrolytes were low. What you're describing are the symptoms of "keto flu" which is the cutesy name for not paying attention to your intake.
  • dmiivanov
    dmiivanov Posts: 49 Member
    Slow gains are the sustainable ones they say folks... ;) I've lost 38 lbs last year, looked really ripped but generally felt pretty weak. For example, bench press was down from 225 to 185 ... and it felt misearable the whole time. Now I'm up by 30lbs again, feeling really strong, eating carbs normally (but not overeating ) , got some guns and upper abs showing and losing body weight really slowly, by a very modest calorie restriction. If anyone else feels low carbs aren't for them (constant fatigue, loss of appetite, motivation, strength... ) then I suggest the 2nd (slow) way of going about losing weight. It takes more time but certainly pays off!
  • Chrysalid2014
    Chrysalid2014 Posts: 1,038 Member
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Chrysalid2014 wrote: »
    JPW1990 wrote: »
    Also, most people count net carbs, which, in the US, is the total carbs minus the fiber. In other countries, that math is already done for you on the label.

    Oh... I didn't know that. So are the database entries on MFP net carbs, or total carbs?

    Total. There's a script you can add to show net, but it only works on a computer, not mobile.

    Thanks. And the recommendations are given in net carbs? (i.e. stay under 50g net carbs for keto and under 100g net carbs for LCHF)?

Categories