tell me your experience with low carb

2

Replies

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    I moderate my carbs to manage my fatigue levels from several medical conditions. If I get too many, I get zonked, the same applies if I get too few. I net somewhere around 100g a day. I don't really restrict any foods to do this, though.

    I used to do typical low carb years ago, but at the time, I still had difficulties with emotional eating and did not have enough information on the plan to know to count calories as well as carbs. I was counting carbs but eating too many overall calories and ended up gaining weight.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    I cut down on carbs just as a side effect of cutting general calories. Carbohydrates were often the largest calorie sink of my meals so they were always the first to be removed to meet daily calorie goals. I get really hungry if I don't get enough carbs.
  • rachmawatyyulia
    rachmawatyyulia Posts: 38 Member
    HI GIRLS, I'm an endomorph woman (which generally have an issue with Carbs& Insulin), low carbs diet just make my weight steady. But once I consume carbs my weight drastically gain!
  • Hollywood_Porky
    Hollywood_Porky Posts: 491 Member
    Awesome results. There's no question that the quality of your carb counts when trying to cut weight. High fiber helps promote satiety - increase fat intake, and make sure you eat avocados in doing so - high fiber, high quality fat, promotes satiety. I eat eggs and with mashed avocado every morning as early as 5am. Not hungry, not even close until 11am. That's a 5-6 hour window of no eating.

    You can't go wrong with low carb provided you eat the highest quality carbohydrate - green veggies are the bottom line. Eat berries for fruit and go with almond milk instead of regular milk - double the calcium and fortified with Vitamin D to help facilitate its absorption.

    Nothing like having a great steak dinner with a green high quality non-starchy veggie and a small bowl of berries for dessert. That's a real meal!
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    Chrysalid2014 wrote: »
    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)?

    Depends on whose recommendations you're reading. The most generic advice is for keto, stay under 20g net until you're adapted (the first month or so), then gradually start adding them in until you find your own personal threshhold, which is the number you specifically stay under to maintain ketosis. The under 50/100/etc really depends on who is giving that advice, and to whom. Not all LC advice is oriented to keto, but some people think the two are interchangeable, so once you're getting into blogs and message boards, it all gets even fuzzier, much like people who confuse not having to count calories with calories somehow not mattering.
  • lrenaee
    lrenaee Posts: 18 Member
    I'm not doing a low carb diet but I've cut way back on my carbs because they're mostly high calorie and they don't fill me up (personal preference). But I noticed my bloating went waaaaaay down. It used to drive me nuts, because my rings would always go between being way to tight on my fingers to fitting right/a tiny bit loose...now they always fit right. I noticed less puffiness in my face as well. It's not why I cut back on the carbs but its a nice side effect! :smiley:
  • traceymarie123
    traceymarie123 Posts: 5 Member
    i tried low carb 11 yrs ago and lost a stone in 2 weeks with no exercise and stupidly came off it , iv started again 2 weeks ago and started swimming for an hour 3 times a week to help boost any weight loss and iv bloody GAINED 6lb in a week!!!!!!! I'm so upset! i don't love eat as I'm more than full and don't need to snack between meals, i have between 1600-1800 cal a day with 5/25/75 on Carbs/Protein/Fats.
    people have suggested its water retention but i don't feel puffy?
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Monna2 wrote: »
    tell me your experience with low carb

    Low carb wasn't for me.
    I dropped about 19 lbs in a month. I was hungry pretty often but I wasn't tracking calories at that point so may not have been eating as much as I could have. It was an expensive and hard to sustain lifestyle for me. I gained everything back pretty quickly when I stopped.

    I'd say I am a moderate carb eater these days. MFP gave me a carb goal of 159g and I am often under that. I try to hit my protein goal and just let the carbs fall where they may.
    I've lost more weight just counting calories and eating what I like. It is easy and I know I can eat this way for life. Progress has been slower but steady.


  • getup25
    getup25 Posts: 119 Member
    About 3 years ago I did the 17 day diet. You start off for 17 days doing low carbs. The next 17 days you bring in foods with a bit more carbs. The next 17 days even more carbs. If you're done losing weight, you go to maintenance. If you not done, you start back at step 1. There are other things you do along with it, like cutting out processed sugar. In the end, I lost the weight I wanted to. When I went back to the normal way that I eat and not exercising, the weight gradually came back.

    Currently, I am trying to eat most of my carbs earlier in the day. It's not always easy. To be more realistic I have set my carbs on my macros at 45%. I get a lot of my carbs from steel oats (breakfast) and my fruits. I do occasionally have a slice of 12-grain bread for lunch and rice or a sweet potato at dinner. The weight is coming off at about a pound a week. The changes to my eating are something that I can realistically keep up. I'm enjoying my meals without feeling deprived. For health reasons, I cannot do much in the way of exercise at the moment so the loss can be attributed to the changes in my diet.
  • 89Madeline
    89Madeline Posts: 205 Member
    Hated it, made me very sleepy and tired. I'm experiencing something similar now being on low-fodmap (for medical reasons). Either way, low-carb was the first diet I tried but failed. Failed because you need to conciously exclude soooo much. I lost all of my weight (20 kgs) in the end by doing everything in moderation.

    It's good to maybe 'lower' your carb, but not necessarily do 'low' carb. What helps: when choosing/preparing a meal, base it around a high protein/low fat element, and something with fiber. Chicken and veg for example. Then add inc carb, say pasta. What helped for me: double the amount of chicken (I ate 2 breast instead of 1) and just add 1 cup of pasta instead of 2.

    If you like sandwiches for lunch, keep doing so. But instead of making 3 with white toast bread and some fat cheese, make only 1 and top it with healthy, filling foods like avocado and egg. Works like a charm :)
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I tried it and I was so sad and emotional on it. I would cry at everything.
    However, my mother was overweight her entire life. 10 years ago she went low carb, lost 50 pounds... She's kept that 50 pounds off in the last 10 years because she doesn't eat any carbs (maybe 20g a day and that's a bad day) So it worked for her!
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,070 Member
    Love, love, love everything about LCHF ! It's a much more appropriate WOE for me, especially for weight loss. I was already eating low carb compared to most, so making the transition was easy. I can't believe how good I feel. My energy level is way up, and I am happy eating high fat foods. Lowering the carbs down to 20 g daily or lower has really made a difference for me. My body feel so efficient, with stable energy all day, and I am emotionally happier. I never feel deprived. If I keep the carb level down, I don't get cravings. I find that increasing my fat intake keeps me satiated and I don't eat as much as I did when eating a carb laden diet. I find it much harder to eat too much with this WOE. I'd recommend it to anyone as a sustainable lifestyle.
  • kamber13
    kamber13 Posts: 249 Member
    I ntaurally gravitate toward low carb foods so I had no problem following this life style. I think it's just important to FOLLOW the guidelines... meaning I increased my low-carb vegetable and lean protein intake...NOT high fat or sodium low-carb food intake. Especially when it came to cheeses and butter.

    Currently, when following the MFP guidelines, I rarely hit half the recommended carb intake and this is without conscious thought. For me, it's a lifestyle change... not a temporary diet.
  • Kitcandoo
    Kitcandoo Posts: 93 Member
    It kind of happened by default because of being Glutten intolerant. I feel less bloated and generally better all around. But of course you crave what you can't have so if you put a pizza in front of me you'd better back away quick because you might lose an arm in the process. Lol.
  • Addiewe
    Addiewe Posts: 65 Member
    I honestly feel going low carb was why I gave up the past couple times I tried to lose weight. I need carbs to be happy. I love bread, fruit, pasta, sugar, etc. While I did lose weight, I was cranky and resentful. There is no way I would have been able to make a long-term lifestyle change going low-carb. This time around I am not cutting carbs like I did. Aside from quitting sugary sodas, I am more focused on calories than carbs. I am happier, still losing weight and don't at all feel deprived.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    traceymarie123 wrote: »
    i tried low carb 11 yrs ago and lost a stone in 2 weeks with no exercise and stupidly came off it , iv started again 2 weeks ago and started swimming for an hour 3 times a week to help boost any weight loss and iv bloody GAINED 6lb in a week!!!!!!! I'm so upset! i don't love eat as I'm more than full and don't need to snack between meals, i have between 1600-1800 cal a day with 5/25/75 on Carbs/Protein/Fats.
    people have suggested its water retention but i don't feel puffy?

    If you've started exercising after not having done it for a while, that will cause water retention that doesn't feel like bloating because it's in your muscles. Do you weigh every day? If not, you may have just caught the bad day for retention on the day you happened to weigh. If you have, and that's sustained more than a week solid, then take a closer look at what you're eating, how you're weighing, etc.
  • ItsABreeThing
    ItsABreeThing Posts: 17 Member
    Sigh.. Low carb diets arent optimal. We crave sugars and starches (from carbohydrates) for a reason.. Just for some information, carbohydrates do not easily convert to fat. Fat does. Vegetables and fruit are mostly water and carbs.. And dont make one fat... I suggest reading some scientifically supported books and government cited studies that mention the benefits of high carb diets. The starch solution by John McDougall is a great start.
    High carb diets promote health and longevity, another scientifically supported claim. Many people will bat their eye at my comment, but you should be open to a different viewpoint. Don't be stubborn because this low-carb hype is ridiculous and is quite literally making people miserable. I only seek to benefit the people who believe depriving your body of glucose, the ONLY nutrient that powers our cells that comes from carbohydrate sugars, is a healthy route to go.
    What happens when you don't obtain enough glucose in your diet? Your body will convert protein into glucose. It's not fun.
    Don't simply believe diet hypes. Educate yourself. Read other experiences. Read books
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    ItsABreeThing wrote: »
    Sigh.. Low carb diets arent optimal. We crave sugars and starches (from carbohydrates) for a reason.. Just for some information, carbohydrates do not easily convert to fat. Fat does. Vegetables and fruit are mostly water and carbs.. And dont make one fat... I suggest reading some scientifically supported books and government cited studies that mention the benefits of high carb diets. The starch solution by John McDougall is a great start.
    High carb diets promote health and longevity, another scientifically supported claim. Many people will bat their eye at my comment, but you should be open to a different viewpoint. Don't be stubborn because this low-carb hype is ridiculous and is quite literally making people miserable. I only seek to benefit the people who believe depriving your body of glucose, the ONLY nutrient that powers our cells that comes from carbohydrate sugars, is a healthy route to go.
    What happens when you don't obtain enough glucose in your diet? Your body will convert protein into glucose. It's not fun.
    Don't simply believe diet hypes. Educate yourself. Read other experiences. Read books

    Today I learned vegetable calories are magic and cannot be turned into fat, even though the entire purpose of the liver is to convert food into energy and fat, including carbs from vegetables.

    As for "fad", low carb has been around over 100 years and medically prescribed. You shouldn't lie to people about a WOE you've obviously never researched or tried just to push your political agenda.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I eat a low carb diet and it's been a wholly positive experience. I'd add back in more fruit, nuts and vegetables in a heart beat if I could (it just seems wrong to have to limit those foods when they fit my calories but not my carbs) but too many carbs is too many carbs. Too much, too often above what I can tolerate and various aches and pains return and my appetite is out of control -- I'm almost always hungry, never satisfied and food obsessed.

    I assume I have at least some degree of insulin resistance (or something else wrong with me) for the marked changes from low to moderate carb but I haven't been diagnosed with anything. The why of it really isn't important. All I know is it is such a relief to feel "normal" again and to eat (and indulge) when I choose to and not because I'm struggling against a compulsive need to eat and keep eating even if I don't want to.
  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
    I did LC for about a month and was miserable. I was hungry and I gained weight. It was not something I could maintain for a long period of time and I switched back over to moderation. Much more positive and happy experience.

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