To Carb or not to Carb (for weightloss)

auntstephie321

I currently eat a low carbohydrate diet, as suggested by my endocrinologist for Insulin Resistance, at my last checkup my fasting BG was 103. Her recommendation brought me to MFP to start tracking my weight and intake. I stumbled into the forums one day and found there are many debates regarding the intake of carbohydrates and its effects on weight loss.

I'm posting some charts to hopefully help anyone who is trying to decide whether they need to go low carb or if they should eat everything in moderation.

Back in 2011 I was told by my doctor that I had elevated fasting BG at 101, very similar to where I was at the beginning of this year. My doctor then told me weight loss would help lower that, at that time I started logging on another website. That dr never mentioned reducing carb intake, just weight loss.

I successfully went from around 180 lbs at that time down to my goal of 140 lbs without exercise. When I started this year I was around the same starting weight, give or take. I am currently anywhere from 10-15 lbs away from my goal of 145 this time.

Here is my weight loss chart and the corresponding carbohydrate intake chart from 2011.




As you can see, I wasn't necessarily eating a ton of carbohydrates, I would consider it to be an average amount for someone that is trying to reduce caloric intake, naturally resulting in a lower intake than I was likely eating before tracking. I was not at the time tracking the number of carbs though only calories.

And here is my current weight loss chart and corresponding carbohydrate intake chart for 2015. You can see where I started low carbing, around March of this year I also watch my caloric intake. My goal is to be below 50g of carbohydrates a day, just a random number that I picked for myself, I was working on ketogenic but found it difficult to keep below 20 g a day consistently.





So back in 2011 once reaching my goal weight my follow up with my Doctor showed normal BG levels. Also, since I work in insurance, some even better evidence was that I went form a Standard rating for my life insurance to a Super Preferred rating. Which means that all my labwork was better than average.

Losing weight resulted in better overall health (duh) and even though I have health conditions, carb intake did not impede my results.

I must honestly admit that I was kinda hoping to see some sort of difference in the way I lost weight, or the speed at which I lost it, or something. But the weight loss charts are nearly identical.

That being said, I do think I will consider eating lower in carbohydrates, again around 50 g a day as I do not feel as hungry and have noticed a marked increase in energy which started before any weight loss began.

However I know that it is not something that is necessary for my continued weight loss.

Now some may say that a caloric deficit didn't actually work because I didn't keep the weight off, so it wasn't successful. However, in all likelihood I will probably gain the weight back again this time as well. Stress being the main contributing factor, so unless I can live a stress free life I may be back in the same boat again.

Those of you who are unsure of what to do, think about what will be sustainable for you. If you love bread, pasta, cake, ice cream and would feel deprived without it, then include those things and stay within you caloric intake goals to create a deficit. If you wouldn't miss those things, then by all means try low carb out, see how it works for you.

Just don't think that you have to restrict carbohydrates to lose weight, a caloric deficit is all that is needed and low carb is one way of achieving that.

Stephanie

chelsy0587

Good information, I wondered if changing my Carb goal lower was maybe what I needed to continue to push my weight loss but this shows it won't really matter as long as you stay within your calorie goal.

Thanks!

EmBlazes

Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience in so much detail. It is very interesting. I have experimented with this myself from time to time but never to the point of "no carb". I tend to have a couple of lowER carb days each week just before my weigh in day because in my experience, it seems to help with the weight loss. I have also noticed that specifically increasing my protein definitely helps me feel less hungry when I am eating at a calorie deficit. Everyone is different and it really depends what works and what your goals are.

I have a friend who is insulin resistant and she definitely found that she felt much better going low carb for hunger management, weight loss and maintenance.

AlabasterVerve

Thanks for sharing that. I haven't experienced any meaningful difference in weight loss between counting calories or low carb that wasn't explained by my deficit either.

I can't see myself ever going back to eating a more conventional, balanced diet though. For whatever reason I don't seem to be able to tolerate a moderate carb diet and that always-hungry-never-satisfied feeling too many carbs cause me. Towards the end (before I began eating LCHF) I was hanging on by sheer willpower and determination alone -- I would have never been able to maintain my weight feeling like that. There's no way.

auntstephie321

@chelsy0587 I'm glad you found it helpful

kvalhion

Personally, my goal is always to follow either a paleo-like diet with slightly higher carbohydrates (maybe around 100 per day) for maintenance or lower carbs (25 to 50 per day) for weight loss. I always cut out processed junk foods when possible. I was able to lose 78 lbs in one calendar year from May 2010 to May 2011 and have maintained around the same for the last four years. Now I am trying to go lower again, so I have cut carbs.

Whatever works best for you is what you should do, as there is no one right way. For health, I would cut out processed foods. To help with cravings and hunger, lower carbs. Always keep an eye on calories as its easy to go over even when not eating junk.

Good luck!

PeachyCarol

What a great post. Thanks for sharing, and I love the data. I personally settled on a happy medium of around 100-ish grams average. I've low carbed in the past, but it wasn't sustainable for me. Too many carbs make me lack energy, though.

I added back the carbs I love the most: beans, potatoes, gluten-free oats, sweet potatoes and some treats like small servings of ice cream, fun-sized candy bars, or a cookie or two.

I could happily eat this way forever, and I think that's what this is all about, like you said. Finding a way of eating that keeps you satisfied, whatever that may be.

STACYINOC

Great post Stephanie...I too have been doing a lower carb diet and so it's worked very well for me. Your charts are awesome by the way!

wabmester

Great post, Stephanie.

Would it be rude to ask about your weight regain after 2011? Did you log your carb intake post-2011? Weight regain is my biggest fear (since it seems to happen to the vast majority). I plan to stay low carb to keep my hunger and cravings in check and hopefully reduce the risk of a regain.

auntstephie321

wabmester wrote: »

Great post, Stephanie.

Would it be rude to ask about your weight regain after 2011? Did you log your carb intake post-2011? Weight regain is my biggest fear (since it seems to happen to the vast majority). I plan to stay low carb to keep my hunger and cravings in check and hopefully reduce the risk of a regain.

I stopped logging mid 2012. I figured I could maintain easily, which I did for a while, but gradually I stopped focusing on it and due to some stressful situations I went back to my comfort zone.

I've found that when you stop putting your health first it's a lot harder to get it back in check. My plan this time it's too continue logging in to mfp, maybe not tracking all of my food forever, and continuing to educate myself on health and fitness. To keep it at the forefront and not an afterthought.

auntstephie321

@mamapeach910 seems so simple, right

GaleHawkins

Great Post. I do low carb to manage my pain without Rx meds. It seems to work well to maintain without regains that always happened in the past.

melissalatzel25

If humans are designed to eat carbs don't go against nature- thats why people think they need to restrict and have weight issues. eat as nature intended and lots of it and you'll lose weight and have so full energy! carb the *kitten* up

yarwell

So the data shows restricted carbohydrates and weight loss, but doesn't show calorie deficit. I don't think this would help me choose between two approaches, but it does show an association between restricting carbs and losing weight.

kgeyser

yarwell wrote: »

So the data shows restricted carbohydrates and weight loss, but doesn't show calorie deficit. I don't think this would help me choose between two approaches, but it does show an association between restricting carbs and losing weight.

The first set of charts is where she was focusing on a calorie deficit only, that just happens to be her carb intake during that time. The second set is where she was focusing on restricting carbs (and in a calorie deficit). Her point is that the charts do not differ in terms of weight loss significantly, meaning that while the calorie deficit seems to play a role, carb intake levels did not impact her actual weight loss.

Sarasmaintaining

My experience was similar-when I fount out my glucose level was elevated my doctor told me to lose weight, but didn't give me any further instructions/restrictions. I lost the weight by focusing on eating at a weekly calorie deficit. Not only did I lose the weight, but I also got my glucose number into the normal range again. It's stayed there for 2 years now, and my last fasting glucose number was an 86 I've continued to focus on CICO during maintenance, and I'm very pleased with how my health has improved throughout this whole process.

Thanks for sharing OP!

yarwell

kgeyser wrote: »

Her point is that the charts do not differ in terms of weight loss significantly, meaning that while the calorie deficit seems to play a role, carb intake levels did not impact her actual weight loss.

I follow that, but without knowing what the calorie deficit was in each case we can only conclude that the two different levels of carbohydrate restriction produced a weight loss that looks broadly similar (at least on a phone screen).

Edit: Now I'm not on a phone screen I see a weight loss of ~30 lbs in 11 months in case A ( 0.68 lbs/week) and ~15 lbs in 10 weeks, or about 1.5 lbs/week in Case B, ie double. Hmm.

baconslave

mamapeach910 wrote: »

What a great post. Thanks for sharing, and I love the data. I personally settled on a happy medium of around 100-ish grams average. I've low carbed in the past, but it wasn't sustainable for me. Too many carbs make me lack energy, though.

I added back the carbs I love the most: beans, potatoes, gluten-free oats, sweet potatoes and some treats like small servings of ice cream, fun-sized candy bars, or a cookie or two.

I could happily eat this way forever, and I think that's what this is all about, like you said. Finding a way of eating that keeps you satisfied, whatever that may be.

Exactly. People need to pick a sustainable plan, whichever is the best healthy way for them to achieve a calorie deficit depending on their personal preferences. And then work the h*ll out of it. That is the key really. It's you taking the reins and making it happen. If you do that, time takes care of the rest. And whatever healthy way you go about that is up to you.

Certain tools work better for certain jobs. Carb-restriction is a great tool for some and not necessary for others. As we are individuals, with differing preferences and challenges, it makes since to pick the appropriate tool for your machinery, so to speak.

lemurcat12

Nice information.

I haven't figured mine as rigorously, but I had a similar experience, just with different levels. When I first started I dropped down to about 100 grams of carbs, mostly because based on my taste preferences it's the easiest way to cut calories a lot (I was doing 1250) and not feel deprived, as I am not a huge sweets or starchy carb person (but for potatoes and sweet potatoes, but I don't mind moderating them). As I started exercising more, I maintained the same deficit but added back in more carbs (up to about 150 on average) simply because that's what seemed to make my body feel best and because I had no need for more protein or fat, and my loss rate remained the same (I was still at about 2 lb/per week then). I let the rate trail off, but it continued to be pretty consistent with what the scooby calculator predicted, as it has been all along. I've experimented with different rates above 150 (and generally no higher than 200) since, and it doesn't seem to matter to my losses or how I feel (other than positively, as I find I feel better on more carbs when working out a bunch).

I think carb level is really just a matter of personal preference/how it makes you feel. For some it seems to affect satiety a lot, and for others, like me, it doesn't seem to.