low carb ??? anyone try this before

marcosdt10

Hello , has anyone tried low carbing ?? If so how long have you done it for and does this method burn fat a lot faster ? I'm trying to get abs but don't want to lose my muscle gains too I might consider trying this but I then again I don't want to risk it.... Please someone share their experience in this post thank you

JPW1990

There are some groups for it here. If you're specifically looking for info to use LC for a cut, you might want to go read here: http://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains Read their FAQ, because there are few different ways you can do it, depending on how you train.

It's not about burning faster, just differently, and more muscle sparing. It also takes time to adapt to, so you may need to deload for a few weeks until your body gets used to it, but then you'll have increased energy after you adapt.

bpetrosky

In did a very low carb diet a couple years ago. I did lose weight quickly, but much of that was attributable to the deficit not necessarily the low carb itself. Water weight sheds very quickly on this type of diet.

A downside for me was I felt very slow mentally while on the plan.

Sued0nim

I did low carb 3 times ...you lose scale weight quickly, body fat at about the same rate as with a not watching carbs calorie defecit

However each time I did it, despite seeing success, I would crash and burn because It was so difficult to stay off carbs for good (we are talking 5 months in, 3 months in and 6 weeks in) and within a couple of months of stopping monitoring carbs I'd be heavier than before I started because my mindset wasn't right ....I wasn't focused on maintenance I just reintroduced carbs with no food / portion control elsewhere

So for me, for long term success it didn't work, in fact each time I ended up worse off than before with higher scale weight ...other people who can either stick for life or who have planned for maintenance will have different success stories

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Sued0nim

I'm not sure whether that is the best group as there are a number of them and I believe that one is the one set to private as the mods investigate it ...or so I read on another thread

- just passing on info...I know very little about it really

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marcosdt10

Thank you all for the info , much appreciated

Sabine_Stroehm

I tried it once, as an experiment. I thought it worked pretty well. I wasn't hungry. I didn't have annoying cravings.
The first week I was a bit foggy, but otherwise felt fine. After a week or so, I actually felt pretty damned good.

SezxyStef

I did low carb from 2010-2013...on and off.

I say on and off as I couldn't stick with it. Yes I lost weight fast but I couldn't sustain the "empty" feeling I always had nor could I tolerate the lack of energy.

My last stint with low carb was in 2013 and then I found MFP and relearned about CICO and weighing food...haven't looked back.

marcosdt10

I'm a try this low carving for 2 weeks to experiment and see what happens... I hate the feeling of being sluggish but if it helps reach my goal then why not lol thank you

DeguelloTex

I'm not experienced with low-carbing, but two weeks might not be enough time to see how it works for you.

marcosdt10

Damn really so we talking months here ?

3bambi3

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Damn really so we talking months here ?

Well, 2 weeks of anything isn't really long enough to see a difference or let your body properly adapt...

Personally, it took me about a month to get the hang of it when I tried. I didn't see any ill effects, but it didn't fit with my lifestyle, so I gave it up.

DeguelloTex

That, I don't know. The people in the low carb group mentioned above will have more experience.

kennie2

ergh. carbs

bhreann2011

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Hello , has anyone tried low carbing ?? If so how long have you done it for and does this method burn fat a lot faster ? I'm trying to get abs but don't want to lose my muscle gains too I might consider trying this but I then again I don't want to risk it.... Please someone share their experience in this post thank you

I tried it for a month and didn't like it. I had no energy and found it quite hard to stay on. There were exercises that I couldn't do because I was so worn down and tired. I'm sure it affects everyone differently, but it definitely didn't work for me. Best of luck to you!

Sued0nim

marcosdt10 wrote: »

I'm a try this low carving for 2 weeks to experiment and see what happens... I hate the feeling of being sluggish but if it helps reach my goal then why not lol thank you

OK ... please take this in the manner in which it is meant which is pure advice

Nothing but nothing is going to work if you go in with the attitude that you'll try it for a little

You need to create a way of eating that you can stick to during weight loss and forever after

Because there is no point in losing a bit of water weight and maybe a little fat, watching the scales drop then putting it all back on again

They are right when they say it's about lifestyle change - that doesn't mean it's easy - it means you have to promise yourself you are going for it forever

What I would strongly suggest is promise yourself you're going to weigh all your foods and log all your calories accurately, making sure over the week that you stay within your calorie goals

and you're going to move a little more so that you can eat even more

and if you then decide to try low carb then that's fine - because low carb is a way of eating that helps you hit your calories .. so is every other weight loss diet in the world

so focus on the calories .. focus on your commitment and don't just 'try something'

you've got to just believe you can do it .. and if you fail in one meal or one day you've got to log it and recommit and do it from then

because this is your life - and you get to choose losing weight or not. Losing weight is hard. Being overweight is hard. It's time to pick your hard!

Snow3y

I've tried low carbing, what I personally found was:
- Slightly 'emptier' looking muscles
- Lack of energy
- No quicker fat loss than normal caloric deficit

Worth it? Not in my opinion, but I would suggest you try it for yourself, simply because some peoples' methods are preferred to others'

In relation to your muscle loss; I would suggest changing up your training routine regularly, lifting heavy, and not going at too much of a caloric deficit.

Do you have specific goals you want to reach? because abs are normally seen at only 12(+/-)% bodyfat - May vary depending on your genetics

loganrandy69

I think it works fine as a vehicle into a healthier lifestyle, but its only a lifestyle for certain people. I lost most of my 80lbs doing low carb, but found I couldn't - in the long term - be OK with the lifestyle. I can't do low carb ice cream, or fake spaghetti, or califlour pizza crust - and instead of having real ice cream, pasta, or spaghetti on "cheat days", I found that monitoring my calories and having them in the context of a normal caloric day worked better for both loss and maintenance.

As others have suggested, low carb is a caloric restriction as much as any other diet. It did teach me how I felt after eating a low carb meal vs a carb filled meal, and how I could eat foods that were filling vs high-calorie low nutrient, and the importance of fiber in your diet. If you try out low carb as a learning opportunity and to see if it works for you, you'll get results and learn a lot about food and yourself. If you plan to drop some pounds and then stop - you'll gain the weigh back quickly and be worse off than before.

Additionally, you WILL lose muscle mass if you don't supplement with exercise or if you maintain a high caloric deficit. That's the breaks.

MelRC117

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Damn really so we talking months here ?

Like previous posters said, it is something you can really go off of your own experience as to whether it "works" for you or not. I say works in quotes because it will work as long as you are in a calorie deficit, but more in the sense of its something you feel you can stick to as opposed to other strategies such as overall calorie deficit or intermittent fasting. IF and low carb are really just tools to get you to a calorie deficit. For some people, low carbing is an easier strategy to live on a calorie deficit than overall cutting calories.

When I first started low carb over 5 years ago, I didn't notice any sluggish-ness and didn't notice any difference while working out HOWEVER I started working out and the low carb thing at the same time so I really can't compare. I felt more full than cutting overall calories and it really made me eat healthier...more veggies and more protein (which you can do while cutting overall calories obviously). I also liked it because I saw the number drop in the first week so it motivated me to keep going and going and going.

Sabine_Stroehm

bhreann2011 wrote: »

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Hello , has anyone tried low carbing ?? If so how long have you done it for and does this method burn fat a lot faster ? I'm trying to get abs but don't want to lose my muscle gains too I might consider trying this but I then again I don't want to risk it.... Please someone share their experience in this post thank you

I tried it for a month and didn't like it. I had no energy and found it quite hard to stay on. There were exercises that I couldn't do because I was so worn down and tired. I'm sure it affects everyone differently, but it definitely didn't work for me. Best of luck to you!

Were you eating all the vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds as you should?

SezxyStef

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

bhreann2011 wrote: »

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Hello , has anyone tried low carbing ?? If so how long have you done it for and does this method burn fat a lot faster ? I'm trying to get abs but don't want to lose my muscle gains too I might consider trying this but I then again I don't want to risk it.... Please someone share their experience in this post thank you

I tried it for a month and didn't like it. I had no energy and found it quite hard to stay on. There were exercises that I couldn't do because I was so worn down and tired. I'm sure it affects everyone differently, but it definitely didn't work for me. Best of luck to you!

Were you eating all the vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds as you should?

The same can be said for me that I tried and was lethargic etc...Yes I was eating a crap tonne of food. Veggies, fruits and lots of protein and fats...still lethargic, tired, almost fainted while doing zumba...

Sabine_Stroehm

SezxyStef wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

bhreann2011 wrote: »

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Hello , has anyone tried low carbing ?? If so how long have you done it for and does this method burn fat a lot faster ? I'm trying to get abs but don't want to lose my muscle gains too I might consider trying this but I then again I don't want to risk it.... Please someone share their experience in this post thank you

I tried it for a month and didn't like it. I had no energy and found it quite hard to stay on. There were exercises that I couldn't do because I was so worn down and tired. I'm sure it affects everyone differently, but it definitely didn't work for me. Best of luck to you!

Were you eating all the vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds as you should?

The same can be said for me that I tried and was lethargic etc...Yes I was eating a crap tonne of food. Veggies, fruits and lots of protein and fats...still lethargic, tired, almost fainted while doing zumba...

Wow. I didn't have that experience AT ALL. I felt a tad "off" for a few days, then settled in fine. Fainting during zumba is no bueno.

xLoveLikeWinterx

I like it and do well on it, but I'm Insulin Resistant and have a lot of dietary restrictions, so higher carb or even SAD recommendations don't work for me.

I don't usually go totally crazy, though- I vary carb counts a lot but my net can be anywhere from 30-70 g, depending on the day or exercise. I've done as high as 100 g and those are usually heavy exercise days. It's been lower lately because I've scaled down on exercise.

I'm also lucky in that I don't even LIKE foods like pizza, pasta, rice (etc.) because it causes bloating and stomach pain and did even when I was severely overweight. I do like desserts, but I've been able to find creative ways to cut the carb count on those, so it's not so bad. You just have to find what works for you. I've lost a total of about 139 lbs on it and have 21 left to get to my goal.

vgrezzy

Unless you have a medical condition that would warrant low carbs, I wouldn't go below 40-50% carbs. your body needs carbs for lots of energy, and fats and proteins are too difficult for your body to digest, so having too high fat% or protein% can harm your liver & back you up

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marcosdt10

Thank you all for the responses

JPW1990

marcosdt10 wrote: »

I'm a try this low carving for 2 weeks to experiment and see what happens... I hate the feeling of being sluggish but if it helps reach my goal then why not lol thank you

All 2 weeks will do is let you feel the symptoms of transitioning to lc, especially if you're not going to be vigilant about the steps to counter act those symptoms, with none of the benefits of it. It takes most people up to a month to be adapted. That FAQ I suggested at the beginning will tell you the best ways to use LC for a cut, but no matter how you plan to do it, a 2 week cut isn't really going to help you, regardless of the method.

yarwell

marcosdt10 wrote: »

Damn really so we talking months here ?

One month for a younger active bloke to get you aligned to a different balance of fuels.