Carb nite solution... Anyone tried it?

sunlitbeam

I just started. Literally, on day 2. I'm semi-recovered from anorexia (weight restored but thoughts are still there and even behaviors), what prompted me to start this is really the desire to lose fat as opposed to weight. I figured it's worth a shot at least to see how I feel and what happens... It certainly cannot be any unhealthier than landing in a hospital from an eating disorder. :P I am normal weight but have not weighed myself in a few weeks, I told myself I would weigh myself after approx a week of doing this.

A bit concerned about mood effects from going carb-free (or very low carb) BUT when I get depressed it is often because I hate my body, and I am on SSRIs. I have no problem confessing to my dr. what I am doing in case we need to increase my SSRI dosage.

I'm excited to try my Russell-Stover sugar-free chocolates... :P

I need to do more research. After how many days do you use ketostix?

balancebeamgymnastar

Hi!!! Cool to find this here and am definitely interested in learning more about peoples' experiences. I just started. Literally, on day 2. I'm semi-recovered from anorexia (weight restored but thoughts are still there and even behaviors), what prompted me to start this is really the desire to lose fat as opposed to weight. I figured it's worth a shot at least to see how I feel and what happens... It certainly cannot be any unhealthier than landing in a hospital from an eating disorder. :P I am normal weight but have not weighed myself in a few weeks, I told myself I would weigh myself after approx a week of doing this.

A bit concerned about mood effects from going carb-free (or very low carb) BUT when I get depressed it is often because I hate my body, and I am on SSRIs. I have no problem confessing to my dr. what I am doing in case we need to increase my SSRI dosage.



I need to do more research and experiment with meal/snack ideas.... But once I'm in ketosis, I'm excited to try my Russell-Stover sugar-free chocolates... :P

JingleMuffin

For 2 months straight, I did Insanity and ate a 1200 calorie diet like it was a religion ... and lost 6 lbs. Not what I was hoping for.

*gasp*

ktsimons

i make this few times a week 4 table spoons of raw unfiltered coconut oil, melt in micro till clear add 4 table spoons of cocoa powder (unsweetend) add liquid stevia, splenda, ect to taste. put in ice trays freeze for 15 min tastle like dark chocolate with 4.52 carbs for the whole batch.

I do this too! I found flavored stevia drops...vanilla & orange are awesome.

ktsimons

I just googled the diet. It is very interesting...seems that it would work because of the built in "cheat" days...I can do anything for 6 days in a row and this seems to tap into that need for a break, or a birthday party, or a birthday CAKE! LOL

balancebeamgymnastar

I'd like to hear an update from people on this board. I've started Carb Nite too. I read through the conversation and I think I can help with some of the prior questions since I just finished the book:

1. You can have up to 30 NET carbs. That means total carbs of food item - fiber = net carbs. The author really makes a point with the importance of fiber in this diet.
2. He does not allow sugar alcohols.
3. He does not recommend fruit on your carb night meals. Fructose does not create the same effect. If you must, have one or two pieces.

I've been on Atkins and lost some weight, but I've been stuck for a while and I'm hoping this helps me jump past the plateau. Good luck everyone!

Thanks for clarifying. One more question: What is the window for eating carbs on the carb nite? Not that I plan to eat something continuously for 8 hours, lol, but I would just like to be reminded. Thanks.

emeryland

I'm so excited to find a board of other people who are doing this! My husband and I are doing this together. He is pretty lean already, but is trying to achieve low bf%. I'm 20%bf, have lost 46 pounds so far, and have about 15 more to lose. I am thinking CNS, for two months, will get me there. I'm on day 2 and am finding it much more manageable than I thought. I lost 1 pound between day 1 and 2, and while I know it's water weight at first, it's still thrilling to see results so fast. Can't wait to see these muscles I have worked so hard for! It's good to know it is net carbs, not total carbs.

Coconut oil is a Godsend. Also, check out Quest Bars. I do my best to not eat them (even though they have a ton of fiber and 4 net carbs) but I keep one in my purse in case of emergencies. Make sure you don't get one of the flavors with sugar alcohols.

Geekyfatgirl

Whoo! Hope this thread is still alive! I'm on day 4 of the induction phase. I was going to do CBL but heard it's not really for people who want to lose body fat, it's more for people who want to maintain weight and gain muscle. My goal is to be about 155 or 160 (pref 155) and be leaner. I've been at 29% bf for a while and been stuck there since January. I was at 176 Sunday and Today I am at 173, which is astonishing. XD I have 6 more days of low carb to go before I can start my carb night! CiCi's pizza is sounding delish to me, so does crackers and some crunchy cookies and milk! I hope I can get to roughly 20% bf. I don't want to be super muscular, just leaner. The only thing I am wondering Is this:

If you get to your goal on CNS or even with CBS, what should you do to maintain it? I mean obviously I don't think you would just go back to a lifestyle of unhealthy eating, but if you go back to days where you have a bit more carbs, but still work out, will it all fall apart and you gain all the weight back? I do like having rice with my meals every now and then, and sometimes having a random pizza or icecream after a long day, so I am wondering if I have one every now and then, while still keeping my work outs the same, will I end up gaining all the weight back? I work out with weights every other day and try to do cardio 5 days a week. I would like to eventually go back to incorporating carbs back into my diet, with healthier choices of course, throughout the day, so I just want to know if I need to stay on a program that restricts carbs for 6 days a week for the rest of my life if I want to stay this way.

If anyone has answers, I'd love that!

swilliams921

You would really have to get the book to understand it. Kiefer discusses all these in both of his book. I have read both Carb Nite and Carb Backloading and the only difference is Carb Backloading is a more up-to-date book of his newer discoveries since writing carb nite. Carb Backloading isn't just for muscle gain or weight gain. It is for staying lean but it also includes information for weightlifters and bodybuilders to get more gains because he says in CBL that he was ripped the whole time but he wasn't getting any bigger. Even if you read CBL, he says stick to one carb nite a week and only backload if you do high intensity resistance and/or interval training. If you plan to go run for 1 mile or however long, it doesn't qualify for backloading. Only heavy weightlifting and HIIT (i.e. sprints). For women he says you can't eat all you want because there is a big difference in the carbs a 200 pound body of a guy can displace compared to a 130 pound woman.

This is only a little of what he mentions in these books but seriously, you will learn more by getting Carb Backloading and just follow the rules for back loading and not do it unless you meet the requirements. Other than that you're pretty much using outdated material if you only follow The Carb Nite Solution because he even mentions new information that was not discovered when he wrote The Carb Nite Solution.

Capricci

I am glad that I found this thread, and I'd like to contribute some of my own experiences in case this helps anyone here. Thanks to all who shared details and resources. Based on this quote:

"This is only a little of what he mentions in these books but seriously, you will learn more by getting Carb Backloading and just follow the rules for back loading and not do it unless you meet the requirements. Other than that you're pretty much using outdated material if you only follow The Carb Nite Solution because he even mentions new information that was not discovered when he wrote The Carb Nite Solution."

I went to Slideshare and read all the excerpts from Carb Backloading as well as Carb Nite. The information on carbohydrate metabolism was massively informative, and I had many "aha!" moments while reading it. I thought I already knew a fair amount about this subject, including some key points about the role of insulin, but the info on the role of GLUTs adds a whole new dimension. Wow!

Before anyone's eyes glaze over, though, I'll just say that the "technical" parts are well worth reading if you are someone who 1) has any interest in understanding how your body works, and why it does that it does, and 2) wants to avoid making some very common mistakes in meal and/or macronutrient timing. I wish I'd known this sooner!

But back to my personal experience, in case it's helpful: Although I had been "meaning to" get back to exercising, I had been sedentary for years, except for occasional walking (2 to 4 miles, 2 or 3 times per week). I had cut sugar out of my diet many years ago, did not overeat or eat much "junk" food, but was living mostly on grains due to economic considerations.

I had put on about 40 to 45 very unattractive extra pounds, and had been very unhappy with my appearance for a long time. (In the past I had tried Atkins, and had gotten results, but the results never stayed — and the last time I tried it the pounds starting coming back on while I was STILL in a very low carb phase. Arrgh!)

After reading about some of the problems with grains, especially wheat, I cut out all grains last June. That helped with my sense of wellness, but not much with the excess fat. Then in July I started a low carb diet (not ULTRA low like Carb Nite, but low). That helped me shed about 15 pounds (as indicated by my waistline shrinking by 3 inches) within just a few weeks. Then it just stalled. I kept to the dietary regime but... nada. For four solid months I held the line, but made no further progress until I learned about Carb Nite.

I now understand a lot more about the mechanisms that will halt weight loss if there is no carb cycling (brief and specific increases in carb intake) to kick up the leptin response and other important weight loss mechanisms. Learning about this and other Carb Nite principles gave me new hope.

(Mind you, I did not have the Carb Nite book. I based my information on the details that I was able to pick up from various articles on the web.)

After doing the 10 day induction phase, I found that it was easy. I was a lot less hungry, my energy and sense of well-being improved, and best of all I was able to shed around 8 more pounds of fat (judging by a decrease of 1.5 inches in waistline measurement) in the first 3 to 4 weeks.

(It may be important to note that all of this was done with low-cost vegetarian food. I had various cheeses, nuts and eggs, as well as whey protein shakes, as my protein sources. Due to economic considerations, vegetables were not much of an option, so I supplemented with multi-vitamins and extra fiber in the form of flax seeds.)

Then the weight loss stalled... AGAIN. And it stayed there until this summer, when I ran into worse economic challenges and was able to afford only grains for a while. A couple inches piled back on my waistline over the ensuing weeks. Meanwhile, I continued researching and looking for ways to get better results. This thread recently led me to find some important missing pieces of the puzzle.

Having read the excerpts from Carb Backloading, I now see some significant ways to improve my implementation of Carb Nite and I am back in an induction phase again. Armed with this new information (plus a real DETERMINATION to start resistance training again, as well as stepping up my walking), I am optimistic that I can shed that last stubborn 20+ pounds and get back into the kind of shape that really pleases me (I've been there before, but it's been years).

A few conclusions from this as well as previous experiences and studies:

1) The diet and/or fitness routine that can take a person from obese to moderately dumpy may not get them "all the way there" to the awesome shape they really want to be in. Almost any improvement in diet will give results for a person who is significantly overweight — especially if they have been habitually overeating, and/or eating sugar and/or other foods known to mess up metabolism and increase fat storage.

2) Even when you find a program that has the potential to get you all the way to your goal, you WILL need to keep learning, fine-tuning and (most of all) honestly WORKING it. For example I often use measuring cups to keep myself honest, storing them right with the foods to be measured. (Yes, I know what 1/2 cup of almonds or 2T of cream looks like, but I want to be sure I'm keeping it real.) I also log what I eat in a notebook next to my desk.

3) The time to incorporate resistance training (and other reasonable activity) into one's lifestyle is NOW, not "someday" or "pretty soon." Diet helps, but in order to be truly awesome in both appearance and health you NEED to exercise intelligently and regularly.

After all I have read about the effects of proper (not crazy but healthy) exercise on health and physiology — and especially after what I just read in the excerpts from Carb Backloading — I am more committed than ever to incorporating regular resistance training into my lifestyle. The potential benefits are enormous.

That's a whole 'nother topic, but for those who can't afford a gym there are some great books out there (look up Mark Lauren's books for starters) on bodyweight resistance training. (I was very inspired to see that one of the male winners in Tom Venuto's BFFM contests this past year did it SOLELY with bodyweight exercises. Impressive!)

I'll continue keeping measurements and logs as I launch into this new, better informed and more finely tuned Carb Nite protocol, and as I continue to apply my increased knowledge of some of the key details. (I plan to upgrade to Carb Backloading after I've got enough resistance training in force to honestly qualify for it.)

I hope I can get full copies of the books soon. Meanwhile, I've got enough new information to justify a real expectation of improved results. (Thanks, guys!)

If anyone would like to hear about it, I can post my progress from time to time. Thanks for reading, and here's to healthy success!

vamphonephong

I can attest that low carb diet works. I did a low carb diet with one refeed per week for three months straight. As a warning to those who are doing it, you might want to consider what would happen after you stop.

From first hand experience, I noticed that after I started eating more carbs (for the purpose of gaining energy at the gym), I noticed that my body was very sensitive to it. It was as if my body quickly converted the carbs to fat and held onto it. So if you are prepared to take the plunge to low carb, do so at the risk of regaining your weight once you are off it. Needless to say, after a month, I gained 1% BF. Kind of a bummer.

Currently, and for almost a year now, I haven't really been on a diet, but have gained more muscle mass and have maintained a lower BF% than the last day of my low carb diet. What works for me? Taking in approximately 200g protein, 180g carbs and 50g fat. I don't count calories, but I do to a degree count macro nutrients. I take 50% of my carbs at least 1.5 hrs before my gym session. I find that doing so gives me the most amount of energy.

On the low carb diet, I relied on supplements for energy (pre-workout, BCAA and whey). I have not taken supplements for over a year now and feel better than ever. Each gym session, the beast comes out. Unfortunately, low carb diets just don't cut it if you are going to do any type of intense workout routine.

neanderthin

It must get confusing with all the different user names..........this is some pretty serious spamming........:happy:

Capricci

As a warning to those who are doing it, you might want to consider what would happen after you stop.

From first hand experience, I noticed that after I started eating more carbs (for the purpose of gaining energy at the gym), I noticed that my body was very sensitive to it. It was as if my body quickly converted the carbs to fat and held onto it. So if you are prepared to take the plunge to low carb, do so at the risk of regaining your weight once you are off it.

...Unfortunately, low carb diets just don't cut it if you are going to do any type of intense workout routine.

Well, yes. Those are definite concerns (and every time I've done low carb in the past there was a nasty "rebound" afterward). My hope is that phasing in more and more exercise (up to a reasonable point) will help to bridge the gap.

I would need to work my way UP to anything resembling an intense workout at this point, so my hope was to get the excess fat (mostly) off while building up the exercise, and hopefully graduate to a more sustainable diet as the level (frequency and intensity) of exercise becomes sufficient.

I was not terribly impressed with the results of the 10 day induction I did after my first post in this thread: Going by waist measurement it seemed to be a mere 3-4 pounds reduction, at most (and some of that would have been water weight). But then again, I was eating fairly conservatively up to that point.

Now I'm trying to get enough going in the exercise department to actually make progress. For me this includes walking and mild (for now) resistance training workouts.

I am hoping that a combination of adding exercise and observing the macronutrient timing and other guidelines (as mentioned in Carb Backloading) will also help me to make some real progress this time.

If anyone has more thoughts to contribute on resources, ideas to fine-tune the program, etc. I'll be very interested to hear them. Thanks to all who are here to help!

jlware81

Not sure if everyone has seen this or not, but here's a great article on some of the details for the Carb Nite and Carb Backloading protocols.

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/carb-backloading-to-get-lean

swilliams921

Hey guys don't forget that most, if not all, of the weight lost during the induction phase is strictly water weight from carbs. On average the body holds roughly 3,000 calories worth of carbs in the body on a regular diet full of carbs. I lost 10 pounds during my induction phase so I know that if I just stopped and started eating carbs I can expect to gain all of that back as my body loads up on carbs and starts storing it. What little fat you may still have will swell up and retain more water also. Only gaining 1% bf after eating carbs again is way better than gaining 5% when you stop following the diet which is what Kiefer says happens with most other diets like low fat and low calorie.

emmanelson654

Hey guys don't forget that most, if not all, of the weight lost during the induction phase is strictly water weight from carbs. On average the body holds roughly 3,000 calories worth of carbs in the body on a regular diet full of carbs. I lost 10 pounds during my induction phase so I know that if I just stopped and started eating carbs I can expect to gain all of that back as my body loads up on carbs and starts storing it. What little fat you may still have will swell up and retain more water also. Only gaining 1% bf after eating carbs again is way better than gaining 5% when you stop following the diet which is what Kiefer says happens with most other diets like low fat and low calorie.

This may be a silly question, but if you gain about 1%bf back do you continue this diet a little past your goal weight or do you just increase the intensity of your workouts?

Those of you who followed carbnite, what did you think? I hit a plateau and am thinking about trying it.

TArnold2012

I keep carbs at 102 or lower, proteins at 100 or higher. I first lowered carbs when I hit a plateau and lost 5 lbs the first week after not losing anything for about a month or more. After reading one of the latest medical studies on increased protein I upped protein from 75 to 100 (two weeks now) and while the scale hasn't moved in two weeks I have lost a pants size so the inches are coming off. I weighted again this morning and overnight have lost 3 lbs so I am confident this week I will see a change in the scale. I always keep in mind that weight lose is not a linear thing and try and stay focused even when it seems I am doing everything correctly and having no results.

Lisa6206

Bump! So happy to find this thread. Finding this interesting. Thanks y'all!

judychicken

Bump

Cindyinpg

Wow - so much positive to say from so many first-time posters! It's astonishing!

I know, eh? It's so fishy that I don't even need any more protein to hit my macro goals for today.:laugh:
Haha, didn't realize how old this was...

jkfriday

Yesterday I started CBL and today I blew it by forgetting to ask for no sauce when I ordered bunless cheeseburgers at McDonald's but yeah I'm making sick gainz.

Bonella

So I'm starting CarbNite on Sunday. It seems the entire site is down?? Anyone else having this problem?

emmanelson654

Hey I was wondering if anyone is having the same problem as me - I keep losing and gaining the same 3 pounds. I'll go down about 3 pounds then gain weight on my carb nite and lose the 3 pounds right before my next carb nite; if Friday I'm 185 then Saturday is carb nite and get back down to 185 by Thursday right before my next carb nite. It seems like I can't get below 185. So every week even though my weight fluctuates I haven't seen a net change since the induction phase.

I am also usually 200-400 calories short of 1200 so I try to eat lean meats or cheese to bring up my cals to 1200. Is that my mistake? I'm just hesitant to go under that number. I've been making sure my carbs are always under or at 30 g carbs each day. I have read the book, and am going to reread it in the next week or so. I was just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or has any advice?

jLynn2014

I also am "partially recovered" anorexic. I put on the weight and then some thanks to the very watchful eyes of my husband. But the feelings are always there. They never go away. The behaviors I have to fight with daily...hourly...sometimes moment to moment. The problem is gaining weight back, the thoughts scream louder. I am looking for an eating plan to lose the weight "safely" I can't end up in the hospital again. I have a husband and child to care for. Let me know how this diet goes for you...seems like there are a lot of positive reviews...

brianmikesell52

Can anyone offer up advice on what an actual carb nite food selections look like? Sample menu? Plates of pasta? Beef and noodles?

arcadia1983

I can tell you i tired pizza and icecream (about 300g of carbs) and it's been awful. 4 days after I still have 4lbs on and I am not back into ketosis yet...

mcarta1133

I've been on the diet for a little over a month now. I to have been getting a little bit frustrated with the scale, but I need to remember muscle weighs more than fat. I've had 3 carb nites so far. I think I need to start being a little more careful with my meals on that night. Unlike my boyfriend who is doing this with me (he's lost 30 pounds so far) where as I have only lost about 8-10. Rather than basing your whole meal on a pasta dish or pizza and bread I think i'm going to start having Chicken breast with pasta and or rice on the side (just an example). I really recommend checking out athlete.io (its a website created by John Kiefer who is the creator of Carb Nite Solution). He posts several helpful videos and answers a lot of these questions right on his blog. I have found this extremely helpful so definitely check that out! Just type that into google and its the first option that comes up. Anyways good luck to anyone else on this diet! I really do think it's a good diet, as long as you stick to your carb limit and make sure you watch what your eating you should see progress. I have really been focusing on weight training rather than cardio. This was suggested in the book as well! Good Luck.

brunsonrs1

This diet works. Read the reviews and you will see. Just follow this link to try it out.

http://a55f4feixgy8uld7xno9tqie-3.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=12345

Vanity1920

I'm so happy to have found this board. I love low carb put always hit a plateau about 4 months in. Now I know how to get past it. I saw the book on Amazon and wondered if it was worth the paper it is printed on. Now I'm going to buy it and do some research. Thank you.

allenmj93277

My suggestion: Avoid this "Carb Nite Solution" like the plague. It was created by some body builder, and while it might help to remove a little fat from a person who does nothing but run around a gym 10 hours a day, it is otherwise a scam for normal people. I tried it, lost a little water weight, then bounced back and forth for a week or two. 1lb loss, 1lb gain.. 1lb loss, 1lb gain.. and the only time I would actually lose weight is when I skipped dinner the night before. If I ate a meal for dinner like this so called solution says, I would be up on the scales the next day.

I stayed well below 30g carb per day, I was religious with a diary, and floated around 20g carbs per day, calories around 1200 per day, and the 75%/75% this Keifer dude says we have to do. Hah. What a load of rubbish.

I see people posting here boasting of fantastic weight loss on this diet. I would be willing to bet they are doing something else other than just "carb nite solution" - I for one would love to learn the secret. I'm tired of being fat.

Yeah, count "Carb Nite Solution" amongst the other fad diets out there. I'm going to go back to low cal low fat and high excercise.