New to low carb... Any tips?

carolinemcd123

Hi everyone! I just started doing a low carb (following 17 Day Diet) for the first time and was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice/wisdom?

kazsjourney

My tip would be not to do it Just follow a healthy eating plan tracking with MFP there is no need to restrict or avoid certain food groups unless medically recommended.

jonnythan

My tip is "low carb is dumb." Carbs are excellent for energy.

A "17 day diet" will accomplish absolutely nothing. You won't lose any significant body mass in that time, and following a silly restrictive diet for a couple of weeks will do absolutely nothing whatsoever about teaching you how to eat long-term.

Don't fall into the "jump start my weight loss" trap.

fleetzz

I know it isn't popular here, but it worked for me (medically supervised, which means I pay a lot and only see the doctor for the first visit).
First week < 10 grams carbs per day.
rest: < 25 grams net carbs per day (total - fiber),

I was put on 700-900 calories of low fat protein per day, added 1-2 servings of veggies/ (or one of fruit) and one serving healthy fat per day after week one.

First week sucked, the rest of the time it wasn't too bad. occasionally hungry as anyone would be but most of the time not. No refined sugar, no alcohol most of the time.

I am happy with my loss (started at 167 and now at 134).

This worked much better for me than Jennie Craig (bounced between 1200 - 1500 cal per day and took 3.5 years to lose 35 lbs).

Still want to lose to get to 120.....

Good luck.

Claire_x90

my advice would be to just eat carbs

better more helpful advice I suppose is to make sure you don't eliminate them completely, just be smart, complex carbs low gi etc. cutting carbs reduces energy and you might find yourself snacking more on sugary stuff for quick short term energy, if that's the case I strongly recommend going back to eating a balanced diet.

SezxyStef

My tip is "low carb is dumb." Carbs are excellent for energy.

A "17 day diet" will accomplish absolutely nothing. You won't lose any significant body mass in that time, and following a silly restrictive diet for a couple of weeks will do absolutely nothing whatsoever about teaching you how to eat long-term.

Don't fall into the "jump start my weight loss" trap.

Unless you have done it, which I have, these kinds of opinions are well just that opinions.

I have lost 30lbs doing the 17 day diet. This is not a restrictive diet for a couple of weeks it is cycles to aid in getting your body ready for healthy eating.

To the OP be prepared for a bit of crackiness if you are a heavy carb eater. I was for about 3 days. For the rest of the first 17 days eat lots of protein like the chicken or Turkey. Be prepared with the veggies for the snack attacks and drink your water, let me repeat that..drink your water. You will feel great by this time with lots of energy and sleeping better.

For the next 17days start exploring the complex carbs you can have like couscous (my family loves them all now) but again have those veggies ready and drink your water.

The next 17 days your exercise does go up so does your food intake. Make sure you are drinking your water and eating the right portion size.

(by this time you could have lost up to 25lbs I did)

The next phase (maitenance if you have reached your goal) is a good thing. You should be used to eating healthy by now and now you can splurge every once in a while. Still tonnes of energy and sleeping great. Continue drinking that water.

My green tea I do in smoothies along with my fruit in the morning and yogurt.

I found this plan wonderful and will always eat this way now. I am not as stict (carbs before 2pm) but when I do eat them for supper they are complex. I don't buy white bread/sugar/pasta etc. Not with the way I feel...it's great.

Good luck and remember drink your water, eat your protein till you are happy and feel content and have the veggies on hand for snacking.

If you have questions or want support add me as a friend.

yarwell

Hi everyone! I just started doing a low carb (following 17 Day Diet) for the first time and was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice/wisdom?

My advice is to find a low carb group using the Groups feature above ^ where you can have a sensible discussion rather than unsolicited naysayers flooding the thread.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

GorillaNJ

I do not know the 17 day diet but I have been following the TNT Diet plan since March and have been consistently losing weight.

I originally lost a lot of weight using just MFP, counting calories and exercising. Then that stalled, I became complacent and weight started coming back on. So I went for a no carb "boost" and decided I like it so much im sticking with it.

As far as tips,
1. Vegetables are your friends! I bring in peppers and celery to snack on throughout the day, no carbs and I really enjoy the crunch personally. Lunch i always have a big salad.

2. Protein is your friend! Fat is also a good buddy...

3. Eggs are the perfect food, give you protein and fat, taste great too! Plus Eggs and Bacon!!!

4. Dont bother counting the calories, just focus on keeping carbs out and eating until satisfied.

5. If you are not already doing so start looking into a weight lifting program... these diets with the high amounts of protein are great for building muscle! Take advantage of that

6. You will lose the crave for sweets... well I did for the most part. I can now easily pass up desserts or even good bread. But it will take a couple days to get past the initial want! Be strong

SezxyStef

My advice is to find a low carb group using the Groups feature above ^ where you can have a sensible discussion rather than unsolicited naysayers flooding the thread.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

I just checked this group and it's not the right one for anyone doing the 17day diet. The 17day diet allows for carbs such as fruit and veggies then later for complex carbs like brown rice and oatmeal etc.

kgoodman0108

I've found that I'm only successful on a low carb diet. I would seek the opinion of those who have actually tried that, not the one saying "oh its a bad idea", with nothing to back it up.

Eating primarily fat and protein keeps you satisfied. Carbs turn into sugar and spike your insulin, leaving you wanting to eat more. If you are going to eat low carb, I suggest also limiting your calories. I eat 1600 calories a day and stick to under 50 carbs.

Aside from also watching your calories, be sure that you are getting enough fiber. Fiber can be subtracted from your carbs, leaving you with a lower number (net carbs).

jim9097

My tip would be not to do it Just follow a healthy eating plan tracking with MFP there is no need to restrict or avoid certain food groups unless medically recommended.

This

Low carb diets are a fad and they work right about until you stop doing them. But more importantly Carbs are the bodies preferred source of fuel. I wish we could get the market place out of the diet business. There is no such thing as a miracle cure or diet. You need to think about your "MEAL PLAN" as a way of life and eat the things your body needs to perform at it's best, and getting rid of carbs is not it. You may want to limit simple carbs and move towards complex carbs, but carbs should be part of your MEAL PLAN.

Lupercalia

As someone who has to limit carbs for health reasons, I strongly suggest you pay attention to fat if you're going to eat low carb. Make SURE you're getting more fat than what MFP recommends, or what a low fat diet recommends. Going low carb and low fat is pretty unhealthy and sets up you for all sorts of failures.

ETA: Definitely join a low carb group here on MFP--people there will have experience with eating low carb and can be of more help.

conslo247

I agree with all those saying don't do it!

I did low-carb successfully once during the Atkins craze but ever since that, when I have attempted to do it again once or twice, it has just felt horribly unnatural, boring, highly uncomfortable and resulted in no weight loss. I now wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.

epicrockstar24

I don't know anything about your seventeen day diet, but my advice to you for eating low carb is that if you are going to eat some carbs, get them from fruits and vegetables rather than from breads and sugars. And also to just push through it and don't give in. Eventually you're body will stop craving them as much, especially if you are a sugar fiend.

jonnythan

I've found that I'm only successful on a low carb diet. I would seek the opinion of those who have actually tried that, not the one saying "oh its a bad idea", with nothing to back it up.

Only listening to the advice of people who have tried it represents massive selection bias.

Listening to both people who have decided to try it and people who have decided not to try it is much more balanced and fair. People who have not tried it often have good, valid reasons for not trying it.

yarwell

I just checked this group and it's not the right one for anyone doing the 17day diet. The 17day diet allows for carbs such as fruit and veggies then later for complex carbs like brown rice and oatmeal etc.

It says "Any low carbers welcome! Whether you are on 20g per day- or 120g per day, Paleo /Primal /south beach/ Atkins/ PCOS controlling diet or just trying to cut down on refined carbs- Welcome! "

ngyoung

I have been low-carb for over 2 years and don't ever plan to go back. I am not some huge extremist, I usually still have 25-50g of carbs a day. I still eat omelettes about 4-5 times a week consisting of 3 whole eggs and 3 strips of bacon with a little cheese. More recently I have finally found a place that sells whole milk plain greek yogurt. Also did the same for pretty much all the stuff that I used to get that was low-fat or no-fat. They get away taking all the fat out without it tasting like s#!+ by dumping tons of sugar and salt into it. Swapped out peanut butter for almond butter. Use lettuce instead of bread for burgers and sandwiches. Pasta is still a tough one. I have tried spaghetti squash which is OK but not perfect. I still eat some but just try to be careful how much I take and try to offset it with more of the other ingredients from the meal.

I would suggest starting with limiting to 100g and see how you feel. The important thing is to find what works for you. Despite what others here have said eating low carb does help most people to lose weight and there is a butt load of science and testimonials to back it up. Some people are more insulin resistant and carb sensitive than others. For many people who have been overweight for a long time they find that it is harder to keep weight off when eating the standard balanced diet. Eating low-carb does not mean that you just go and eat big slabs of meat all day every day. You still want dark leafy greens and other fiber packed veggies. Fruit is still fine too as long as you don't go crazy and go for more low glycemic fruits like apples and berries. Getting all these from healthy sources and not from pre-processed junk. Atkins brand stuff is junk food too.

Just a few people I follow online are Mark Sisson, Jimmy Moore, and Rob Wolff. There are a lot of paleo/primal/low-carb recipes out there with varying degrees of how strict they are. If I had to classify how I eat it is close to primal which has many of the same things as paleo except allows dairy. I cook with grass fed Kerrygold butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. I have started to get more of my stuff from local farmers markets when I can. I take away the parts that I think work best for me and have helped me eat meals that I feel full and satisfied and don't necessarily have to track my calories.

jim9097

I've found that I'm only successful on a low carb diet. I would seek the opinion of those who have actually tried that, not the one saying "oh its a bad idea", with nothing to back it up.

Eating primarily fat and protein keeps you satisfied. Carbs turn into sugar and spike your insulin, leaving you wanting to eat more. If you are going to eat low carb, I suggest also limiting your calories. I eat 1600 calories a day and stick to under 50 carbs.

Aside from also watching your calories, be sure that you are getting enough fiber. Fiber can be subtracted from your carbs, leaving you with a lower number (net carbs).

I have done it; and I lost 35lbs doing it; would I do it again.... NO. I guess if I wanted to lose weight and not actually become athletic this would be the way to go. However; I have decided to elevate my activity level to a point where you body just can't metabolize fat fast enough to perform at that level. So this is a choice based on goals IMO.

with reference to carbs turning to sugar and spiking insulin; again this depends on your activity level. If you sit around and eat cookies you get what you should. I live by the gummy bear principle. Gummy bears are essentially pure glucose; which means they do not have to be processed by the liver to be turned into usable fuel for a workout. Eating 130-200 calories worth of gummy bears or pixie sticks prior to a work can improve your performance. Eating them after a "HARD" workout will return your blood sugar to normal levels. It's not eating simple carbs that is the problem it is the way you eat them and how much of them you eat.

psuLemon

I've found that I'm only successful on a low carb diet. I would seek the opinion of those who have actually tried that, not the one saying "oh its a bad idea", with nothing to back it up.

Only listening to the advice of people who have tried it represents massive selection bias.

Listening to both people who have decided to try it and people who have decided not to try it is much more balanced and fair. People who have not tried it often have good, valid reasons for not trying it.

Then how about you listen to someone who doesn't do low carb and thinks it's silly as a fad diet. But there are people that are required, for medical reasons, to do do low carb diets (at which point is not a fad diet). With that said, there are several groups of people, especially women, who need to do low carb such as:

1. Women with PCOS
2. People with medical conditions such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (it has been linked gluten intolerance)
3. Men and women who have trigger foods (many of which are all carb related) which cause chronic overeating

I can tell you that if my wife eats too many carbs, especially anything with gluten in it, she will literally be exhausted and have to take a nap. Now that she eats low carb and has excluded gluten from her diet, she is full of energy. We noticed a huge change in her energy immediately; to include not taking mid day naps.

I will say though, I am not a fan of diet plans. In many cases, they under cut calories too much and if you don't pay attention, you will end up losing a fair amount of muscle mass with your weight loss. I laugh when people talk about how much weight loss they lose during these programs because most don't realize how much of it is water weight (this would include the 17 day diet). Regardless of which type of diet, it takes 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. So it's very easy to lose 10-15 lbs in the first few weeks because 90% or more of that is water. When you go low carb, you store less glycogen, which means you store less water. Thence the rapid up front weight loss. Add in the fact, that you eat less sodium and again, you store less water.

megastorm82

Lots of meat, veggies, and healthy oils like olive and coconut
I love making what I call "magic tuna salad"- mashed avocado with some hot sauce instead of mayo, mix in some tuna and chopped bell peppers. Delightful.
Good luck!

yarwell

With that said, there are several groups of people, especially women, who need to do low carb such as:

1. Women with PCOS
2. People with medical conditions such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (it has been linked gluten intolerance)
3. Men and women who have trigger foods (many of which are all carb related) which cause chronic overeating

anyone with insulin resistance, not just Women with PCOS.

If you match the right eating regime to the patient's insulin status the results are substantially better than if you make the wrong choice - so low carb will do really well with some people and less well than (say) low fat with others.

Some of the studies are referenced at http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-sensitivity-and-fat-loss.html