low carb?

LivinMyLife2015

Hi everyone!
My question is how have others approached a low carb diet? I would like to try it but watched my friend experience a lot of bad side effects...of course she did like 50 carbs a day for months...and exercised insanely...but i am not willing or physically able to do that extreme.

Any words of wisdom for a newbie?

Unknown

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Sabine_Stroehm

IF you're going to try it do your research. Read a few of the source materials on low carb. DON'T go by what friends say is a good low carb approach.
Know what you're doing before you try it.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

A link to the low carb groups, you should get plenty of help and advice there

LivinMyLife2015

I do pretty well about staying away from the doughnuts and twinkies (twinkies are THE nastiest things ever lol)
I tend to eat large quantities and not exercise. I have low back pain with muscle spasms plus knee pain so i try to exercise but pay for it for days or weeks.
I started trying to buy salad items and sugar free jello and cottage cheese. A few fruits but so many carbs in them...
I like coffee but have cream and sugar so that negates weight loss effort too. Kinda frustrating.

Sabine_Stroehm

catscats222 wrote: »

try this instead? no carbage - easier on you
stay away from anything processed like cakes, cookies, donuts, twinkies, chips, etc.
But go ahead and eat the good carbs like beans, quinoa, baked sweet potato, quick oats, lentils, even brown rice
i'm at 200 carbs a day or less, but stay away from carbage

reducing or eliminating the consumption of nutrient and fiber poor, heavily refined carbs, and focusing on nutrient dense foods was the approach I took when I lost my weight.
But, it's not quite what she asked, and it's not a popular approach on mfp.

Sabine_Stroehm

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

A link to the low carb groups, you should get plenty of help and advice there

That group's launch pad has many links to great information. If you're going to do it, do it right.

Good luck.

nvmomketo

KatoGirl73 wrote: »

I do pretty well about staying away from the doughnuts and twinkies (twinkies are THE nastiest things ever lol)
I tend to eat large quantities and not exercise. I have low back pain with muscle spasms plus knee pain so i try to exercise but pay for it for days or weeks.
I started trying to buy salad items and sugar free jello and cottage cheese. A few fruits but so many carbs in them...
I like coffee but have cream and sugar so that negates weight loss effort too. Kinda frustrating.

You don't need intense exercise to lose weight. Practically speaking you don't need any exercise to lose weight. It is helpful for overall fitness and health though.

That being said, I do not exercise regularly either. I too have back issues (burst disc and some paralysis) and knee and hip arthritis, which I've told my body I am too young for but it didn't listen. If I do exercise it is usually a brisk walk. Every week or two I seem to forget that pushing it will result in days of pain and do too much when coaching basketball or soccer. I hbble for a week, limp for a few days and then promptly forget and think that the next time will be different. I'll call it optimism. LOL

When people go low carb (less than 150-100g of carbs per day) successfully, they usually do not replace carbs with low-carb marketed, processed items, or at the very least they minimize those foods. (Personal observations.) Generally, low carb foods are replaced by healthy fats or a bit more protein. That way most people are satiated by the fats and protein.

I eat very LCHF. My carbs are usually below 50g per day. I felt tired and headachy for a few days before I finally balnced my electrolytes and felt better again. Going LCHF will result in water loss (carbs cause water retention) which will also deplete your electrolytes. Low carb eating increases magnesium and potassium needs, and sodium (salt) should be raised to 3000-5000 mg per day, which can be done by drinking broth, salting foods, or even drinking salted water every day. It makes a big difference within hours.

Going low carb may affect your exercise performance for about a month. Your glycogen stores may get depleted and your body will be relying on fats for fule more. This is especially true for people who follow the ketogenic (<50g carbs per day) diet; those who are simply LCHF may not experience this. It doesn't last though and most find it doesn't impact their performance after that adjustment period.

The foods I focus on are coconut and coconut cream (great in coffee with a drop of stevia or some protein powder), cream, butter, and hard cheese, meats, seafood, eggs, nuts and seeds, avocado, olives, olive oil, greens, veggies (broccoli, cucumber, peppers, snap peas, celery, mushrooms, squash, etc.), and berries.

I tend to avoid starches which includes potatoes, rice, noodles, bread, all baked goods, and generally any foods made using flour. I limit root veggies (beets, parsnips, carrots, etc) since they are higher in carbs than other veggies. I avoid most fruits, or have a very small helping such as a slice of apple rather than the entire apple. I do not eat table sugar or foods with added sugars. For sweetener I use Stevia drops.

I know skipping the above foods can seem hard, but once I did it, my cravings for thos foods disappeared within days.

I would say your foods are on the right track but your fats are probably too low. Most of us were taught to believe that eating fat makes us fat and is bad for you, but for the vast majority of peole, that isn't true. Eating too much makes us fat, and for some eating too many carbs is a health problem (insulin resistnace).

Consider adding more fat to your diet. Your fat macro will probably end up being over 50% of your diet. Mine is about 75% and I have lost a good 30 lbs in the last 3 months, so I know fat is not bad.

Ditto the others who suggested the Low Carber Daily group. They're good people there.

Good luck.

youdontknowwhatyousaw

Give bodyweight exercises a try. I've been following Convict Conditioning and while not completely gone my neck, shoulder, back and knee pains have eased quite a bit.

You are your own gym is, also, a great bodyweight program. They are both progressive and you start with very simple exercises and work on technique before progressing to more difficult exercises.

Can't help you with the low carb question.

hamlet1222

you don't need to do low carb, nor exercise insanely. Since you're a newbie, I would suggest using the calorie calculator on this site to work out the maintenance calorie intake for the weight you WANT to be (not what you are now). Then eat the same foods you eat now, but keep a food diary and try to keep as close to that maintenance calorie intake as you can.

This way you'll get in the habit of eating the amount of food you'll need to be eating if you want to stay your desired weight forever.

As for exercise, just start slow, 30 minutes weigh training twice a week, 30 minutes easy cardio 3 times a week.

I guarantee if you follow this plan for a couple of months you'll be in a much better place, and can review again then.

lodro

But please remember, for an increasing number of people, "moderation" isn't feasible when it comes to carbohydrates, and hunger on a restricted calorie diet is a force to be reckoned with. Lowering carbohydrates and upping protein but most of all fats, has a satiating effect and supresses hunger. Something that can be very beneficial in someone's approach.

efsrous

I'm also doing low carb, high fat. The biggest benefit of it is really that it keeps you full and satiated longer. The hardest part of dieting is being hungry. I did basic calorie counting without carb restriction before, and it does work but it's a lot harder, because you inevitably end up hungry. Or at least I did. LCHF makes it a lot easier to resist snacking. nvmomketo offered a lot of good advice above if you're interested in pursuing this way of eating. I'm actually eating <20g net carbs. It sounds extreme but it's actually been pretty easy because of the lack of hunger. You don't have to eat as few carbs as that of course, unless you're aiming to go keto. The point is that fewer carbs and more fat/protein = less hunger, easier diet!

Just remember to still eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables. Here is a list of keto-friendly foods, helpful for identifying low carb foods even if you're not keto. I do get cravings for sweets and there are a lot of recipes out there that use things like almond or coconut flour and artificial sweeteners that satisfy my sweet tooth and desire for baked goods.

KatoGirl73 wrote: »

I do pretty well about staying away from the doughnuts and twinkies (twinkies are THE nastiest things ever lol)
I tend to eat large quantities and not exercise. I have low back pain with muscle spasms plus knee pain so i try to exercise but pay for it for days or weeks.
I started trying to buy salad items and sugar free jello and cottage cheese. A few fruits but so many carbs in them...
I like coffee but have cream and sugar so that negates weight loss effort too. Kinda frustrating.

On LCHF you can absolutely have cream in your coffee, in fact it's encouraged! And you can sweeten it with stevia or the sweetener of your choice. Also, make making good low carb food choices easy by prepping low carb friendly casseroles in advance that you can just heat up at your convenience. Here is the one I've been eating this week. I just steam some veggies to go with it. I also tend to eat cut up deli meats, cheeses and nuts for lunch along with some chopped veggies. Eggs are your friends for breakfast. I make a crustless quiche I can heat up portions of in the morning.

Good luck, you can do this! Weight loss is possible low carb or not, but you may find that experimenting with low carb makes it easier for you.

LivinMyLife2015

I just read today going into keto might help stop my eplilptic seizures. Between diet restriction, no alcohol, correct sleep, low stress and exercise i could go off medication or reduce it at least. I would rather do keto then look for liver donors in the future....ijs

Bob314159

Please note that Ketogenic diets used in the 1920's for seizures did work - but they required a trained dietitian to very precisely provide measurements for the food - so be carefull using the "over the counter" keto diet. Read and research a lot.

see http://www.charliefoundation.org/

KatoGirl73 wrote: »

I just read today going into keto might help stop my eplilptic seizures. Between diet restriction, no alcohol, correct sleep, low stress and exercise i could go off medication or reduce it at least. I would rather do keto then look for liver donors in the future....ijs

RodaRose

KatoGirl73 wrote: »

I just read today going into keto might help stop my eplilptic seizures. Between diet restriction, no alcohol, correct sleep, low stress and exercise i could go off medication or reduce it at least. I would rather do keto then look for liver donors in the future....ijs

Yes. The keto diet could help you. Think of it as a high fat plan:
Dark meat chicken, eggs, beef, pork, tuna, salmon, almonds, macadamia nuts, bacon.
Cauliflower, broccoli, squash, Swiss chard, kale, spinach, romaine, cucumbers, eggplant, avocado, olives.
Lots of fat and oils: butter, sour cream, full fat mayo and salad dressing, coconut oil, other oils.

LivinMyLife2015

Dark meat? Yuck. Lol. Its slimey. Any tips to use avacado? I liked it blended in my protein smoothie. Hated it sliced on a sandwich.

tennisdude2004

hamlet1222 wrote: »

you don't need to do low carb, nor exercise insanely. Since you're a newbie, I would suggest using the calorie calculator on this site to work out the maintenance calorie intake for the weight you WANT to be (not what you are now). Then eat the same foods you eat now, but keep a food diary and try to keep as close to that maintenance calorie intake as you can.

This way you'll get in the habit of eating the amount of food you'll need to be eating if you want to stay your desired weight forever.

As for exercise, just start slow, 30 minutes weigh training twice a week, 30 minutes easy cardio 3 times a week.

I guarantee if you follow this plan for a couple of months you'll be in a much better place, and can review again then.

You don't need to restrict portion size either, or count calories for that fact. Low carb works just fine.

The OP has a question about tips on Low Carb. How about being polite and decent and answering her question or simply move on if you don't have any low carb experience.

RodaRose

KatoGirl73 wrote: »

Dark meat? Yuck. Lol. Its slimey. Any tips to use avacado? I liked it blended in my protein smoothie. Hated it sliced on a sandwich.

Eat white meat chicken. Cook with oil.
If you dislike the texture of avocados, skip them. The point is that when you go low carb, you increase fats and oils.

sportymom_tc

I have been doing low carb and lost 24lbs in 4 months and it took me a week to adjust, but my body has been feeling great. I added strength training 3 to 4 times a week.

Chicken and avacado are my faves right now.

Kristilee1977

I've followed low carb and it works for me when I follow it very strict. Only problem is constipation but I take a fiber pill and that helps. My body feels so much better on low carb and lots of energy.

Yi5hedr3

Yes, keto will probably do it.

shaynaboyce25

I've lost 5.3kgs in 16 days and feel amazing as i am no longer addicted to sugar and carbs. Try it, dont try it. (its something you'd have to purchase as it is designed specifically for you).. You think 50grams of carbs is extreme? Mine requires a max of 20-25g a day. And it's awesome. Google Tim Noakes and his diet and you'll see why. GL HF


[link removed by MFP mod]

sandsofarabia

The problem with low carb (and why a lot of people aren't ready to jump on this wagon) is because of the unnecessity of it all.

I did LCHF (20g of carbs a day) for a couple months. Yes I lost weight but I found that I didn't not lose weight any faster than my calorie deficient. And keep in mind while I did the low carb, I kept below my calorie deficient as well.

It was a very interesting time. I kinda liked it but I also felt that I was constantly thinking about food... What to eat... What to make... What I used to eat and love... And ways to sneak carbs back in my life each day while staying within the 20g goal.

It's just extremely hard and if it's only to lose weight, it's not that nevessary. I believe the low carb diet only makes sense if you plan to life that way for the rest of your life... It's more of a lifestyle than a weight loss track. Also if you are a carb-lover... Going on a low carb diet will only make you more susceptible to binge eating when you do go back on the normal amount of carbs.

You can try a little less carbs a day which does significantly decrease your calorie intake (one thing I found was how calorie dense foods usually correlated with high carb foods)... So keeping under my deficient was more by default than my trying to stay under my calorie goal.

If you really wanna do the diet you can give it a shot but I think you would be happier just picking the foods you want.

Pawsforme

I started eating lower carb a year or so ago due to digestive issues. I can't begin to describe how much better I feel! As far as weight loss I do think it's helpful. Eating lower carb seems to keep my blood sugar much more stable. I do get hungry but it's just a feeling to be noted, not the "OMG I have to eat something right now or I'm gonna pass out" feeling I often used to have. FWIW the carbs I reduced were almost all of the healthful variety--whole wheat bread, fruit and things like that. I've never had a sweet tooth or any blood sugar issues. I'm not obsessive about my carb intake by any means. The changes I made were things like having eggs instead of toast and fruit for breakfast a few times a week, salads for lunch instead of sandwiches, more veggies at dinner and less rice, etc. Those changes made a huge difference in the way I feel.

J72FIT

KatoGirl73 wrote: »

I do pretty well about staying away from the doughnuts and twinkies (twinkies are THE nastiest things ever lol)
I tend to eat large quantities and not exercise. I have low back pain with muscle spasms plus knee pain so i try to exercise but pay for it for days or weeks.
I started trying to buy salad items and sugar free jello and cottage cheese. A few fruits but so many carbs in them...
I like coffee but have cream and sugar so that negates weight loss effort too. Kinda frustrating.

Carbs are not the problem, calories are. Don't shy away from fruit due to the carbs, think of all the nutrition you would be missing by not eating them. As for your coffee, how many of them a day do you drink? One or two with cream and sugar probably is not an issue...

avskk

I end up eating low-carb sort of naturally when I focus on adding more protein, healthy fats, and vegetables rather than focus on taking things away. I have a calorie limit, so once I'm full up on those three things there just isn't a lot of room for processed carbs -- I end up under 150/day by default and I don't even have to think about it.

walker1world

My belief is all diets are a low carb diets, when comped to the average American diet. Lol.

avskk wrote: »

I end up eating low-carb sort of naturally when I focus on adding more protein, healthy fats, and vegetables rather than focus on taking things away. I have a calorie limit, so once I'm full up on those three things there just isn't a lot of room for processed carbs -- I end up under 150/day by default and I don't even have to think about it.

lemurcat12

walker1world wrote: »

My belief is all diets are a low carb diets, when comped to the average American diet. Lol.

avskk wrote: »

I end up eating low-carb sort of naturally when I focus on adding more protein, healthy fats, and vegetables rather than focus on taking things away. I have a calorie limit, so once I'm full up on those three things there just isn't a lot of room for processed carbs -- I end up under 150/day by default and I don't even have to think about it.

On this basis most diets (other than LCHF) are probably low fat too.

SAD is something like 50/15/35, but with excessive calories.

RodaRose

The OP is interested in low carb because she has Epileptic Seizures -- a condition that can be improved with low carbs and high fats. It was first used successfully in the 1920s.
http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet

shondaj70

I began the low carb lifestyle when my daughter was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic this past June (A1C at 15 and glucose readings over 400). We initially tried to follow the ADA diet but could not get her BS readings under 250! I started to search for an answers and stumbled upon the Paleo (caveman) way of eating, except we still eat dairy. I decided we would get our carb intake from veggies and fruits. We cut out all the whites (flour, sugar, rice, potatoes). We now use coconut and almond meal flour when needed and coconut palm sugar as a sweetener, we have also gradually added in the occassional serving of whole wheat sandwich thins, sweet potatoes and brown rice. At her doctors appointment this past Friday her A1C was at 6.2! Her doctors were floored and super excited as her excessive numbers had caused retinal swelling and bleeding in both eyes and a severe strain on her kidneys. I count calories for myself but not for her. She's lost over 20 pounds and I've lost a few (I'm not as strict when I'm away from her). I intend to buckle down and do better. But I rambled on to simply say a low carb way of eating does work!! Best wishes on your journey!!

GaleHawkins

I work to stay in nutritional ketosis for pain management by eating <50 grams of carbs daily. After 30 days my pain was managed. So far after 12 months my health is better than 20 years ago when I was 44.

Very Low Carb High Fat has been used for a few hundred years but typically for medical reasons other than weight loss until the past 40-50 years. Because I eat 2500-3000 calories on LCHF I have only lost 30 pounds over the past 12 months which is a plus in my case but not my reason for starting this Way Of Eating as noted above.

This is the first time I have ever lost weight and not been hungry. Before this WOE I craved grains and sugar laden foods.

Best of success if you want to use LCHF but it is not magically and few are willing to give up all over 50 grams of carbs but more can pull off <150 grams of carbs. Read Read Read as others have advised you.