Why do people choose to do LCHF?
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RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »I do the opposite. I eat a high carb vegan diet, low in fat. I get to eat tons of food and always feel full. The main thing thats important is eating WHOLE FOODS and nothing processed. Whatever diet helps you eat whole foods is the best diet for you
I think avoiding refined and highly processed foods is very important to maintaining good health.3 -
Saying that eating certain kinds of carbs in certain ways will make everyone feel full, happy, and not make them ravenous is simply not true. And unless you're eating your quinoa raw in the field where it was grown, it's being processed. Also, diabetes isn't cured.....it is controlled by managing blood sugar levels through medication, diet, and/or weight loss. And there are several others who have posted that LCHF did more than any high carb diet ever did to improve their diabetes. So no, your way of eating is not the only one to improve thus health condition, and will not work for everyone. What makes one person feel full and happy makes another feel weak and starved. To each their own.5
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I had lost about 40 lbs by restricting calories between January 2016 and September 2016. I had several "prediabetic" fasting glucose readings in a row and I decided it was time to trim up a little. I was hungry all the time, but I figured that was the cost of dieting.
I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in September and I followed the Diabetes Association diet very closely and was monitoring glucose and taking the meds. My numbers were horrible. I tried The Zone, and my numbers improved. Thinking that restricting carbs might improve things more, I reduced them to 50 a day. The numbers improved some more. I reduced them to 20 a day, and suddenly I had a working combo. The blood glucose readings were low and I was managing all this with diet and meds.
After three months on LCHF, I had brought my A1C down almost 6 points from a 12.8 to a 6.9. I was still losing weight slowly. I found the diet very sustainable. I was not hungry all the time. I was satisfied with what I was eating. After another three months on LCHF, my readings predict an A1C below 6. I have lost another 20 pounds since starting LCHF in October. I have felt good. I will get the official report at a doctor's appt. next Monday.
What's not to like? It may not be for everyone, but the LCHF is working for this T2 diabetic.
My wife was so impressed with the results that she joined me on the diet, and she has lost about a pound a week. She is happy with the diet and thinks it is sustainable for her as well. She finds the diet suits her.
If you have something that is working for you, I say stick with it. if what you are doing is not working very well, I would suggest you at least try the LCHF diet. It might work better for you. I know it did for me.8 -
You don't have to do keto to eat LCHF. I aim for 50% fat, 30% carb, 20% protein. I stay fuller on more fat and it is easier to stay in my calorie goals.5
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Low carb does not necessarily equal keto. But to answer the question I choose low carb because I feel my best when my carbs are lower. I keep them under 150 g a day. I do my best not to have more than 30 g of carbs at any meal or snack. They make me sleepy, hungry, and I have a lot more water weight on higher carbs. No matter what our dietary choices are, almost anything could be unhealthy when not done right. The body needs meaningful nourishment. I strive for that.4
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RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »I do the opposite. I eat a high carb vegan diet, low in fat. I get to eat tons of food and always feel full. The main thing thats important is eating WHOLE FOODS and nothing processed. Whatever diet helps you eat whole foods is the best diet for you
I'm on team moderation and firmly believe that the best diet is one that an individual can adhere to in order to achieve their goals, potentially improving their overall health, and be satiated and happy with. For me, that's a diet that includes a variety of foods, many of which are whole foods but many of which are processed to varying degrees, which is typical of most commercially available foods. That helps me achieve the criteria that I outlined above.
I'm curious about the "nothing processed" criteria in your suggestion above. How is the Greek yogurt I ate this morning, or the bag of frozen green beans that I cooked with dinner tonight, hindering my health?5 -
I did keto and low carb, the benefits for me was a reduced and manageable appetite, and my cravings disappeared. It made weight loss effortless.
As for people gaining weight when they reintroduce carbs... I regained a couple pounds of water weight which dropped back off after 2 weeks.
I didn't regain all the weight i had lost because i continued to stay in a deficit.4 -
They probably do it because they think they have to suffer to lose weight.
Suffer?! Personally, I have never enjoyed a way of eating as much as I enjoy low-carb (and I eat keto, less than 20g of carbohydrates per day). I have insulin resistance issues due to having PCOS and it's working well on my hormonal issues, as well. I don't even think about having a cheat meal, nevermind cheat days.
To answer the OP, people choose LCHF for the same reason they choose any way of eating: they like it and it works for them. It's not any more "unnecessary" than any other choice of diet.11 -
WinoGelato wrote: »RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »I do the opposite. I eat a high carb vegan diet, low in fat. I get to eat tons of food and always feel full. The main thing thats important is eating WHOLE FOODS and nothing processed. Whatever diet helps you eat whole foods is the best diet for you
I'm on team moderation and firmly believe that the best diet is one that an individual can adhere to in order to achieve their goals, potentially improving their overall health, and be satiated and happy with. For me, that's a diet that includes a variety of foods, many of which are whole foods but many of which are processed to varying degrees, which is typical of most commercially available foods. That helps me achieve the criteria that I outlined above.
I'm curious about the "nothing processed" criteria in your suggestion above. How is the Greek yogurt I ate this morning, or the bag of frozen green beans that I cooked with dinner tonight, hindering my health?
I wouldnt eat greek yogurt because of how bad dairy is for you but thats just my perspective. Frozen green beans arent processed, theyre just frozen.
Also, Im not just talking about weight loss, im talking about health. For me, my blood tests are perfect ever since I started eating a whole foods plant based diet. But if youre healthy, losing weight, and have no medical concerns then just keep doing what youre doing.
I was sick so I need to take my health very seriously and its the best decision ive ever made. I never mean to be pushy, I just want to share this amazing way of eating because it makes weight loss effortless and my life joyful. 6 -
I tried it because I wanted a fast weight loss. Lost 6kg within a few weeks and put it alllllll back on and then some when I realised it was an unsustainable lifestyle for me and my kids (working single mum, busy kids). It was to much prep and restriction for me. I'm Italian, GIVE ME PASTA!!!!!! each to their own, but honestly mfp is the best thing I've done for myself and my girls. Good luck all3
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Everyone's body is different. I used a paleo/primal diet to jumpstart a hundred pound weight loss and used it to cut my taste for sugar, which worked really well. But it isn't sustainable for me forever. Some people can adopt it as a lifestyle and it works for them. I personally feel drained and tired and foggy without some amount of carbs from starches. I like potatoes and giving them up forever would make me hate life, which is not the point of adopting a healthy lifestyle. From my personal observations, it seems to work extremely well for a lot of men I know, but it takes longer and can have a few roadblocks for women. Our chemistries are different. Estrogen does goofy stuff that can make weight loss harder. One of the reasons I started to fall away from it was because a lot of the literature and commentary is from super buff dudes who just don't have the same biology I do. Recently found the Paleo for Women blog and it's got me reconsidering a modified version. I personally feel that extremes are generally not great and this kind of macrorestriction borders on obsessive eating/disordered eating, but I was anorexic for years so I'm sensitive to anything that may reinvigorate those tendencies.0
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I started keto in July 2016 and I have lost 90 pounds! I do it because, well to put it as simple as I can..... it works for me! I'm not going to say it's the answer for everyone, but it reduces cravings and overall appetite, as well as regulating insulin (which can be responsible for weight gain). I also incorporate intermittent fasting and I work out five times a week, doing HIIT. I'm 10 pounds away from my goal and I plan to adjust to a maintenance plan then.5
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BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »My chiropractor was telling me he just started doing it, he explained (and I also saw it in Runner's World magazine) that some runners do it so that their bodies will get used to using fat to fuel instead of carbs. The idea is that by the time you go to run the full marathon your body is used to this and you don't have to eat energy gels/use Gatorade throughout the race, and you avoid hitting the wall. I can't think of any other reason to do it though, doesn't seem like it's worth it for weight loss alone since you can still lose weight without going through all that.
I don't understand, because just doing long runs or rides at low intensity will also "train" your body to use fat for fuel.
Maybe, but perhaps they don't want to do the runs at low intensity.
If you don't include long runs in your training plan, your marathon probably isn't going to be very successful -- even if you are on a ketogenic diet. Getting through 26.2 miles is probably going to require some kind of long run experience -- even if your body is good at using fat for fuel.
If you don't want to do long runs, marathons probably aren't the best recreational choice.
I didn't say that the people following this plan for marathon training aren't doing long runs, I said maybe they don't want to do low-intensity runs. To be low enough in intensity to be in the "fat burning" zone, assuming it's not a myth, for me as a 29 year old female, I would have to do a long run with my heart rate at 118 to 138 beats per minute. That's much lower than my usual long-run heart rate, which is about 160 bpm even when I've slowed to a minute and a half over race pace. If I ran slow enough to be between 118 and 138 I wouldn't be hitting any PRs any time soon.
Long run = low intensity run. You can't burn a match for five hours.2 -
I can see the benefits to a low carb diet but believe too many who follow it make some unhealthy food choices. I have read many who load up on saturated fats choosing the fattiest cuts of meat possible, having copius amounts of cheese and butter while consuming bacon daily and having heaps of processed meat. While fat has got an unnecessary bad rap in the past eating so much saturated in a day can increase you risks of heart disease so these people should be looking at more plant based fats for optimum health. Some are also not getting enough fibre which can do long term damage to the digestive system. Eating too much processed meat can increase your risk of bowel cancer.
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BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »My chiropractor was telling me he just started doing it, he explained (and I also saw it in Runner's World magazine) that some runners do it so that their bodies will get used to using fat to fuel instead of carbs. The idea is that by the time you go to run the full marathon your body is used to this and you don't have to eat energy gels/use Gatorade throughout the race, and you avoid hitting the wall. I can't think of any other reason to do it though, doesn't seem like it's worth it for weight loss alone since you can still lose weight without going through all that.
I don't understand, because just doing long runs or rides at low intensity will also "train" your body to use fat for fuel.
Maybe, but perhaps they don't want to do the runs at low intensity.
If you don't include long runs in your training plan, your marathon probably isn't going to be very successful -- even if you are on a ketogenic diet. Getting through 26.2 miles is probably going to require some kind of long run experience -- even if your body is good at using fat for fuel.
If you don't want to do long runs, marathons probably aren't the best recreational choice.
I didn't say that the people following this plan for marathon training aren't doing long runs, I said maybe they don't want to do low-intensity runs. To be low enough in intensity to be in the "fat burning" zone, assuming it's not a myth, for me as a 29 year old female, I would have to do a long run with my heart rate at 118 to 138 beats per minute. That's much lower than my usual long-run heart rate, which is about 160 bpm even when I've slowed to a minute and a half over race pace. If I ran slow enough to be between 118 and 138 I wouldn't be hitting any PRs any time soon.
You don't have to run at the "fat burning" zone in order to get the benefits of a long run. Long runs, even when your heart rate is faster, help adapt how your body fuels the run. A long run, because the pace has to be sustainable for 90+ minutes, is low intensity even if your heart is beating faster than what some chart is showing for an "ideal" range.1 -
fasterpssycat wrote: »Everyone's body is different. I used a paleo/primal diet to jumpstart a hundred pound weight loss and used it to cut my taste for sugar, which worked really well. But it isn't sustainable for me forever. Some people can adopt it as a lifestyle and it works for them. I personally feel drained and tired and foggy without some amount of carbs from starches. I like potatoes and giving them up forever would make me hate life, which is not the point of adopting a healthy lifestyle. From my personal observations, it seems to work extremely well for a lot of men I know, but it takes longer and can have a few roadblocks for women. Our chemistries are different. Estrogen does goofy stuff that can make weight loss harder. One of the reasons I started to fall away from it was because a lot of the literature and commentary is from super buff dudes who just don't have the same biology I do. Recently found the Paleo for Women blog and it's got me reconsidering a modified version. I personally feel that extremes are generally not great and this kind of macrorestriction borders on obsessive eating/disordered eating, but I was anorexic for years so I'm sensitive to anything that may reinvigorate those tendencies.
actually, we are all the same; eat in a calorie deficit and we all lose weight.
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RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »I do the opposite. I eat a high carb vegan diet, low in fat. I get to eat tons of food and always feel full. The main thing thats important is eating WHOLE FOODS and nothing processed. Whatever diet helps you eat whole foods is the best diet for you
I'm on team moderation and firmly believe that the best diet is one that an individual can adhere to in order to achieve their goals, potentially improving their overall health, and be satiated and happy with. For me, that's a diet that includes a variety of foods, many of which are whole foods but many of which are processed to varying degrees, which is typical of most commercially available foods. That helps me achieve the criteria that I outlined above.
I'm curious about the "nothing processed" criteria in your suggestion above. How is the Greek yogurt I ate this morning, or the bag of frozen green beans that I cooked with dinner tonight, hindering my health?
I wouldnt eat greek yogurt because of how bad dairy is for you but thats just my perspective. Frozen green beans arent processed, theyre just frozen.
Also, Im not just talking about weight loss, im talking about health. For me, my blood tests are perfect ever since I started eating a whole foods plant based diet. But if youre healthy, losing weight, and have no medical concerns then just keep doing what youre doing. I was sick so I need to take my health very seriously and its the best decision ive ever made. I never mean to be pushy, I just want to share this amazing way of eating because it makes weight loss effortless and my life joyful.
How is dairy bad for you?3 -
OP, low carb can be healthy or unhealthy... but that is determined by how you implement it. It's no different than other diets. I will note, and this is largely anecdotal, I have seen more people hospitalized with deficiencies from the inability to implement a vegan/vegetarian diet than any other so far. The biggest issue I see from LCHF is inability to manage electrolytes causing increase flu like symptoms.
But for me, more carbs = satiety, especially starches. My ideal meal is meat + starch.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »My chiropractor was telling me he just started doing it, he explained (and I also saw it in Runner's World magazine) that some runners do it so that their bodies will get used to using fat to fuel instead of carbs. The idea is that by the time you go to run the full marathon your body is used to this and you don't have to eat energy gels/use Gatorade throughout the race, and you avoid hitting the wall. I can't think of any other reason to do it though, doesn't seem like it's worth it for weight loss alone since you can still lose weight without going through all that.
I don't understand, because just doing long runs or rides at low intensity will also "train" your body to use fat for fuel.
Maybe, but perhaps they don't want to do the runs at low intensity.
If you don't include long runs in your training plan, your marathon probably isn't going to be very successful -- even if you are on a ketogenic diet. Getting through 26.2 miles is probably going to require some kind of long run experience -- even if your body is good at using fat for fuel.
If you don't want to do long runs, marathons probably aren't the best recreational choice.
I didn't say that the people following this plan for marathon training aren't doing long runs, I said maybe they don't want to do low-intensity runs. To be low enough in intensity to be in the "fat burning" zone, assuming it's not a myth, for me as a 29 year old female, I would have to do a long run with my heart rate at 118 to 138 beats per minute. That's much lower than my usual long-run heart rate, which is about 160 bpm even when I've slowed to a minute and a half over race pace. If I ran slow enough to be between 118 and 138 I wouldn't be hitting any PRs any time soon.
You don't have to run at the "fat burning" zone in order to get the benefits of a long run. Long runs, even when your heart rate is faster, help adapt how your body fuels the run. A long run, because the pace has to be sustainable for 90+ minutes, is low intensity even if your heart is beating faster than what some chart is showing for an "ideal" range.
So if all of this is true, and low intensity runs will train your body to use fat for fuel, as the first poster said, and all long runs are low intensity, then why doesn't everyone who trains for a marathon's body adapt to burning fat for fuel instead of carbs? Then everybody who has trained for a marathon could show up on race day and not need any gels or gatorade.0 -
BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »My chiropractor was telling me he just started doing it, he explained (and I also saw it in Runner's World magazine) that some runners do it so that their bodies will get used to using fat to fuel instead of carbs. The idea is that by the time you go to run the full marathon your body is used to this and you don't have to eat energy gels/use Gatorade throughout the race, and you avoid hitting the wall. I can't think of any other reason to do it though, doesn't seem like it's worth it for weight loss alone since you can still lose weight without going through all that.
I don't understand, because just doing long runs or rides at low intensity will also "train" your body to use fat for fuel.
Maybe, but perhaps they don't want to do the runs at low intensity.
If you don't include long runs in your training plan, your marathon probably isn't going to be very successful -- even if you are on a ketogenic diet. Getting through 26.2 miles is probably going to require some kind of long run experience -- even if your body is good at using fat for fuel.
If you don't want to do long runs, marathons probably aren't the best recreational choice.
I didn't say that the people following this plan for marathon training aren't doing long runs, I said maybe they don't want to do low-intensity runs. To be low enough in intensity to be in the "fat burning" zone, assuming it's not a myth, for me as a 29 year old female, I would have to do a long run with my heart rate at 118 to 138 beats per minute. That's much lower than my usual long-run heart rate, which is about 160 bpm even when I've slowed to a minute and a half over race pace. If I ran slow enough to be between 118 and 138 I wouldn't be hitting any PRs any time soon.
You don't have to run at the "fat burning" zone in order to get the benefits of a long run. Long runs, even when your heart rate is faster, help adapt how your body fuels the run. A long run, because the pace has to be sustainable for 90+ minutes, is low intensity even if your heart is beating faster than what some chart is showing for an "ideal" range.
So if all of this is true, and low intensity runs will train your body to use fat for fuel, as the first poster said, and all long runs are low intensity, then why doesn't everyone who trains for a marathon's body adapt to burning fat for fuel instead of carbs? Then everybody who has trained for a marathon could show up on race day and not need any gels or gatorade.
Because you vary intensities and your body utilizes both sources of fuel throughout the race. It's not just a linear source.1
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