SUCCESS STORIES:LOW CARB ATKINS OR SOUTH BEACH!

pcastagner

Wow you are quite misinformed in many areas of what you've said.
I have been battling obesity for more than 10yrs and have recently been told I am insulin resistant and I am only 34. I have been eating clean and mostly organic up until then for the past year and only lost 2kgs in that whole time. When told about my insulin resistance which is linked to my poly cystic ovarian syndrome, the doctor decided to treat me with diet and exercise instead of medication (shocking I know). So I've done EXTENSIVE research on the best diet which happens to be a ketogenic diet. In 2 months I have lost over 10kgs, gained lots of energy, manage to workout 7 days a week (including 3 days a week weights) and cut my cravings to ZERO! Unlike glucose which if not used by the body for energy gets stored as fat for later use thanks to good old insulin the fat storing hormone. Ketones on the other hand if not used all up by the body will be excreated through the urine. So therefore it's very rare and hard for the body to enter ketoacidosis. In fact there are people on carb laden diets who are probably more acid than Keto people. There is also evidence that the brain actually prefers ketones since they have production sites which produce their own ketones! Please do your proper research before bagging ketogenic/low carb diets. They are also used to treat cancer patients (as the diet helps starve the glucose loving cancer cells) and has been used since the 1920s to treat epileptics. Google a surgeon by the name of Peter Attia. He has a great site that explains extensively the benefits of ketosis and sites HEAPS of scientific evidence to back it up.

Who are you referring to? Is it the poster who gave a bunch of evidence to back up his claims, which included, specifically, that if you have certain medical conditions like PCOS, your diet is the way to go?


Why do people not bother to read what is said? You can't disagree with someone by saying the same thing they are, you have to actually have a difference of opinion.

ruthiejewell

It's sad that people come to argue rather than allow the question to be answered. I nearly didn't reply as it feels intimidating. I've lost over 30 pounds so far, at a slow rate on keto and always feel much better mentally and physically on low carb. Yes, I could lose in many other ways but would fail as before due to cravings/lack of control/hunger. I see it as a healthy, sustainable way to eat as I eat salad and green veg daily and avoid sugar and white flour which can only be good. My energy levels are higher and I've read of many low carb athletes. How anyone feels miserable or low on energy I don't know but it shows indeed we are all different. . It's great to be totally free of cravings and in control!! Good luck!

susan1024

Good for you ellesab78! Keep up the good work.

SEvansHB

I eat very low carb, and have lost 61 pounds since the end of January. I also take supplements, which is another touchy story in these groups.

j3an22

south beach diet. my mom did that and lost weight. i think total close to 30 pounds.
she also lost 25 to 28 pounds by doing the diabetic diet.

motown13

OP, I lost weight on a low carb diet but then gained it back. Plus I was miserable. It works for some people but just eating at a calorie deficit has proven to be much more success for me. It is also much more sustainable (at least for me). I was miserable on the low carb and perfectly content with my much higher carb diet. Unless you are planning on eating low carb for the rest of your life, don't do it.

Well, being diabetic, I plan to eat this way forever, though at some point I will be going from 30 to 60 carbs a day. I am not at all miserable, mostly because I really know how to cook, and have learned ways to adapt most everything to a low carb lifestyle. I never feel deprived. ( I am not exactly the OP, but the first one to really answer her with my own experiences )

jim9097

.....

The one thing I do know is that the level I want to be able to attain (physically) cannot be attained on a low carb diet.

Well, tell that to Dr. Peter Attia who competes in triathalons and admits his diet is 90% fat.

More power to him; I am speaking from my own personal experience. i cannot perform at the same level on a low carb diet. It is that simple. Perhaps there are people out there, I am not one of them.

mbamike

I use the Atkins diet. I have an Atkins shake for breakfast, an Atkins protein meal bar for lunch along with some green tea, a small snack mid afternoon-early evening, a regular meal for dinner and a small snack a a few hours after dinner. I try to eat every three or four hour. I have lost the 20 pounds I gain over the holidays!

Last summer was my fist attempt with this diet. During that attempt, I lost 30 pounds, So, I am definitely a believer in the Atkins diet.

JaceyMarieS

I had to adopt a low-carb lifestyle due to being diagnosed with diabetes and then Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Is low-carb the only way to lose weight? Of course not. I've lost weight in the past doing a version of If It Fits your macros. Now I've been diagnosed with diabetes. I still follow IIFYM, but now my macros reflect the fact that carbs are not my friend.


The amount of misinformation surrounding LCHF is astounding.


"it's not sustainable" Since diabetes isn't curable, only controllable, I'll be eating this way for the rest of my life.

"you gain it all back as soon as you start eating normally" I suppose this is true. However, I'd gain it all back regardless of how I lost it if I went back to eating what was "normal" for me before.

it's not healthy" My lipid panel begs to differ.
Starting --> 6 months -->1 year

Total Cholesterol - 207 --->172 -->161

HDL - 37 --> 40 --> 53

LDL - 136 --> 109 --> 89

Triglycerides - 169 --> 116 --> 86


"you won't have any energy" BS. I have no trouble with energy following LCHF - Zumba 4-5 days per week, strength training 3 days per week, 1-2 miles on the elliptical most days, walking/jogging 2-5 miles with the dog most days, swimming whenever the weather permits and frequent spins on the stationary bike. I just started yoga as well. In fact, I have much more energy than I've had for a long, long time. I can't recall the last time I took a nap now that my blood sugar is stable and I no longer experience spikes and reactive hypoglycemia. The dreaded 'carb flu" is also individual. I never experienced it.

I'm happier, healthier and not hungry. Low-carb has been a success for me

pcastagner

I had to adopt a low-carb lifestyle due to being diagnosed with diabetes and then Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Is low-carb the only way to lose weight? Of course not. I've lost weight in the past doing a version of If It Fits your macros. Now I've been diagnosed with diabetes. I still follow IIFYM, but now my macros reflect the fact that carbs are not my friend.


The amount of misinformation surrounding LCHF is astounding.


"it's not sustainable" Since diabetes isn't curable, only controllable, I'll be eating this way for the rest of my life.

"you gain it all back as soon as you start eating normally" I suppose this is true. However, I'd gain it all back regardless of how I lost it if I went back to eating what was "normal" for me before.

it's not healthy" My lipid panel begs to differ.
Starting --> 6 months -->1 year

Total Cholesterol - 207 --->172 -->161

HDL - 37 --> 40 --> 53

LDL - 136 --> 109 --> 89

Triglycerides - 169 --> 116 --> 86


"you won't have any energy" BS. I have no trouble with energy following LCHF - Zumba 4-5 days per week, strength training 3 days per week, 1-2 miles on the elliptical most days, walking/jogging 2-5 miles with the dog most days, swimming whenever the weather permits and frequent spins on the stationary bike. I just started yoga as well. In fact, I have much more energy than I've had for a long, long time. I can't recall the last time I took a nap now that my blood sugar is stable and I no longer experience spikes and reactive hypoglycemia. The dreaded 'carb flu" is also individual. I never experienced it.

I'm happier, healthier and not hungry. Low-carb has been a success for me

I have to agree that not everyone will experience the low energy. When I go too low on carbs, I feel like I'm on a stimulant. I can't sleep and I am bouncing off the walls. So I tend to eat very low carb in the day, and more carbs at night to put myself down for the night.

Maybe we should just say to people "give it a try, but don't make it a religion. If it doesn't work for you and isn't sustainable, don't beat yourself up and don't try to force it. Try something else."

Success. I can't think of any better reason for sticking with something.


Facts are facts though, and people need to understand that the reason this works is the reason ANY diet works for weight loss: your body is getting less energy than it is putting out, so it uses up your fat stores. There is no magic, and I can personally attest to the fact that it is very possible to put on weight on a low carb diet. Meat is like candy to me, and I could gladly eat an entire plate of gristle.

JaceyMarieS

I have to agree that not everyone will experience the low energy. When I go too low on carbs, I feel like I'm on a stimulant. I can't sleep and I am bouncing off the walls. So I tend to eat very low carb in the day, and more carbs at night to put myself down for the night.

Maybe we should just say to people "give it a try, but don't make it a religion. If it doesn't work for you and isn't sustainable, don't beat yourself up and don't try to force it. Try something else."

Success. I can't think of any better reason for sticking with something.


Facts are facts though, and people need to understand that the reason this works is the reason ANY diet works for weight loss: your body is getting less energy than it is putting out, so it uses up your fat stores. There is no magic, and I can personally attest to the fact that it is very possible to put on weight on a low carb diet. Meat is like candy to me, and I could gladly eat an entire plate of gristle.

Absolutely agree with all of the above

22dream

This has been a wonderful post with so much information!!

ruthiejewell

But there IS magic with low carb!!!! The magic is that cravings go, hunger goes, the need for will power is very dramatically reduced and therefore success is much more likely which gives such a good feeling as opposed to failing again and again!! That's if it's done correctly with good healthy choices including green veg, salad etc. I've never expected more loss than using any other way of eating. I just love the good feelings including less guilt from failing. And I love eating no sugar and white flour.

pcastagner

But there IS magic with low carb!!!! The magic is that cravings go, hunger goes, the need for will power is very dramatically reduced and therefore success is much more likely which gives such a good feeling as opposed to failing again and again!! That's if it's done correctly with good healthy choices including green veg, salad etc. I've never expected more loss than using any other way of eating. I just love the good feelings including less guilt from failing. And I love eating no sugar and white flour.

Well, give it a little while, and you might notice you can go back to eating carbs and retain the control over cravings.

For me, 16:8 IF did the trick in that department and I can now have all the carbs I want. Cravings used to be an elephant, and now they are a mouse. I actually have to be careful because I can cut too hard and I wind up losing major ground in the strength department.

drcherokee

Caloric deficit = weight loss.

I do think our problem in this western culture is too many concentrated carbs that mess with our metabolism, so it's natural to try to want to reduce those. I think what's been said is correct, though, especially by AJ_G. Show the scientific journals and research, not opinions by popular gurus. Myself, I've lost nearly 50 pounds and have absolutely not monitored carbs. I can eat french fries, pizza, bread, and buns (in small quantities, of course). I've only METICULOUSLY and ACCURATELY monitored caloric intake. Just like Jared, I've eaten lots of Subway sandwiches. You think those have carbs? I'm at a 1000 calorie-a-day deficit so I generally lose about 2 pounds a week like clockwork if I don't go over my caloric deficit.

IF you're at a caloric deficit, you lose weight. You burn more than you take in, you lose weight. Yes, you can "mess" with your body's metabolism by going into ketosis and stuff like that, but unless you're in a special situation (like diabetic), you don't have to. It's similar to budgeting money. In a budget, you take in more than you spend. With dieting, spend more than you take in! Does it matter if you're spending less money on movie theaters or a car payment? It might be EASIER not having a car payment, but in the end it's irrelevant as long as your budget balances.

Burn more than you eat. Unsure about your exact activity level? Put sedentary. Record every single food you take in, even if it has few calories, and be accurate and honest about it. Overestimate calories. Only record significant exercise, and underestimate it. There's no free lunch, so don't fool yourself that you're eating less and exercising more than you really are.

Make sure the MyFitnessPal diary is METICULOUS and ACCURATE, and you WILL do it. (MyFitnessPal doesn't make it "easy," but it makes keeping track of calories easy. That's a lot of the battle right there.)

AlabasterVerve

That was a great low carb success story, drcherokee. :huh:

blondie6688

Low carb has been a great thing for me. 5 yrs ago I lost 40 lbs doing the low carb/atkins thing. I'm fighting the last 8 lbs.... for the past few yrs... and low carb is STILL the only thing that works for me. It does work. Watch out for carbs hidden everywhere.... You can do it!! It works.

toscarthearmada

I started doing the "Link and Balance" diet 16 months ago and have had amazing results. I stick to a 7 protein to 15 carb ratio that does not exceed 15 protein to 30 carbs at any meal. I was put on this diet because I suffered from PCOS and Insulin Resistance (Pre-diabeties). Really this diet has taught me to properly portion my foods. I still eat carbs but at a much smaller amount.

I hit -100 lbs today.

Height: 5'7
Started: April 2012 - 256 lbs - Size 18/20
Current: 156 lbs - Sizes 7/8
Goal: 150 (For now)
Low Carb and Exercise

Bardsrose

I have some health issues - type 2 diabetes (tablets and insulin), sleep apnoea, and recently diagnosed with a heart murmur. As my father died at the age of 61, and I'm now 64 (as of yesterday), the heart murmur has worried me the most. The day after my diagnosis I decided to try the Metabolism B eating plan. I started the eating plan at 17 stones 2 lbs on 24th July, 2013 and today I weighed in at 16 stones 2lbs. I know that this sounds unbelievable but it is true! My sugar levels are dropping and I have gradually been reducing my insulin. As it was my birthday yesterday I went off plan a bit but still lost 1 lb! I am going to Poland a week on Monday and would really like to lose 3 lbs. more by then. But if I don't then I don't. Apart from yesterday, I have stuck to the plan religiously - I have not found it a problem at all except that it has given me a real taste for peanut butter!!

bookyeti

Bumping to read later! :-)