Is it safe to permanetly stay LCHF (Low Carb/High Fat) as a lifestyle?

SCoil123

It will depend on the individual. What health issues they may have and personal goals. We won’t all feel our best in the exact same macro split.

I did HF and moderate carb (100 Net grams) for a long time with IF. It worked until it didn’t. I have some hormonal and autoimmune issues and started developing digestive upset. The doctor I had to go see put me on a more balanced macro split and made suggestions around my meal timing that completely shifted how I eat. Now I’m learning to eat this new way. The symptoms Id started experiencing are going away.

I have a friend I work out with who has been keto pretty strictly for over a year and it works amazingly for her.

Best advice- find what works for you and be open to adjusting it if it ever stops working

jennifer_417

I would say keep doing it as long as it works for you and you're healthy.

lucerorojo

Since rice and oatmeal are part of your culture, I agree thinking about this as a "life-long" thing may be premature. From reading this thread it seems like portion control was more an issue than eating carbs (vs. other macros). When you wrote "oatmeal and fruit" you didn't say 1 serving (150 calories) of oatmeal and 1 serving of strawberries--which would be very low calorie. This would not be a problem. However, if you are eating more than 1 serving of oatmeal, and BANANAS (with plural--even one banana usually has about 100 calories depending on the size of it)... and were you making it with water or milk? I make my oatmeal with water so it adds no extra calories, but other people make theirs with MILK, some even with half and half, then it starts to be a high calorie meal--especially if it is a couple of cups of oatmeal, bananas and other fruits. Raisins, craisins, and other kinds of dried fruit and nuts add lots of calories (and people typically put these in oatmeal). But you can still eat it, you just need to measure how much, and everything you put into it and keep it within your calorie goal.

For rice, I understand. I eat white rice a few times a week, but I have to be honest about the portions and record how much I'm eating. Any more than 1.5 servings of rice in a day is going to be a problem for me. More than a serving of pasta, as well. But I'm able to enjoy the 1 serving within my calorie goal. I think it is better than cutting it out completely.

alteredsteve175

AnvilHead wrote: »

ADoribs wrote: »

I wanted to wish you lots of luck and give you a real hopeful story since lots of these comments seem negative.

I have also been a life long dieter and struggled with food. I have been counting calories for much of my life.

I was given the book "Why we get fat" and after I read it decided to try a low carb ( not completely keto) approach.

I have been at it 3 months now and lost 13lbs without counting calories and mostly without feeling hungry. This approach has really worked for me better than anything Ive tried. I hope you will have good luck as well.

Why We Get Fat was written by Gary Taubes, who is a laughingstock amongst actual evidence-based researchers. It's a bunch of tinfoil hat woo based upon cherry-picked study results and pseudoscience. Taubes has outright said that even if faced with actual science which directly proved him wrong, he would not change his mind or recant upon all the woo he has spouted.

As to the OP's question, a low-carb and/or keto diet (as with any other diet) can be as healthy/unhealthy or safe/unsafe as one makes it. There's nothing inherently "unsafe" about it, but on the other hand there's plenty of science which conclusively proves that there is no "metabolic advantage" of a keto/low-carb diet over any other diet, with calorie and protein intake held equal.

I also read "Why We Get Fat" and then started a low carb regimen. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight until I joined this site and started logging meals and tracking calories.

LexiAtel

Set yourself a calorie limit, and go from there. Many people are successful on lchf, but others are not.

Research whatever plan you chose well before you start doing it, and if you think you cant live without those sweets, then you might not want to keto.

With keto, your body uses fat as fuel, and since you're overweight, you'll want to not eat a whole lotta fat, so that it'll use what you've stored.

Also, 90g of carbs is way too high, sadly, and if you do go on keto, understand that most of your carbs are going to have to come from veggies (there really is no room for sweets).

Some people can be in ketosis at 45g carbs daily. The recommendation to start off in is 20g (in net carbs, which is carbs minus fiber content), this ensures that your body will start using fat, but it takes several days to do this.

My limit is now 30g, I'm almost to my weight goal.

Another thing you'll have to monitor are your sodium, potassium and magnesium intake, you'll probably feel like crap, and low consumption of these minerals will cause it.

Nonetheless, no matter which diet you choose, you should buy a food scale and use it religiously, because eyeballing and even measuring it with cups and spoons allows you that potential moment to overeat (whether you intentionally do it or not).

Niff314

Keto is the only thing that controls my epilepsy so it's now a long-term way of eating for me. My neurologist runs blood panels every year to make sure everything is in healthy ranges but I've already lost 120 lbs since starting in March 2017. The only thing I've had to adjust is my intake so I don't continue to lose weight. Keto is seriously the best thing I've ever done for myself.

dbhDeb

Niff314 wrote: »

Keto is the only thing that controls my epilepsy so it's now a long-term way of eating for me. My neurologist runs blood panels every year to make sure everything is in healthy ranges but I've already lost 120 lbs since starting in March 2017. The only thing I've had to adjust is my intake so I don't continue to lose weight. Keto is seriously the best thing I've ever done for myself.

awesome!