Incorporating a low carb diet

silki513

So Im starting my exercise routine again and I am also trying to eat less carbs. While jumping on and off the Atkins diet several times because the induction phase was waaaay to restrictive I have learned what is acceptable and what is not on that diet so I will try doing less carbs but not the typical 25 carbs per day. Lets see hoe it goes. " If you do what you always did, You get what ypu always got"

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pinkledoodledoo

There is a modified version of Atkins also that is typically for people who have less to lose or want to lose more slowly. I'd recommend checking their website though, I cannot remember the specifics. I want to say it was ~60g net carbs/day.

Nimnyn

Good luck with your journey this time. I'm doing the keto diet, so I certainly understand trying to work with heavily restricted carbs. The first week was a huge learning curve, but now, on day 35 or so, I'm well in the swing of things. I'm very much a carb addict, so for me cutting out grains and sugar *completely* makes a lot more sense. Friend me if you need some support

MermaidTX

So Im starting my exercise routine again and I am also trying to eat less carbs. While jumping on and off the Atkins diet several times because the induction phase was waaaay to restrictive I have learned what is acceptable and what is not on that diet so I will try doing less carbs but not the typical 25 carbs per day. Lets see hoe it goes. " If you do what you always did, You get what ypu always got"

I cut out a lot of carbs & lost weight before I joined MFP. I was trying to keep mine around 100 and I didn't count calories. Mainly I just stopped eating things that didn't make me feel the best (fast food, sodas, potato chips). Of course since I wasn't counting calories I wasn't losing weight very fast but it was coming off and quite painlessly too!

Good luck on your new journey!

ndj1979

I am just going to throw this out there but you do not need to go "low carb" to have success in your diet.

if you create a daily deficit of 500 calories and work out/move some then you will have long term, sustainable, weight loss.

You can eat a normal amount of carbs (30-40%/day) and lose weight..

Carbs do not make you gain weight..over eating makes you gain weight...

Mistizoom

Silki, I recommend you check out some of the low carb groups here on MFP, becuase if you post in the main forums you will get unhelpful comments about how low carb isn't necessary. Maybe it isn't necessary for weight loss for some people, but it is optimal for health for nearly everyone (reference: "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter).

Here are some of the groups:

Low Carber Daily Forum - The Group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

Reddit Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1494-reddit-keto

Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto

Atkins support group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5268-atkins-support-group

I've lost almost 85 lbs. in less than 11 months on a ketogenic diet. It works, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

chani8

I keep my carbs around 50g and feel great.

Maybe check out the Primal Blueprint diet/lifestyle, too.

My husband did great on Atkins phase 3, keeping carbs under 100.

It's finding what works best for you, your needs, your lifestyle.

FMaddyF94

I am just going to throw this out there but you do not need to go "low carb" to have success in your diet.

if you create a daily deficit of 500 calories and work out/move some then you will have long term, sustainable, weight loss.

You can eat a normal amount of carbs (30-40%/day) and lose weight..

Carbs do not make you gain weight..over eating makes you gain weight...

^Agreed!!

psuLemon

Silki, I recommend you check out some of the low carb groups here on MFP, becuase if you post in the main forums you will get unhelpful comments about how low carb isn't necessary. Maybe it isn't necessary for weight loss for some people, but it is optimal for health for nearly everyone (reference: "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter).

Here are some of the groups:

Low Carber Daily Forum - The Group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

Reddit Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1494-reddit-keto

Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto

Atkins support group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5268-atkins-support-group

I've lost almost 85 lbs. in less than 11 months on a ketogenic diet. It works, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

In all fairness to the main forums, no one every said low carb doesnt work as it sill runs off a caloric deficit. The main thing you get from low carb is less water weight as you store less glycogen. Many believe that unless you have a medical condition, like my wife does, its just unnecessary to remove foods you enjoy. I found when I did that I tend to binge more. I do think, however, that eliminating trigger foods is important and if low carb is the approach to do so, then great. I am all for finding a sustainable program.

I worry when I hear a few things; first, when people say I have done this in the passed and it worked great! I question that logic. Because if it did work you wouldnt be back right with the exception of a medical issue or Pregnancy. Also, I laugh when people suggest its a healthier because no independent research suggest that. Only the research to sell books and meal plans do.

Again OP, I wish you luck but you dont need to go extreme. You can work on getting lean whole proteins, fruits and veggies. My issue with 25g's per day is you cant get a lot of fruit which is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are important with health and fitness. And most fruit doesnt have enough fiber to allow you to net 25gs

Mistizoom

Silki, I recommend you check out some of the low carb groups here on MFP, becuase if you post in the main forums you will get unhelpful comments about how low carb isn't necessary. Maybe it isn't necessary for weight loss for some people, but it is optimal for health for nearly everyone (reference: "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter).

Here are some of the groups:

Low Carber Daily Forum - The Group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

Reddit Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1494-reddit-keto

Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto

Atkins support group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5268-atkins-support-group

I've lost almost 85 lbs. in less than 11 months on a ketogenic diet. It works, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

In all fairness to the main forums, no one every said low carb doesnt work as it sill runs off a caloric deficit. The main thing you get from low carb is less water weight as you store less glycogen. Many believe that unless you have a medical condition, like my wife does, its just unnecessary to remove foods you enjoy. I found when I did that I tend to binge more. I do think, however, that eliminating trigger foods is important and if low carb is the approach to do so, then great. I am all for finding a sustainable program.

I worry when I hear a few things; first, when people say I have done this in the passed and it worked great! I question that logic. Because if it did work you wouldnt be back right with the exception of a medical issue or Pregnancy. Also, I laugh when people suggest its a healthier because no independent research suggest that. Only the research to sell books and meal plans do.

Again OP, I wish you luck but you dont need to go extreme. You can work on getting lean whole proteins, fruits and veggies. My issue with 25g's per day is you cant get a lot of fruit which is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are important with health and fitness. And most fruit doesnt have enough fiber to allow you to net 25gs

Sorry, you're incorrect. There is plenty of research that shows carbohydrates contribute to ill health. This type of post is exactly why I made my post.

chipmunk10

After I had lost around 40 lbs I was stuck not loosing weight, I spoke with my Dr. and she recommended for me to lower my carb intake to around 100 not including fiber. I did this for 3 weeks. Yes I lost weight about 8 lbs in that 3 weeks, but I got very sick... This type of diet was just not for me. I am a runner (which my Doctor is very aware of) I was running 8 to 9 miles 3 days per week after going low carb for just 3 weeks I was unable to make it through 1 straight mile. I was having issues with my sight and passing out. I added carbs back in and I was back up and running over 6 miles with-in 3 days. I used MFP to track everything I was eating and I don't believe in that 3 week time I ever dropped below 80 carbs in any day. I am not sure why less carbs effected me so badly, but I have learned that low carbs is not a good choice for me. Good Luck to you on your journey!

Mistizoom

After I had lost around 40 lbs I was stuck not loosing weight, I spoke with my Dr. and she recommended for me to lower my carb intake to around 100 not including fiber. I did this for 3 weeks. Yes I lost weight about 8 lbs in that 3 weeks, but I got very sick... This type of diet was just not for me. I am a runner (which my Doctor is very aware of) I was running 8 to 9 miles 3 days per week after going low carb for just 3 weeks I was unable to make it through 1 straight mile. I was having issues with my sight and passing out. I added carbs back in and I was back up and running over 6 miles with-in 3 days. I used MFP to track everything I was eating and I don't believe in that 3 week time I ever dropped below 80 carbs in any day. I am not sure why less carbs effected me so badly, but I have learned that low carbs is not a good choice for me. Good Luck to you on your journey!

It's unfortunate your doctor didn't tell you to lay off the exercise the first couple of weeks of a low carb diet. There is an adaptation period your body must go through to change over from being a carbohydrate burner to being a fat burner. This involves changes at the cellular level in your body tissues. It is not a good idea to exercise heavily during the first couple of weeks. And it takes 4-8 weeks to become fully keto-adapted. It doesn't sound like you are interested in trying again, but if you are I highly recommend you read The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living and/or The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance first to make sure you know what to expect. (Note that 100 g/carbs a day is not ketogenic for most people, but it could be, and the info in book would still be very useful).

PaulHalicki

I did low carb twice. I lost 70 lb. in 6 months on South Beach Diet in 2005. I tried it again last year, lost 25 lb., then fell off the wagon and just couldn't get back on. After breaking my arm this spring and putting all the weight I lost back on, I started MFP this summer. I just do the calorie count and it's working good so far.

I still tend to back off on the carbs, but in a different way. It seems that high-carb foods are also very high-cal. Since I'm counting calories I find that there are low carb foods that I prefer to the high carb ones, given the same amount of calories.

psuLemon

Silki, I recommend you check out some of the low carb groups here on MFP, becuase if you post in the main forums you will get unhelpful comments about how low carb isn't necessary. Maybe it isn't necessary for weight loss for some people, but it is optimal for health for nearly everyone (reference: "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter).

Here are some of the groups:

Low Carber Daily Forum - The Group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

Reddit Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1494-reddit-keto

Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto

Atkins support group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5268-atkins-support-group

I've lost almost 85 lbs. in less than 11 months on a ketogenic diet. It works, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

In all fairness to the main forums, no one every said low carb doesnt work as it sill runs off a caloric deficit. The main thing you get from low carb is less water weight as you store less glycogen. Many believe that unless you have a medical condition, like my wife does, its just unnecessary to remove foods you enjoy. I found when I did that I tend to binge more. I do think, however, that eliminating trigger foods is important and if low carb is the approach to do so, then great. I am all for finding a sustainable program.

I worry when I hear a few things; first, when people say I have done this in the passed and it worked great! I question that logic. Because if it did work you wouldnt be back right with the exception of a medical issue or Pregnancy. Also, I laugh when people suggest its a healthier because no independent research suggest that. Only the research to sell books and meal plans do.

Again OP, I wish you luck but you dont need to go extreme. You can work on getting lean whole proteins, fruits and veggies. My issue with 25g's per day is you cant get a lot of fruit which is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are important with health and fitness. And most fruit doesnt have enough fiber to allow you to net 25gs

Sorry, you're incorrect. There is plenty of research that shows carbohydrates contribute to ill health. This type of post is exactly why I made my post.

Nah I am not incorrect. But if you would like to provide some real science, not gary taubes, but actual science I would love to learn.

yarwell

In all fairness to the main forums, no one every said low carb doesnt work as it sill runs off a caloric deficit.

Bit of a rose tinted view, asking about low carb inevitably attracts a lot of negativity on here. Probably a consequence of the sugar addiction of the carb eaters.

Fruit has some minerals and vitamins, but is primarily water and sugar. Massively oversold really. Vegetables are far more balanced.

harleygroomer

My trainer has us ONLY do a strict 10 day Adkins every 3 months to shake up our systems and to prevent plateaus. Is only 10 VERY sad days, but it tends to work. She said longer than that high protein diets tend to be hard on a woman's system.So I try to just watch what I eat and rely on my exercise and it seems to be working.

Mac1954

Really interesting comments here. The "low carb" issue is something I struggle with. Having read scores of "diet" books and reviews of different diets, I realize that my best bet is to listen to my body. That is, to observe what effect different foods have on my weight, mood, appetite, sense of well being, etc. I KNOW that for ME, I must stay away from sugar and processed carbs COMPLETELY. Have I managed to do that? Yes, but only for short periods of time. I just had a huge sugar/carb binge yesterday, and was awake in the night, feeling quite ill.

Science is science, and it depends on who has done the research as to what the outcomes are. But I know that certain among us are "addicted", for lack of a better word, to those bad, lick smackin' carbohydrates. I always feel so much better when I build my carb intake around fruits, vegetables, legumes, and just a bit of whole grains. I think the big problem with ANY food group is not the food itself, but what we have done to it over the years. We each have to do what is best and healthiest for our bodies.

I have put "Grain Brain" on hold at the library, and am looking forward to reading it. I have read "Wheat Belly", and it does seem that we have bred wheat into something that is nothing like the healthful grain that we ate 100 years ago. Hard for me to swallow though, since I love bread. Maybe one day I will shift to non-wheat varieties, if I can get a recipe that my bread machine will turn into something edible.

happieharpie

For a little over six months I've been doing no added sugar or salt, no grain, and no dairy except 2 TBS of 1/2&1/2 in my morning coffee. I didn't "try" to "cut back". I just DID IT.

I feel SO WELL it's amazing. Most of my meals are egg whites, greens, olive oil, nuts and berries. I have 2 cups of coffee every morning, and a meal between 5-7 pm.

My blood pressure and a1c have dropped to the normal range, I'm down 4 or more sizes and I feel younger than I felt 15 years ago.

I am OLD and I have normal amounts of will and won't power. I was driven to make HUGE changes because I was confronted by the fact that I DESPISE taking medications when I know that I haven't taken enough responsibility for my own circumstances.

I had promised my doctors and myself that I'd take medicine if I couldn't battle my health issues successfully and solve my problems without meds. So far, I'm ahead of the game.

I know that "low carb" works for me. I get complex carbs from lots of veggies and my daily bowl of berries.

If low carb doesn't work for you, get to work and figure what does work.

Niccidawn092

Congrats on finding something that works for you! I am just starting out on keto and am pretty excited. I am just the kind of gal that can't handle carbs. It's all I want and mostly in processed form. It is amazing what we put sugar in! So this diet is definitely for me. My partner, on the other hand, is a complete twig that can't gain weight at all. Obviously this wouldn't be a healthy lifestyle for him as he needs the carbs, and it is a struggle for us to find a balance for us both.

To the poster that says it's funny that people say they have tried this and it worked but are still here- get over yourself. I have tried the traditional calorie/exercise route more times than I can count. Following your logic, that means it doesn't work...

GamerGirly

I concur with many previous posters.
I, too, am on Keto. I have lost nearly 100 lbs in 8 months and over 20 inches off my waist alone.
Keto or low carb isn't for everyone. You have to find what plan works for you and stick to it. This may not work for you but, it works for me and so many others.

shapefitter

When joining MFP, I quickly realised my sugar intake was three times the acceptable level, and this explained why I had the hand tremours, followed by the shakes. OOOOPS!

ndj1979

Silki, I recommend you check out some of the low carb groups here on MFP, becuase if you post in the main forums you will get unhelpful comments about how low carb isn't necessary. Maybe it isn't necessary for weight loss for some people, but it is optimal for health for nearly everyone (reference: "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter).

Here are some of the groups:

Low Carber Daily Forum - The Group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

Reddit Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1494-reddit-keto

Keto http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto

Atkins support group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/5268-atkins-support-group

I've lost almost 85 lbs. in less than 11 months on a ketogenic diet. It works, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

In all fairness to the main forums, no one every said low carb doesnt work as it sill runs off a caloric deficit. The main thing you get from low carb is less water weight as you store less glycogen. Many believe that unless you have a medical condition, like my wife does, its just unnecessary to remove foods you enjoy. I found when I did that I tend to binge more. I do think, however, that eliminating trigger foods is important and if low carb is the approach to do so, then great. I am all for finding a sustainable program.

I worry when I hear a few things; first, when people say I have done this in the passed and it worked great! I question that logic. Because if it did work you wouldnt be back right with the exception of a medical issue or Pregnancy. Also, I laugh when people suggest its a healthier because no independent research suggest that. Only the research to sell books and meal plans do.

Again OP, I wish you luck but you dont need to go extreme. You can work on getting lean whole proteins, fruits and veggies. My issue with 25g's per day is you cant get a lot of fruit which is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are important with health and fitness. And most fruit doesnt have enough fiber to allow you to net 25gs

Sorry, you're incorrect. There is plenty of research that shows carbohydrates contribute to ill health. This type of post is exactly why I made my post.

so then the entire population is not healthy? Give me a break...carbs are used for energy there is nothing "bad' about them, unless one has some kind of underlying medical condition.

There are no "good" carbs and "bad" carbs..there are just carbs that your body uses for energy...

Mistizoom

In all fairness to the main forums, no one every said low carb doesnt work as it sill runs off a caloric deficit.

Bit of a rose tinted view, asking about low carb inevitably attracts a lot of negativity on here. Probably a consequence of the sugar addiction of the carb eaters.

Fruit has some minerals and vitamins, but is primarily water and sugar. Massively oversold really. Vegetables are far more balanced.

Great post, the sugar/carb addiction really makes some people very angry to think about taking them away, doesn't it?