LOW CARB DIET from today.- who's with me?
Replies
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So a lot of people are saying they did low or no carb and lost a load of weight.....and then put it all back on .....and now want to do it again.
This is a vicious circle.
Can you honestly eat 'low' (however low you choose i do not know) carb for the rest of your life...?
I am being cautious of carbs - less bread and potatoes but things like rice and pasta will always be in my life!!
I am cautious of them too. Only because to hit my Protein and Fat macros I also have to watch my Carbs. While I try to keep them between 100-120 I don't think that is considered "low."0 -
As far as Taubes, I have done other research his book was just the start. I've had years of personal experience and found that calories in/calories out does not help me. That's why I'm here looking for support from others who have the same needs. It appears that you don't - congratulations.
Ah the vaunted n=1 "evidence", so you do not gain or lose fatt based off of a caloric surplus/deficit? It all depends on the amount of carbs you eat? You can eat in a surplus, but low carb and lose fat just fine? Skeptical hippo
What about you? How many n's are you working with? Isn't everyone here looking for their ideal plan? Yes, for my experiment the n=1 and calorie deficit alone does not work for me to sustain a weight loss. Reducing my carbs is working and I can imagine eating this way long term.
If it doesn't work for you that's OK, too.
A lot more than 1, I lose fat exactly how everybody else does, a caloric deficit. I should add except apparently you, you do not need a deficit since the energy balance equation doesn't work for you
I edited my original post.
Apparently I and everyone in Sweden needs something different: http://www.examiner.com/article/sweden-s-new-national-dietary-recommendations-low-carb-low-glycemic-foods
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1131528-sweden-s-new-national-dietary-recommendations-lchf
Yes, I've seen it. What' the point you're trying to make? That some folks here on MFP don't want to admit that their paradigm might be wrong?
Tightly controlled trials have shown no difference in fat loss between high and low carb diets holding protein and cals constant. Moving on to ad lib trials, you have about a 50/50 split between showing low carb has slightly greater weight/fat loss which as time period lengthens all but disappears in most trials. So what paradigm are you talking about? The one based in Taubes fantasy land that insulin is the devil and carbs make you fat?
+1 A quote below from James Krieger, a nutritional researcher and author (unlike Tuabes who is an engineer and journalist).
1. The proposed metabolic advantage (MA) for low carb diets is a hypothesis, not a fact
2. There is inadequate data to support the MA hypothesis
3. There is inadequate data to reject the MA hypothesis
4. The MA hypothesis does not trump the concept of energy balance. It postulates inefficiencies in energy metabolism, which would translate to an increase in measured energy expenditure (due to heat loss) in a living organism. Thus, if the MA was true, "calories out" would increase for a given "calories in".
5. A definitive study examining 24-hour energy expenditure (using room calorimetry), comparing a ketogenic diet to a traditional diet (with matched protein intake) for subjects in an energy deficit, has not been performed. This is the only study that will adequately test the MA hypothesis in humans
6. Weight loss still requires an energy deficit. If a MA exists, it still cannot make up for an energy surplus or energy balance. To assert otherwise is to assert that energy can be created or destroyed out of thin air, or that human tissue can be created in the absence of any energy input.0 -
A calorie controlled diet can be depriving and leave us still hungry. So it makes sense to be able to eat as much food as we need to feel full (low carb foods) in oppose to depriving ourselves and constantly counting the calories before putting anything in our mouth. Consequently, once you finish a calorie controlled diet and get back to eating normal all the weight is bound to come back on so its more of a quick fix rather than a long term solution. A low carb allows you to eat without feeling hungry and poorly. It does not make sense to eat "anything" as eating junk food is hardly a way of lpsing weight. Making it a diet which can take a very long ime to lose weight.
If I ate as much bacon as I needed to feel full, I'd gain weight. Because calories.
I count calories and I don't usually feel deprived and never "hungry and poorly"
Its been shown time and time again that people who lose weight slowly, by adopting good eating habits for a lifetime, are most successful at losing weight and maintaining weight in the long run.
It totally makes sense to be able to eat "anything" because sometimes people like things that aren't healthy and having those things sometimes is ok. (and as long as one is within their calorie goal, they CAN eat anything)
ETA: any time people change their eating habits to lose weight and then go back to eating the way they used to, they will gain the weight back, no matter what diet they followed to lose weight.
If low carb works for you great, but I think in the long run, most people can't maintain that diet forever. And if you can't do it forever, the pounds come back when you stop.0 -
I did low carb for a few months and lost weight. I did IIFYM for the rest of the time also lost weight. The initial weight loss in low carb is water weight because of glycogen being used and not replenished due to the nature of low carb. Pound for pound of FAT LOSS, there is no difference between low carb or anything else. All that's required to be successful in weight loss is a caloric deficit.
Exactly. Eat less, move more.
I agree that caloric deficit is technically the answer for weight loss (in terms of the science of it); however, I'd like to add that for some of us, simple carbs such as sugar and white flour act as a signal/trigger in our brains to crave food and thus eat more. The food itself, in terms of its chemical makeup, doesn't "make" us gain weight anymore than any other food does - but it does "make" us eat more in terms of volume/quantity/calories...thus we gain. I see it the same as an alcoholic and how his brain reacts to vodka. Once he's had a sip, he cannot control himself to not have another. There is something in the addict's brain that makes him crave more and more - never being satisfied.
This is why I believe it is beneficial for certain people (like myself) who have addictions to bread, cookies and other baked goods, pasta, ice cream, etc. to consider eliminating all simple carbs. Permanently. For me, it was my drug, my alcohol. I gave up sugar, white flour, and articifical sweetner on January 3rd, 2012 and it was the best decision I ever made. I started eating complex carbs such as whole raw fruit, starchy veggies, and whole grains. I packed my diet with protein. I added more dairy. I did not "substitute" things for my trigger foods (ex., I did not eat "whole wheat pancakes" or "sugar free ice cream"). I gave up the foods themselves, and any semblance of those foods. The result? I dropped 70 lbs in one year and it was EASY. Why? Because I didn't want to eat eat eat eat eat all the time. I discovered that the sugar and white flour were fueling my cravings and thus fueling the insane binge/diet cycle I'd been on for years and years.
This does not apply to everyone. You know yourself. Deep in your heart, you know if you're a food addict. If you are, and are reading this, I highly recommend doing two things:
1.) Check out the Overeaters Anonymous website and start reading the 12 Steps and the Big Book. Consider going to a meeting for support. You won't regret it.
2.) Consider practicing the "tool of abstinence", which means, figuring out what foods trigger you into binge and compulsive overeating, and abstain from eating them. Do not cheat. Do not convince yourself "I can have a little". Literally wipe it out of your life. Do this for an extended period of time, and if you find the cravings go away and you're thinking more clearly, having success on your diet journey...then you have your answer. It's the food acting as a drug, it's not that you're "weak" or have no self control. Watch your self control go through the roof when you eliminate the drug.
If anyone has any questions, let me know.0 -
I started my LC (725 per day) on 31 Oct. So far I've lost 9.8 lbs in 6 days, hope to keep it up. My goal is to get to 140. I know it'll take at least a year to get it off and then its up to me to maintain AND I WILL! Good Luck.0
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Everyone has their own opinions and ideas of how and what works and doesnt. Therefore o leave that upto you to go along with your ideas. I am merely giving suggestions to people to suggest what does work. If you look at research you will see the negative effects of white carbs (unhealthy) carbs such as rice pasta and bread whixh makes you gain weight so if you are just going to do calorie controlling you may lose weight but will not learn to eat the right foods for our body. Carbs are difficult to digest which then can cause it to come and stay on our tummy, thighs and other fatty areas of our bodies.
So much nonsense and misinformation I wouldn't even know where to begin to unravel it!
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I did low carb for a few months and lost weight. I did IIFYM for the rest of the time also lost weight. The initial weight loss in low carb is water weight because of glycogen being used and not replenished due to the nature of low carb. Pound for pound of FAT LOSS, there is no difference between low carb or anything else. All that's required to be successful in weight loss is a caloric deficit.
Exactly. Eat less, move more.
I agree that caloric deficit is technically the answer for weight loss (in terms of the science of it); however, I'd like to add that for some of us, simple carbs such as sugar and white flour act as a signal/trigger in our brains to crave food and thus eat more. The food itself, in terms of its chemical makeup, doesn't "make" us gain weight anymore than any other food does - but it does "make" us eat more in terms of volume/quantity/calories...thus we gain. I see it the same as an alcoholic and how his brain reacts to vodka. Once he's had a sip, he cannot control himself to not have another. There is something in the addict's brain that makes him crave more and more - never being satisfied.
This is why I believe it is beneficial for certain people (like myself) who have addictions to bread, cookies and other baked goods, pasta, ice cream, etc. to consider eliminating all simple carbs. Permanently. For me, it was my drug, my alcohol. I gave up sugar, white flour, and articifical sweetner on January 3rd, 2012 and it was the best decision I ever made. I started eating complex carbs such as whole raw fruit, starchy veggies, and whole grains. I packed my diet with protein. I added more dairy. I did not "substitute" things for my trigger foods (ex., I did not eat "whole wheat pancakes" or "sugar free ice cream"). I gave up the foods themselves, and any semblance of those foods. The result? I dropped 70 lbs in one year and it was EASY. Why? Because I didn't want to eat eat eat eat eat all the time. I discovered that the sugar and white flour were fueling my cravings and thus fueling the insane binge/diet cycle I'd been on for years and years.
This does not apply to everyone. You know yourself. Deep in your heart, you know if you're a food addict. If you are, and are reading this, I highly recommend doing two things:
1.) Check out the Overeaters Anonymous website and start reading the 12 Steps and the Big Book. Consider going to a meeting for support. You won't regret it.
2.) Consider practicing the "tool of abstinence", which means, figuring out what foods trigger you into binge and compulsive overeating, and abstain from eating them. Do not cheat. Do not convince yourself "I can have a little". Literally wipe it out of your life. Do this for an extended period of time, and if you find the cravings go away and you're thinking more clearly, having success on your diet journey...then you have your answer. It's the food acting as a drug, it's not that you're "weak" or have no self control. Watch your self control go through the roof when you eliminate the drug.
If anyone has any questions, let me know.
I should have mentioned that along with abstinence from those particular foods, I also figured out my ideal caloric intake based on my BMR and stuck to that faithfully. In other words, I created the calorie deficit as well - I didn't just change what I ate, I change how MUCH I ate. The deficit created the weight loss, the abstinence gave me the ability to stick with it.0 -
I know that low carb is the key for me. I will follow along and hopefully get a kickstart to my goal of losing 25 pounds.0
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Hahahahaaa! This was SO me, for years and years! i just ate and ate and ate cookies all day long.0 -
I just got done doing low-carb (Keto) for about 10 months. It wasn't a difficult diet if you eat at home a lot. Me being me I was all about eating nothing but meat, cheese, and some veggies.
A lot of the issues I came across were social settings and going to eat with friends. Taking the stuff out of a meal that is hi-carb is sometimes difficult and can complicate what you want to order to eat. Most of the time, you can be accommodated though. As a social drinker too, you can get away with drinking diet mixers + liquor.
I will say this for sure, sticking with it requires preparation, dedication, and A LOT of discipline. There are ups and downs to it. You'll lose weight fast and easily, however sometimes you can slip up and gain a lot of weight overnight (once shot up 8lbs because of a cheat day). Many people on low-carb make claims that they don't need to calorie count on low-carb, but I will call total bull**** on that. Counting calories will get you the results you want, no matter what diet. If you don't you could easily resume unhealthy past eating habits when you are through sticking to a specific diet. It's by no means a cut-and-dry diet. There's a lot of unexplainables that have occurred in my time with it, so there are obstacles to overcome.
All of this being said, I would easily recommend and help anyone who wants to try low-carb. It's helped me out a lot with my weight, and I don't regret it for a minute. I strongly encourage anyone to try it.0 -
I have been following my doctor supervised program and I am starting to feel great. I
this whole low carb thing! 0 -
Me!!0
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So a lot of people are saying they did low or no carb and lost a load of weight.....and then put it all back on .....and now want to do it again.
This is a vicious circle.
Can you honestly eat 'low' (however low you choose i do not know) carb for the rest of your life...?
I am being cautious of carbs - less bread and potatoes but things like rice and pasta will always be in my life!!
I think Low Carb is the only plan that gets so much blame for weight gain when people STOP following the plan. It's actually funny to me. When someone stops doing Weight Watchers and regains weight, no one places the blame on the Weight Watchers program - because their gain came when they didn't follow the program. Why is Low Carb judged differently?
I'm 14 months into low carb (specifically keto -- low carb, high fat, moderate protein), and I feel very comfortable with this as a lifestyle. Rice and Pasta have never had much interest for me - eating ribeye, bacon, butter and heavy cream more than makes up for that.
I do believe that in the end, calories are what's important in the equation. However, I think that hormones have tremendous influence on how the metabolism operates. And what we eat, influences those hormones, and therefore influences the metabolism. The "Calories Out" part of the equation is not a fixed constant, but is a variable that is influenced by those hormones. If your hormones are in balance, then focusing purely on calories makes sense. For others, reducing carbs will bring hormones back into balance.
I also find that being a low carb / high fat diet naturally regulates my appetite. I'm not plagued by constant hunger (and trying / failing to resist snacking) like I was when I followed a low fat diet. So yes, ultimately I believe that lower calories has been how I've lost weight, but my ability to stick with this is because I am satiated and less likely to eat more when I follow low carb / high fat.
OP - there are some great LC / keto groups here on MFP to provide support that you won't find on the main forums. Good luck on your journey.0 -
A caloric surplus makes you gain weight... Excess carbs increase insulin, insulin increases fat storage/decrease fat utilizationPlease add me, I have just been reading about carbs and how the wrong kind can make us fat and unhealthy!
I would think there needs to be a balance?
A caloric surplus makes us fat.
Are you saying protein does not increase insulin?0 -
A caloric surplus makes you gain weight... Excess carbs increase insulin, insulin increases fat storage/decrease fat utilizationPlease add me, I have just been reading about carbs and how the wrong kind can make us fat and unhealthy!
I would think there needs to be a balance?
A caloric surplus makes us fat.
Protein is highly insulinogenic...0 -
So a lot of people are saying they did low or no carb and lost a load of weight.....and then put it all back on .....and now want to do it again.
This is a vicious circle.
Can you honestly eat 'low' (however low you choose i do not know) carb for the rest of your life...?
I am being cautious of carbs - less bread and potatoes but things like rice and pasta will always be in my life!!
I think Low Carb is the only plan that gets so much blame for weight gain when people STOP following the plan. It's actually funny to me. When someone stops doing Weight Watchers and regains weight, no one places the blame on the Weight Watchers program - because their gain came when they didn't follow the program. Why is Low Carb judged differently?
Because it's easier to "fall off the wagon" when you restrict entire food groups, or label foods as good or bad. It's true that no matter what you do, quitting anything will cause regain but I personally found low carb to be too hard to stick to and say with certainty "I'll do if for life"0 -
I just got done doing low-carb (Keto) for about 10 months. It wasn't a difficult diet if you eat at home a lot. Me being me I was all about eating nothing but meat, cheese, and some veggies.
A lot of the issues I came across were social settings and going to eat with friends. Taking the stuff out of a meal that is hi-carb is sometimes difficult and can complicate what you want to order to eat. Most of the time, you can be accommodated though. As a social drinker too, you can get away with drinking diet mixers + liquor.
I will say this for sure, sticking with it requires preparation, dedication, and A LOT of discipline. There are ups and downs to it. You'll lose weight fast and easily, however sometimes you can slip up and gain a lot of weight overnight (once shot up 8lbs because of a cheat day). Many people on low-carb make claims that they don't need to calorie count on low-carb, but I will call total bull**** on that. Counting calories will get you the results you want, no matter what diet. If you don't you could easily resume unhealthy past eating habits when you are through sticking to a specific diet. It's by no means a cut-and-dry diet. There's a lot of unexplainables that have occurred in my time with it, so there are obstacles to overcome.
All of this being said, I would easily recommend and help anyone who wants to try low-carb. It's helped me out a lot with my weight, and I don't regret it for a minute. I strongly encourage anyone to try it.
This.
Low carb is great but eventually you still need to count calories, whether you do a carb restricted diet or not.
Burn fat or burn carbs for fuel will get you the same results when done properly.
I totally agree that some of us ARE carb sensitive and have issues eating any grains or sugars and they will cause weight gain even in moderation.
Low carb does not give you the ability to eat zero carb foods endlessly, but I find that if comparing equal calories of fat vs. equal calories of carbs, the fat will keep you satisfied longer .0 -
A caloric surplus makes you gain weight... Excess carbs increase insulin, insulin increases fat storage/decrease fat utilizationPlease add me, I have just been reading about carbs and how the wrong kind can make us fat and unhealthy!
I would think there needs to be a balance?
A caloric surplus makes us fat.
Excess as against what? Also, what about excess protein? What does that do?0 -
No0
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How "low" on carbs are you aiming? I lost 30 lbs on diabetic, carb-limited diet. It was not as restrictive as Adkins or other LC diets, but definitely made a big difference for me. My goal is 30-45 carbs per meal, and 15 per snacks, but no more than 165 per day.0
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Some may find this debate very informative. Just make sure you watch the whole thing.
Alan Aragon and Jeff Volek discuss low-carbohydrate diets for athletes.
http://www.nsca.com/Videos/Conference_Lectures/Low-Carbohydrate_Diets_for_Athletes/0 -
Right in it, keto that is, goes fantastic, feeling fine, don't miss the carbs... Maybe it needs discipline in the beginning, but once you're used to it there is not much more effort you have to put into it then any other diet...0
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I lost a lot of weight before and kept it off for 5 years with low carb diet. then started eating sugar and all the bad stuff and gained weight in the last 6 years. need to lose it all. Now trying to cut back on sugar and the "bad" carbs. I'd like to join this group and see how much I can lose.0
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Definitely joining - I only seem to lose when I do low carb!! Thanks for the group!!0
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If I was saying anything about protein I would have mentioned protein.
A caloric surplus makes you gain weight... Excess carbs increase insulin, insulin increases fat storage/decrease fat utilizationPlease add me, I have just been reading about carbs and how the wrong kind can make us fat and unhealthy!
I would think there needs to be a balance?
A caloric surplus makes us fat.
Are you saying protein does not increase insulin?
But in terms of most low carb/keto plans moderate protein is stressed, with fat making up the greatest portion of calories by far.
Are you saying that if I eat a surplus of calories, where the majority of my intake comes from fat. I will not store fat?0 -
Derp in this thread have reached critical levels. Immediate evacuation is advised.0
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My diet is 50% carbs daily, ive lost 10% bodyfat in 6 months and 30% bodyfat in 11...
So I'll keep doing what im doing even though its not "the best"0 -
i was on low carb for 8 years...wasted my life !!! went from 218lbs to 101lbs...now i am at 160lbs...my insides changed. never never will i do that to myself again.
I posted earlier and this post made n=by this nice lady speakes eons ?
I used tro as in 30 + years ago Body build and since knowledge has changed a full 180* she stated her body changed ? As with myself this does happen with age and will happen to every one that is why blood work and knowing how to read it makes so much sense ! I have BW done every 3 mths and I am in the normal catogory every where except my kidneys and a little high there due to Opiates from a sever traua of being ran over by a truch and told I would never walk again well I ride a MTB 20 miles a day !
At age 54 I am on about 3000 calories a day , I eat every 3 hours , my biggest and heaviest carb meal is my am meal. My soal is a healthyone and from what I have read many people of this forum are of the opinion that when you loose weight you have reached your gaol and through ? Nothing could be further from the truth !
By the way thr obsession of loosing weight is a sickness and treated by Dr to save many peopls lives so have the proper mind set !
Your goal any and everyone's should be FAT loose and not WEIGHT loose the low carb or smart food diet is a life style change and yes if you stop the fat will return
WHY ? Because you never loose fat from your body short of liposuction ! You get all of the fat cells your body will ever have a keep when in the womb and during pubirity ! You will never loose these fat ceels you only shrink their size through exercise and healthy life styl ! That makes for a very simple and healthy food ingestion system and no calorie counting is needed when you are living a healty life style you need a garm of protien daily for every lb you weight or you will loose muscle and store fat so you need the protein and exercise to be healthy when you exercise you burn energy which is fat or carbs ! I eat 3000 calories a day give or take and I have lost a steady 60 lbs of fat over the past year and added about 20 lbs of muscle and I have made a healthy life style change ! At 54 I do not plan to go back to junk food , canned food or processed food , and yes I am human this Thanks Giving and Christmas I will cheat and eat a few simple carbs and I will gain an increase in the size of my fat ceels but with in 1 mth I will be right back under control and at my balanced endo system weight !
So for everyone ungup on weight loose and calorie counting you will loose weight and you will be a yo-yo chanpion you will fall off the wagon and gain it back and become depressed !
So why not be healthy study a lot don't take so mch from just this forum as fact read others and your own self health and wel being is your responsibility ! Make a healthy life style change and if what half the people on the forum state is a fact then I am a liar and ai will put my pic beside theirs any day and compare ! Skinny is not healthy healthy is lean and low BF% and weight is of no concern it is how you look in the mirror because muscle weights more than fat and according to the sick skinny people on this forum and my Dr who can't even read my BW I am obese ! 6 ft and 220 lbs ?
Look at my avatar and tell me that man is obese ! I am now gaining muscle and loosing fat slower so I am going to cut calories to 2500 a day and keep same macros ! I weight more now that I did in my avatar and I have dropp 2 inches more in my waist by looseing fat and mataing muscle ! If you loose 10 lbs a mth for 3 mths you are not loosing fat you are loosing muscle and holding fat so get off the weight loose tread mill and be healthy for life !
This ladies statement makes me sad I know many women 5 10 at the dym and they weight as much as 145 and 150 lbs and they are sexy hard bodies and not muscle freaks they are sexy pretty women and yes they date men !0 -
Derp in this thread have reached critical levels. Immediate evacuation is advised.
Agreed, the derp in this thread is terrifying!0
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