Low-Carb diets just don't work with me

kathrinnbauer

Hey!
I tried to lose weight several times with more or less success.
There is one thing I noticed: Despite the claims about Low-Carb diets resulting in higher weight loss and more or longer satiety, it is just the opposite with me: Besides the fact that I feel really really bad being on a Low-Carb diet, I also feel hungry all the time - and I get hungrier with every day that I don't eat carbs even if I ingest more calories. i just feel a terrible lack of energy and I am really really hungry (and I am speaking of hunger and not carvings). At first I thought it was because with the carbs I stopped eating fibers but then I found something that was basically pure fiber and it worked for a day and then I was hungry again until I ate half a sweet potato and the hunger was gone - for hours.
And independently of how many calories I consume, I found that I lose more weight if I eat carbs. It is as if my body shuts down without carbs.
Obviously I am not talking about sugar and white bread and stuff like that but about rather healthy carbs (although I don't know if for my body no carbs is really better than bad carbs). I am not saying that I want 60% of carbs in my diet but it shuold come at least close to 40% (and quite some good fat)
I really don't want any tipps about how to reduce carbs or why I should eat less carbs - I read about it, I tried it several times over short and long periods of time and my body just doesn't work like that and I won't change my opinion when it comes to that. I know what made me fat and I know low-carb won't make me slim - rather a healthy balanced diet.
What I want to know is: Is there anybody here who experienced the same thing? That even after getting used to a low-carb diet you keep feeling hungry without carbs and you lose more weight with more than say 35% carbs (consuming the same amount of calories)?

Lizzy622

I can't go below 45% with my carbs. I have to have my morning carbs or I have a terrible day.

TheVimFuego

I did it for 9 months or so having gone the whole ketogenic thing, initial progress was good but then my body adjusted and I realised that I didn't need to restrict anything.

Carbs don't make you fat, excess energy in does. It ain't all about insulin shuttling fat around.

Your body is telling you something and that is to eat a nutritious balanced diet and take some exercise.

Hit the deficit, get a fair chunk of protein but otherwise eat what you like and forget the complex rules is my advice. Obviously I am an expert.

carrieo888

My "magic" weightloss ratio is 50% carb/ 30% fat/ 20% protein. It's what works for me; but not for everyone :-)

msf74

How much exercise do you do or do you have a particularly active occupation?

sleepyjewelz

I felt pretty bad for awhile of not eating carbs. I mean at least a month. The same thing. Starving all the time. I was also light headed and nauseous. It just took adjusting to. I have also noticed that the less fat I am, the more carbs I need to eat. I can't even do super low at the weight I am now because I feel faint. It did work really well for me to lose weight though, once I got past that crap at the beginning. I would agree that a more balanced diet is better for you in the long term.

kjimmie4848

My carbs are set at 30%. I'm just subbing bad stuff for not so bad stuff. Beans instead of rice. Corn pasta instead of reg. pasta, Chia chips instead of potato, low carb flats or tortillas instead of bread, etc. I'm still eating carbs, just different, hopefully better. I haven't found myself hungrier, but I do get carb cravings and this is what I eat.

sussexbythesea

Yes me I eat l. Porridge every morning, crispbread at lunch and a complex carb for dinner. A carb less breakfast even if high in protein leaves me starving and with migraine mid morning. It has worked too even at 1200 cals for 5 months. Now maintainance supposedly but still losing some weeks too. Open diary if you Want to see.

gabbygirl78

I lost 85 lbs in 6 months with the low carb.... however.... I also lost my hair and had horrible head aches... passed out several times. The first time i cheated which was Christmas and my sister's sinful cookies ( dang cookies) I gained all plus more back. So not worth it to loose fast and then not be able to sustain the loss. I'm going slower with just doing the calorie deficit but I feel much better and this is something I feel like I can live by the rest of my life.

castlerobber

What I want to know is: Is there anybody here who experienced the same thing? That even after getting used to a low-carb diet you keep feeling hungry without carbs and you lose more weight with more than say 35% carbs (consuming the same amount of calories)?

No, not really. I'm a lot more satisfied with fewer carbs, though I find weight loss is better for me with around 20% carbs. I used to do better with 10%, but menopause has thrown things out of kilter.

If 35% is working for you, do it.

lisabinco

I need my carbs daily, too. I have been doing very well ignoring carb levels, eating as many fruits and vegetables as I want, as raw or steamed or in soups or whatever. I don't restrict them for the most part. I do restrict the starchier veggies like sweet potatoes and brown rice to a cup or so a day.
I also don't restrict beans of any kind. I find they satisfy well and are great in soups and salads and smoothies and for breakfast even.
I go for color: I rarely do white rice, white flour anything, white potatoes, fruit juices, that kind of stuff as I find it all burns too fast for me. I need my fiber and nutrients every day.
The only two items I watch carefully are fats and sodium. My body is a champion fat maker, and highly sensitive to sodium. No need for me to add to that if I can help it.
I just ignore what I know doesn't work for me. Do what works for you.

kramalicious

I just started working with a nutritionist and my plan is 40% carbs, and 30% each protein and fat. This is my first day on the plan. I had been eating more protein and less carbs.
When I had been on low carb diets in the past, they worked well, for a while. In my case, if I cut carbs to the bone I'll lose 5 lbs quickly, and continue losing, but when I started adding in more (bad) carbs, the weight would all come back on. I've tried it my way and that didn't work, so I will see what happens with the professional advice.
The Paleo diet appeals to me and so I will try to keep my carbs as clean ones and avoid the processed foods as much as possible. My experience has been that the cleaner I eat, the better I do with my weight loss. The key in all this is finding what works for YOU. Since we are all different, different things will work best for our individual body types.

bcattoes

I have never even tried a low carb diet because I know I would not stick to it. I focus on high fiber and let the rest of the carbs fall where they may. I've been doing this for decades without any health problems.

Our bodies are designed to use carbs as fuel. They are not our enemy.

RonnieLodge

Hey!
What I want to know is: Is there anybody here who experienced the same thing? That even after getting used to a low-carb diet you keep feeling hungry without carbs and you lose more weight with more than say 35% carbs (consuming the same amount of calories)?

I found it difficult trying to do low carb, low/moderate fat and high protein. With the low/moderate fat intake I felt tired, sluggish and deprived.

But low carb, moderate protein and high fat - that is pretty easy. I don't feel hungry and certainly not that ravenous hungry I would get after eating, say, an apple or pasta.

My macros are set at 70% fat, 20% protein, 10% carbs. I always try to go over on the fat.

kathrinnbauer

Interesting to see how different our bodies react.
But another thing came to my mind when I read the answers here: I really prefer eating carbs later during the day and not in the moring as they calm me down but they also make me a little bit tired.
Oh and I also found out that after a month or two with high protein I feel I lose energy.. as if my body had trouble digesting the energy. I really don't believe in Alkaline diets or the need to detox and stuff, but somehow my body can't handle that much protein over an extended period of time.