LOW CARB DIET- effective??

athenadelta
athenadelta Posts: 9
in Food and Nutrition
Hello,

I was wondering whether low carb diets are effective for weight loss and muscle maintenance??
I will be alternating with my caloric intake for 20 days.

I am 18 yrs old, wanting to lose 4 kg in exactly 20 days. I will be cutting carbs, here is my 1100/day plan:

Breakfast: salad 50 cals
Lunch: salad 50 cals
Snack: yoghurt 100 cals, fruit 200 cals
Dinner: 500 cals protein, e.g. egg/salmon, 200 cals veges

500 cal/day plan:
Breakfast: salad 50 cals
Lunch: salad 50 cals
Snack: fruit 200 cals
Dinner: salad 200 cals

Please give me some advice on whether cutting carbs is effective?? Also, how do I keep from getting hungry? any foods which cure hunger, like green tea/sparkling water?

Will I lose 4 kgs in 20 days if I burn at least 500 cals a day?? but more some days
Thank you!!

Please don't say it's not good to starve yourself, I'm only doing this for 20 days :)

Replies

  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    500 calories a day is too low, in my opinion.

    Yes cutting carbs have proved to work for some people. (Many Atkins fans will tell you this, though I can say from personal experience, it's not easy to stick with. I lost about 20 lbs on Atkins years ago and I was miserable and I'll never do low-carb again.)

    But aren't you going to get sick of salad? Twice a day every day? You really can lose weight easily without cutting your calorie count that low.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    Wait what? You are planning to ate as low as 500 cals a day? Unless you are a little midget I must say that you are crazy. Yea, you will lose weighty like this but good luck not passing out on a street...

    Anyhow, yes low carb diets work for some. Personally I feel like **** on them. No energy at all. Plus if I would be in calorie deficit it would be even worse. As for actually losing weight, apart from water, I personally haven't noticed any difference as with normal diets.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    No
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    We older fatter people with a tendency to insulin resistance can find low carb diets beneficial, you might or might not.

    I didn't really understand your plan, which looked more like a modified Alternate Day Fasting protocol (ADF).

    Although you say "low carb" in my view a "salad" is the opposite as >70% of its calories are from carbs. So I am confused. Try to work At least 50 grams of protein (200 calories) in for a start.......
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member

    I am 18 yrs old, wanting to lose 4 kg in exactly 20 days.

    Why such a strict schedule? Weight loss is a journey that should be attained through a sustainable regimen.

    Your plan sounds very unsustainable, even if it's only for 20 days. Weight loss is not linear and you're basically setting yourself up for failure. What are you going to do when you're off this plan?
  • toddis
    toddis Posts: 941 Member
    Figure out how much protein and fat you need a day, then figure out how many calories you want a day and make up the difference in carbs.
    You are going to lose a lot of muscle mass on your planned regimen as it's rather low in protein and fat, you'll likely get ill.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    Yes, for some, it can be extremely effective. It has been for me off and on through the years. The leanest and most visibly muscular I've ever been in my life was when I first started strictly doing high fat/low carb. Didn't count nary a calorie, looked amazing, felt amazing, and eat plentifully.

    I still eat primarily low carb, it's just the way I enjoy eating and it feels great, but have just paired it with IFing and a lot more "indulge" days.

    But be warned; you really need to be serious about it, and stick to it pretty strictly. While some have had no problem making this a permanent way of life, others are unable to make it stick. It's absolutely the wrong kind of eating program if you're unable to stick with it and fall off the bandwagon a lot. If you're doing a lot of daily back and forth, it can very easy lead you down a path of way too many calories, and fast fat gain.

    Also remember that lower carb is not zero carb (though some do that). On a lower carb program I still eat far more vegetables and fruit than the average person.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    It's been incredibly effective for me. Feel free to message me.
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
    Any diet where you are in a caloric deficit is effective for weight loss. High protein diets are effective for muscle maintenance, whether you have low carbs or not. In fact, if you have low carbs your body will turn most of the protein into carbs, so you are better off keeping your carbs high too if you can. Also, if you are dropping your calories so low, you are going to burn of all your muscle no matter what you eat.
    Your meal plan is too low in calories, too low in macronutrients, and too low in micronutrients.
    You won't keep from getting hungry. You will be eating hardly anything. You will be hungry.
    To lose 3lbs a week like you want to you would have to be in a 1500 calorie deficit every day, which will make you feel like crap, and melt away all your muscle.
    Are you planning on putting it all back on once the twenty days are up?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I was wondering whether low carb diets are effective for weight loss and muscle maintenance??

    It's like anything else - do it right, count your calories, and it can be effective. Do it wrong, and over-eat, and it's not. If you don't do something strenuous with your body, you will lose LBM on low-carb, just as effectively as on not-low-carb.

    4kg in 20 days is basically a pound every two days. So a daily deficit of ~1800 calories. That is a very very large deficit...
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    in fact, if you have low carbs your body will turn most of the protein into carbs,


    Your body will convert a rather negligible amount of protein into glucose via gluconeogenesis while your body is in a ketogenic state, for the very few body functions that absolutely require glucose to function (such as part of the human brain). When on a low carb, high fat diet the vast majority of your energy will be fueled by ketones.

    It is absolutely false to say that it turns "most" protein into "carbs".
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    It depends on the size of the deficit, and activity level. The body can only generate energy from fat stores at a low rate - anything above that rate has to come from either ingested food or other internal stores, including protein. Since the OP is talking about both strenuous exercise (i.e., high instantaneous energy needs) and a large caloric deficit, it is near certain she will lose LBM.

    Either that, or her ability to exercise will collapse.

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