Low card diet help?

jonnythan

Have those 10 people displayed a track record of long-term success? Probably not.

Low carb is a pain in the butt that is tough to sustain long term.

I hear this so often, but it's really poor logic if you look at the numbers. If you want to go by the success rate, calorie counting and IIFYM are just as abysmal. If having a high rate of long-term failure is a valid criticism of a particular diet/way of eating, then everything is garbage because there's not a single diet out there that's close to having even a majority of people who try it and enjoy long-term success. Put another way, you're suggesting people shouldn't do a specific diet because it has a poor rate of long-term success and that they should instead follow another way of eating, but you're ignoring the fact that the vast majority of people who set out to lose weight fail in the long-term regardless of how they go about trying to lose weight. While you'll see success stories on this site for people who did IIFYM, that's simply anecdotal evidence and you have to realize there's an obvious bias towards IIFYM/basic calorie counting on this site. For that matter, you can find just as many success stories of people who follow other diets like Atkins and so on on sites with a bias towards those diets.

That said, I'll never say it's something everyone should try and certainly there are indicators that suggest a particular person is unlikely to have success on these diets.

I know a lot of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for years.

Virtually every single one of them did so through some variation of calorie counting and exercise.

I don't know of any fad diet adherents who have stuck to it for more than a couple of years, outside of a handful on MFP.

I'm suggesting that people shouldn't do a restrictive fad diet such as "low carb" because they're just setting themselves up for failure. Any diet that inherently discourages particular nutrients is a bad one.

michellewelch2010

Get the book the 17 day diet, starts low carb, low fat, high protien and then reintroduces healthy carbs. Teaches you to eat cleaner and accept a cheat day here and there. Good Luck!!

Agreed! The 17 day diet is a great "diet" that will leave you feeling full and will eliminate carb cravings.

tennisdude2004

I have a terrible eating habit and I have tried other diets with no success and I have had a bout 10 people tell me they are doing the low carb diet. So.. I thought I would give it a try and see if that would help me and as far as the low carb/high fat I am not quite sure I am trying to research the diet to see what I need to be focused on doing since I have never done this before.

Have those 10 people displayed a track record of long-term success? Probably not.

Low carb is a pain in the butt that is tough to sustain long term.

32lb lost eating low carb high fat - plus not having to calorie count.

tennisdude2004

Have those 10 people displayed a track record of long-term success? Probably not.

Low carb is a pain in the butt that is tough to sustain long term.

I hear this so often, but it's really poor logic if you look at the numbers. If you want to go by the success rate, calorie counting and IIFYM are just as abysmal. If having a high rate of long-term failure is a valid criticism of a particular diet/way of eating, then everything is garbage because there's not a single diet out there that's close to having even a majority of people who try it and enjoy long-term success. Put another way, you're suggesting people shouldn't do a specific diet because it has a poor rate of long-term success and that they should instead follow another way of eating, but you're ignoring the fact that the vast majority of people who set out to lose weight fail in the long-term regardless of how they go about trying to lose weight. While you'll see success stories on this site for people who did IIFYM, that's simply anecdotal evidence and you have to realize there's an obvious bias towards IIFYM/basic calorie counting on this site. For that matter, you can find just as many success stories of people who follow other diets like Atkins and so on on sites with a bias towards those diets.

That said, I'll never say it's something everyone should try and certainly there are indicators that suggest a particular person is unlikely to have success on these diets.

I know a lot of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for years.

Virtually every single one of them did so through some variation of calorie counting and exercise.

I don't know of any fad diet adherents who have stuck to it for more than a couple of years, outside of a handful on MFP.

I'm suggesting that people shouldn't do a restrictive fad diet such as "low carb" because they're just setting themselves up for failure. Any diet that inherently discourages particular nutrients is a bad one.

Not understanding how macronutrients effect your hormones and body functions overall are what set most peoples diets up for a fall.

100 to a 150g of carbs are more than enough for a healthy balanced diet.

Also I think every diet works through calorie deficit and exercise ( who's disputing that)?

The only choice people on calorie deficit diets have is where they want to lose the weight from.

My personal view is most people don't know or care (hmmm dangerous to health or what)!

GiveMeCoffee

I have a terrible eating habit and I have tried other diets with no success and I have had a bout 10 people tell me they are doing the low carb diet. So.. I thought I would give it a try and see if that would help me and as far as the low carb/high fat I am not quite sure I am trying to research the diet to see what I need to be focused on doing since I have never done this before.

You've obviously tried many diets in the past and they don't work because they are restrictive. So, Instead of picking a new "diet" to try and follow. Go to the basics find out what your body is burning vs what you are consuming.

Figure out what a reasonable calorie deficit would be for you
Start logging all your food accurately and honestly

Repeat watch for trends and see if you need to tweak your numbers a bit.

Doesn't that sound much easier than I'm not eating this or that or the next thing.

Keep it Simple it WORKS!

parkscs

I'm suggesting that people shouldn't do a restrictive fad diet such as "low carb" because they're just setting themselves up for failure. Any diet that inherently discourages particular nutrients is a bad one.

And I'm suggesting there's no statistical or even logical basis for your claim that people are "setting themselves up for failure" by setting a particular macro to a relatively low level. Anecdotal evidence such as people you personally know who've lost weight says nothing about successful weight loss as a whole or a particular person's odds of long-term success. It's the same as me knowing many people who have cut to a single digit body fat percentage while following a low carb diet, maintaining or even increasing their strength while doing so, and have kept weight off for years; that I know these people says nothing about the overall odds of a person having "long term success" with weight loss.

And, as a practical matter, there's very little difference in what people do on a "low carb" diet and what people do on a 30/30/40 macro distribution. Many sites dedicated to these diets start people off with a macro calculator, which calculates a caloric deficit for them based on their weight and body fat percentage and gives them their target macros for fat/protein/carbs. In both cases, people are still tracking their calories, still weighing their food and still tracking their macros. It's essentially IIFYM, but these people simply have a lower carb macro and a higher fat macro than someone doing a 30/30/40 distribution. To that end, you could easily transition from one diet to the other by simply shifting macros around, while keeping your daily routine the same. The notion that one person is doomed to failure while the other has a great chance of success is unsupported by both the evidence and logic.

tennisdude2004

I'm suggesting that people shouldn't do a restrictive fad diet such as "low carb" because they're just setting themselves up for failure. Any diet that inherently discourages particular nutrients is a bad one.

And I'm suggesting there's no statistical or even logical basis for your claim that people are "setting themselves up for failure" by setting a particular macro to a relatively low level. Anecdotal evidence such as people you personally know who've lost weight says nothing about successful weight loss as a whole or a particular person's odds of long-term success. It's the same as me knowing many people who have cut to a single digit body fat percentage while following a low carb diet, maintaining or even increasing their strength while doing so, and have kept weight off for years; that I know these people says nothing about the overall odds of a person having "long term success" with weight loss.

And, as a practical matter, there's very little difference in what people do on a "low carb" diet and what people do on a 30/30/40 macro distribution. Many sites dedicated to these diets start people off with a macro calculator, which calculates a caloric deficit for them based on their weight and body fat percentage and gives them their target macros for fat/protein/carbs. In both cases, people are still tracking their calories, still weighing their food and still tracking their macros. It's essentially IIFYM, but these people simply have a lower carb macro and a higher fat macro than someone doing a 30/30/40 distribution. To that end, you could easily transition from one diet to the other by simply shifting macros around, while keeping your daily routine the same. The notion that one person is doomed to failure while the other has a great chance of success is unsupported by both the evidence and logic.

More power to your elbow!

cmriverside

More power to your elbow!

Is that some UK-ism? Since I see no reference to elbows anywhere in the thread.

:laugh:

tennisdude2004

More power to your elbow!

Is that some UK-ism? Since I see no reference to elbows anywhere in the thread.

:laugh:

Yep, it means 'well done and keep up your success' !

Benefitss

Ok here is my 2 cents on the subject. What I think you really want to watch is the "net carb" which is taking the total carb count and subtracting any fiber and sugar alchols. This will bring you to your net carbs. In the atkins approach, they want for you to reduce to 20 net carbs per day for 2 weeks in order to bring the body into a state of ketosis so that you body will start burning fat from stored sources. I think this is really hard to do and the minute you get a high carb food you mouth you only crave more very badly ad sets you up for failure. My suggessiton is to eat low carb higher quality/high protein foods such as cauliflower, spinich, dark leafy geens,grilled chicken, lowfat greek yogurt nuts are ok but don't go overboard they can cause gastritis which I am living thru and you don't want that. The shakes and protein bars are ok in moderation as they are high in fat but if you are really hungry and no time for a real meal it's ok to have one once in awhile. Don't become dependant on them and use them for your only food source. Keep track of the calories and fat content while doing low carb. You can change your food profile and track the items you want. I follow low carb higher quality foods and don't get the bad cravings anymore and once in a while if I have a sugary treat I know it is just that a treat.

Benefitss

I forgot to add that exercise is key here too. You must get some sort of regular exercise as well. I love to walk everyday and try to get some strength training in at least 3 times a week. No diet works without some form of helping your body with exercise.

scottYBRIDGEWATER

I dont do the Atkins plan. I do IF with low cal/carb high cal/carb cycling, HIT weight training, and moderate cardio. But I do use low cal/carb ingredients such a coconut oil, almond flour and unsweetened almond milk.


BTW the Atkins phase where you drop to under 25g of carbs is the Induction Phase that only lasts 2 weeks. Its not for the rest of your life! After that phase you begin cycling in more and more carbs. Eventually you can eat bread, pasta and desserts. Its a matter of your own maitenance or weight loss goals. Here is a US News breakdown on various diets/lifestyles:

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/atkins-diet

Shropshire1959

why.....
i mean if you wanna feel tired and grouchy all the time, have cravings and snap at people go for it but...
yeah

man your a supportive sole aren't you.

Bwhaaaaaa - my thoughts too.

3laine75

I will be starting a low carb diet tomorrow. I have never done this one before so I need ideas for meals/snacks to make that are not overly expensive! Thanks(:

Just make what you usually do but cut back the carbs e.g. I had steak, potato and salad for dinner last night - if I was going low carb, I'd've had a larger steak, no potato and would have been careful with the amount of tomato in the salad (I'd maybe add olive oil to the salad).

tennisdude2004

I will be starting a low carb diet tomorrow. I have never done this one before so I need ideas for meals/snacks to make that are not overly expensive! Thanks(:

Just make what you usually do but cut back the carbs e.g. I had steak, potato and salad for dinner last night - if I was going low carb, I'd've had a larger steak, no potato and would have been careful with the amount of tomato in the salad (I'd maybe add olive oil to the salad).

They gone!!!!

3laine75

Haha I do this all the time - in fairness, someone posted before me today - is no one else as bored as me at work?

sunnyskys2013

What are Slim Jims - man I'm missing out on some great sounding food. over here we have stuff like Spam.

Just meat snacks, like long, skinny sausages. Usually very salty, high in fat, and full of preservatives. I prefer to find ones that are higher in protein and lower in fat, but again, my protein macro requirements are MUCH higher than average and fat is lower.

so share your findings with us?

Aldis has some pretty good turkey sausage sticks they are about 3 in. long i think there are like 14 to a pack. When i am in town i buy them for the kids they eat them with string cheese. There are beef ones to but they taste fatty and not as good.

Harrisonsauntie2005

Drop the carbs and you'll be a happier person for it.

I didn't realise happiness was macro linked...

tennisdude2004

Haha I do this all the time - in fairness, someone posted before me today - is no one else as bored as me at work?

I was going to respond to this one earlier and just noticed in time. The other week I replied to a 4 year old zombie thread that someone resurrected. Lol

sunnyskys2013

why.....
i mean if you wanna feel tired and grouchy all the time, have cravings and snap at people go for it but...
yeah

Been low-carbing since July. I'm not tired, grouchy and I don't snap at people UNLESS they deserve it.

I agree with you the ups and downs i get from carbs (grains and sugars) make me grouchy and snappy. I feel so much better when i stick with low carb.