Can I lose weight without going low carb?

tennisdude2004

After my husband was told by his doctor to get his carbs to 100grams a day, he lost weight. I believe it was 20 pounds over a six month period(give or take). He also exercised, so I am sure that helped.

But, to answer your question, I think you can loose weight without going low carb.

your husband lost weight because he was eating fewer calories. the carb restriction was a caloric restriction.

After giving your comment so thought and given the fact that I am stubborn, I do not agree with your statement. He didn't reduce his caloric intake. He was eating protein enriched foods which did not equal FEWER calories. He found a good balance between what the dr wanted and not feeling hungry all the time.

that's fine that you disagree with my statement, it doesn't mean you're right. You can't argue against calorie deficit = weight loss. There are a hundred thousand ways to approach that equation. Carb reduction is one of them.

was your husband logging his calories? No? Well, most likely case was that he was eating at a deficit. Problem solved.

Assumptions on here run amok. To answer your question he was logging his calories. Are you saying that foods rich in protein and low in carbs are low in calories as well?

you can almost hear the point whooshing over your head.

he was at a caloric deficit. He was eating less than his TDEE. That's how he lost the weight.

I heard the whoosh all the way over here. :smokin:

I concede!I know not what I speak of! Sorry that I even said anything about my husband and his loosing weight doing low carb. I should know better!I will not speak on this topic again until I am as well versed and educated as the rest of you.

Just to add a point to this disagreement, the initial statement that her husband did not reduce the calories he was eating (nor increase) by changing to low carb and went on to lose weight, might very well be correct. It was mentioned that the husband was embarking on exersice (which would have created the calorie deficit).

So it is likely you are both correct.

Also the doctor may have suggested going low carb for health reasons. I think every one would be wise to give up sugar and grain for a 30 day period. I bet a lot (not all and maybe not even a majority) would see improved health.????

No change in health then get them back in your diet.

But to answer the op question you can lose weight eating whatever food you like as long as you are in a calorie deficit.

marinashakeel

yes you most definitely can! i lost 28 pounds by eating whatever i want to but in moderation.. like i would first use to eat 2scoops of icecream and i cut it down to one scoop .. i ate bread everyday white bread.. i cannot giveup on it nor i can cut it down.. i eat rice almost every other day.. just eat in moderation.. u will yourself realize when you are eating too much.. consistency is the key!! this is what i have learned in my journey so far! plus what i personally think is if somebody goes on a low carb diet they cannot stay at it forever.. they are very likely to binge in three days.. three months.. three years whenever and the weight will just crawl back on.. its better to lose weight with carbs so the binging never happens

Tangosgrandad

Having read virtually all of this thread (and it took a bloody long time), it seems that the general opinion is that you will lose weight by using a calorie deficit. This seems entirely logical to me. However, there seems to be some truth in the good versus bad carbs idea. I dont mean that bad carbs will prevent weight loss, what I mean is that eating some carbs can be beneficial over others. White bread, for example, contain carbs fibre etc, and are a source of energy, but wholegrain breads are broken down more slowly by your body and will release energy more slowly over a given period of time and therefore will fuel your body at a more steady rate. This will really help when working out and will prevent energy spikes. So yeah, bad carbs wont stop weight loss, but 'good' carbs will help with hunger pangs and energy spikes/dips. The main thing though, is calories in / calories out.

snowflake954

bump

florentinovillaro

From personal experience, I've tried both. Calories in, calories out versus low carb. As soon as I switched from 200 + grams of carbs down to 50 grams per day, it was almost day and night. IMO of course.

florentinovillaro

Don't be afraid to try low calorie - it comes off slower than low carb, but it stays off!

it's irrelevant what you eat as long as you're at a deficit of calories....whether you eat carbs or not shouldn't have any effect on how fast or slow the weight comes off. The less you eat of whatever, the faster it will come off....of course there comes a point where that's unhealthy.

I've tried both, the low carb method is definitely RELEVANT. With respect to the amount of weight you lost, you could have done it SOONER had you done the low carb route.

steffiejoe

Yes you can lose weight without doing low carb. For me personally I just find the weight melts off a lot easier when I lower my carb intake.

resistance_freak

Absolutely you can lose weight without "going low carb"

As others have stated, as long as you create a calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn) you will lose weight. Period.

There are MANY other factors that affect how quickly this happens, and 100% of the people on these forums do not completely understand all of these factors. Clearly by using that number I am including myself.

But you don't have to know very much about how the body processes food to know how to lose weight. As long as you understand that if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. This works for everyone. You cannot break the laws of science (physics) just by changing the ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins you eat.

Murphy0126

Don't be afraid to try low calorie - it comes off slower than low carb, but it stays off!

it's irrelevant what you eat as long as you're at a deficit of calories....whether you eat carbs or not shouldn't have any effect on how fast or slow the weight comes off. The less you eat of whatever, the faster it will come off....of course there comes a point where that's unhealthy.

I've tried both, the low carb method is definitely RELEVANT. With respect to the amount of weight you lost, you could have done it SOONER had you done the low carb route.

Please provide reference to the medical journal you are referring to when you state that it can be done sooner with low carb. It helps when we have actual research to go on, instead of ramblings from low carb fanatics.

OP, some days I get 150 grams of carbs, and others I get 300 grams. I've been at this for 66 days as of today, and look at my ticker. Carbs are not the enemy regardless of what anyone tries to make you believe.

Choosing nutrient dense foods that aren't overly processed (whole/natural are best), and eating those foods at a calorie deficit is ALL that is required to lose weight.

Rob

Velum_cado

Yes.

GlitterrMagpie

I love carbs, my weightloss is all while eating plenty of carbs but maintaining a calorie defecit.

pepperpat64

bump

tennisdude2004

Don't be afraid to try low calorie - it comes off slower than low carb, but it stays off!

it's irrelevant what you eat as long as you're at a deficit of calories....whether you eat carbs or not shouldn't have any effect on how fast or slow the weight comes off. The less you eat of whatever, the faster it will come off....of course there comes a point where that's unhealthy.

I've tried both, the low carb method is definitely RELEVANT. With respect to the amount of weight you lost, you could have done it SOONER had you done the low carb route.

Please provide reference to the medical journal you are referring to when you state that it can be done sooner with low carb. It helps when we have actual research to go on, instead of ramblings from low carb fanatics.

OP, some days I get 150 grams of carbs, and others I get 300 grams. I've been at this for 66 days as of today, and look at my ticker. Carbs are not the enemy regardless of what anyone tries to make you believe.

Choosing nutrient dense foods that aren't overly processed (whole/natural are best), and eating those foods at a calorie deficit is ALL that is required to lose weight.

Rob

The poster who put made this statement doesn't need to supply a medical journal studies.

In fact he is the study, from what I read from his statement his conclusion was based on a study of 1 (himself). He tried both methods and this have him the quicker and better result.

That's good enough for me.

yarwell

Please provide reference to the medical journal you are referring to when you state that it can be done sooner with low carb. It helps when we have actual research to go on

here's something for you to find holes in, despite having asked for it :-

"Subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet had lost more weight than subjects on the conventional diet at 3 months (mean [±SD], –6.8±5.0 vs. –2.7±3.7 percent of body weight; P=0.001) and 6 months (–7.0±6.5 vs. –3.2±5.6 percent of body weight, P=0.02)"

I believe that addresses the question directly. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022207

There are over a dozen studies with similar outcomes, and none showing high carb/low fat is faster / more effective that I can recall.

In the above paper with declining compliance in the longer term the difference at 12 months was smaller (–4.4±6.7 vs. –2.5±6.3 percent of body weight, P=0.26) and both groups had regained. The long term analysis is weakened by the methodology - "In the analysis in which base-line values were carried forward in the case of missing values". More stuck to the low carb diet than the conventional.

yarwell

Choosing nutrient dense foods that aren't overly processed (whole/natural are best), and eating those foods at a calorie deficit is ALL that is required to lose weight.

Can you cite the medical journal which shows that you have to eat "nutrient dense foods that aren't overly processed (whole/natural are best)" in order to lose weight ?

I wouldn't bother looking, because there are tens of VLCD diet studies showing weight loss without such foods.