to carb or not to carb.....that is the question!

veracruz

I am re-vamping lifestyle choices and in doing online research, I have come across many conflicting articles about carbs. Some say carbs are vital to weight loss success and some say that you should highly-limit the amount of carbs you eat. What have you found works for you?

jillmarie125

It really is all about calories in vs calories out. For me- if i lower my carb count which naturally ups my protein and fat I feel better. Its easier for me to stay under my calorie goal that way. I am eating food that keep me fuller longer. So the best thing to do is find out what your calorie intake should be and play around with your macros.

dbmata

I'm going to be eating the **** outta some pop tarts tomorrow... but then again, I'm going to be hiking through snow with a 45# pack for about 5 hours, followed by another few hours of work.

ktsmom430

ALL things in moderation, including carbs.

Miamiuu

I'm doing 30 day low carb at 30 grams a day. You will definitely lose weight on it. Low carbing makes it easier to create a defecit because you feel fuller. Best thing to do is try it out. Sorry meant edit not report

melaniecheeks

Carb sensitivity varies greatly from person to person. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Ash7303

I'm sold on it. This has been the easiest thing I've tried and finally making progress. Going low carb and putting the body into ketosis is working magic for me. I think for short term, it is great to lose fat fast, but I will not be doing this long term. I don't want a heart attack with all the fat I'm eating. Over 14 days averaging 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs (<20g) (not to mention very low or no sugar and drink tons of water). Calories average 1,000-1,500. I have not exercised one day yet, but I'll work that in next. So doing just that as my daily diet for 14 days and no exercise I've dropped 13.4lbs. Started at 234 and aiming for 200. FYI, I'm 6'2" male, and from what I heard, easier for the guys to drop the weight vs ladies, but I think it'd certainly be worth the try.

Sawjer

Just make it good carbs and have a healthy ration of proteins/fats in your diet and stick to your calorie limit Good luck!

zombilishious

A proper cut/diet requires restricting the amount of carbs you take in. Any overdose of carbs is stored as fat . Carbs cause insulin spikes which increases sugar cravings, so you want to eat even more carbs. Plus, it lets your body produce more cortisol, which burns your fat and protein...

joan23_us

I am re-vamping lifestyle choices and in doing online research, I have come across many conflicting articles about carbs. Some say carbs are vital to weight loss success and some say that you should highly-limit the amount of carbs you eat. What have you found works for you?

please read this thread... it will open your mind

http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

and i quote " Well The Diet Should Have Three Main Goals:

Spare as much muscle mass as possible.
Lose as much fat as possible.
Not cause the person to lose intensity in the weight room. "

and this:

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have probably gotten the worst reputation of the macronutrients due to the ketogenic dieting rave. Ketogenic dieting refers to reducing carbohydrate intake to practically nothing, while simultaneously raising fat and protein intake. With little glucose for the brain to utilize for energy, the body will begin producing ketones. Ketones are by-products of fat oxidation and the brain can use ketones for energy. This does indeed have a potent fat burning effect, as insulin levels will be severely reduced due to lack of carbohydrate intake. Low insulin levels correlate with high rates of fat oxidation. Indeed, the ketogenic diet may be the single best way to lose the maximum amount of body fat in the shortest amount of time. However, if you will quickly refer to our goals during a pre contest diet you will notice that maintaining muscle is number one on our list, with fat loss second. If one has not properly scheduled enough time to lose body fat and they are in need of drastic measures, then using a ketogenic diet may be their only choice in order to become contest-ready in time. Unfortunately, they will not maintain an optimum amount of muscle mass.

final note: fatloss is a journey and you want an approach that will be sustainable in the long term... so in my humble opinion tapering carbs slowly is the best way as it will be more flexible and sustainable long term.

aeb09

I've been doing keto as well (as described by Ash7303) for a few weeks and feel great. It's a lifestyle change for me, not a diet. I am keeping under 18g total carbs a day; although that was hard when I first started (actually harder to get my fat intake high enough than to keep the carbs down) I really enjoy it and do not feel like I am depriving myself. I have PCOS which includes insulin resistance, so it's necessary for me to be strict about this and to not eat "moderate carbs" like your average person just looking to lose weight.

With that said, many people are very successful by reducing carbs to a reasonable amount, hitting macro goals and creating a calorie deficit. You may not find the perfect plan that works for you right away, and that's okay. There's a learning curve with healthy eating and, in time, you'll figure out what your body reacts to best. It's okay to move from one thing to the next, but be sure to give your body time to adjust (a few weeks) before trying something else!

minky_r

I had been low carbing for about 10 years. Lost over 100lbs. I maintained for about 7 years and then the weight just kept creeping up...I am now on calorie count. I feel amazing!! yes the weight loss has been very slow because my body is still adjusting. I didn't know it at the time, but I was in a high protein, high fat, low carb prison. Yes you will get fast results. You will not be able to maintain a single pound lost, unless you make this your lifestyle....please note these opinions come only from my experience. If you are doing this short term, my advise to you is go ahead lower the carbs, higher the protein. Please make sure the fats are the good fats. When the 30 days are up however, if you plan to abruptly stop, you will be disappointed. Good lucky on your journey

macchiatto

I tend to have a hard time losing weight unless I go lower-carb. I am currently trying to see if aiming for around 100 gm/day will work for me, which I don't think is technically considered "low carb." But I have PCOS and apparently insulin resistance and was previously prediabetic so YMMV. (Those conditions are relatively common though, so those on here who make it sound like it's rare for someone to actually need to go lower-carb may be a bit misleading.)

tennisdude2004

I have found limiting carbs to about 100g for me had worked well.

MistressPi

Low carb works for me. I feel great when I keep carbs around 30 to 40 g per day, spreading those carbs throughout the day.

The demographics of patrons who use this website are heavily skewed towards a low-fat diet, though, so don't be surprised if you get a raft of responses from people who can't understand why anyone would want to cut the carbs.

kuolo

A proper cut/diet requires restricting the amount of carbs you take in. Any overdose of carbs is stored as fat . Carbs cause insulin spikes which increases sugar cravings, so you want to eat even more carbs. Plus, it lets your body produce more cortisol, which burns your fat and protein...

Umm eating high carb lowers cortisol not the other way round.

OP it's a personal choice. Personally I can't tolerate eating very low carb (depression, insomnia, never satiated, stomach pains, low energy) and lose weight fine with carbs. But I know a lot of people like it. So only you can find out if it works for you.
Having said that almost all of my carbs come from legumes and vegetables, so I'm not eating ultra high/simple carb either. (I don't eat bread or pasta anyway.)
Different people have different ideas about what low carb means, too. Find what works for you.

ETA: after quick scan of my food diary I seem to eat about 120g a day.

JoRocka

A proper cut/diet requires restricting the amount of carbs you take in. Any overdose of carbs is stored as fat . Carbs cause insulin spikes which increases sugar cravings, so you want to eat even more carbs. Plus, it lets your body produce more cortisol, which burns your fat and protein...

any over dose of calories above maintance is stored fat.

The reason why people go to low carb while cutting is because carbs tend to be calorie dense- it's easier to eat more in the way of protein and fat and stay in or under your calorie goal.

that's it- there is no magic beyond the fact that you can eat 1500 calories of bread in one sitting- and it's much harder to eat 1500 calories of chicken and veggies in one sitting.

Carbs aren't bad.
Insulin spikes aren't bad outside of medical issues. That's how you build muscles.

It's a personal choice- I lower my carb intake while cutting because- as I mentioned it means I get to eat more. Otherwise- when I'm not cutting- I go ham with the carbs.

sijomial

The only limit I put on carbs was to stay under my calorie goal.
Just over 670g of carbs in a day was my highest while losing weight and it doesn't seem to have done me any harm.

Would suggest trying to keep your weight loss diet as similar as possible to what you plan your maintenance diet to be, if that's going to be low carb then go for it. If it's not then would I would say it's not the right choice for you.

kuolo

Would suggest trying to keep your weight loss diet as similar as possible to what you plan your maintenance diet to be, if that's going to be low carb then go for it. If it's not then would I would say it's not the right choice for you.

^^^ I think this is very good advice

LolBroScience

A proper cut/diet requires restricting the amount of carbs you take in. Any overdose of carbs is stored as fat . Carbs cause insulin spikes which increases sugar cravings, so you want to eat even more carbs. Plus, it lets your body produce more cortisol, which burns your fat and protein...

Strong spreading of misinformation...

Rocbola

I've had success in losing weight doing both low-carb and high carb, but i found that a high carb diet makes me feel a lot more energized, helps me recover faster and improves my stamina. It takes a little effort and knowledge to do a high carb diet right. The best high carb foods i've found through my experience are fruits.