Low Carb or No Carb … pros and cons of either?

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  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    Not really, though. I mean, the whole point isn't just to lose weight, but to do so in a sustainable way so that you're not fat again in a year or five or ten. Do you plan to ALWAYS cut sugar and other simple carbs? Your whole life? Or would you rather learn to make peace with sugar and eat sugary treats in reasonable moderation within your caloric budget?
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
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    Low carb is fine. Some carbs have a lot of calories so it's kind of good to stay away from certain carbs (i.e. white bread) to be able to get proper nutrition and still stay under your calorie goal. You don't want to overdo it on carbs and not be able to meet your other goals without going over your calorie goal and losing your deficit.

    No carb is a bad idea and a lot of people got sick when they tried those diets. I think a huge red flag was when they said they couldn't eat an apple because the apple has carbs. People who didn't get sick still lost weight, but it is super easy to gain it back quickly (and more!) when you end the no carb diet. Basically, no carb is not a sustainable diet. You need to choose a diet you can stick to even when you hit your goal weight and go into body sculpting or maintenance mode. Weight loss is important but maintaining a healthy lifestyle is even more important.
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
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    All those big fat Asians and their carby white rice carbs!!!

    ....and noodles and dumplings, egg rolls, wontons and pot stickers....Yum, I wonder why Asians have such a slim population ( must be hard to follow adkins on their diet) and diabetes isn't a crisis in the community. Now tomorrow will be blown to hell, because I will sleep thinking about all these wonderful options.

    OP stop demonizing any food unless you have a medical condition. Deprivation of pleasure is not a noble trait and one humans fail at more often than succeed. Moderation is key and also weight loss is basic math.....calories consumed - calories burned = either a surplus, deficient or a zero is maintenance. Nutrition is a separate subject to weight loss.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it everyone hahaha probably should have mentioned maybe I meant the simple carbs I should be cutting out all together right? ( white bread, white rice,pasta etc.)

    http://evidencemag.com/why-calories-count/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6H2edyPLU8&list=WL36825C9108E5F7AF

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/research-review-the-dirt-on-clean-eating-written-by-nutrition-expert-alan-aragon.html

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-science-of-nutrition-is-a-carb-a-carb.html
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    You're going to get a lot of "calories in, calories burned" types of replies.

    Personally, I cut out foods with either refined carbs or added sugar, as I found I was hungry soon after eating these foods. I do, however, still get about 50% of my calories from carbs, coming from whole grains, fruits, vegs & beans. The difference for me is the higher fiber content of these foods, helping me to stay full longer, so that I don't get hungry ... thereby staying at/under my calorie goals.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    I've lost 53 lbs eating bagels, rice, ice cream, pizza, fast food, food...more food. I didn't eliminate anything. Did I make conscious decisions to pick more nutrient dense foods to meet my nutritional needs? Sure. Did I sometimes eat less of the tasty foods I enjoy? Sure. But I taught myself moderation and enjoyed myself along the way. Set myself up for after I reached my goal.

    If you can live the rest of your life happily eliminating something from your diet. Go for it. But I have no intention of giving up foods I love forever. I'd rather balance them into my day and live happily ever with my Talenti pint ;P
  • vvancol_rose
    vvancol_rose Posts: 30 Member
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    Not really, though. I mean, the whole point isn't just to lose weight, but to do so in a sustainable way so that you're not fat again in a year or five or ten. Do you plan to ALWAYS cut sugar? Your whole life? Or would you rather learn to make peace with sugar and eat sugary treats in reasonable moderation within your caloric budget?

    I do have sweets here and there but I wouldn't die if I cut them out all together. It's always been the salty snacks that have gotten me potato chips, dips those sorts of things which I've cut back on tremendously so I think I genuinely could cut out processed sugary sweets all together
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it everyone hahaha probably should have mentioned maybe I meant the simple carbs I should be cutting out all together right? ( white bread, white rice,pasta etc.)

    whaaaat....no carbs...low carbs...

    50.gif

    In all seriousness though, calorie counting/mfp etc isn't a case of just excluding foods until your weight has magically disappeared because what happens then? Have you set in place an eating and exercise regime that is so restrictive that you cannot continue this and carry on in maintenance of your weight? Are you saying goodbye to carbs forever?

    Try to set your eating patterns to suit your lifestyle and circumstances. Eat in a way that is sustainable after weightloss. Maintenance is still calorie counting but with a few more calories to spend so your food intake should be similiar sorts of foods but with varying amounts.

    A better way would be to educate yourself on what you can eat of certain foods and how much you should eat of certain foods - learn about portion sizes and don't look for the quick food fixes that leads to yo-yoing once you stop the diet of the day that you set for yourself.
  • vvancol_rose
    vvancol_rose Posts: 30 Member
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    I've lost 53 lbs eating bagels, rice, ice cream, pizza, fast food, food...more food. I didn't eliminate anything. Did I make conscious decisions to pick more nutrient dense foods to meet my nutritional needs? Sure. Did I sometimes eat less of the tasty foods I enjoy? Sure. But I taught myself moderation and enjoyed myself along the way. Set myself up for after I reached my goal.

    If you can live the rest of your life happily eliminating something from your diet. Go for it. But I have no intention of giving up foods I love forever. I'd rather balance them into my day and live happily ever with my Talenti pint ;P

    It sounds like you've got it all figured out! lol I just need to develop better self discipline in terms of the portion sizes when eating those types of foods
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    I've lost 53 lbs eating bagels, rice, ice cream, pizza, fast food, food...more food. I didn't eliminate anything. Did I make conscious decisions to pick more nutrient dense foods to meet my nutritional needs? Sure. Did I sometimes eat less of the tasty foods I enjoy? Sure. But I taught myself moderation and enjoyed myself along the way. Set myself up for after I reached my goal.

    If you can live the rest of your life happily eliminating something from your diet. Go for it. But I have no intention of giving up foods I love forever. I'd rather balance them into my day and live happily ever with my Talenti pint ;P

    It sounds like you've got it all figured out! lol I just need to develop better self discipline in terms of the portion sizes when eating those types of foods

    food scale.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    I've lost 53 lbs eating bagels, rice, ice cream, pizza, fast food, food...more food. I didn't eliminate anything. Did I make conscious decisions to pick more nutrient dense foods to meet my nutritional needs? Sure. Did I sometimes eat less of the tasty foods I enjoy? Sure. But I taught myself moderation and enjoyed myself along the way. Set myself up for after I reached my goal.

    If you can live the rest of your life happily eliminating something from your diet. Go for it. But I have no intention of giving up foods I love forever. I'd rather balance them into my day and live happily ever with my Talenti pint ;P

    It sounds like you've got it all figured out! lol I just need to develop better self discipline in terms of the portion sizes when eating those types of foods

    Yes, this!

    It's not a reasonable expectation that you should have to choose to give up foods that you love entirely, and never have them again for the rest of your life, or else be fat. Those are not fair choices. There's plenty of room to eat the stuff you want, within reason, within your caloric budget, and enjoy the heck out of it.
  • vvancol_rose
    vvancol_rose Posts: 30 Member
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    You're going to get a lot of "calories in, calories burned" types of replies.

    Personally, I cut out foods with either refined carbs or added sugar, as I found I was hungry soon after eating these foods. I do, however, still get about 50% of my calories from carbs, coming from whole grains, fruits, vegs & beans. The difference for me is the higher fiber content of these foods, helping me to stay full longer, so that I don't get hungry ... thereby staying at/under my calorie goals.

    yes! this is what I meant by my previous post but I guess I just didn't properly word what I was trying to say and what was kind of backed into a corner with my avoiding carbs statement I just meant cutting out simple carbs and processed . just wanted a confirmation that this type of diet/ lifestyle change was the way to go in terms of helping me achieve lasting results
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    You're going to get a lot of "calories in, calories burned" types of replies.

    Personally, I cut out foods with either refined carbs or added sugar, as I found I was hungry soon after eating these foods. I do, however, still get about 50% of my calories from carbs, coming from whole grains, fruits, vegs & beans. The difference for me is the higher fiber content of these foods, helping me to stay full longer, so that I don't get hungry ... thereby staying at/under my calorie goals.

    yes! this is what I meant by my previous post but I guess I just didn't properly word what I was trying to say and what was kind of backed into a corner with my avoiding carbs statement I just meant cutting out simple carbs and processed . just wanted a confirmation that this type of diet/ lifestyle change was the way to go in terms of helping me achieve lasting results

    There is no "Best". The bolded differs from person to person due to their ability to adhere to said "diet".
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    You're going to get a lot of "calories in, calories burned" types of replies.

    Personally, I cut out foods with either refined carbs or added sugar, as I found I was hungry soon after eating these foods. I do, however, still get about 50% of my calories from carbs, coming from whole grains, fruits, vegs & beans. The difference for me is the higher fiber content of these foods, helping me to stay full longer, so that I don't get hungry ... thereby staying at/under my calorie goals.

    yes! this is what I meant by my previous post but I guess I just didn't properly word what I was trying to say and what was kind of backed into a corner with my avoiding carbs statement I just meant cutting out simple carbs and processed . just wanted a confirmation that this type of diet/ lifestyle change was the way to go in terms of helping me achieve lasting results

    If you can do it forever, go for it. But is absolutely unnecessary.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    You're going to get a lot of "calories in, calories burned" types of replies.

    Personally, I cut out foods with either refined carbs or added sugar, as I found I was hungry soon after eating these foods. I do, however, still get about 50% of my calories from carbs, coming from whole grains, fruits, vegs & beans. The difference for me is the higher fiber content of these foods, helping me to stay full longer, so that I don't get hungry ... thereby staying at/under my calorie goals.

    yes! this is what I meant by my previous post but I guess I just didn't properly word what I was trying to say and what was kind of backed into a corner with my avoiding carbs statement I just meant cutting out simple carbs and processed . just wanted a confirmation that this type of diet/ lifestyle change was the way to go in terms of helping me achieve lasting results

    There is no "Best". The bolded differs from person to person due to their ability to adhere to said "diet".

    This is very important. Don't make any changes you won't continue with after your 'diet' is over.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    so Instead of ridiculing me with pointless a meme why not share some info that may be beneficial? I'm on this forum because I'm trying to learn if you have some advice you would like to share I'm ready to listen. I don't have the time for condescending remarks, comments or memes


    Ignore the nasties. They are literally everywhere here & will suck the very soul from your dead body.


    I'm not joking.... avoid.
  • vvancol_rose
    vvancol_rose Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and weigh 246 I'm looking to get down to 180 would a 2,000 calorie diet be right on target in terms of caloric intake I need to shoot for?
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    so Instead of ridiculing me with pointless a meme why not share some info that may be beneficial? I'm on this forum because I'm trying to learn if you have some advice you would like to share I'm ready to listen. I don't have the time for condescending remarks, comments or memes


    Ignore the nasties. They are literally everywhere here & will suck the very soul from your dead body.


    I'm not joking.... avoid.

    Mirror.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    Options
    You're going to get a lot of "calories in, calories burned" types of replies.

    Personally, I cut out foods with either refined carbs or added sugar, as I found I was hungry soon after eating these foods. I do, however, still get about 50% of my calories from carbs, coming from whole grains, fruits, vegs & beans. The difference for me is the higher fiber content of these foods, helping me to stay full longer, so that I don't get hungry ... thereby staying at/under my calorie goals.

    yes! this is what I meant by my previous post but I guess I just didn't properly word what I was trying to say and what was kind of backed into a corner with my avoiding carbs statement I just meant cutting out simple carbs and processed . just wanted a confirmation that this type of diet/ lifestyle change was the way to go in terms of helping me achieve lasting results

    If you can do it forever, go for it. But is absolutely unnecessary.

    As the person who wrote the first item in this set of quotes, I will add that after getting myself under control, I can now enjoy an occasional slice of pizza (even though made with white flour), or slice of cake (even though made with refined sugar). The difference for me, between now and 5 months ago is that I have mastered nutritional balance and portion control ... pizza before would have been half the pie; now it's one slice, accompanied by a bowl of salad. Cake before would have been a massive chunk; now it's a reasonable slice ... and in either case, it fits within my daily calorie and macro targets.

    Best of luck to you, OP.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    I'm 5'7" and weigh 246 I'm looking to get down to 180 would a 2,000 calorie diet be right on target in terms of caloric intake I need to shoot for?

    I suggest running your numbers through this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
    It was a big help to me in setting my targets.

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