Low carb, good or bad?

c1ove

Ok, so for a month and a half I was doing low carb/ketogenic diet. Below 50g. I am trying to lose weight. I also have type 1 diabetes and PCOS. I found that I didn't lose an ounce on this diet, but I reveiewed it and my calories were still high(as they say only worry about carbs, don't count calories). I did consider going lower calories with the same amount of carbs, but there was another issue for me. I lacked so much energy the whole time. As soon as I started below 50g my gym sessions decreased, my body ached continuously. I couldn't even walk most places without feeling so rubbish. Anyway, I nervously upped my carbs and lowered my calories. My question is - would I have felt better on lower calories and below 50g or would the fatigue still be an issue? Just asking from people's experiences of these diets. I know that I will undoubtedly lose weight with lower calorie, but the way I read the books was that lower calories doesn't work and that you shouldn't really worry too much about the calories. I mean I averaged 1650 with about 40g carb. The point is I know low calorie works but I didn't want to starve. Lol any help appreciated.
I have decided to up my carbs to under 100g. Not sure whether anything will work anymore without being hungry constantly.

Branstin

Since you are a diabetic with PCOS, you really should be working with a qualified dietitian to create a weight loss plan that works with your medication. It is going to take some trials and errors to get the correct combination of medication and food.

terbusha

The problem with very low carb diets is that your energy goes way down, like you experienced. Also, they are totally not sustainable. I lost my 64 lbs by eating 30-40% carbs in my diet 135-200 g/day. Lower carb diets help you to lose weight, but you need a certain amount to fuel you for the day. I'd be happy to help you get set up if you have more questions.

Allan

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

I live a low carb life style, I felt sluggish for first 6 weeks, it was worse in the beginning but once my body adjusted in 6 weeks, I never felt more energetic. I lost 10 inches in 3 months and reduced my body fat from 34% to around 15% in 6-7 months. I ran 5 half marathons in 35 days, finished 3rd in one of the race. All my buddies who carb load can't keep up with my work outs nor recover as fast I do. With low carb, the initial period is tough but after that I had no problem maintaining the lifestyle. Now, regarding your Type 1 diabetes, I know few people who have lost more than 150 lbs but they do a TKD life style, its called targeted ketogenic diet.

leefashcroft

The problem with very low carb diets is that your energy goes way down, like you experienced. Also, they are totally not sustainable. I lost my 64 lbs by eating 30-40% carbs in my diet 135-200 g/day. Lower carb diets help you to lose weight, but you need a certain amount to fuel you for the day. I'd be happy to help you get set up if you have more questions.

Allan

Low carb eating is absolutely sustainable. The key is not to treat it like a fad diet. You have to take the proper steps and treat it like a new way of life. READ THE BOOK! That is the first thing one should do before embarking on a low carb diet.

The book will teach you thoroughly the correct methods. Gradually you can increase healthy carbs until you maintain a healthy weight.

Energy will deplete only in the first few days if you are correctly following the plan. For the first two weeks 20g per day is allowed. Eat plenty of fresh veggies and protein. After the first week or so, your energy levels will increase.

The question needs to be asked also: exactly what carbs are you eating each day to amount to your 50g's?

You need to be eating the correct type of carbs. Too many people will eat nothing but meat until the evening and then indulge of a sugary treat amounting to 50 carbs. This will make you feel like crap. ALL carbs must come from veggies in the first couple of weeks.

Almost EVERY study conducted on low carb eating related to diabetes has resulted in the eating plan working wonders for diabetic sufferers. In some cases it has helped completely eradicate the disease.

Research correctly, read the book, consult your doctor and follow the plan to the letter. You will do great!

Iwishyouwell

I low carbed off and on for years. Loved it. It helped me in the following ways:

- Lose weight without counting calories.
- Eat more vegetables than I ever did before.
- Enjoy a wide variety of foods that I find delicious, but that don't tempt me to overeat.
- Kick my bread/pasta/cereal/pizza/chip/fries habits permanently. (Seriously I still enjoy all those, but I almost never crave them).

I took to low carb VERY well. Yes it was draining initially but once adapted, my energy was high and steady.

The biggest downside to low carbing, for me, is that I have a sweet tooth that I have no interest in kicking. I never planned to do low carb as a permanent state, simply because I always planned to eventually find a way to integrate cookies, ice cream, and cake into my eating style. While low carb eliminated my cravings for those trigger foods as long as I completely avoided them, I tend to overeat and pig out on sweets whenever I did let them back in.

These days I do more intuitive eating combined with IFing to lose, and will to maintain (yet even the first 30-40 lbs of this journey was lost low carbing, and I maintained that loss for over a year and a half before losing the rest). However my many years of low carbing are so instilled in me that, purely by choice, about 80% of my diet consists of protein, healthy fats, vegetables, moderate fruit and some dairy. That's just the way I love to eat now and it feels completely natural. I have sweets semi-regularly and still eat those to my heart's content, just less often. Breads, pizza, pasta, fries, etc still taste good to me, but again, low carbing killed my cravings for those foods. I can have a couple dynamite slices of pizza and have no desire for pizza for another 2 years (this is actually my factual experience). I can count on less than two hands how many times a year I eat bread.

I will always be grateful for what the years of low carbing taught me. Changed my life, no joke.

_Zardoz_

Ok, so for a month and a half I was doing low carb/ketogenic diet. Below 50g. I am trying to lose weight. I also have type 1 diabetes and PCOS. I found that I didn't lose an ounce on this diet, but I reveiewed it and my calories were still high(as they say only worry about carbs, don't count calories). I did consider going lower calories with the same amount of carbs, but there was another issue for me. I lacked so much energy the whole time. As soon as I started below 50g my gym sessions decreased, my body ached continuously. I couldn't even walk most places without feeling so rubbish. Anyway, I nervously upped my carbs and lowered my calories. My question is - would I have felt better on lower calories and below 50g or would the fatigue still be an issue? Just asking from people's experiences of these diets. I know that I will undoubtedly lose weight with lower calorie, but the way I read the books was that lower calories doesn't work and that you shouldn't really worry too much about the calories. I mean I averaged 1650 with about 40g carb. The point is I know low calorie works but I didn't want to starve. Lol any help appreciated.
I have decided to up my carbs to under 100g. Not sure whether anything will work anymore without being hungry constantly.

As you have some medical issues effecting weight and weightloss how about talking to your Doctor and getting them to refer you to a Registered Dietitian who will be able to help you tailor a more specific plan taking into account medical issues. It may be better than the trial and error approach you seem to be taking at present.

Good luck

sfbaumgarten

Since you are a diabetic with PCOS, you really should be working with a qualified dietitian to create a weight loss plan that works with your medication. It is going to take some trials and errors to get the correct combination of medication and food.

This!

Mykaelous

I try to eat around 100g of carbs a day(I tend to be around 150g a day) and have the majority of them come from vegetables.

Like others have said, someone in your position should consult a dietitian.

jasati

Take note of what the earlier correspondents say about a low carb lifestyle. It can take up to 6 weeks to go through the 'lacking energy' phase. Even on low carb no two individuals are the same so it is finding the balance that works for you. The impact of a low carb intake on both weight loss and diabetes is well proven and yes it is necessary to find recipes that are maintainable, have the nutrients and leaving you feeling satiated. Take note that low carb does not mean higher protein as a replacement, depending on activity levels the protein needs to be about 1 - 1.5 gram per lb lean body weight per day, the additional intake of food needs to come from good quality fats. Attention still needs to be given to calorie intake so be realistic about what your daily goal is and see the process as a long term lifestyle choice & not as a diet. If it is any help there are well written/researched books on the pro's & cons of a low carb lifestyle its impact on health & well being & diabetes. Names which come to mind are Geoff Volek/Steve Phinney & Joseph Arcita.
I hope some of this information will be of help to you.

c1ove

I have an extremely bad sweet tooth.
I was sticking below 50g carbs, but most days this 50g would contain 2tsp sugar in a tea. I know that's probably wrong, but I thought as it was included in my allowance it would be ok. I was also having 150g butternut squash as I was getting fed up with just salad. It was extremely difficult to stick to the 20g carbs
Hmm, I know that my calories weren't being kept to so I'm not surprised about the lack of weight loss, it was more the low energy that is bothering me as I love going to the gym and walking my dogs daily.

terbusha

Low carb eating is absolutely sustainable. The key is not to treat it like a fad diet. You have to take the proper steps and treat it like a new way of life. READ THE BOOK! That is the first thing one should do before embarking on a low carb diet.

The book will teach you thoroughly the correct methods. Gradually you can increase healthy carbs until you maintain a healthy weight.

Energy will deplete only in the first few days if you are correctly following the plan. For the first two weeks 20g per day is allowed. Eat plenty of fresh veggies and protein. After the first week or so, your energy levels will increase.

The question needs to be asked also: exactly what carbs are you eating each day to amount to your 50g's?

You need to be eating the correct type of carbs. Too many people will eat nothing but meat until the evening and then indulge of a sugary treat amounting to 50 carbs. This will make you feel like crap. ALL carbs must come from veggies in the first couple of weeks.

Almost EVERY study conducted on low carb eating related to diabetes has resulted in the eating plan working wonders for diabetic sufferers. In some cases it has helped completely eradicate the disease.

Research correctly, read the book, consult your doctor and follow the plan to the letter. You will do great!

When I say very low carb diets are not sustainable, I'm talking about when I see people eating 10g of carbs/day. Having 30-40% carbs in your diet is much easier to do while you're losing weight. I was on that type of diet plan for 8 months while I lost my weight. Eventually though, the goal is to reach your goal and get to your maintenance and then maximize your metabolism.

I lost my weight at 1800-2000 calories/day at 50/30/20 (p/c/f) to 40/40/20. Now I've gotten my metabolism up to the point where I can lose weight at 2400 cal/day at 30/50/20. When you're maintaining, there is no need to 40-50% protein in your diet. You only need so much for normal amino acid metabolism. Your main source of energy comes from carbs and lesser extent from healthy fats.

There is just no need to go down to ~10% carbs. You can lose with 30-40%, and it'll be a much easier path.