Why low carb didn't work for me

JaimieAG

I plateaued with calorie counting and decided to try something new. Kick it up a notch the last week and a half or so.

Things I liked about low carb:
1. Less sugar
2. Less white, processed, filler stuff. Like white potato, sugar, refined flour, etc.

Things I disliked (strongly) about low carb
1. Not being able to rely on a large variety of healthy foods to satisfy urges. I missed beans, nuts, sweet potatoes, bananas, fruits, etc. I can swap a sweet potato for white potato, I could make yonanas instead of ice cream. There is no such reprieve with low carb.
2. The physical and mental feeling of ketosis. Google nutritional ketosis. It's fascinating. Some people enjoy it. I was hoping to enjoy it. I hated it. It's the same kind of feeling I get when I dip below 1300 calories in a day for days on end. All I can think about is food. All I can dream about is food. I don't think, "I can eat as much as I want without counting calories." I kept thinking, 'I'd trade all this meat, cheese and lettuce for 1 single banana." Just like the extreme super low cal diets (which I've also done), the weight came back on like a freight train and it's 2x harder now not to drive that freight train home (nom nom nom).

Did it kick my weightloss up a notch? Yes.
Was it sustainable? Not in my opinion.

What was your experience?

FIT_Goat

A week and a half you say? Just long enough to be miserable. There's a reason they call induction the "keto-flu."

The first two weeks are rough. They are easily the hardest weeks. And, if you're an athlete, the first month and a half can be pretty demoralizing (until your performance returns). Once you're past the hump, that's when all the good stuff happens. This is one reason why the keto-cult tells people to not restrict calories at all during the first few weeks. You're already going to be uncomfortable while your body is making the switch, you don't need to be hungry on top of that.

The food restrictions are mentally tough, at first. That fades, too.

The main thing, in my opinion, is do what you want. If you have no compelling reason to get and stay in keto, don't bother.

crunchbones

I did a keto diet a while back, for about three months. I shed an additional 15lbs while on the diet, and it has stayed off, but I felt like garbage. Not just the keto flu, once that passed I just continually felt "nasty". Dirty, greasy, like I was dripping meat from every pore :P.

I still eat a high protein diet, but not one that's particularly carb restrictive. I just try to be careful about what carbs I am choosing.

Diets like that have their place, they seem to work very well for some. It did seem to kick me off of the plateau I was on, I've found that occasionally changing my eating habits will help kick start some more weight loss.

Booksandbeaches

You didn't do it long enough. The first two weeks are tough. It's a rough transition. Doing low-carb for two weeks and thinking that's what low carb is like is going on a trip from California to Hawaii but turning the plane around a quarter of the way through then thinking you know what Hawaii is like. It's not long enough to get the benefits from such a way of eating.

I've done a ketogenic diet for many months now. I feel good. I've lost weight. I jog. I do strenous exercise without any issues. My blood sugar is great. Overall, I've done very well going on a very low-carb diet.

_AshLynn

Ever thought about paleo? Its similar but probably more options for you to feel more satisfied

curlygirl513

I am high carb, vegan, no refined sugar, and whole foods. Not a big issue switching. Losing weight and feeling great. Cannot weight to see my new blood tests in a couple of months. I will post the results from this lifestyle. I love being able to eat fruit and carbs to my hearts content. Not that atkins and ketosis are not for other people. But there is nothing wrong with my way of eating and plenty right with it.

Meerataila

A week and a half you say? Just long enough to be miserable. There's a reason they call induction the "keto-flu."

The first two weeks are rough. They are easily the hardest weeks. And, if you're an athlete, the first month and a half can be pretty demoralizing (until your performance returns). Once you're past the hump, that's when all the good stuff happens. This is one reason why the keto-cult tells people to not restrict calories at all during the first few weeks. You're already going to be uncomfortable while your body is making the switch, you don't need to be hungry on top of that.

The food restrictions are mentally tough, at first. That fades, too.

The main thing, in my opinion, is do what you want. If you have no compelling reason to get and stay in keto, don't bother.

Indeed. You really need to commit for a month at minimum, especially if you're active to see how you'll really feel. It's the difference between in ketosis and keto adapted. However, if you really don't want to try it again and push through the initial period, there are other things you can try.

Things you liked about low carb:

1. Less sugar
2. Less white, processed, filler stuff. Like white potato, sugar, refined flour, etc.


If you like not eating those foods, you don't have to. Someone mentioned Paleo, which might fit the bill for you. Except fruit sugar (and today, when I really screwed up) I don't eat those things, and I'm vegan high carb (but not today, see the part where I said I screwed up).

daterminedfatburnerX

Ever thought about paleo? Its similar but probably more options for you to feel more satisfied

Agreed!!

JaimieAG

Thanks for all the helpful advice and suggestions. Paleo sounds like a good alternative. I'll do more research and try it out. Although, if two weeks is the tipping point maybe I just didn't hang in there long enough. After a week I figured surely I'd be over the carb flu by then. Props to everyone on their weight loss and dedication, especially the two few responders. I'm curious about the vegan posters. How did you start? What does your grocery cart look like at checkout? That kind of stuff. Thanks again and if there's more you want to say about low carb go for it because I still might try it again... in a few weeks or so.

al142

I have chronic migraine, so I tried the ketogenic diet as it is used for chronic migraine and children with intractable epilepsy. Not only was the migraine worse, but I generally felt like hell. I stayed on it for the two weeks to see if I would start to feel better, but I discontinued at that point because I just could not handle feeling that awful and having the migraine be that much worse. I am glad I tried it, and wish I could have tried it longer, but I won't do that to myself again. I still can't face eating some of the foods I ate during those two weeks because I was so horribly nauseated the whole time.

I did lose some weight (probably mostly from not eating enough because of the nausea) but it returned within a few days of stopping the ketogenic diet.

I think it's one of those things you have to try for yourself to see how you respond.

FIT_Goat

If you're going to try again, I would advise eating more protein at first than you'll eat later. Lyle McDonald recommends 150g / day regardless of lean body mass or exercise level until you've adapted. This reduces the loss of muscle mass. You should keep the net carbs very low (<25g), as you already know. And, at first you should eat very near to maintenance. Make sure to use the lite-salt with potassium and take a magnesium supplement. After you've done it a while, you don't really need to keep those up.

You mention avoiding nuts. There's little reason to avoid them. Most of them are perfectly fine in moderation. Careful with peanuts because they have more carbs than most. But, you can still have some. You can satisfy your fruit cravings with berries. Those tend to be lower carb. You can mash cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. You can make fake breads and a bunch of replica recipes from flax meal, almond flour, coconut flour, and other stuff. I am not a fan of most of them. And, none of them are perfect replacements. But, they can help with cravings.

If you have no reason not to, get acquainted with sugar-free sweeteners. I am a fan of the Torani sugar free syrups. They are great for adding a hint of sweetness and flavor to things.

After the first two weeks, you can drop the protein down to something more appropriate for your lean body mass. It will probably be around 90g or so. And, you can also drop the overall calories down to the deficit level you're comfortable with. Overall, this will mean just dropping a little bit of fat when you bring the protein down.

If you run, bike, or lift heavy... expect decreased performance for several weeks. You can still do those activities. Just expect less reps/weight, and less distance/speed until you fully adapt. After you adapt, you should be right back to your previous levels of performance.

Edit: But, I will repeat again. If the food restrictions are something you can't imagine living with, then keto might not be for you. There's nothing wrong with doing what works for you. I am shocked that I took to it, personally. I used to be a bread junkie myself. I made it at home (two loaves at a time and would eat a whole loaf a day). I make bagels, rolls, etc. That and rice. If you had told me that I could lose weight, but I would need to give up rice and bread, I wouldn't have done it. After a couple months, I realized that I didn't miss those things. But, I wouldn't have guessed it.

SherylShug

Wow, this really freaks me out because I have not even thought about "what diet" I might try - low carb, Weight Watchers, Atkins, whatever...so many out there and all say they are simple and easy.

Maybe I'll just stay where I am for now...

Although tomorrow is a pool party. Twice in the last 4 months I've gone to parties and been the biggest woman there.

Screw it, though, right? I love me. most of the time lol

hookilau

A week and a half you say? Just long enough to be miserable. There's a reason they call induction the "keto-flu."

The first two weeks are rough. They are easily the hardest weeks. And, if you're an athlete, the first month and a half can be pretty demoralizing (until your performance returns). Once you're past the hump, that's when all the good stuff happens. This is one reason why the keto-cult tells people to not restrict calories at all during the first few weeks. You're already going to be uncomfortable while your body is making the switch, you don't need to be hungry on top of that.

The food restrictions are mentally tough, at first. That fades, too.

The main thing, in my opinion, is do what you want. If you have no compelling reason to get and stay in keto, don't bother.

:drinker:

FIT_Goat

Wow, this really freaks me out because I have not even thought about "what diet" I might try - low carb, Weight Watchers, Atkins, whatever...so many out there and all say they are simple and easy.

Maybe I'll just stay where I am for now...

Every diet that says it is "easy" it probably lying to you. At least, no diet is easy all the time. And, simplicity varies between the two. Some are simpler than others.

For me, I find that very-low carb offers me the success I want with the least amount of suffering and misery. It does take some work, at first, to get into it and get past the transition phase. Other people like the option to eat anything they want. For them, Weight Watchers and calorie counting may be a better choice. If there was a way of losing weight that was really easy, no one would be overweight.

That said, this is not a reason to not start. Any plan is better than none.

Blackthorne99

Sheryl - When you are evaluating what types of changes to make, the first thing is to evaluate where you are. As you can see from my profile pic, I used to be a larger woman (size 26-28) and completely understand 'pool party hell'. The problem with Morbid Obesity is that - by definition - it means your weight is killing you. So staying where you are isn't really an option because you're already on a down-hill slope and your health will decline if you don't make changes.

But before you can make changes, you have to look at what you're currently doing. What types of foods are you eating? what are you doing RIGHT? How much water are you drinking? How much exercise are you getting? That's where MFP is a great place to start. Just track what you are doing right now and then look at your food and exercise diaries to see what types of changes you need to make.

What's ONE THING you can do today to help move you in the direction of health? Perhaps get more sleep? Perhaps have another 15-20 ounces of water? Is there some food that you eat often that you could drop from your routine?

One of the things I've noticed is that when I don't get enough sleep, I skip making breakfast at home. I still eat breakfast, but then I'm stuck with options made by other people which are higher carb, lower protein than what I would have made. When I do that *regularly*, I gain weight.

FairyPrincess2015

I tried it for weight manteinancem because I was really struggling. I didn't mind the keto flu and everything else that comes along with it. But I was gaining weight rapidly, whatever the reason, I'll never know, maybe labels aren't accurate about the amount of carbs. TMI I wasn't diggesting almonds nor a lot of the fat, probably because my body isn't used to having so much fat. But I did enjoy having eggs and lots of butter and coconut oil... and some pork ribs XD.

Now I have to lose the weight I GAINED on it before I attempt manteinance again. I was so happy to have reached my gw after so long. UGH.

icrushit

Can't add too much more to some of the advice here, but if you are interested in doing low carb again, my suggestion would be to do it gradually. Simply dial back the carbs to a level you're happy with. No diet is effortless, but with low carb, I find it easier to follow than other methods I've tried. Always remember there are three different approaches - high carb-low fat, moderate carb-moderate fat, and low carb-high fat, just pick the one that works best for you

Frank_Just_Frank

Well the good part is you found a low carb that works for you. Sweet potatoes and such are nutritious, I wouldn't see a reason to skip them either.

w734q672

Paleo is amazing:happy:

hookilau

Can't add too much more to some of the advice here, but if you are interested in doing low carb again, my suggestion would be to do it gradually. Simply dial back the carbs to a level you're happy with. No diet is effortless, but with low carb, I find it easier to follow than other methods I've tried. Always remember there are three different approaches - high carb-low fat, moderate carb-moderate fat, and low carb-high fat, just pick the one that works best for you

very good advice

Francl27

All I can think of is that it must be a real pain to go out to eat with friends or family when you have such a diet. It just doesn't sound sustainable to me.

icrushit

All I can think of is that it must be a real pain to go out to eat with friends or family when you have such a diet. It just doesn't sound sustainable to me.

I suppose it depends on where you're eating out. I can only think of fast food places being difficult myself, off the top of my head.

FIT_Goat

All I can think of is that it must be a real pain to go out to eat with friends or family when you have such a diet. It just doesn't sound sustainable to me.

I eat out all the time. It isn't really a problem. Almost every place will sub a veggie for fries. Even fast food isn't bad. You just don't get fries and don't eat the buns.

Even places like Olive Garden have things I can eat.

elisa123gal

Do what you can do for a lifetime. period.

My husband does Adkins/low carb. It works for him, because he can't control his portions and his favorite foods are low carb.

I love my carbs and much rather have a well balanced diet where nothing is off limits. I can lose on restrictive diets but gain it all back because my nature is to enjoy all foods..and that is never going to change.

If I were you…i'd try other strateties to break through your plateau. Flex your calories… eat more for a few weeks..then dial back…exercise less or more. that kind of thing.

kuntinsaigars

That word "Diet' how i hate it....one lesson is learned , i am just making calories defecite , and its works fine for me and still i eat ice cream and chocolate