How have I only just realised how great low-carb is?!

Mr_Bad_Example

Who couldn't love this lifestyle?!

Me.

I'm prefer a balanced diet myself. But I'm weird like that.

Kat5343

It really gets irritating when I hear people refer to low-carb as a fad diet... low-carb is not a diet.. it is a way of life. My doctor recommended it to me when I was diagnosed with PCOS.. then about 2 years later I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Literally, low-carb is the ONLY way I have been able to lose weight.

Really, the only thing I miss is potatoes and sometimes a dinner roll or a breadstick.. but allowing myself a meal with a potato or a roll will not make or break my goals. The beauty about the low-carb lifestyle is if you fail, start right back tomorrow..

Good luck!

_Zardoz_

I have been dieting and detoxing and praying and starving and binge eating for about 8 years now.. And I have just come to the realisation that low-carb is absolutely heaven-sent. I don't know why I have over-looked this so much in the past! I can eat MAYONNAISE! What diet lets you eat mayonnaise? It started off as Paleo but I found it was way too expensive for me, and it seemed crazy trying to buy separate food for me and my daughter. I have saved £13 this week on groceries by going low-carb, and I have lost 2.3 KG / 5.07 LBS in just one week! Okay I know most of that is water but seriously I'm on such a high! I even ate Doritos and still managed to lose weight. I'm eating between 40-50g of carbs a day just to lose weight, and then when I hit my target, I can up that to 150g for maintenance, which is a ton of food. I can mix my diet up so much too with this which is what I like about it. I am eating tons of meat, vegetables, fruits, high-fat dairy etc. and the best part is I can "cheat" and not put on weight, I'm even baking a caramel chocolate cake with low-carbs! Who couldn't love this lifestyle?!

Just wanted to show my low-carb appreciation!! (Also I'm looking for new friends please, I didn't log on for a really long time and I seem to lost most of mine :sad: )

So you've been jumping from fad to fad for 8 years. So now why do you think the outcome of this fad will be any different?

I really wish you luck with this but after hanging around on MFP for 18 months I've seen stories like yours too many times. Good luck and if you would just like to eat a normal balanced diet i'll give you a link you could look at

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

Hornsby

I'm glad that you found a diet that creates a calorie deficit for you. Good luck moving forward

It's definitely not for everyone (I am one that would not love that diet *and I eat mayonnaise all the time), but I definitely believe in the mantra "whatever floats your boat".

abear007

Just wanted to show my low-carb appreciation!! (Also I'm looking for new friends please, I didn't log on for a really long time and I seem to lost most of mine :sad: )

The important thing is, finding what WORKS FOR YOU and what you can stick with, long term, because that's what it's going to take - lots of time and patience. "CICO" is a mind-numbingly trivial observation. Losing weight is about HOW you as an individual can actually get to expending more calories than you take in and if low-carb is how you can do it, then that's fantastic.

Mr_Bad_Example

"CICO" is a mind-numbingly trivial observation. Losing weight is about HOW you as an individual can actually get to expending more calories than you take in and if low-carb is how you can do it, then that's fantastic.

So trivial, and yet it works too.

Raaynn

Who couldn't love this lifestyle?!

Me.

I'm prefer a balanced diet myself. But I'm weird like that.

Well , since everyones body is different everyones balance is different. my body cant handle grains of any kind. my bloodsugar stays extremely elevated for 3 hours which leads to vision changes and other systemic issues. Balanced for me is no grains and lower sugar. there is no real "balanced" diet. there is only what works for you. if you take two women and feed them both a "balanced slice of pizza" veggies cheese sauce crust, you've got a usda balanced diet right there. one might gain 5 lbs over a month and the other might gain nothing. people who lead relatively sedentary lifestyles do not need 300 g of carbs like the stupid worthless usda says they do. carb consumption is why our nation is so fat. if we ate one meal a day like the Chinese the high carbs would be fine, but we eat 3 and snacks which is and has been a disaster for the past 10-15 years. kids are fat and growing wider at an alarming rate because they don't get out to play like they used to. their diets have not gotten worse, its the fact that they don't need those extra carbs anymore.

abear007

So trivial, and yet it works too.

Which is also trivial because it doesn't say anything useful in regards to "how" - which when it comes to people is what actually trying to loose excess weight is about - the how.

Raaynn

I have been dieting and detoxing and praying and starving and binge eating for about 8 years now.. And I have just come to the realisation that low-carb is absolutely heaven-sent. I don't know why I have over-looked this so much in the past! I can eat MAYONNAISE! What diet lets you eat mayonnaise? It started off as Paleo but I found it was way too expensive for me, and it seemed crazy trying to buy separate food for me and my daughter. I have saved £13 this week on groceries by going low-carb, and I have lost 2.3 KG / 5.07 LBS in just one week! Okay I know most of that is water but seriously I'm on such a high! I even ate Doritos and still managed to lose weight. I'm eating between 40-50g of carbs a day just to lose weight, and then when I hit my target, I can up that to 150g for maintenance, which is a ton of food. I can mix my diet up so much too with this which is what I like about it. I am eating tons of meat, vegetables, fruits, high-fat dairy etc. and the best part is I can "cheat" and not put on weight, I'm even baking a caramel chocolate cake with low-carbs! Who couldn't love this lifestyle?!

Just wanted to show my low-carb appreciation!! (Also I'm looking for new friends please, I didn't log on for a really long time and I seem to lost most of mine :sad: )

Unfortunately, my guess is that you will be skipping from diet to diet until you really do take the time to get the CICO figured out. The only thing special about low carb is that it lowers the number of calories going in (just like any other diet). That's it. Nothing more exciting about it than that.

The truth medicine to lose and maintain is found here:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

Calories in vs. calories out trumps all "fad" diets.

really? last time I checked doctors were putting people on diets to regulate their blood sugars. people digest grains differently and that is a genetic factor you are ignoring. you can take two people with the same bmi, height , weight and have them eat the same diet and one will lose and one will gain. the same activities ect......... a lower carb diet is a balanced diet for many people. we have gigantic kids and they all have one thing in common..... massive carb consumption, not Fat, CARB consumption. we are the only "sedentary" country that recommends 250-300 g carbs a day. The Chinese as a whole tend to eat once, maybe twice a day. they burn what they eat and that's why high carbs are ok for them. we eat and eat and eat and eat some more. we do it because we are constantly hungry and food is always within our reach. Carbs are the culprit and study after study after study is proving it. many people eat so much in the way of carbs they would need to run a 5k everyday to break even calorie wise without being hungry. people need to stop looking at the fat content and more at the carbs.

Fallen8905

Can I just agree that low carb isn't a fad diet! I have pcos and I am on low carb and now its a way of life for me. I consider diets that you replace meals with silly milkshakes as fad diets because u going to live on shakes all your life... Nope so not a a sustainable lifestyle change x

Bukawww

CICO is an awfully simplistic approach to a very complex subject. Bottom line CICO works. However, taking into consideration the variety of personal experiences where low-carb has *saved peoples lives*, it's awfully critical of you to dismiss OP's discovery.
When I low carb I experience a significant decrease in mood swings, hunger pangs and obsessive thoughts because my body doesn't like the blood-sugar roller coaster eating too many carbs has to offer.

Good for you, OP, for finding something that works for you!!!

Unfortunately, my guess is that you will be skipping from diet to diet until you really do take the time to get the CICO figured out. The only thing special about low carb is that it lowers the number of calories going in (just like any other diet). That's it. Nothing more exciting about it than that.

The truth medicine to lose and maintain is found here:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

Calories in vs. calories out trumps all "fad" diets.

*like* - there is plenty of science behind low carb helping those with any variety of insulin sensitivity issues (which a lot of overweight people probably have). Yes, at the end of the day CICO is key, but insulin spikes can also be a separate key for some.

Bukawww

Can I just agree that low carb isn't a fad diet! I have pcos and I am on low carb and now its a way of life for me. I consider diets that you replace meals with silly milkshakes as fad diets because u going to live on shakes all your life... Nope so not a a sustainable lifestyle change x

And I'll just respectfully disagree with 'silly shakes for the rest of your life'. A lot of people incorporate a daily smoothie/shake into their lifelong diets. In fact, for me, it is a way for me to get all of the things I don't enjoy eating but know are good for my health into a tasty treat.

I think there is room for both silly shakes AND low carb in a lifelong eating plan

abear007

Can I just agree that low carb isn't a fad diet! I have pcos and I am on low carb and now its a way of life for me. I consider diets that you replace meals with silly milkshakes as fad diets because u going to live on shakes all your life... Nope so not a a sustainable lifestyle change x

Some people like to put others down, poo-poo on their success, or pretend that there's a one size fits method for how to loose weight - and in the diet world calling the other persons' method a "fad" seems to be the favored way to berate others.

Hornsby

I have been dieting and detoxing and praying and starving and binge eating for about 8 years now.. And I have just come to the realisation that low-carb is absolutely heaven-sent. I don't know why I have over-looked this so much in the past! I can eat MAYONNAISE! What diet lets you eat mayonnaise? It started off as Paleo but I found it was way too expensive for me, and it seemed crazy trying to buy separate food for me and my daughter. I have saved £13 this week on groceries by going low-carb, and I have lost 2.3 KG / 5.07 LBS in just one week! Okay I know most of that is water but seriously I'm on such a high! I even ate Doritos and still managed to lose weight. I'm eating between 40-50g of carbs a day just to lose weight, and then when I hit my target, I can up that to 150g for maintenance, which is a ton of food. I can mix my diet up so much too with this which is what I like about it. I am eating tons of meat, vegetables, fruits, high-fat dairy etc. and the best part is I can "cheat" and not put on weight, I'm even baking a caramel chocolate cake with low-carbs! Who couldn't love this lifestyle?!

Just wanted to show my low-carb appreciation!! (Also I'm looking for new friends please, I didn't log on for a really long time and I seem to lost most of mine :sad: )

Unfortunately, my guess is that you will be skipping from diet to diet until you really do take the time to get the CICO figured out. The only thing special about low carb is that it lowers the number of calories going in (just like any other diet). That's it. Nothing more exciting about it than that.

The truth medicine to lose and maintain is found here:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

Calories in vs. calories out trumps all "fad" diets.

really? last time I checked doctors were putting people on diets to regulate their blood sugars. people digest grains differently and that is a genetic factor you are ignoring. you can take two people with the same bmi, height , weight and have them eat the same diet and one will lose and one will gain. the same activities ect......... a lower carb diet is a balanced diet for many people. we have gigantic kids and they all have one thing in common..... massive carb consumption, not Fat, CARB consumption. we are the only "sedentary" country that recommends 250-300 g carbs a day. The Chinese as a whole tend to eat once, maybe twice a day. they burn what they eat and that's why high carbs are ok for them. we eat and eat and eat and eat some more. we do it because we are constantly hungry and food is always within our reach. Carbs are the culprit and study after study after study is proving it. many people eat so much in the way of carbs they would need to run a 5k everyday to break even calorie wise without being hungry. people need to stop looking at the fat content and more at the carbs.

They have one other thing in common. They are eating more than they burn. You kinda pointed that out with your Chinese comparison.

parkscs

I have been dieting and detoxing and praying and starving and binge eating for about 8 years now.. And I have just come to the realisation that low-carb is absolutely heaven-sent. I don't know why I have over-looked this so much in the past! I can eat MAYONNAISE! What diet lets you eat mayonnaise? It started off as Paleo but I found it was way too expensive for me, and it seemed crazy trying to buy separate food for me and my daughter. I have saved £13 this week on groceries by going low-carb, and I have lost 2.3 KG / 5.07 LBS in just one week! Okay I know most of that is water but seriously I'm on such a high! I even ate Doritos and still managed to lose weight. I'm eating between 40-50g of carbs a day just to lose weight, and then when I hit my target, I can up that to 150g for maintenance, which is a ton of food. I can mix my diet up so much too with this which is what I like about it. I am eating tons of meat, vegetables, fruits, high-fat dairy etc. and the best part is I can "cheat" and not put on weight, I'm even baking a caramel chocolate cake with low-carbs! Who couldn't love this lifestyle?!

Just wanted to show my low-carb appreciation!! (Also I'm looking for new friends please, I didn't log on for a really long time and I seem to lost most of mine :sad: )

Unfortunately, my guess is that you will be skipping from diet to diet until you really do take the time to get the CICO figured out. The only thing special about low carb is that it lowers the number of calories going in (just like any other diet). That's it. Nothing more exciting about it than that.

The truth medicine to lose and maintain is found here:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

Calories in vs. calories out trumps all "fad" diets.

really? last time I checked doctors were putting people on diets to regulate their blood sugars. people digest grains differently and that is a genetic factor you are ignoring. you can take two people with the same bmi, height , weight and have them eat the same diet and one will lose and one will gain. the same activities ect......... a lower carb diet is a balanced diet for many people. we have gigantic kids and they all have one thing in common..... massive carb consumption, not Fat, CARB consumption. we are the only "sedentary" country that recommends 250-300 g carbs a day. The Chinese as a whole tend to eat once, maybe twice a day. they burn what they eat and that's why high carbs are ok for them. we eat and eat and eat and eat some more. we do it because we are constantly hungry and food is always within our reach. Carbs are the culprit and study after study after study is proving it. many people eat so much in the way of carbs they would need to run a 5k everyday to break even calorie wise without being hungry. people need to stop looking at the fat content and more at the carbs.

They have one other thing in common. They are eating more than they burn. You kinda pointed that out with your Chinese comparison.

Yeah, not sure what the point of all that is other than they "burn what they eat" and thus don't store the fat. Even if you're sedentary, you can get by with eating 250-300g of carbs provided your calories aren't excessive. Now if you eat and eat and eat some more with a high carb intake, you may want to alter the types of carbs you're eating or just reduce them altogether... but I still wouldn't say carbs are the culprit, a big appetite and lack of willpower are the culprit. If weight loss is your goal, do what works best to achieve a deficit.

derekj222

I recently started a low carb, low fat, low protein diet...i'm also losing weight very quickly....sorry to say, this is a recipe for disaster.

icrushit

I recently started a low carb, low fat, low protein diet...i'm also losing weight very quickly....sorry to say, this is a recipe for disaster.

Yes, I can see why - you're starving yourself! At least that's what low carb, low protein and low fat in conjunction equate to. You need an adequate amount of protein from dietary sources, as well as energy in the form of either carbs or fat, or a combination of both. I would recommend doing some basic nutritional/ dietary homework before you do some serious damage with such a deprivation diet.

If you do opt for a more typical low carb diet, which tends to involve a moderate protein intake and high fat intake, you can expect to lose some weight quickly at the start, as by reducing your carbs, your body depletes its glycogen stores (internal carb energy reserve, effectively) and thus your body sheds the water those glycogen stores would have the body hang onto. Depending on your carb intake before low-carbing, and also your sodium intake, water weight losses up to 6/ 7 lbs can be quite normal in the first few weeks.

SonicDeathMonkey80

I recently started a low carb, low fat, low protein diet...i'm also losing weight very quickly....sorry to say, this is a recipe for disaster.

Oooh are you doing Detox Water too?

TheBrolympus

I recently started a low carb, low fat, low protein diet...i'm also losing weight very quickly....sorry to say, this is a recipe for disaster.

Oooh are you doing Detox Water too?

The apple diet is better.

itsthehumidity

No one will read this or listen to me but unless you have professional medical direction to do so, restricting one particular macronutrient (e.g. a low carb or low fat diet) is not a balanced or sustainable way to improve your body composition.

The way to lose fat is to burn more calories than you consume. That's it. If you only start losing weight after embarking upon the low carb path, it's because that's the first approach you've tried that reduced your calories consumed. You could do the same thing with a low protein or low fat diet.

With a low carb diet you'll have low energy levels, and your weight will drop deceptively fast at first as you deplete your muscles' reserves of glycogen and lose water. You will then find that you only lose weight at a rate depending on how much of a caloric deficit you have.

The reason many people think low fat and/or low carb diets are the key to losing weight is because most foods with carbohydrates and fat taste very good, and are easy to eat a lot of, and too much of, pulling you into caloric surplus territory. But, with even less discipline than is required for a low carb diet you can have a balanced diet and still lose weight.

Best of luck to you.