Anyone do low carb, but not necessarily Atkins?
X0LX0
Posts: 9
So I had a lot of success with a low carb diet before, and I fell off the wagon and gained a lot back. I sort of just wanted to introduce myself and hopefully find some friends who can relate to me. Like I said, I had a lot of success with low carb before, then I thought I could eat carbs again and i've honestly been in binge mode for the last year. I want to stick with this diet because it really did work for me before and I KNOW it works. It really helped me with cravings and with overall portion control and appetite. I did not/ nor plan on necessarily following Atkins, as I find it very restrictive and the high fat never really kept me full. So I really am going to just try to keep my carbs as low as I can and see what happens. My problem like I said before is that I have been binge eating for a year so I really need to kick this habit and get my body used to dealing with the urge to binge without actually giving into it. When I lost weight on low carb before I actually got down to a really unhealthy weight and lost my period and I think that is what really set off my binge eating because I was starving myself all the time. That being said I want to get to a healthy weight and maintain that. I am about 157 right now at 5'6' . I would like to lose about thirty lbs and get down to 127. So anyways, if you guys have any tips or tricks for me please chime in. I know the main forums are not really low carb friendly and I really get sucked into the mainstream "bashing" of atkins and low carb. I know its not an excuse, but a lot of my weight gain was listening to everyone when they said " you can eat whatever you want just in moderation". I don't know how to describe this, but I feel like a drug addict around certain foods, and I really truly believe that I don't have the willpower to control myself around certain foods. (cereal, candy, cookies etc). I mean sometimes I can but if I have a whole bag of something at my house I will binge on it. So anyways, point being, I would love to have some low carb buddies that are not super Nazi-atkins police, but more yea, just count your carbs and calories type peeps. Oh, and nice people are also awesome Thanks again for listening:)
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XOL;So I had a lot of success with a low carb diet before, and I fell off the wagon and gained a lot back.
(snipped)
So anyways, point being, I would love to have some low carb buddies that are not super Nazi-atkins police, but more yea, just count your carbs and calories type peeps. Oh, and nice people are also awesome Thanks again for listening:)
Welcome aboard, nice to meet you and I'm pretty sure you'll meet a bunch of others here that can relate to many of your feelings.
I, for one, try to avoid the "A" word as much as possible - not because the "science" is/was bad (it wasn't), and despite the incessant rantings of the againsters it wasn't a "fad diet" either.
Maybe they'll wake up one day, maybe not, in the meantime I'll spend "most" of my time helping those with open minds as best I can and leave the "converting" to the pros. Sometimes it's just not possible to completely ignore the ignorance they spew (especially when they are attempting to convince a "newbie" that up is down and the past 40 years of dietary history didn't "really" produce the disastrous results that it did - or, if it did it's all because people are stupid, lazy, lack will power, and can't count.
Back to your current plight, I'd suggest that you got caught in the trap that so many do - trying to straddle the line between "counting cals," CICO, and Low Carb, High Fat.
It's really not a "pick one from column A and one from column B" deal.
One just can't "cut down carbs" but not cut sugars, starches, refined foods, etc - doesn't work that way for a couple reasons.
First, low carb diets are NOT just for weight loss (as you probably already know). Yes weight loss is a part of it, but long term weight control (maintenance), AND, significantly improved overall "wellness" is a MUCH larger part.
The first step is education - informing yourself as to how "we" (all of us) got here in the first place, why all the so-called "experts" (Drs, dietitians, personal trainers, the USDA, etc) not only imposed a gigantic experiment on us, but now, 40 years later, refuse to acknowledge the fact that the "results" of the whole "low cal / low fat / high carbs" program are disastrous.
Start here, this video is easy to watch (the presenter was a stand up comedian in a previously life), and gives a pretty good picture of why you (and most of us) might just be a whole lot better off not only questioning the "experts" we're supposed to rely on, but also cast aside the dogma we've been subjected to (especially on many of the MFP boards).
After viewing the video, take a look around the website it's linked to as well as some of the others you'll find posted in other threads in this group.
Here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/l8qv9zh
Start logging daily, not so much because of the daily cals (although it does matter, at least in the beginning) but because it's important that you start focusing on the percentages of carbs, fats, and proteins.
Be SURE to include "Sugars" in your count and daily reports.
Open your diary to view by forum members (it will really help other members help you).
Best of luck, remember it's not a "race" to the target weight that matters - it's your future health.0 -
XOL;So I had a lot of success with a low carb diet before, and I fell off the wagon and gained a lot back.
(snipped)
So anyways, point being, I would love to have some low carb buddies that are not super Nazi-atkins police, but more yea, just count your carbs and calories type peeps. Oh, and nice people are also awesome Thanks again for listening:)
Welcome aboard, nice to meet you and I'm pretty sure you'll meet a bunch of others here that can relate to many of your feelings.
I, for one, try to avoid the "A" word as much as possible - not because the "science" is/was bad (it wasn't), and despite the incessant rantings of the againsters it wasn't a "fad diet" either.
Maybe they'll wake up one day, maybe not, in the meantime I'll spend "most" of my time helping those with open minds as best I can and leave the "converting" to the pros. Sometimes it's just not possible to completely ignore the ignorance they spew (especially when they are attempting to convince a "newbie" that up is down and the past 40 years of dietary history didn't "really" produce the disastrous results that it did - or, if it did it's all because people are stupid, lazy, lack will power, and can't count.
Back to your current plight, I'd suggest that you got caught in the trap that so many do - trying to straddle the line between "counting cals," CICO, and Low Carb, High Fat.
It's really not a "pick one from column A and one from column B" deal.
One just can't "cut down carbs" but not cut sugars, starches, refined foods, etc - doesn't work that way for a couple reasons.
First, low carb diets are NOT just for weight loss (as you probably already know). Yes weight loss is a part of it, but long term weight control (maintenance), AND, significantly improved overall "wellness" is a MUCH larger part.
The first step is education - informing yourself as to how "we" (all of us) got here in the first place, why all the so-called "experts" (Drs, dietitians, personal trainers, the USDA, etc) not only imposed a gigantic experiment on us, but now, 40 years later, refuse to acknowledge the fact that the "results" of the whole "low cal / low fat / high carbs" program are disastrous.
Start here, this video is easy to watch (the presenter was a stand up comedian in a previously life), and gives a pretty good picture of why you (and most of us) might just be a whole lot better off not only questioning the "experts" we're supposed to rely on, but also cast aside the dogma we've been subjected to (especially on many of the MFP boards).
After viewing the video, take a look around the website it's linked to as well as some of the others you'll find posted in other threads in this group.
Here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/l5c5fb5
Start logging daily, not so much because of the daily cals (although it does matter, at least in the beginning) but because it's important that you start focusing on the percentages of carbs, fats, and proteins.
Be SURE to include "Sugars" in your count and daily reports.
Open your diary to view by forum members (it will really help other members help you).
Best of luck, remember it's not a "race" to the target weight that matters - it's your future health.
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really enjoyed reading your response.0 -
I follow a low carb WOE (LCHF), but I don't really know much about Atkins. I have had tremendous success (30 pounds lost since I started two months ago) and feel that this is something that I can stick with long-term. I understand just what you mean about getting frustrated with the IIFYM way of thinking (everything in moderation). I simply cannot trust myself to eat just one small cookie and then close up the box and put it back in the pantry. If I open that box, I am going to eat at least half of it. My solution: I don't open the box. I've adapted my diet and learned to prepare meals and treats that fit my new lifestyle.
Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. It gets very snarky over there on the main message boards if you bring up carb restriction.
:flowerforyou:0 -
XOL;
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really enjoyed reading your response.
You are more than welcome.
Enjoy the video?0 -
I'm like you had done low carb before (not necessarily Atkins as I ate nuts the whole time and I actually ate a banana nearly every morning...), lost a lot of weight and gained it back during pregnancy and have struggled to stick to SOMETHING, ANYTHING to lose weight again and keep it off. I've tried low calorie, I've tried lower carb (like 25% of daily calories)...nothing keeps me full and gives me the results like low carb. I'm know planning on sticking to it again because its the easiest way for me to eat. I'm not a diary Nazi lol Even though I don't necessarily always eat low carb, I stick to these boards.
Through MFP I learned more WHY low carb works than I did a few years ago...I never would have believed you that I was eating low calorie too. Welcome back!0 -
XOL;
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really enjoyed reading your response.
You are more than welcome.
Enjoy the video?
I did! I ended up watching fat head too which was really good!0 -
Hey I added both of you, thank you for taking the time to respond !0
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XOL;
You are more than welcome.
Enjoy the video?
XOL;I did! I ended up watching fat head too which was really good!
Check out the new post (Tide is Changing), there are a couple more links that will get you pointed in the right direction.
This one, which focuses on the "hows and whys" of Keto-Adaptation should answer some of your questions:
http://tinyurl.com/kat88sl0 -
There is one thing I want to mention regarding the poster above that said they weren't really doing Atkins because they ate nuts and bananas. There are many misconceptions about the Atkins Diet. Many folks think you eat only cheese and meat and butter, and that could not be further from the truth.
You CAN have these foods on the Atkins diet. It has 4 different phases, and the only one that restricts nuts and bananas is Phase I (Induction), which you do not even have to do to be successful in that WOE. Bananas are pretty high carb, but they have a place in a healthy diet, and if you do the Atkins diet exactly as directed, you'll be able to figure out how many net carbs you can eat per day and still lose weight, and how many you can eat in maintenance when you get to your goal.
You can eat whatever you want in Phase 4 (Maintenance) if you stay within your net carb range for maintenance. Some folks are going to have more room than others. I know for a fact (because I've done it to a "T" ) that my carb level for losing is very low and my carb level for maintenance isn't much higher.....others will be luckier and lose on 100 carbs a day, and maintain at 150.
It is per person nutrition and teaches you about your body's use of fuel. Never a one size fits all plan.0 -
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Jenny;@deansdad, what an awesome movie! thank you!
You are most welcome - hope it helps on your quest for knowledge.
Let me know if I can help.
DD0 -
So I had a lot of success with a low carb diet before, and I fell off the wagon and gained a lot back. I sort of just wanted to introduce myself and hopefully find some friends who can relate to me. Like I said, I had a lot of success with low carb before, then I thought I could eat carbs again and i've honestly been in binge mode for the last year. I want to stick with this diet because it really did work for me before and I KNOW it works. It really helped me with cravings and with overall portion control and appetite. I did not/ nor plan on necessarily following Atkins, as I find it very restrictive and the high fat never really kept me full. So I really am going to just try to keep my carbs as low as I can and see what happens. My problem like I said before is that I have been binge eating for a year so I really need to kick this habit and get my body used to dealing with the urge to binge without actually giving into it. When I lost weight on low carb before I actually got down to a really unhealthy weight and lost my period and I think that is what really set off my binge eating because I was starving myself all the time. That being said I want to get to a healthy weight and maintain that. I am about 157 right now at 5'6' . I would like to lose about thirty lbs and get down to 127. So anyways, if you guys have any tips or tricks for me please chime in. I know the main forums are not really low carb friendly and I really get sucked into the mainstream "bashing" of atkins and low carb. I know its not an excuse, but a lot of my weight gain was listening to everyone when they said " you can eat whatever you want just in moderation". I don't know how to describe this, but I feel like a drug addict around certain foods, and I really truly believe that I don't have the willpower to control myself around certain foods. (cereal, candy, cookies etc). I mean sometimes I can but if I have a whole bag of something at my house I will binge on it. So anyways, point being, I would love to have some low carb buddies that are not super Nazi-atkins police, but more yea, just count your carbs and calories type peeps. Oh, and nice people are also awesome Thanks again for listening:)
Deandad and sljohnson, awesome answers, I love them!
I do lower carb, but haven't really looked at Atkins, as I went the Paleo route. My carb level on average is about 80-100g.
I bolded the above for a couple of reasons:
1. Atkins isn't the only low carb, high fat plan. You might be interested in Christine Cronau's take on LCHF -- http://christinecronau.com/ You also don't have to follow any particular plan if you don't want to -- just base your meals around fats, proteins, and non-starchy vegetables.
2. Low carb, low fat, high protein can be a recipe for disaster, so please be careful to make sure you at least get adequate fat. That is generally calculated as no less than .35g/lb of total bodyweight (I prefer recommending .45g/lb, especially for lower carb eating, as fat should become the primary fuel source). Fat is necessary for hormone and cell function, as well as pure energy. I'm not saying that's what you were planning, I just don't want to see you crash and burn, because you didn't make sure to get enough fats.
3. You can cram a lot of vegetables into even 20-50g of carbohydrates, since most of those carbs are fiber, which can help you feel full. This might help if fat and protein aren't making you feel full, and might help your next go-around.
On a side note, I love the video posted here, and one of the lines - "science advances one funeral at a time."0 -
Oh, and one of the other lines (which I think illustrates the sad state of affairs) -- "I'm not trying to change the anointed [USDA, AHA, FDA, etc], I'm just trying to get people to stop listening to them."0
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I have done LCHF for a while and lost weight, I recently switched to "LCHF Fakir" a Swedish ketogenic diet and it's working very well, I basically eat 1% carb, 29% protein and 70% fat, 1 gram protein / kg for my goal weight and then the rest is fat, I consume around 1000-1300 kcal in a day - works for me :-)0
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I do not follow Atkins but just a low carb lifestyle with lots of protein and Healthy fats it is the way I feel that keeps me comin back to it
I only eat chicken and turkey and lean pork I am not a red meat eater and never have been!! 0
