Does low-carb really work?

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hi_imshaun
hi_imshaun Posts: 80 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First off, dieting is hard!! lol Just a little over a week ago I started low-carb. I don't think it's really been working out that good for me. My family has been telling me the weight should just fall right off, and my aunt actually lost 70lbs on low-carb. I'm 389lbs and in the past week, I've only lost like 2 lbs, I guess that's better than nothing, but I've been weighing in at 389 for the past 3 days. Last time I counted calories and the weight was falling off much faster. But counting calories, it still allowed me to have the things that I shouldn't have so my cravings were still there, so I failed after a 30lb weight loss. Just after a little over a week on low-carb my cravings are becoming less and less. Examples of foods I've been eating on low-carb:Fish, Chicken, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Peppers, Egg Whites, Turkey Bacon, Green Beans, Light & Fit Greek Yogurt, and Oatmeal, when I'm thirsty I've been drinking water, or Chrystal Light. For snacks I've been doing Tortilla Chips and Humus, or cut up veggies and dipping them in this Greek Yogurt veggie dip that I picked up.My cousin said last night that it can start off slow and to stick with it. But I'm just unsure if it's really going to work. Anyone have any pointers, or advice?
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Replies

  • SueColumbia
    SueColumbia Posts: 84
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    Low carb works but you aren't really there yet. You need to read about how to do it correctly. Yogurt, tortilla chips, oatmeal are not a good place to start. There are many books available, the most common are those by Dr Atkins or South Beach. They are most likely in your public library if you don't want to buy them. If you are going to do it, do it right.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    You just need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight, so I would start there. At 389 pounds it should be fairly easy for you to drop pounds by doing just this and there is no need to low carb.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I don't have any low carb pointers.....but unless you have medical issues with carbs you don't need to do low carb for weight loss. Low carb isn't magic. Any diet that gives you a deficit is going to result in weight loss. It's calories in vs. calories out.

    In the past I've done low carb, but failed at maintenance. I failed because I went back to eating "normally." This time I'm only changing what I plan on changing forever.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    I think someone at your weight (389) should consult a doctor first.

    Just my .2 cents
  • ghosthackexe
    ghosthackexe Posts: 181 Member
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    Well I've gone from 308 to my current weight 213 just by managing what I eat best advice I ever got was dont do something you cant do for life and its completely true just eating normally but eating less is the road to being in a caloric deficit and staying there no need to cut out an entire group of macro nutrients
  • tarcotti
    tarcotti Posts: 205 Member
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    My sister and I have the same body type. She has been doing low carb for 2 months (not to lose weight, just medical reasons) and hasn't lost weight. I've been calorie counting for over 3 months and have lost plenty. So...that tells me that even though low carb sounds like a good idea, its not going to always work for everyone. Like already said, its all about calorie deficit! The reason why it will sometimes work is because cutting out carbs will make you less hungry. Things like white bread, tortillas, etc. will leave you feeling hungry and you will automatically eat more. But if you don't like it, and its not producing results you want, there is no reason to stick with it. Plus its a fad diet! Don't do something that isn't sustainable, otherwise, you will just give up and gain it all back.

    I just ate fried chicken yesterday and was still in within my calorie count for the day. I think its a better system.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Your aunt lost the weight due to a calorie deficit - not low carb. Low carb is just a non-fun and unnecessary strategy to achieve a calorie deficit.
  • hi_imshaun
    hi_imshaun Posts: 80 Member
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    Been to a doctor and he's the one who told me to do low carb.....
  • tarcotti
    tarcotti Posts: 205 Member
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    Oh, but calorie counting and eating like 1600 calories worth of carbs in a day isn't going to work either. You have to eat foods that are dense in nutrients and leave you filling full.
  • tarcotti
    tarcotti Posts: 205 Member
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    Been to a doctor and he's the one who told me to do low carb.....

    That was all he said? Time for a new doctor.
  • ghosthackexe
    ghosthackexe Posts: 181 Member
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    Been to a doctor and he's the one who told me to do low carb.....

    If he told you that and gave you a list of medical reasons why then by all means do that if you have pressing medical issues. But if that was his solution to weight loss then just being in a caloric deficit should be just as fine I myself and other members of mfp are proof that it works unless you 110% confidant that you can do low carb your WHOLE LIFE (because I assume thats how long you want to look good and skinny) then dont do it. Do something you can stick with you dont have to list and entire macro nutrient as taboo just eat less.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    Been to a doctor and he's the one who told me to do low carb.....

    That was all he said? Time for a new doctor.

    QFT

    He should have recommended you to a weight loss specialist or a nutritionist....

    Friggin doctors.
  • michelerfin
    michelerfin Posts: 1
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    I have lost 5 pounds in the last three weeks. I am a carb lover, bread is my biggest weakness. I didn't cut them out completely, but I cut back on a lot of them, because carbs do turn to sugar. Maybe just decreasing the amount will help. Good luck !!
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    Weight loss comes from taking in less calories than you're burning throughout the day. Certainly reducing your carb intake will help with this, but you don't want to get rid of them completely. Carbs are your body's fuel source. If you want your body to function efficiently, you need to fuel it. Eating really low carbs will get you to lose weight, but eating super low carbs is not sustainable and sets you up for failure. I always tell people it's best to lose weight while eating as much as you can. This is helps by keeping your metabolism up, protecting your muscle from breakdown, and helps you from feeling deprived.

    Allan
  • Teveniee
    Teveniee Posts: 3
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    Plus its a fad diet!

    lol :huh:

    A fad that has been around for hundreds of years... and, in fact, is the way your ancestors ate for last 2 odd million years. But yeah, it's just a fad.
  • wonderfullymadebyhim
    wonderfullymadebyhim Posts: 170 Member
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    I did a Dr. supervised low-carb diet before and it worked. Start with unlimited meat, fowl and fish but no processed meat like hotdogs. No super fatty cuts of meat like ribs. Any type of leafy green you want in ANY quantity (lettuces, chard, kale etc), no dairy, no corn, squash, potato of any kind for the first 2 weeks. NO added sugar and no fruits. Skip the beans for the first 2 weeks and no grains, including "gluten-free" kinds. Add a couple cups of non-leafy green veges (beans, cauliflower, broccoli etc). 1 Egg yolk a day is fine and unlimited egg white. Small amounts of added fat like olive oil to sautee your veges in is fine. 1splenda + 1 TBSP light cream for morning coffee is fine. Then slowly up the vege count until you find yourself comfortably losing 1-2 lbs a week. Eventually, you can add fruits and low-fat dairy but right now they are no-nos. Use condiments to make your food palatable as long as its not sugary/saucy gravies and dips. You will not starve but you'll need to be creative in your recipes, snacks and desserts (if needed). Follow those rules and I'll bet you lose 7-20 lbs in the first 2 weeks!! Good luck!
  • wonderfullymadebyhim
    wonderfullymadebyhim Posts: 170 Member
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    Plus, drink lots of fluids. If you want to figure out if you are really low carb. Log every food and take your total carbs - fiber= NET CARBS. If you are under 60 NET carb grams a day, you're pretty low carb.

    Plus I would take a vitamin daily if you are struggling with veges at first but no low carb diet (or any healthy diet) really works for your health if you aren't getting adequate nutrients and fiber from vegetables.
  • rprussell2004
    rprussell2004 Posts: 870 Member
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    If you're really doing low-carb, then tortilla chips and pretty much ANY kind of yogurt is off the list.

    What the previous poster said about "net carbs" is accurate, too.

    Good luck,
    R
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    You know what works? A calorie deficit.

    If you go on low-carb and lose weight, it's because you're eating less calories than your body is burning throughout the day. Period. It's not because you're eating 20-50 grams of carbs per day.

    I eat 200+ grams of carbs daily and I'm losing just fine.

    Unless you have diabetes or something like that, there's no reason to cut carbs.
  • independant2406
    independant2406 Posts: 447 Member
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    2lb loss each week is fantastic! This is about as quickly as you'll ever want to lose to stay healthy and to be able to maintain the loss in the end.

    Eat low carb (It works!) but maintain something you can do as a lifestyle. :) You'll burn out otherwise. Many people (like myself) find a good balance of low (er) carb + calorie control works best and can be maintained for life without going crazy or feeling deprived.

    I've posted my personal experience and lots of scientific studies in several threads but alot of anti low carb people bashed me for hours afterwards. If you search the forums I'm sure you can find lots of information though including what I posted.

    Here's one link though to get you started. 23 different studies that show the benefits of lower carb diets. (none of these were extremely low carb though... more in the 50 carb a day range)

    http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/

    There's also a "low carb daily" group if you want additional support, meal ideas etc.

    Overall the key to losing weight is sticking to a diet... no matter which kind you choose. Find one that works for you as a lifestyle and stick with it for good. Wishing you lots of success!

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