Cutting out all simple carbs!

frugal2

have you tried that? how has that worked for you?

My friend said she's on "low carbs", but her description sounds more like she's cut out simple carbs. she eats beans & veggies, but not fruit, white rice, starch, bread. then she gives herself 1 day to eat whatever she wants and however much she wants. she's lost weight this way.

what do you all think?

hush7hush

I disagree with the "cheat day". I think it completely destroys the point of a diet.

Brittney24

I don't think it's good for something long term. Fruit shouldn't be cut out of the diet it contains many beneficial nutrients on top of sugars.

momma3sweetgirls

I try to eat in a way that I will be able to eat FOREVER. I can't imagine cutting out refined sugar, rice, white bread, etc. completely. I would be setting myself up to fail. Just my thoughts on it.

SoFLYFireman

I have to say cheat days are good, but you still have to be really careful with them, if you eat low carb all week, you still cant go out on your "cheat day" and eat whatever you want and how much you want. Just what you dont normally eat. A diet is a diet, if you're not committed to it and try the best you still may lose, but you wont achieve the results you want.

chanstriste13

I try to eat in a way that I will be able to eat FOREVER. I can't imagine cutting out refined sugar, rice, white bread, etc. completely. I would be setting myself up to fail. Just my thoughts on it.

agreed.

ckncj

While I don't necessarily AGREE with the cheat day, I think you are setting yourself up to fail if you don't satisfy your cravings - because you will eventually binge.

"Dieting" is a fad. Eating right and being mindful & cautious of what you eat, how often you eat, etc... is a lifestyle change. THAT is what will produce results.

SunshineRowe

I only eat complex carbs and I try to eat them before 2 o'clock... brown rice, sweet potatos, rice cakes, oatmeal
these are stables in my diet everyday cause they really fill me up
- I lost all my weight plus some eating this way so much so that I had to add regular carbs in every once in a while to stop my weight loss
-but I do eat fruit

O and i've been eating that way for about 8 months and I like it and plan on keeping it up it's really not that hard - for me anyway

shreyaj

I do something very similar to this, I cut all everything white of course because asides from it being processed alot of nutrients are destroyed in the bleaching process. I eat under 100 grams of carbs a day and the carbs I do it are from vegatables and fruits not really from bread. I do allow myself to eat fruits but fruit's with lower sugar/carbs such as blueberries, rasberries, blackberries, I do eat fruits with higher sugar but maybe only once a week, I could never imagine cutting them out entirely they are so yummy, they are escpecially good when your "dieting" (I hate that word) to ward off cravings for sweet high caloric things. I also eat pasta maybe once a week but it's whole wheat usually and I eat it with other things. Before I changed my eating ways I could eat a half of box of spaghetti NO JOKE.. I've felt so much better since I cut out white things, it seems scary and I didn't think I could ever do it but after a couple days your body adjusts, I'm losing the weight slow 2 pounds a week with minimal exercise. It is working for me, but everyone's body responds to different things!

RMinVA

I don't think it's good for something long term. Fruit shouldn't be cut out of the diet it contains many beneficial nutrients on top of sugars.

I agree...besides fruits are complex carbs.

In theory I agree witih "cheat days" but I don't like the name, because it implies you are doing something wrong. I realize that I there may be times I eat something that I normally wouldn't, but that's OK. It's just a part of my "lifestyle" now.

MelissaL582

I try to eat in a way that I will be able to eat FOREVER. I can't imagine cutting out refined sugar, rice, white bread, etc. completely. I would be setting myself up to fail. Just my thoughts on it.

I agree! In order for me to stick with this weight loss, I don't want to deny everything I used to love. I'll have a smaller portion of something, but I'll make sure it fits into my diary after a great workout.

penny39

If you are diabetic you are told to cut white foods such as white rice, white potatos, white breads etc from your diet because of the starches.

alanmonks

To cut fruit out of your diet is crazy. its full of fibre and nutrients that your body needs and may not get from elswhere. Def cutting out refined processed carbs, but don't have a cheat day. whats the point? you work hard all week to blow it then you start again? what are you actually working for then? are you working to be healthy or to get to your cheat day? just have your favourite stuff in moderation.

knittnponder

We have cut out all white flour and sugar, try to avoid processed foods and eat as much whole foods as possible (including fruit but we don't go crazy with it). For us, white rice would be included in the processed food category since it's stripped of it's bran and many nutrients.

We don't "low carb" but we are lower carb than we were several months ago. I changed our diets at the end of August and didn't start tracking until January. During that time I lost 8 pounds and didn't track a single calorie, just made the changes I mentioned and added a green smoothie every day (leafy greens and fruit). My husband still isn't tracking and has lost more than 30 pounds.

We do still eat bread and the occasional cookie or baked good but they are made with wholemeal flour that we mill ourselves (so I know it's the whole grain!) Plenty of nutrition and fiber and low on guilt. This is how I will eat for the rest of my life. Cheat times aren't whole days for me, just the occasional meal. I try to eat well and within my guidelines most of the day but if there is a special meal I will eat what I want. I still try to make good choices though.

Last night for example, we had a going away dinner for a family member at a local restaurant that has wonderful food. I didn't stress over how many calories the choices had. I just chose a dish that sounded good to me but that wasn't breaded and deep fried. (I got grilled salmon topped with sun dried tomato butter sauce and steamed, seasoned asparagus! Yum! ) And then I got a piece of cheesecake for dessert and enjoyed every single bite without a bit of guilt. Yes I was over my calories for the day but I stay within my range every other day of the week and make good choices. This is how I will live the rest of my life and it's working for me.

deathtaco

Technically, the body doesn't need direct carb sources of any kind. It can break down protein and a small portion of fat for energy.

Essentially that's what the Keto diet is. Sub 30g of total carbs a day (not counting insoluble fibers, like in veggies, etc).
If you go super low carb like that - a "cheat" day can be retermed as a refeed day, and you can bust up carbs a bit to restore glycogen levels once a week (generally on saturday -> Sunday morning)...then once you get your Sunday cardio in, it's back to High fat/protein.

All of this is really unimportant, but it shows you don't need direct carb sources to function (high fat helps brain function). As long as a "cheat day" fits your macros and stays relatively clean - you'll be fine. Not like you'll gain billionz of pounds back from that. Just make sure you don't have a cheat meal for the first 2 weeks or so of being in a LOW carb diet. THAT will defeat the purpose.

I haven't had fruit, starches, grains or oats or anything in between in over a week and I'm doing just fine. Just keeping veggie intake relatively high and getting some flaxseed in (no carrots or high sugar veggies).