avoiding carbs makes you lose weight
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Okay, I am just going to start.....
Eat carbs, your body needs them-Just eat them in moderation. Eat smaller portions of them. Dairy actually helps you speeds up weightloss.0 -
Sounds alot like how I eat, paleo/primal. and she's sounds like a pretty smart lady
she didn't say no carbs, she said no carbs from starchy grains0 -
I just found a piece my Marisa Peer (hypnosis and weight loss guru). She believes that wheat and dairy are evil (has very strong views ie "Dairy is your enemy: Cow's milk is to nourish calves and gives them a 300 per cent weight gain in a year. Milk literally sends a message to cells that says GROW! Fully-grown human cells get a similar message. And cheese is a concentrated growth hormone".)
but also says this about carbs vs proteins:
"The key to making your body a fantastic fat-burning machine is to avoid starchy carbs... because they make you cling on to fat reserves. Our bodies were not designed to eat carbs and can do very well without them. Avoiding them for 10 "hard core" diet days is the key to weight loss.
You won't feel hungry, and the pounds will fall off - from your stomach first, as this is where fat from carbs is stored. This is why beer drinkers and those who over-indulge in bread, pastries and pasta have a big tummy.
In America they call it a carb body. Carbs also cause huge bloating - cut them out and you will beat the bloat. The hormone insulin plays a vital part. Its role is to store fat, so it's almost impossible to lose weight once you have eaten carbs because when you eat any starchy or sugary food, insulin levels go up.
For example: if you eat carbs five times a day - cereal for breakfast, biscuit mid-morning, sandwich for lunch, another biscuit mid-afternoon, then potatoes or pasta with dinner - your body will be constantly cranking out insulin, making it impossible to lose weight. People with weight problems have a problem with insulin and fat storage that their naturally skinny friends don't.
It's not fair, but it's better to accept this fact and work with it.
Athletes load up on carbs precisely because the body stores them, whereas body-builders avoid them before competing so their body burns fat and their muscles are more defined.
Protein is a building food. The body uses it to build muscle and bones, so if you eat chicken and vegetables, the body will use it rather than store it. If you eat pasta or risotto your body will store that for later and continue to store it, as "later" never happens.
The body works harder to digest protein too, using up more calories and increasing your metabolic rate.
Skinny people who can eat anything because they have a fantastic metabolism are a real minority. So you must avoid bread, pasta, noodles, rice, cake, pastry, biscuits and potatoes and anything with sugar in it.
You must also cut out dairy because lactose is milk sugar. Avoid salt too - it makes your body tissues store fluid, so cutting it out helps you on your way to a flat tum. After the 10 days, limiting carbs or not eating them after lunch is the secret to keeping the weight off. But no booze...it's full of sugar.
It may seem daunting but remind yourself that you have the rest of your life to eat - but right now you want to drop 10lbs.
Stick to this plan and you won't feel hungry. There are no side-effects, no bad breath and no constipation."
She then gives a diet plan (eggs for breakfast, protein and salad for lunch, protein and veg for dinner).
Oh and she also says this - "Never eat late at night: Primitive man got up at dawn and retired as it got dark. Eating too late leaves our bodies full of undigested food. Our metabolism slows down dramatically at night even if we are awake because nature assumes we're sleeping. Our heart-rate slows down and digestion is more difficult."
Wondered what you all think of this way of thinking?
I eat Low carb, and I do not eat all the things you mentioned. I love it. I feel GREAT! And you can maintain this eating lifestyle your entire life. This does not mean you can never have a pasta dish or a piece of french bread or chips at the mexican restaurant...but like low fat eaters in moderation or at special occasions won't hurt you.
Low cal/Low fat/Calorie counting just does not work with my body. But be prepared to see alot here on MFP who do not agree with it. Do your research and make up your own mind
) 0 -
\I have to say that even though I posted this topic, I couldn't live by these rules (well, not for more than a couple of days!). I think carbs are essential to brain function and I just feel down and sad when I cut them down too much! Having said that, I do think that basing one's diet on carbs at the extent of good proteins isn't a good idea either (gets me into trouble anyway).
That down feeling only lasts about a week....I went through that last week and this week I feel FABULOUS. I limit my carbs to 20 grams a day and 12-15 are from veggies......To each their pwn.....Good luck in whatever you choose 0 -
So why does the mind crave the carbs then if our bodies can work perfectly fine without them? It's a usual thing to give into carbs when you've craved them all your life and been over weight like I have. How do you revert your thinking to the opposite when you eat these things and steel feel like you can eat a scabby dog cos you feel very hungry still. I get what your saying but am a carb lover and having protein n veg just does not fill me up as much for obvious reasons. Is snackin more often of the protein and veg the way forward to this?
I don't mean to be dis respectfull to OP just curious how to keep up with the protein and veg and steer clear or carbs.
This is what I am doing....feeling great right now!
that is why there is induction on atkins, to break that cycle of carb intake - insulin - hunger - carb intake - insulin etc. and after induction you start adding carbs back in, starting with carbohydrates from vegetables. you end up at a lower carb intake than most people, but it's well over the 20 grams of the induction phase.0 -
I could never shake those last 10 lbs, until I cut back on my carb intake. Low carb doesn't mean NO carb. It means that the majority of my carbs (I aim for 100 gm or less/day) comes from the veggies/fruits that I eat. As soon as I eat bread or pasta, I feel it immediately - bloated, weight gain....Sure, I eat that stuff on occasion, but I realize what an impact it has on me, and so I limit it.
As far as dairy, I personally have never had an issue with dairy, altho I can see the arguement for restricting dairy. Personally, b/c my carb intake is low, and I don't always want to eat meat/fish/eggs, I eat more dairy than I used to, b/c some dairy (like greek yogurt, for ex) has a large amt. of protein in it, for the few calories it has. I rarely drink milk, however, b/c it doesn't give me the same return (higher cal, less protein/serving).
I think the main difference b/t the carb and dairy thing, is how these foods affect your insulin production. Carbs (esp. refined carbs) are notorious for spiking insulin levels (unlike dairy), so you can find yourself on that roller coaster ride of sugar highs and crashes, craving more and more carbs, getting fatter all the while....dairy doesn't have the same effect, so in that sense, I think it's the "lesser of the 2 evils" (which is probably why sooooo many people post about carbs here instead of dairy).
Anyway, to the OP - thanks for sharing that interesting post. None of that comes as a shock to me, since I've lost the weight easily once I started going primal (thanks to the primal/paleo people here!). Anyone who is training for a race may need the carb fuel, but most of us don't. And it just gets stored.0 -
She then gives a diet plan (eggs for breakfast, protein and salad for lunch, protein and veg for dinner).
I want to check this out, please post the link so I can see her list.0 -
She then gives a diet plan (eggs for breakfast, protein and salad for lunch, protein and veg for dinner).
I want to check this out, please post the link so I can see her list.
Quoting myself - found her meal plan;
BREAKFAST
Three eggs - either scrambled with olive oil OR a three-egg omelette cooked in oil. Remember no milk or butter. Add mushrooms, herbs or onions for flavour.
Soya yogurt with 10-15 almonds or a spoonful of seeds. Choose from sunflower, hemp, sesame, linseeds or pumpkin (or a dessert spoon of mixed seeds and nuts). Add a teaspoon of cinnamon - it speeds up your metabolism.
Real porridge oats - use water instead of cow's milk to cook them. Add a little soya or rice milk, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a few seeds or nuts to push up the protein. Use between 40g to 60g of dry oats mixed with a half to a third of a pint of water.
LUNCH
Salad made with 4-602 of either fish, chic ken, turkey or eggs. For vegetarians use 4oi of tofu and a fist -sized amount of nuts and seeds. Usegreen salad vegetables like lettuce, celery, spinach, watercress, cucumber and a little oil and vinegar for dressing.
One portion of chicken or a lean steak with green vegetables Iike spinach or beans.
A portion of ham - such as parma ham - with two baked or chopped peppers.
Any protein-based soup such as chicken and vegetable, lentil and ham, or pea and ham -make your own if you can.
Baked sweet potatoes or yams, filled with tuna, tinned salmon or sweetcorn.
AFTERNOON SNACKS
Soya yogurt - with a few seeds.
Six one-inch cubes of feta cheese with six cherry tomatoes.
A few spoonfuls of hummus with a fistsized amount of raw vegetables. Handful of raw nuts.
Green apple or pear.
Half a punnet of strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.
Celery with sugar-free peanut butter.
DINNER
Portion of chicken or turkey with roasted veg such as onions, peppers, leeks, celery, mushrooms, garlic.
Carb-free shepherd's pie: use lean beef or turkey mince and top with mashed cauliflower with a little olive oil.
Two peppers roasted and stuffed with minced turkey, lamb or beef.
Cod or salmon with green veg. Prawn omelette, or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with a green salad.
Frittata made with eggs, mushrooms, onions, peppers and ham.
Stir-fried egg noodles with chicken strips and veg such as carrots, broccoli or cabbage.
Drink plenty of green, rooibos, white and fruit tea.
~
After reading that.... it's easier just to do the grapefruit diet for a few days. It too was designed as a 12-day diet and the main carb is the grapefruit. Only problem is with me being so low-fat minded it's about 1000 cals a day. It would be higher for those not eating egg beaters, chicken bacon, chicken breast instead of red meat and more oil/dressing... perhaps I should try the grapefruit thing again and see how a higher fat diet improves me. I'm still here 1 yr later with the same 10 lb's I gained in 2009, got to try something and sooooooo many people on here find sucess with higher fat.0 -
I just found a piece my Marisa Peer (hypnosis and weight loss guru). She believes that wheat and dairy are evil (has very strong views ie "Dairy is your enemy: Cow's milk is to nourish calves and gives them a 300 per cent weight gain in a year. Milk literally sends a message to cells that says GROW! Fully-grown human cells get a similar message. And cheese is a concentrated growth hormone".)
but also says this about carbs vs proteins:
"The key to making your body a fantastic fat-burning machine is to avoid starchy carbs... because they make you cling on to fat reserves. Our bodies were not designed to eat carbs and can do very well without them. Avoiding them for 10 "hard core" diet days is the key to weight loss.
You won't feel hungry, and the pounds will fall off - from your stomach first, as this is where fat from carbs is stored. This is why beer drinkers and those who over-indulge in bread, pastries and pasta have a big tummy.
In America they call it a carb body. Carbs also cause huge bloating - cut them out and you will beat the bloat. The hormone insulin plays a vital part. Its role is to store fat, so it's almost impossible to lose weight once you have eaten carbs because when you eat any starchy or sugary food, insulin levels go up.
For example: if you eat carbs five times a day - cereal for breakfast, biscuit mid-morning, sandwich for lunch, another biscuit mid-afternoon, then potatoes or pasta with dinner - your body will be constantly cranking out insulin, making it impossible to lose weight. People with weight problems have a problem with insulin and fat storage that their naturally skinny friends don't.
It's not fair, but it's better to accept this fact and work with it.
Athletes load up on carbs precisely because the body stores them, whereas body-builders avoid them before competing so their body burns fat and their muscles are more defined.
Protein is a building food. The body uses it to build muscle and bones, so if you eat chicken and vegetables, the body will use it rather than store it. If you eat pasta or risotto your body will store that for later and continue to store it, as "later" never happens.
The body works harder to digest protein too, using up more calories and increasing your metabolic rate.
Skinny people who can eat anything because they have a fantastic metabolism are a real minority. So you must avoid bread, pasta, noodles, rice, cake, pastry, biscuits and potatoes and anything with sugar in it.
You must also cut out dairy because lactose is milk sugar. Avoid salt too - it makes your body tissues store fluid, so cutting it out helps you on your way to a flat tum. After the 10 days, limiting carbs or not eating them after lunch is the secret to keeping the weight off. But no booze...it's full of sugar.
It may seem daunting but remind yourself that you have the rest of your life to eat - but right now you want to drop 10lbs.
Stick to this plan and you won't feel hungry. There are no side-effects, no bad breath and no constipation."
She then gives a diet plan (eggs for breakfast, protein and salad for lunch, protein and veg for dinner).
Oh and she also says this - "Never eat late at night: Primitive man got up at dawn and retired as it got dark. Eating too late leaves our bodies full of undigested food. Our metabolism slows down dramatically at night even if we are awake because nature assumes we're sleeping. Our heart-rate slows down and digestion is more difficult."
Wondered what you all think of this way of thinking?
Heather, you are heading in a great direction! Invest in a book called Why We Get Fat and What We Can Do About It by Gary Taubes. I have been reading it and he explains the science and biology of carbs, insulin, cortisol, protein, fats and all the wonderful hormones and enzymes that regulate where our 'fuel' goes and what gets stored where and even the genetic factors that can come into play. (Why men store fat where they do and why women store it where they do).
I spent the first 6 months believing high-carb and whole grains were the way to be. I lost 10lbs - yes I was successful. But since I went primal (no grains, no dairy, limited fruit) I have dropped 4.6lbs of pure body fat. That was within 3 weeks. My ratios are 15/25/60 right now. And this is a very, very sustainable lifestyle. My metabolism is still going strong, thanks to my 2 months with Tony Horton P90X the muscle definition is really starting to show! I keep flexing in the mirror because I can't get over how much definition is there (no more fat covering it up).
I for one agree with you. And though I'm not 100% on the nighttime eating thing there is a lot of logic there. I will be doing more research on that one.
and coconut oil is amazing stuff! I'm enjoying it even more than olive oil (especially as a moisturizer!)0 -
"Wondered what you all think of this way of thinking?"
It's been the opposite of my experience. I was able to lose a lot of weight while eating a balanced diet that included whole grains, wheat, and other carbs, even starchy ones, AND dairy, and so have a lot of other people. It's definitely not "impossible". Some people find it easier to lose weight on carb restriction, though, it all depends on your metabolism. Just experiment and do what is easiest and best for YOU.
Dairy is a good source of calcium. With some evidence emerging that calcium supplements may be linked to heart disease, I'd rather get it through food.
The naturalistic - primitive man ate this and did that - is kind of silly. People evolved to accept starch in their diet - amaylase is an example of that (source: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/amylase_and_human_evolution.php) among other ways. If you really want to really eat like paleo and primal people, you'd eat lots of bugs, scavenged meat, offal, and on special occasions you'd be a cannibal. You'd lose weight fast with THAT diet!
Actually we have been ingesting whole grains for about 10,000 to 15,000 years. In evolutionary time that is the blink of an eye. Not enough time for our bodies to evolve to digest grains (and carbs). We didn't scavenge meat. We became prime specimens HUNTING wild game. We evolved for 2.5 million years eating meats, fats, nuts, berries, and seeds. Yes they ate insects and bugs when they had to. But that doesn't mean modern man has to. We have plenty of access to the foods that we enjoy. If "primitive" man led an uneventful life they lived well into their 90's. That's all I'm saying on this one.0 -
Check out my carb intake/weight loss. I aim for less than 20 a day, have a few that are 20-65 and an occasional 100-115. I am never hungry, my waist is disappearing and my body fat pct is slowly headed toward healthy. I have hypothyroidism, formerly suffered with PCOS, am nursing my preschooler and have enough extra energy to play soccer with 10-13 yo boys in my neighborhood.
The remarkable thing is that after giving birth to my daughter by C-section in 2005, I didn't walk for 3 years. I weighed 352 lbs and suffered hungry all the time no matter how much I ate. Now I am running 5Ks, lifting Kettlebells and training for an athletic future. If you want to see what I eat, friend me.0 -
bump0
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I got a bit confused on the post and responses. Your name isn't Heather but you are still heading in a great direction. I for one would fully support you on this.0
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I generally believe that every food (naturally made food, say, not like trans-fat which doesn't occur naturally most of the times), is not harmful.
I don't like the belief that carbs is "bad", and dairy is "harmful" and cake is harmful and that is bad and...
In terms of weight loss... consuming too much refined carbohydrates, eating a lot of sweets, drinking whole milk (or high fat milk), eating lot of cheese (lots of fat) is not going to be successful. Yes you should avoid them. But I don't think that should extend to, avoid all carbohydrates and dairy.
Each food groups have their benefits.
Eating complex carbohydrates are important (whole-grain/whole wheat stuff). dietary fiber will give you satiety, which can lead to less eating.
Milk and cheese are excellent source of calcium.
Eggs are good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids. etc.
I think everything in moderation is important and eliminating a food group is not a smart choice. You could switch eating refined carbs to whole grain products, you could eat less of high fat stuff, but I think saying that those food are "BAD" is wrong. Just my opinion.
I don't know, if you believe that it's harmful to the body, sure go ahead and have acetone breath from not eating carbs... but promoting not to eat certain food group... eh.
low carb is not no carb. just sayin'
That acetone breath is from your body being in ketosis. Pure fat burning! Okay, now I'm done.0 -
....Bump0
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I generally believe that every food (naturally made food, say, not like trans-fat which doesn't occur naturally most of the times), is not harmful.
I don't like the belief that carbs is "bad", and dairy is "harmful" and cake is harmful and that is bad and...
In terms of weight loss... consuming too much refined carbohydrates, eating a lot of sweets, drinking whole milk (or high fat milk), eating lot of cheese (lots of fat) is not going to be successful. Yes you should avoid them. But I don't think that should extend to, avoid all carbohydrates and dairy.
Each food groups have their benefits.
Eating complex carbohydrates are important (whole-grain/whole wheat stuff). dietary fiber will give you satiety, which can lead to less eating.
Milk and cheese are excellent source of calcium.
Eggs are good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids. etc.
I think everything in moderation is important and eliminating a food group is not a smart choice. You could switch eating refined carbs to whole grain products, you could eat less of high fat stuff, but I think saying that those food are "BAD" is wrong. Just my opinion.
I don't know, if you believe that it's harmful to the body, sure go ahead and have acetone breath from not eating carbs... but promoting not to eat certain food group... eh.
low carb is not no carb. just sayin'
That acetone breath is from your body being in ketosis. Pure fat burning! Okay, now I'm done.
ketosis and carb levels is such an individual thing. For me, I've found being between 50-100 g carbohydrate daily works best, and better if i get these from non starchy vegetables. but i do like bread, and i bake it myself, so i allow myself the odd half-slice if a bread is fresh from the oven. i don't think I'm in ketosis this way, but of course i'm eating far less carbohydrate than is the case with the "normal" present day diet.
also i think you may be confusing ketosis with ketoacidosis, which is a complication of diabetes, not a result of reducing carbohydrate intake.
and as I said: lowering carbohydrate intake is -of course - not about "eliminating a food group". but perhaps you could lecture vegetarians or certain religious groups for that.0 -
I have to say that even though I posted this topic, I couldn't live by these rules (well, not for more than a couple of days!). I think carbs are essential to brain function and I just feel down and sad when I cut them down too much! Having said that, I do think that basing one's diet on carbs at the extent of good proteins isn't a good idea either (gets me into trouble anyway).
Your brain doesn't need carbs. It needs fat!!0 -
I have to say that even though I posted this topic, I couldn't live by these rules (well, not for more than a couple of days!). I think carbs are essential to brain function and I just feel down and sad when I cut them down too much! Having said that, I do think that basing one's diet on carbs at the extent of good proteins isn't a good idea either (gets me into trouble anyway).
Your brain doesn't need carbs. It needs fat!!
Yep! This quote is from the book I'm reading "Why We Get Fat and What To Do About it" by Gary Taubes. He is a science journalist and spent 5 years researching and gathering evidence for his book Good Calories, Bad Calories and the book WWGF is an expansion of it.
"Carbohydrates are not required in a healthy human diet. another way to say this (as proponents of carbohydrate restriction have) is that there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate. Nutritionists will say that 120 to 130 grams of carbohydrates are required in a healthy diet, but this is because they confuse what the brain and central nervous system will burn for fuel when diets are carbohydrate rich - 120 to 130 grams daily - with what we acutally have to eat.
If there are no carbohydrates in the diet, the brain and central nervous system will run on molecules called "ketones." These are synthesized in the liver from the fat we eat and from fatty acids, mobilized from the fat tissue because we're not eating carbohydrate and insulin levels are low, and even from some amino acids. With no carbohydrates in the diet, ketones will provide roughly three-quarters of the energy that our brains use. And this is why severely carbohydrate-restricted deits are known as "ketogenic" diets. The rest of the energy required will come from glycerol, which is also being released from the fat tissue when the triglycerides are broken down into their components parts, and from glucose synthesized in the liver from the amino acids in protein. Because a diet that doesn't include fattening carbohydrates will still include plenty of fat and protein, there will be no shortage of fuel for the brain....Researchers have reported that the brain and central nervous system actually run more efficiently on ketones than they do on glucose.
--Ketosis is often described by nutritionists as a "pathological" condition, but that's because they confuse ketosis with the ketoacidosis of uncontrolled diabetes. The former is natural, the latter is not. The ketone level in diabetic detoacidosis typically exceeds 200mg/dl, compared with the 5 mg/dl that we exerience before our morning breakfast , and the 5 to 20 mg/dl of a severely carbohydrate-restricted diet." (end quote from book).
There are 17 pages containing the resources he got his scientific evidence from.0 -
OMG all this is so interesting!! BUMP!0
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I do think you should limit carbs and dairy, not eliminate them. For example if i eat cheese on something its a pinch of cheese. If i eat bread its once a day or every few days and its only a few pieces. I usually put sandwiches together with lettuce and no bread right now, because I know wednesday's at my house are flatbread subway days and that fridays i make the kids whole wheat pasta and that sunday we normally have bakery fresh bread (whole wheat hopefully
) but Its about limiting and portions, i don't believe completely eliminating all carbs is healthy or all dairy. You may lose weight and yes there are alternatives but i don't think its evil 0
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