avoiding carbs makes you lose weight

ResilientWoman

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.

pammbroo

bump

hpsnickers1

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.

hpsnickers1

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.

sassiebritches

....Bump

lodro

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.

SOOZIE429

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!!

hpsnickers1

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.

TavistockToad

OMG all this is so interesting!! BUMP!

ampjorgensen

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

Grokette

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).

The brain runs better on fat than on carbs, we could live totally carb free (meaning meat, fat and water) and be totally healthy.

You feel down in the absence of those carbs due to detox, if you were to up your fat and protein intake along with green leafy vegetables for 2 weeks you would have so much energy you wouldn't know what to do with yourself!!!

eveunderground

I generally agree with everything written in the original post aside from the first paragraph. I don't like to label foods as "evil", and I'm not sure the claim regarding dairy increasing weight gain in humans is true.

I agree with everyone who posted that low carb doesn't mean no carb. Eliminating processed foods as often as I can, thereby reducing my intake of starchy carbs and excess sodium, has always provided good results for me. I eat some carbs for breakfast (oatmeal or high fiber cereal). My lunch and dinner are focused on coupling protein with non-starchy vegetables (rather than starchy sides like pasta or bread). I eat 1-2 fruits per day.

It is tough initially to avoid the foods you are used to (and think you love) but once you get the hang of it you will find the cravings do diminish, and then when you see the results, you realize it's well worth it.

PJilly

"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.

I agree with this. I've had success reaching my weight-loss goals while keeping generous amounts of whole grains as well as starchy carbs and dairy in my diet. I feel great, and all my blood work has come back in tip-top shape. I can't dispute that some people have had to cut carbs to lose weight, but I am certainly thankful I'm not one of them.

JujiBean

Got to take some time and read all of this again. Interesting points made.

Grokette

"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 there are vegetables that are a greater source of calcium than dairy. I hate that the dairy council and the government touts that we "need* dairy when there is no reason at all to consume dairy products, especially not on a regular basis.

Now, I do have an occasional greek yogurt or some home made Amish roll butter and maybe a bit of home made ice cream. But I don't consume dairy products everyday like many people do.

I don't supplement either. Since green vegetables are a huge mainstay of my daily eating plan, I am gettig plenty of calcium and Vitamin D is actually more important than calcium.

Make a large salad and go have fun in the sun!!! <<<<<Best way to have healthy bones.

Plant foods as sources of calcium

As previously described, calcium is a mineral found in a wide variety of foods besides dairy products. Virtually all greens contain calcium. By "greens," we mean all the dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, chard, mustard greens and collard greens, as well as lettuces, like romaine. Shredded cabbage is also a source of calcium.

Virtually all nuts and seeds - and especially sesame seeds - contain calcium. So do most beans, including navy, pinto, kidney, and black are all calcium-containing foods. Additionally, tofu can also be an important source of calcium, particularly when the tofu has been calcium-precipitated (meaning that calcium was used to help convert the soy milk into tofu) it can provide a significant amount of calcium.

Enjoy a delicious salad and support your bone health

Although none of the above non-dairy foods, all by itself, will provide a large percent of your total day's calcium, when these foods are combined, the total calcium they provide is actually higher than the amount in an 8-ounce glass of cow's milk. Let's take a salad as our example. Romaine lettuce contains 20 milligrams of calcium per cup. Using 2 cups of romaine as our salad base, we start off with 40 milligrams of calcium. A half-cup of chard leaves would bump us up another 25 milligrams, to 65 total. Adding one-half cup of soybeans we jump up 87 milligrams to 152 while sprinkling on 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds brings us up to 237 milligrams. To top it off, add one-third of a cup of kidney beans and we have a salad that provides a substantial 277 milligrams of calcium.

How does this amount compare to a glass of 2% cow's milk? In terms of total calcium, it's very similar! A glass of 2% has about 285-300 milligrams. And while it is true that our salad contains nearly twice as many calories as an 8-ounce glass of 2% cow's milk, it also contains a much wider variety of nutrients. These nutrients include fiber, which is absent in the cow's milk altogether, and vitamin C, which is over 10 times more plentiful in the romaine lettuce alone than in a cup of 2% milk.

PJilly

Plant foods as sources of calcium

As previously described, calcium is a mineral found in a wide variety of foods besides dairy products. Virtually all greens contain calcium. By "greens," we mean all the dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, chard, mustard greens and collard greens, as well as lettuces, like romaine. Shredded cabbage is also a source of calcium.

I love spinach, and I eat it daily, but I'd rather use milk on my oatmeal.

fitbot

WORST
carbs are you friends.
Just choose the right ones

Grokette

Plant foods as sources of calcium

As previously described, calcium is a mineral found in a wide variety of foods besides dairy products. Virtually all greens contain calcium. By "greens," we mean all the dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, chard, mustard greens and collard greens, as well as lettuces, like romaine. Shredded cabbage is also a source of calcium.

I love spinach, and I eat it daily, but I'd rather use milk on my oatmeal.

I tend to agree with the oatmeal thing, but I recently discovered the creaminess of coconut milk and it has stole my heart for accompanying my steel cut oats when I do eat them (which isn't often since it is warm outside). :flowerforyou:


For anyone else that would like to see the chart with the veggies with excellent calcium, here is a link to the chart where I posted the other information.......

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=79

PJilly

I tend to agree with the oatmeal thing, but I recently discovered the creaminess of coconut milk and it has stole my heart for accompanying my steel cut oats when I do eat them (which isn't often since it is warm outside). :flowerforyou:

What would it cost me to get you to share some of your "warm outside"? :bigsmile: We've had the tease of a couple of 70-degree days, but it's back to the 50s again today. I'm tired of it. I want some honest-to-goodness spring weather.

4theking

I was having some problems with feeling light headed and getting nauseated so I went to the Dr. After getting some bloodwork done they have determined that I am pre-diabetic. The past 2 weeks I have been being very cautious of the food I'm eating to try and keep from being 24 years old and diabetic. The Dr told me that my main focus should be to cut back on carbs as much as possible. Since doing this for about 2 weeks, I have lost 5 lbs and feel SO MUCH better! I LOVE carbs but after seeing the results I will definitely continue this.

That is the best thing anyone in your situation could do. Lots of studies show diabetics controlling their blood sugar with less carbs and more protein in their diet.

Grokette

I tend to agree with the oatmeal thing, but I recently discovered the creaminess of coconut milk and it has stole my heart for accompanying my steel cut oats when I do eat them (which isn't often since it is warm outside). :flowerforyou:

What would it cost me to get you to share some of your "warm outside"? :bigsmile: We've had the tease of a couple of 70-degree days, but it's back to the 50s again today. I'm tired of it. I want some honest-to-goodness spring weather.

I will figure out how to get you some of the warm without the side of Tornados that keep ripping through here........

We are gearing up for another round today. My car was almost blown off the road in a thunderstorm on my way to work this morning and I don't drive a small car either!!!

PJilly

I tend to agree with the oatmeal thing, but I recently discovered the creaminess of coconut milk and it has stole my heart for accompanying my steel cut oats when I do eat them (which isn't often since it is warm outside). :flowerforyou:

What would it cost me to get you to share some of your "warm outside"? :bigsmile: We've had the tease of a couple of 70-degree days, but it's back to the 50s again today. I'm tired of it. I want some honest-to-goodness spring weather.

I will figure out how to get you some of the warm without the side of Tornados that keep ripping through here........

We are gearing up for another round today. My car was almost blown off the road in a thunderstorm on my way to work this morning and I don't drive a small car either!!!

Never mind! I need to learn to be thankful for what I have. Please stay safe. That is some scary, scary stuff.

4theking

It's not necessary to cut all out carbs to be a fat burning machine. This is not sustainable for most people. Simply eat no carbs until the evening and then eat 100-150gms. You will see the benefits of increased fat loss but have greater energy than not eating carbs.

LaJauna

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.

Some people, (me included) are insulin resistent and need to restrict their starchy/sugary carb intake because we cannot use them properly. Our bodies store them and do not use them for energy at all. There is a whole population of women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Disease who can not eat carbs with abandon! We must be very careful which carbs we eat. I can only eat veggie carbs. If I eat fruit or starchy/sugary carbs I gain weight and have other nasty symptoms, like IBS and arthritic flare ups. Many women are infertile because of PCOD and carb overload. So moderation, good in theory, but not so good in science isn't the answer for many.

ldybugg

bump to re-read later

LaJauna

I am going to do an experiment. I am actually going to try to eat most of my calories in fats. I am lowering my protein intake and eating all my allowed carbs for breakfast only. I will let you know how I feel and what the scale reports. So far I have lost almost 5 lbs since Monday. I feel better already (no joint pain, no agitation/mental fog, and I am sleeping well).

SOOZIE429

I am going to do an experiment. I am actually going to try to eat most of my calories in fats. I am lowering my protein intake and eating all my allowed carbs for breakfast only. I will let you know how I feel and what the scale reports. So far I have lost almost 5 lbs since Monday. I feel better already (no joint pain, no agitation/mental fog, and I am sleeping well).

Good luck!! Are you already a contributor to the 'No Grain No Pain' thread? If you're not, you should be!

aippolito1

It may work for some. I work out at least an hour everyday or every other day so I have to eat enough carbs to get me through my work out and then eat more afterwards to replenish what I burned off. I eat about 150g of carbs per day. If I don't, I just get weak and tired and can't function.

LaJauna

It may work for some. I work out at least an hour everyday or every other day so I have to eat enough carbs to get me through my work out and then eat more afterwards to replenish what I burned off. I eat about 150g of carbs per day. If I don't, I just get weak and tired and can't function.

There are whole tribes of people around the world who do not have "carbs" in their diets because of lack of agriculture. The live full lives sustained on mostly proteins and high fats. Our bodies are wonderfully made to adjust to either a carb loaded diet or a fat loaded diet. IF you increased your healthy fats you could lower your carb intake and still have plenty of energy.

SOOZIE429

It may work for some. I work out at least an hour everyday or every other day so I have to eat enough carbs to get me through my work out and then eat more afterwards to replenish what I burned off. I eat about 150g of carbs per day. If I don't, I just get weak and tired and can't function.

Wouldn't you rather burn fat than carbs when you're working out?? I know I do. That's why I keep my carbs under 50g everyday. You can get energy from fats.