Low Carb - is this magic?

BR1986FB

Here is an old article from MDA giving you ranges for carbs for different results. I try to stay in ketosis on days that I walk 60 minutes and in the "sweet spot" on days I train heavy with weights...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/

LaJauna

For the first several months of this thing of ours, i was dropping 7-8 lbs. I expected that number to get harder and harder to meet with each passing month. But when I got to 45 lbs lost, I switched to a low carb diet (70-75 grams per day) and the weigh is falling off me.

I have always heard of people having massive losses when they first switch to a low carb diet, but I thought it was simply water weight loss that i no doubt have already lost in the first 45 lbs I dropped.

I also started taking 4 vitamins every day suggested by my doctor when i started this plan, so maybe that is helping too (Multi-vit, B12, D3 and Fish Oil).

Since limiting myself to 75 grams of carbs per day and taking my vitamins, here are the changes I have noticed:

1 - I am NEVER hungry. I sometimes have to make myself eat in the evening even though i am not hungry
2 - I used to average 2000-2200 calories per day; I have not been over 1,600 since I started this
3 - I actually enjoy what I eat. More meat and eggs and nuts instead of lean fish and chicken
4 - My weight doesnt go up and down. I used to bounce between about five lbs from day to day depending on various things. But I can almost predict each morning what I will weigh.
5 - With that last point, there seems to just an overall consistency to me, both mentally and physically. No peaks and valleys. Energy, mood, alertness. It's as if someone took a giant iron and pressed out the wrinkles in my life.

I assume the overall well-being will continue, but can I expect to keep losing weight at this rate? It seems like I am going to jump from 1.5/2 lbs per week to 3.0/3.5. Can i count on that as long as I keep my 600-800 calorie workouts each day and maintain my 1600 calories per day diet?

Why would it be magic?

1. As you get used to eating less you are hungry less.
2. You are likely to eat fewer calories because you are cutting out an entire food group.
3. No comment on this; this seems to be personal preference more than anything else.
4. Don't know.
5. Placebo effect, probably.

But whatever it is, it's working for you so as long as 1600 calories isn't undereating relative to the amount of activity you do then keep at it!

1. As you increase your fat intake your body is satisfied. It stops the roller coaster of cravings that drive us to overeat.
2. I am not eating fewer calories. I hit my target almost every day. Some days I am over! I am still shrinking.
3. There is nothing more satisfying and tasty then a fatty rib eye steak, full fat dressings on salads, butter on veggies and full fat greek yogurt/cheeses. Food is a joy to cook and eat. The vast recipes to choose from are amazing!
. High fat ingestion is associated with less depression, arthritis, autoimmune strengthing, and an overall improvement of all the blood panel markers that show health and fitness. (CHO/BG/liver function/kidney function).

BR1986FB

1. As you increase your fat intake your body is satisfied. It stops the roller coaster of cravings that drive us to overeat.
2. I am not eating fewer calories. I hit my target almost every day. Some days I am over! I am still shrinking.
3. There is nothing more satisfying and tasty then a fatty rib eye steak, full fat dressings on salads, butter on veggies and full fat greek yogurt/cheeses. Food is a joy to cook and eat. The vast recipes to choose from are amazing!
. High fat ingestion is associated with less depression, arthritis, autoimmune strengthing, and an overall improvement of all the blood panel markers that show health and fitness. (CHO/BG/liver function/kidney function).

You forgot to mention the BEST part....you don't have to spend HOURS & HOURS busting your hump in the gym doing chronic cardio to burn off all of those carbs to get amazing results.

Catherine2999

Hooray! I just joined this site and am so glad to find other low-carbers! I just lost 15 lbs in six weeks on a physician-supervised low-carb/low-cal diet. I have discovered that my body can "take" as many as 50 carbs and still be in ketosis, so that is what I am trying to do. How in the heck do I eat all of these calories, however, without eating more than 50 carbs? Am I doing something "wrong?" I want to stay in ketosis until my TBF drops a few more points.

And if you don't believe in low-carb diets, that is fine. It works for me, and is the ONLY thing that has ever worked for me. I am looking for support, not a lecture! Thanks!

LaJauna

Hooray! I just joined this site and am so glad to find other low-carbers! I just lost 15 lbs in six weeks on a physician-supervised low-carb/low-cal diet. I have discovered that my body can "take" as many as 50 carbs and still be in ketosis, so that is what I am trying to do. How in the heck do I eat all of these calories, however, without eating more than 50 carbs? Am I doing something "wrong?" I want to stay in ketosis until my TBF drops a few more points.

And if you don't believe in low-carb diets, that is fine. It works for me, and is the ONLY thing that has ever worked for me. I am looking for support, not a lecture! Thanks!

It is hard to eat low carb and low fat. You need healthy fats (real food not man made frankenfoods), to substitute for the lower carbohydrate intake. If not your protein can be too high and you might have a hard time losing weight. Don't be afraid of fats, they are our friends.

Teemo

1. As you increase your fat intake your body is satisfied. It stops the roller coaster of cravings that drive us to overeat.
2. I am not eating fewer calories. I hit my target almost every day. Some days I am over! I am still shrinking.
3. There is nothing more satisfying and tasty then a fatty rib eye steak, full fat dressings on salads, butter on veggies and full fat greek yogurt/cheeses. Food is a joy to cook and eat. The vast recipes to choose from are amazing!
. High fat ingestion is associated with less depression, arthritis, autoimmune strengthing, and an overall improvement of all the blood panel markers that show health and fitness. (CHO/BG/liver function/kidney function).

You forgot to mention the BEST part....you don't have to spend HOURS & HOURS busting your hump in the gym doing chronic cardio to burn off all of those carbs to get amazing results.

1. Which is only indirectly related to "low carbs".
2. First: the person I was responding to WAS eating fewer calories. Second: Whether or not you are over "some days" is meaningless as long as you are averaging out to fewer calories in than out.
3. Again, that seems to be an issue of personal preference.

The "hours and hours" in the gym doing chronic cardio are directly related to the number of calories you are eating. Whether you are on a low carb diet or a no carb diet or a moderate carb diet has no relation to the amount of time you need to spend doing cardio. Cardio to "burn off carbs"? That's just nonsense... unless you're suggesting that you can eat the same number of calories with "no carbs" as you would with carbs and not have to do cardio.

If you're eating 3000 calories per day and you are only burning 2000 then you need to do cardio. Whether you're eating carbs or not is IRRELEVANT.

If you're eating 1500 calories per day and you are burning 2000 then you don't need to do cardio. Again, whether you're eating carbs or not is irrelevant.

On that note, if you're doing hours and hours of cardio every day you're doing it wrong.

brit49

bump!!!

martinah4

Low Carb isn't magic, but it truly works for me. Magic implies that it's some power other than your own free will, discipline and excellent "real" (unprocessed) food choices. I did my homework on the low carb way of life. It requires planning to have the right kind of foods in stock and at hand at all times. It takes discipline to steer clear of the bombardment of crap foods - fast food, pizza, breads, pasta, goodies, all the crap you see on TV commercials all day long. Not to mention that nearly EVERYONE has some kind of low carb nightmare bull$hit story to tell you. I just ignored the negative flack and stayed away from the carbs and it's worked to the tune of 10 pounds a month for the past 4 months.

I kept pretty close to induction the first 3 months, keeping around 20- 25 carbs a day. In month 4 brought back blueberries & strawberries into my way of eating, bumping my carbs up to around 50ish, and the weight is still going.

Everyone warned me I would not have energy to exercise, but that was crap too, as I spend an hour to an hour & a half at the gym - usually 5 days a week.

My blood work has never been better. Prior to eating low carb I had high blood pressure, early onset of fatty liver disease and needed diabetic meds. I'm off all meds and my Doc is thrilled. Another horror story is that the eggs and bacon will crash your cholesterol, but mine is clean as a whistle - and I have that for breakfast every day.

My advise to anyone considering going low carb is to buy the (Atkins) book, read it, understand it, and invest in the time and energy to do it right. I think it's a great way to eat and live.

Can I get an Amen, sister? I'm with you, pound for pound!