Low Calories, or Low Carbs? What is better.....

bcattoes

usually if you cut out carbs all together when you start introducing them into your diet again you gain back all of your weight plus some. Its better to balance everything as a whole instead of getting rid of them

And therein lies the issue most people fall into. They go back to "normal" Standard American Diet (SAD) eating with the same habits they had before that made them fat to begin with and blame it on low carb diets being flawed. I never hear of people that go on low fat diets that go back to eating "normal" blaming it on low fat diets, they just blame fat and most people seem fine with the idea of cutting fat permanantly from a diet, but mention carbs and they go nuts.

You basically have a few choices in my opinion:

1. Eat less on a calorie restriced diet. Generally obsess about food and start and end each day hungry.
2. Eat a low fat diet. Salivate over your co-worker's steak lunch because it smells great and wonder why they can eat that and stay slim. Generally obsess about food that you can't have and start and end each day hungry.
3. Low carb diet. Generally don't think about food because you're never hungry. Long for bread and pasta occasionally and perhaps endulge occasionally. Start and end each day feeling satisfied.

This comes from my experience anyway. There is no reason at all to "add carbs back in" as most people always say because they are generally unnecessary, or at least in the form that Americans consume them. If I "needed" carbs for more energy because of a specific activity I would supplement with things like sweet potatoes, not starchy wheats and other processed junk.

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

CoryIda

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I totally agree.
Also, in choosing nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks, you can actually eat a LOT of food for not a lot of calories.

Marll

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

CoryIda

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

Without restricting carbs, taking any pills, or doing anything crazy (just stuck with moderate exercise, plenty of water, and nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions), I shed 125+ pounds and went from 56% body fat to 23% body fat. I'm pretty sure the carbs didn't interfere with my fat loss.

grinch031

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

Without restricting carbs, taking any pills, or doing anything crazy (just stuck with moderate exercise, plenty of water, and nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions), I shed 125+ pounds and went from 56% body fat to 23% body fat. I'm pretty sure the carbs didn't interfere with my fat loss.

A lot of times the foods that cause the most problems for people are sugar and refined carbs. By adopting a "well balanced" low-calorie diet, they often inadvertently remove the offending carbs and reduce their total carb intake as well. So its hard to say if carbs had an effect on you or not based on this testimony.

mrsgoodwine

It's all about calories in... calories out. Low carb generally produces less calories. I say you count your calories and eat some healthy carbs

bcattoes

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

Without restricting carbs, taking any pills, or doing anything crazy (just stuck with moderate exercise, plenty of water, and nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions), I shed 125+ pounds and went from 56% body fat to 23% body fat. I'm pretty sure the carbs didn't interfere with my fat loss.

A lot of times the foods that cause the most problems for people are sugar and refined carbs. By adopting a "well balanced" low-calorie diet, they often inadvertently remove the offending carbs and reduce their total carb intake as well. So its hard to say if carbs had an effect on you or not based on this testimony.

It suggests that the type of carbphydrate is the important thing to watch (i.e. eat whole grains, vegetables and fruit and limit processed grains and sugars). Which is the recommendation of most doctors and nutritionists.

Suggesting a low carb diet because some carbs (e.g. processed grains and sugar) are not healthy is no better than suggesting a low fat diet because some fats are not healthy.

grinch031

It suggests that the type of carbphydrate is the important thing to watch (i.e. eat whole grains, vegetables and fruit and limit processed grains and sugars). Which is the recommendation of most doctors and nutritionists.

Suggesting a low carb diet because some carbs (e.g. processed grains and sugar) are not healthy is no better than suggesting a low fat diet because some fats are not healthy.

True but the claim that ones needs the recommended amount of "healthy" carbs is unsubstantiated and based largely on the fat fear. Now its coming to light that fat is not really the enemy, so there is no need to eat so many carbs.

funkycamper

I have done th Atkins thing low carbs, if you are looking for a quick way to lose a few pounds then low cards are the key but it is not lasting. I did Atkins for a month I lost 23 lbs and that was it after 2 months I had not lost any more weight at all infact I gained 4 lbs eating the exact same things I was eating to lose the weight. Low carbs only can take you so far.
I have now been doing low calorie/ low fat for about a month and my body looks better than it did with Atkins/ low carb. I consume at most 800 calories a day and it is spread out throughout the entire day. I have not jumped on a scale yet but I see and feel the difference. With the low carbs I was always hungry, and felt weak after the first month. With the low cal/ low fat I feel great. I think the best part is that i can eat what I want like frozen yogart, pretzels, a sandwich, and still be on track with my diet. your body will tell you what is right you just have to listen to it.
Example I wake up and eat a dannon lite n fit yogart, within 2 hours I feel metablism burning it up and it is time to eat again. so I grab a bag of popcorn and eat a few handfuls and I am full, but 2 hours later I feel that burning again and eat a little more popcorn, then 2 hours later I will eat a half a sandwich or half of a soup, this continues throughout the day. I think the best part of what I am doing is that I have retrained my stomach to portion size and I am forcing my metablism to constantly work, litterally it does not rest until I go to bed and even then I drink water which keeps it going.

The important thing is that you find what works for you. I was not happy with low carb, I could not eat things that I like, fruit is out of the question, veggies are limited, no bread, dessert, cereal, nothing, just mainly meat, our bodies need the fruit, veggies n bread.

800 calories/day is dangerously low. I would hesitate to take diet advice from someone who thinks this is a good idea.

Considering your last paragraph, you clearly did not read the research and do low-carb the way Atkins and most other plans recommend. If you had, you would know that you eat lots of vegetables and, as you move up the carb ladder, and fruits (especially berries). And it's very possible for most people to eat breads and desserts in limited portions. No wonder the low-carb plan didn't work for you. You simply didn't do it right.

Marll

It's all about calories in... calories out. Low carb generally produces less calories. I say you count your calories and eat some healthy carbs

Incorrect IMO.

PER GRAM
Macronutrient Calories
Protein 4
Carbohydrate 4
Fat 9

That's right, 1 gram of fat has over 2x the calories of a gram of carbohydrates. I have upped my fat intake considerably, roughly 25% since going low carb/paleo and dropped my carb intake by roughly 16% for a net gain in calories, yet somehow I continue to loose weight.

Marll

I have done th Atkins thing low carbs, if you are looking for a quick way to lose a few pounds then low cards are the key but it is not lasting. I did Atkins for a month I lost 23 lbs and that was it after 2 months I had not lost any more weight at all infact I gained 4 lbs eating the exact same things I was eating to lose the weight. Low carbs only can take you so far.
I have now been doing low calorie/ low fat for about a month and my body looks better than it did with Atkins/ low carb. I consume at most 800 calories a day and it is spread out throughout the entire day. I have not jumped on a scale yet but I see and feel the difference. With the low carbs I was always hungry, and felt weak after the first month. With the low cal/ low fat I feel great. I think the best part is that i can eat what I want like frozen yogart, pretzels, a sandwich, and still be on track with my diet. your body will tell you what is right you just have to listen to it.
Example I wake up and eat a dannon lite n fit yogart, within 2 hours I feel metablism burning it up and it is time to eat again. so I grab a bag of popcorn and eat a few handfuls and I am full, but 2 hours later I feel that burning again and eat a little more popcorn, then 2 hours later I will eat a half a sandwich or half of a soup, this continues throughout the day. I think the best part of what I am doing is that I have retrained my stomach to portion size and I am forcing my metablism to constantly work, litterally it does not rest until I go to bed and even then I drink water which keeps it going.

The important thing is that you find what works for you. I was not happy with low carb, I could not eat things that I like, fruit is out of the question, veggies are limited, no bread, dessert, cereal, nothing, just mainly meat, our bodies need the fruit, veggies n bread.

800 calories/day is dangerously low. I would hesitate to take diet advice from someone who thinks this is a good idea.

Considering your last paragraph, you clearly did not read the research and do low-carb the way Atkins and most other plans recommend. If you had, you would know that you eat lots of vegetables and, as you move up the carb ladder, and fruits (especially berries). And it's very possible for most people to eat breads and desserts in limited portions. No wonder the low-carb plan didn't work for you. You simply didn't do it right.

Yes, low carb didn't work for that person, but apparently starvation is working! Awesome for them :huh:

grinch031

It's all about calories in... calories out. Low carb generally produces less calories.

Wouldn't the person just replace the calories from the carbs with more fat and/or protein?

Marll

Exactly, see my post above. I know that I take in more calories than I was before and still loose fat. I have noticed no loss of muscle either.

Cindym82

usually if you cut out carbs all together when you start introducing them into your diet again you gain back all of your weight plus some. Its better to balance everything as a whole instead of getting rid of them

And therein lies the issue most people fall into. They go back to "normal" Standard American Diet (SAD) eating with the same habits they had before that made them fat to begin with and blame it on low carb diets being flawed. I never hear of people that go on low fat diets that go back to eating "normal" blaming it on low fat diets, they just blame fat and most people seem fine with the idea of cutting fat permanantly from a diet, but mention carbs and they go nuts.

You basically have a few choices in my opinion:

1. Eat less on a calorie restriced diet. Generally obsess about food and start and end each day hungry.
2. Eat a low fat diet. Salivate over your co-worker's steak lunch because it smells great and wonder why they can eat that and stay slim. Generally obsess about food that you can't have and start and end each day hungry.
3. Low carb diet. Generally don't think about food because you're never hungry. Long for bread and pasta occasionally and perhaps endulge occasionally. Start and end each day feeling satisfied.

This comes from my experience anyway. There is no reason at all to "add carbs back in" as most people always say because they are generally unnecessary, or at least in the form that Americans consume them. If I "needed" carbs for more energy because of a specific activity I would supplement with things like sweet potatoes, not starchy wheats and other processed junk.

The problem is you can't completely cut out carbs your entire life, you need some carbs to actually live. But you can't have pasta every single day of your life. And when you go from cutting them out completely than you crave them more and there for you binge on them when you go back to eating them.

funkycamper

Actually you are losing vitamin C, D, B's of all kinds, and minerals, anti-oxidants, metals...etc... just to name a few.... There is a danger in limiting carbs over a period of time it is call karotine or something like that it is where your body gives off a toxic chemical that will eat you liver and splean and gulblatter. It is very dangerous to limit carb consumption like in the Atkins Diet because your body will after so long release this chemical due to lack of other nutrients that you need and you can develop sever health issues because of this chemical.
I breast feed my son when I talked to a few nurses, Doctors, and nutritionists they told me about this and that it is deadly to not only me but to my baby also. If this type of diet gives you your desired results go for it but it is very dangerous. If you look at the Atkins website it only suggests you use the super low carb for a week, 3 max and warns against more then 3 weeks of super low carb intake which is under 24 or 26 carbs per day. Do some research and talk to some professionals before you scorn people..... You will sound a lot more intelligent that way.....LOL good luck.

Eating lots of vegetables, a moderate amount of protein, nuts, seeds, dairy, limited fruits and starches are not going to have you losing C, D, B, minerals, antioxidants or metals. Again, you did not do the plans right by reintroducing carbs and going up the carb ladder to find your sweet spot.

And I find this all surprising because you state yourself that the super low carb is only for a couple of weeks after which time you add carbs back in. If you know that, why didn't you do that?

Karotine? Uhhhh, no. No such thing. I think you're talking about ketoacidosis which has absolutely nothing to do with the state of ketosis that Atkins talks about. Two different things that aren't the least bit related to each other. Ketones are simply the by-products produced when fatty acids are broken down into energy by the liver and kidneys and are used as energy and ketosis is the state where these by-products are large enough to be measurable in urine. Personally, I've never cared if I'm in ketosis or not and it is not necessary to go into ketosis to have successful weight loss. Ketosis is not dangerous although it can give you bad breath. And it is impossible for most people to be in ketosis unless they are eating very low carb, i.e., 20-25 grams/carb daily over a period of time as it doesn't occur until the glycogen stores are depleted in the liver. Since glycogen can be produced from vegetables, proteins, nuts, seeds, etc....well, in fact, any kind of food...this doesn't happen easily. Although if someone exercises intensely they can get into that state a bit easier but it usually only lasts until some food is ingested and processed by the body. In fact, someone eating very low calorie, i.e. 800 calories/day, is probably more likely to go into ketosis than someone eating more calories but eating lower carb.

Ketoacidosis is something that can only occur in Type 1 diabetics and, very rarely, in Type 2 diabetics when there are insufficient levels of insulin, extremely high glucose levels and dehydration which is very dangerous. But it has nothing to do with a lower-carb diet. There is a lot of confusion on this issue and the medical community is often guilty of confusing the two for some odd reason.

Again, please tell me how eating lots of vegetables, moderate amounts of proteins (chicken, fish, beef, eggs, pork), nuts, seeds, dairy, limited fruits and very limited starches is going to destroy my liver, gall bladder or spleen.

Also tell me what important nutrients can only be obtained from grains/starches.

CoryIda

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

Without restricting carbs, taking any pills, or doing anything crazy (just stuck with moderate exercise, plenty of water, and nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions), I shed 125+ pounds and went from 56% body fat to 23% body fat. I'm pretty sure the carbs didn't interfere with my fat loss.

A lot of times the foods that cause the most problems for people are sugar and refined carbs. By adopting a "well balanced" low-calorie diet, they often inadvertently remove the offending carbs and reduce their total carb intake as well. So its hard to say if carbs had an effect on you or not based on this testimony.

I rarely eat processed foods (partly due to food allergies, partly because you can eat more when you eat higher quality food); however, I eat at least one banana every day and eat potatoes several times a week - I am pretty sure both of those are considered "no-no" foods for low carb-ers - and other fruits and some whole grains as well.
I would say that, on average, 40-50% of my calories come from carbs and 25% come from fat, and 25-35% from protein. The only reason my protein is as high as 35% some days is that I am focusing on strength training at this point, but when I was losing weight, it was usually about 50% carbs / 25% fat / 25% protein. I typically ate around 1400-1600 calories while shedding the weight and, on maintenance, I eat about 1900-2000.
So maybe now that I've added that information you can see that carbs really didn't impact my fat loss?

funkycamper

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

Without restricting carbs, taking any pills, or doing anything crazy (just stuck with moderate exercise, plenty of water, and nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions), I shed 125+ pounds and went from 56% body fat to 23% body fat. I'm pretty sure the carbs didn't interfere with my fat loss.

We're all different. I love grains and starchy vegetables. But the simple fact is that my body has very negative effects to eating too much of these items. One of those items is vastly increased hunger due to hypoglycemic reactions. Most people who need to lower their carb intake have some kind of metabolic problem with processing excess carbs for their systems and, unfortunately, I'm one of them. Other effects are sluggishness, lethargy, reduced energy, need for more sleep, aching joints, headaches, etc.

If someone can lose weight successfully without cutting their carb intake and they don't want to limit their carbs because they like eating grains, pastas, etc., then go for it. They probably don't need to go lower-carb to be successful. Sounds like you're one of them. Congratulations. I really wish I could.

Now, again, tell me what is wrong with my plan which is basically the same as yours? I exercise, drink water and eat nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions consisting of vegetables, proteins, dairy, nuts, seeds, limited fruits and grains.

I also have at least one spike day a week where I enjoy some higher carb treats like pizza, lasagna, breads, baked goods, ice cream, whatever without guilt or negative impacts on weight loss. But I do have to increase my exercise levels and time spent doing it that day to help me process those carbs so I won't get the negative effects described above.

Marll

usually if you cut out carbs all together when you start introducing them into your diet again you gain back all of your weight plus some. Its better to balance everything as a whole instead of getting rid of them

And therein lies the issue most people fall into. They go back to "normal" Standard American Diet (SAD) eating with the same habits they had before that made them fat to begin with and blame it on low carb diets being flawed. I never hear of people that go on low fat diets that go back to eating "normal" blaming it on low fat diets, they just blame fat and most people seem fine with the idea of cutting fat permanantly from a diet, but mention carbs and they go nuts.

You basically have a few choices in my opinion:

1. Eat less on a calorie restriced diet. Generally obsess about food and start and end each day hungry.
2. Eat a low fat diet. Salivate over your co-worker's steak lunch because it smells great and wonder why they can eat that and stay slim. Generally obsess about food that you can't have and start and end each day hungry.
3. Low carb diet. Generally don't think about food because you're never hungry. Long for bread and pasta occasionally and perhaps endulge occasionally. Start and end each day feeling satisfied.

This comes from my experience anyway. There is no reason at all to "add carbs back in" as most people always say because they are generally unnecessary, or at least in the form that Americans consume them. If I "needed" carbs for more energy because of a specific activity I would supplement with things like sweet potatoes, not starchy wheats and other processed junk.

The problem is you can't completely cut out carbs your entire life, you need some carbs to actually live. But you can't have pasta every single day of your life. And when you go from cutting them out completely than you crave them more and there for you binge on them when you go back to eating them.

Incorrect. There is NO SUCH THING as an essential carbohydrate. Essential minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids, but no such things as an essential carb. Secondly you get all the carbs that you need from eating vegtables and some fruits while eating low carb while also packing in all the other great stuff too. You CAN go your entire life not eating a single form of grains and be healthy and maintain an ideal weight. Look at Eskimos, pretty sure nobody is growing whole grains and eating bread in the Arctic, and they seem to live long healthy lives on things like seal, whale blubber, fish, etc. Only those that are integrating into western society and eating the stuff that westerners do seem to have issues with weight, tooth decay and disease.

Secondly, it is proven time and time again that the longer you are on a low carb diet the less you want the carbs from processed and sugary foods. If you go back to them, sure they trigger a response to want to eat more, it is like an addiction (the carb flu that people talk about is really detoxing the crap from your system) and you'll slide right back into poor decisions, take it from someone whos done that. I see carb-y treats all the time at work, the store, I don't even notice them at all anymore, they don't even register in my brain as real food.

Marll

1. You don't have to be hungry on a calorie restrictive diet. In fact, if you are eating healthy foods and exercising, it's unlikely that you will be hungry.
2 & 3. Low fat or low carb are not the only diet options, or even the best choices for many people.

My experience is that if I focus on healthy foods and flavor, rather than what macronutrient group a food falls into, it's much easier to formulate a diet I can live with long term. A diet that doesn't leave me hungry or with unsatisfied cravings. A diet full of variety and textures and flavor.

I did say in my experience, and I certainly agree that those are not the only options, just a few of the things that I have done in the past. For me calorie restriction and low fat just don't work very well I'm always hungry on both of them and at least for low fat I feel lethargic, get sick way more often and quite frankly pretty much every low fat food tastes horrible. I get plenty of variety from low carb and have eaten things on a regular basis that I had no idea about prior to eating this way and pretty much never factor into the SAD.

I also find from a purely weight loss perspective (or better yet a FAT loss perspective) that low carbbing is far superior for me. Sure I've dropped weight in the past with calorie restriction and lower fat diets, but I felt horrible and quite a bit of my weight loss was also muscle (based on appearance and my athletic performance). I also find it much harder to loose weight without working out like a fiend or taking stimulants on anything but low carb, which I can (and have to for my job really) sit on my butt all day and see results.

Without restricting carbs, taking any pills, or doing anything crazy (just stuck with moderate exercise, plenty of water, and nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks in sensible portions), I shed 125+ pounds and went from 56% body fat to 23% body fat. I'm pretty sure the carbs didn't interfere with my fat loss.

A lot of times the foods that cause the most problems for people are sugar and refined carbs. By adopting a "well balanced" low-calorie diet, they often inadvertently remove the offending carbs and reduce their total carb intake as well. So its hard to say if carbs had an effect on you or not based on this testimony.

I rarely eat processed foods (partly due to food allergies, partly because you can eat more when you eat higher quality food); however, I eat at least one banana every day and eat potatoes several times a week - I am pretty sure both of those are considered "no-no" foods for low carb-ers - and other fruits and some whole grains as well.
I would say that, on average, 40-50% of my calories come from carbs and 25% come from fat, and 25-35% from protein. The only reason my protein is as high as 35% some days is that I am focusing on strength training at this point, but when I was losing weight, it was usually about 50% carbs / 25% fat / 25% protein. I typically ate around 1400-1600 calories while shedding the weight and, on maintenance, I eat about 1900-2000.
So maybe now that I've added that information you can see that carbs really didn't impact my fat loss?

I'd have to conclude from your statements that you've cut out the junk in your diet and replaced it with better options. Will a potato kill a low carber? No, of course not, it's still natural food, but you still don't want to eat them every single day. Will a banana kill a low carber, no of course not, but you should try to err on the side of lower sugar fruits like berries.

I'm glad what you did worked for you, that's awesome, but more often than not people are yo-yo dieting or starving themselves, or eating poor quality or horrible tasting foods in the quest to loose weight, when they could eat a more natural whole food diet with more carb restriction and break the cycle.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes, but I'd be willing to bet that there are more efficient ways of doing it.

grinch031

The problem is you can't completely cut out carbs your entire life, you need some carbs to actually live. But you can't have pasta every single day of your life. And when you go from cutting them out completely than you crave them more and there for you binge on them when you go back to eating them.

Carbs are not essential for life. However people who are highly active need them for optimal performance.

Actually contrary to that, the reason low-carb diets work is because cutting them out actually reduces the occurrence of cravings and binges. It is easier to cut out completely than to moderate portions. That's why AA works for alcoholics.

And 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes, which is associated with insulin resistance. And carbs are about the worst thing you can eat for these folks.