Have you had Low-Carb success?

dennydifferent

I'd just like to say that, from personal experience and in my non-specialist opinion,
one should take a moment to consider the 'downsides' of high protein diets before diving in

I'm referring mostly to:

- constipation: a legitimately uncomfortable, awful and sometimes serious medical issue that can result from a high-protein diet
- added expense: meats are more expensive than carbs, usually
- fat and sodium content: they can sneak up on you

For many people, the pros of high protein TOTALLY outweigh the cons, so if you don't agree with this post I understand.
Just throwing it out there!

All of which may be true, but this thread is about low carb diets, not high protein diets.

kcmg0730

I'm a 'clean' low carb eater; I eat high quality, locally sourced (when possible) meat, fish, eggs, vegetables of all sorts, some fruit, and very little dairy (I eat butter the most and unpasteurised cheese every now and then, but that's about it). I don't use any low carb substitutes (processed food of any kind is out for me), and I use honey to sweeten instead of artificial sweetner. I wanted to try this way of eating mainly because I have been having such bad stomach cramps and bloating...I was positive it was down to what I was eating. And....after three weeks of no wheat, oats, etc., I feel like a different person. I can't believe how much energy I have!! I don't get ravenously hungry (or overly full), and I have no desire to binge or eat more than I need to. I lost 5 pounds the very first week, but haven't weighed again, so not sure if that's the same. I try to keep my carbs at between 50-100 per day.

It's fairly easy for me, though, because I gave up many dairy products and bread ages ago...I've been slowly cutting out any processed, manufactured food for a while now, so bread, pasta, crackers, cereal etc., haven't really been a huge part of my diet for a while. I think potatoes will be missed eventually, but I figure that once I have adjusted to eating this way, and it's more of an ingrained habit, having some potato now and then won't do any major damage (it's not like I was eating pounds of them every week!).

It's not for everyone, but it is sustainable and I haven't felt nearly as deprived as I did when I was monitoring my calorie intake.

garnet1483

Not first hand, but I was actually just talking to a woman in the grocery store about this topic. She said that she and her husband had had good luck with it, but that they, whether by design or just inconsistency, only spent about a week or two at a time doing it, swapping between that and a regular carb, healthy diet. I'm guessing that zig-zagging their dieting like that helped them maintain the weight loss.

Mompanda4

Bump

thelowcarbrecipes

I have lost 54lbs so far on a ketogenic low carb diet.

If you want to check out what kind of foods I have been eating you should visit my blog at http://thelowcarbrecipes.com

dodson169

bump

lookfierce

40lb lost in 3 months on a keto diet (sub 30 grams carbs a day, + lots of fat + moderate protein), been maintaining for a month now on keto/paleo.

Don't be scared about putting it all back on afterwards, if you do choose to transition into moderate carb, maintaining weight is easy if you can avoid sugar + wheat, which isn't so tough. I mean you can eat all the prime fatty meats and tasty vegatables you could ever want with dairy/alcohol in moderation not a problem either, I never go hungry or lack energy and my doc says my blood work is better than ever.

martinah4

I'm curious as to what everyone's idea of low carb is? Right now I'm doing (trying) 40% carb, 40% protein, and 20% fat which is a bit off from the 40/30/30 I've seen recomended but I've upped the protein because I lift heavy. I make sure that the was majority of my carbs come from whole wheat, slow release carbs. For example, my kashi oatmeal has 33g of carbs which apparently is more than some diets allow in an entire day! So am am curious what %'s are you talking about when you say low carb and do you consider the difference between white bread and whole wheat or oatmeal vs. sugary cereal?

On Atkins the 1st phase is 20-25g of carbs per day.

OMG how do you even eat veggies on that?! I rely so much on whole grains to help me feel full and power my day, I don't know how people do it! I guess to each his own...

LOL! I've been between 20-25 net carbs for almost a year. I eat a good amount of veggies, but I eat a normal amount of protein and good fats. I stay away from anything made from flour, anything processed, anything starchy. Never feel full, never have cravings. There are plenty of ways to satisfy a sweet tooth, that keep you in the low-carb range!

hexrei

I have never had a weight problem, just times when I decided I wanted to get my ab definition back, but yeah, low-carb always worked for me. It's not a requirement, but for my particular appetite, I'd rather be able to eat tons of veggies and meat than a few slices of bread for my calories. I'm also a dude and getting protein and vitamins trumps carbs for me because I want to keep a certain amount of muscle mass.

grinch031

"calories in < calories out" is NOT the key to weight loss. It is equivalent to saying that the key to running a marathon is to run 26.2 miles. DUH. Its the end result, not the means to get there.

You can't just say the key to weight loss is to "eat less and move more" because eating less could cause you to move less even if you don't realize it. So if you make mistakes in counting your calories and/or estimating your calorie expenditure, you could end up with a caloric surplus. Sometimes hormones can alter your energy expenditure in ways you can't predict. That is why weight loss isn't so simple. Plus there is resistance from your body. You might have extraordinary cravings because your body wants to resist the weight loss efforts.

Anyways that's where I find value in low-carb diets. They seem to be the path of least resistance for me. I've looked into the real science and I think the jury is still deliberating. For me, I am able to lose weight without even counting calories on a low carb diet, but that seemed like an impossible task on a high carb diet. I don't know if its because I automatically eat more protein in which its the satiety effect or because I have problems with insulin. Even though carbs are supposed to be more satiating than fat, I find myself starving in 2 hours after any high carb meal. Also my energy levels are better than ever and I'm also thriving in my long distance running.

My experience on a low-carb diet seems to be opposite of what all the naysayers think about it.

kathyc609

I have had great success with low carbing. I am on low carb, low fat, high protein. I started nov 1st and have lost 58 pounds so far. I eat a lot of lean meat, fish, eggs, and tons of veggies. No sugar no processed food. I still want to lose maybe 30 more and of course I know that if I go back to the way I was eating I will gain it back. That would happen with weight watchers or calorie counters that stop counting. It's a lifestyle change that I have committed too. I am healthier today them I have been in 18 years. 17 Day Diet. I saved my own life!

kathyc609

Also I want to add that If I had not low carbed and was just counting calories I would not have stuck with it. I started at 223 and was under 200 in a month. It would have takin me almost 3 months to get there following mfp. I started this after a friend urged me to do it with her. I had no intention of staying on it - agreed to do it because I was embarrassed to say no. I couldn't believe how fast i dropped and how easy it was.

zumbawhit

In January 2010, I began the Protein Power plan (which is basically the same thing as Atkins, except you are allowed 30 carbs in phase 1 rather than 20). By August 2010, I had lost 60 pounds at which point I weened myself off. I have kept it off for a year and half now just eating regular foods. People who say that the diet doesn't work because you gain it all back are wrong for 2 reasons:
1) It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. As with all healthy eating habits, things must be eaten in moderation. Just because I went off of a strictly-low carb diet doesn't mean I started eating rice for every meal and binged on cake and ice cream. I just ate normal portions with adequate amounts of protein.
2) People who gain it all back have obviously not done the research. Before I began eating low-carb, I read books and did lots of research. You can't just quit cold-turkey... very few things in life work that way. You must ween yourself to eating more carbs... that's why there are phases... just like in Jenny Craig or anything else.

During this year and a half, I would fluctuate about 5 pounds around holidays (when I wasn't so good), but that is nothing abnormal for any person. Now that I am ready to finish losing the last 30 pounds, I am back to eating a strictly low-carb diet. When I have reached my goal, I, again, will ween myself to being able to eat more carbs.

Just remember, LOW-CARB doesn't mean NO CARB! Some things are perfectly acceptable, as all things are in moderation (there's that word again). Give it a try. If it doesn't work, you're no worse off than you would've been! Feel free to add me if you wanna buddy up with some low-carbers! :-)

martinah4

In January 2010, I began the Protein Power plan (which is basically the same thing as Atkins, except you are allowed 30 carbs in phase 1 rather than 20). By August 2010, I had lost 60 pounds at which point I weened myself off. I have kept it off for a year and half now just eating regular foods. People who say that the diet doesn't work because you gain it all back are wrong for 2 reasons:
1) It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. As with all healthy eating habits, things must be eaten in moderation. Just because I went off of a strictly-low carb diet doesn't mean I started eating rice for every meal and binged on cake and ice cream. I just ate normal portions with adequate amounts of protein.
2) People who gain it all back have obviously not done the research. Before I began eating low-carb, I read books and did lots of research. You can't just quit cold-turkey... very few things in life work that way. You must ween yourself to eating more carbs... that's why there are phases... just like in Jenny Craig or anything else.

During this year and a half, I would fluctuate about 5 pounds around holidays (when I wasn't so good), but that is nothing abnormal for any person. Now that I am ready to finish losing the last 30 pounds, I am back to eating a strictly low-carb diet. When I have reached my goal, I, again, will ween myself to being able to eat more carbs.

Just remember, LOW-CARB doesn't mean NO CARB! Some things are perfectly acceptable, as all things are in moderation (there's that word again). Give it a try. If it doesn't work, you're no worse off than you would've been! Feel free to add me if you wanna buddy up with some low-carbers! :-)

Well said, Zumbawhit!
In the 8 months that you were "dieting", I'm guessing you were also changing your lifestyle, learning how to make better food choices, breaking bad eating habits, and learning about your body. So, when maintenance time came around, you didn't go gorge yourself on rice or pasta for every meal, with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups for dessert. Great job!

zombilishious

White is blight.

cloud2011

I'm not doing low carb but I'm changing the quality of my carbs. Brown rice, more fruit, less bread, less refined or processed foods.

More veggies too (I"m making soups).

I"ve started experimenting with smoothies and soups. They're both good for combining a lot of foods, that if you ate separately, you might be bored by or feel you were forcing yourself to eat.

huntindawg1962

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<<<see thats the problem with atkins people see it as an easy way to loose weight quickly when its really a whole life plan, what did they think would happen if they stopped following the final step ? well ive lost x pounds on atkins so i can go back to the diet that caused the problem in the first place. kinda crazy logic haha>>>
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Yup - agree. Its not just Atkins plan where people gain back after losing and reverting back to their old habits...... (I have experience with this as do a lot of people)

CarrieAnne22

Yes & no. I've done Atkins twice in the past and had great weight loss results, but both times I ended up developing kidney stones. Now, I'm not a doctor so I can't say definitively that my low-carb diet was the cause, but it sure seemed like one heck of a coincidence if it wasn't. Also, as soon I even strayed in the slightest, all the weight (plus more) came right back at an alarming rate.

I know some people who swear by it & if your diabetic it's always a good idea to keep your starchy carbs in check, but I'm finding that I'm having much better long term success being mindful of everything that passes my lips, not just carbs. Plus no horrible, excrutiatingly painful kidney stones to boot, woo-hoo!

dennydifferent

The kidney stones thing is interesting. A lot of Atkins dieters deny it, but I'm prepared to believe that an increase in animal protein in the diet could cause them in susceptible people. Do kidney stones run in the family or do you have kidney damage that you're aware of? They are likely to be uric acid stones, and the best way to prevent them is to drink a lot of water. A mix of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and water helps too.

It's possible, but probably not much fun, to do a vegetarian low carb diet which would stop it happening (sorry low carb vegetarians, I tried it and hated it). In the circumstances I think I too would go back to calorie counting/eating less. Kidney stones are horrible.

steffiejoe

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"LOL! I've been between 20-25 net carbs for almost a year. I eat a good amount of veggies, but I eat a normal amount of protein and good fats. I stay away from anything made from flour, anything processed, anything starchy. Never feel full, never have cravings. There are plenty of ways to satisfy a sweet tooth, that keep you in the low-carb range!
[/quote]"

You are able to only have 20-25 carbs while your pregnant?