Question for the low-carbers!

Bri927

Some of you have lost a decent amount of weight. Is this from low-carbing and exercising or something else? I know I struggle with watching what I put in my mouth. What is your story?

dennydifferent

I didn't exercise when I first started on a very low carb diet, mainly because I couldn't! For a few weeks before your body adapts it can really zap your energy.

No, in my case it's been almost all diet, and then when losses slowed a little (from 4lb a week to 2lb) I started lifting heavy weights twice a week. I spend a max of maybe 30 minutes on a cardio machine in a week (taken in 5 or 10 minute bursts). 3 days a week I walk to and from work, that's about 50minutes/1 hour a day. It's hardly a punishing exercise regime! Enough to keep me healthy and energised.

As for watching what I put in my mouth, that became a LOT easier once I'd got over the carb/sugar addiction. Atkins induction (for example) is pretty much going cold turkey on sugar. After a week of cravings and withdrawal, I found that I could take or leave candy, chips, ice-cream etc. When I do have something carby/sugary, I often find it just isn't as wonderful as I remember, and I can easily walk away. Please understand that before, I ate chocolate every day, Domino's pizza at least once a week if not more....my lunches were chips, soda and a sandwich. I eat none of that now, and have no desire to do so- there's no feeling of deprivation whatsoever.

HTH!

Justforthebacon

I think you will find a combination of both. That being said, changing your diet is what will aid you in weight loss. Exercising can help with building muscle and improving cardiovascular function, but if you don't change your diet then you probably won't see much success.

I used to go to the gym to do cardio daily and would see no improvement. I started low carb and BAM .. I began to lose weight. I also started lifting heavy 3 times a week and I stopped cardio. I hope to build some more muscle and reduce my body fat.

bluebird321

Starting out, the most exercise I did was walking my dog. I knew i needed to do something, but also knew, from experience, intense exercise made me ravenous. For me, 80% of my weight loss has been via the diet -- the exercise is to just keep fit and work off stress.

30yearssincebikini

I started exercising in January and although inches were coming off no weight was coming off so I started the Atkins diet. It has helped me tremendously. This diet cuts out all starchy white food like pasta, potatoes, rice and bread. Also sugar. So it's hard the first week or so, but it's amazing how after that week, the cravings go away. I lost seven pounds my first week, and plateaued my second week I think it's because I ate/drank a lot of shakes/bars for meal replacements, they have sugar alcohols which stalled my weight loss. So this last week is better, I am still losing.

So far, since my journey started on Jan 17, I have lost two inches on my waist and two and a half inches on my hips. I look a lot better and my clothes fit better, and I am losing weight.

Eating sugar/carbs made it impossible for me to lose, so this is working well for me.

rsouthland

On December 8, 2011 I started Atkins again for the 3rd time, topping out at 296 pounds. For the first several weeks, all I did was induction level carbs and I lost 18 pounds in that three weeks. Then around the first of January 2012 (new years resolution) I went back to the gym. I've been working out pretty hard, for me, 3-4 times a week. Conversely, the weight loss has come to a grinding halt. Since returning to the gym basically 8 weeks ago, I've only lost an additional 5 pounds. My diet remains the same, however I try to eat back my workout calories. My diary was set at 1700, though I just changed it to 1690 a couple days ago.

My saving grace is that I started with a tape measure from day one in the gym and I tape every week on Sunday mornings. Even though I haven't been losing weight, I've been definitely losing inches. I feel much better, my clothes fit better, I'm much stronger, happier. I know that at some point, the muscle I've been building back up which is counter balancing my weight loss, will hit that point where I start to lose faster again.

I am 40 years old and it's certainly true what they say, the older you get the harder it is to take off. I'm constantly in ketosis, though sometimes the lower end.