Low-Carb

kiely13

Has anyone done a low-carb type diet??
I'd like to know how it worked for you - Pros/Cons... anything.

I'm really considering to try it out to hopefully re-jump start some weight loss since I've hit a lovely plateau.

Any help would be appreciated :]

jamesfit99

They can work in terms of weight loss, but very low carb diets (Atkins for example) are controversial, and many consider them unhealthy. Also, if you ever go off a very low carb diet, you'll probably have a big rebound in weight and fairly quickly.

That said, cutting down on simple sugars, white bread, pasta, etc., and replacing those carbs with more whole grains, vegetables, etc., can be a healthier way to eat.

At one point I was on the Zone Diet, which is low carb and low calorie. I did lose weight and have more energy, but I found it harder to concentrate at mental tasks. I've also heard this from others on low carb diets but YMMV.

liftingheavy

I've tried low carb diets, under 30grams a day and I just do not have the energy to work out as hard. I wish I could get it lower because people who eat low carbs seem to have great success.

grinch031

Pros - most people can eat to satiety without counting calories and still lose weight, many people feel more energized during the day

Cons - very inconvenient at times to follow the diet outside of the home, temptation to cheat surrounds you all the time, food preparation requires more time and effort, foods are more expensive, athletic performance may suffer (although you can work around this)

grinch031

I've tried low carb diets, under 30grams a day and I just do not have the energy to work out as hard. I wish I could get it lower because people who eat low carbs seem to have great success.

Depends on your workout routine. Low-carbing is fine for low-intensity but for higher intensity you need to eat more carbs targeted around workouts for optimal performance.

krissypea79

I incorporate many of the rules of the South Beach diet and I LOVE it. I will go on Phase 1 every so often if I fall off the wagon and need a little jump start. I've had great success. Started Phase 1 again last Friday, and am down 4lbs already, that's with doing very minimal exercise, just making good food choices and drinking a lot of water. Phase 1 is only intended to last 2 weeks, no longer - as it's very restrictive.

I would never stick to this diet 100% all the time, but once you learn the difference between good carbs/bad carbs and good fats/bad fats, you can make intelligent choices and enjoy delicious, clean, healthy food at the same time! I make many of the rules of South Beach part of my daily life (staying away from white bread, pasta, potatoes, etc), but know that it's OK to splurge ONCE in a while. I love to cook, so I find it easy, and very enjoyable to find delicious things to eat.

I usually come in between 50-60g carbs per day when I'm REALLY trying, but generally below 100 will provide steady weight loss. Check out the South Beach diet book, I've been a fan for almost 10 years, and feel very knowledgeable about what is good & bad in terms of carbs. Feel free to add me if you'd like!

sommerskins

Not great for the long term. Once you incorporate carbs back into your diet you risk gaining it all back plus some. Eating healthy carbs is the best way to go.... Veggies, high fiber. I just got a breakdown of what is good to help assist in the weight loss and it is protein-carb-fat ratio, keep it 45%-35%-20%. I also have been told to shock the body by really switching up your workouts.... I am going to try the 15/15/15 method and that is switching out your cardio on several different machines in 15 minute increments. I have done many crash diets, no carbs included and once I added the carbs back I gained it all back plus an extra 15 lbs. Not a great solution for the long term. Good luck!

jamesfit99

I incorporate many of the rules of the South Beach diet and I LOVE it. I will go on Phase 1 every so often if I fall off the wagon and need a little jump start. I've had great success. Started Phase 1 again last Friday, and am down 4lbs already, that's with doing very minimal exercise, just making good food choices and drinking a lot of water. Phase 1 is only intended to last 2 weeks, no longer - as it's very restrictive.

I had good luck with South Beach Phase I in terms of weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. The problem is that if you do it beyond 2 weeks you probably lose more weight than you want to -- at least that is what happened to me. Never figured out the calories on stage 1, but they couldn't be more than what, 1200 calories?

Problem was that when I went to stage 2 and stage 3, my cholesterol and bp went back up to their previous baseline.

-- James

grinch031

Not great for the long term. Once you incorporate carbs back into your diet you risk gaining it all back plus some.

This statement can be applied just the same to calorie-restrictive diets. Once you stop counting calories, you risk gaining it all back plus some.

fatzombiegirl

I try to have better carbs vs low carbs: lots of veggies!

When I eat grains, I eat whole grain only.

I limit pasta and bread to about once a week but find that I don't crave it anymore. I was a carb addict.

emma110984

I eat low carbs as a lifestyle choice, not a diet... I tend to not eat anything that has more than 5grams of carbs per 100grams... but i can be flexible!!! I give myself treat days, where I can have chocolate or crisps! I tend to steer clear of potatoes, pasta, sugar, bread, rice... the white stuff!! I generally get my carbs and sugar from fruit, veg and quinoa... I love this lifestyle, I have loads of energy for exercise and my mood is great! I shoulda done this years ago... i went from saying 'I can't eat that' to 'i don't eat that'... SO EMPOWERING... I LOVE IT!!

SueInAz

It really depends on what you mean by "low carb." I've done Atkins in the past and had great success. It took me 10 years to put the weight back on and that was because I lost focus and didn't exercise not because the carbs suddenly caused me to gain all of the weight back. I think that's true for most people who stop any diet or nutrition plan.

This past summer I broke a plateau simply by cutting out white carbs: pasta, rice, sugar, potatoes, etc. I kept my calorie goal the same (1250) and my total carbs to under 90 grams with most of it coming from vegetables. Since hitting my goal in October I have a tendency to cycle lower and higher carb days to accommodate my running schedule.

JNick77

Has anyone done a low-carb type diet??
I'd like to know how it worked for you - Pros/Cons... anything.

I'm really considering to try it out to hopefully re-jump start some weight loss since I've hit a lovely plateau.

Any help would be appreciated :]

Yes, they work. But when I think low carb I'm thinking around 25 - 35 grams per day.

Pro's: Easy to follow if you can consistently eat at home or take your food with you.
- Good way to break a plateau
- Quick way to drop water weight (if needed)
- It's common for your cholesterol and triglyceride levels to improve.

Cons: Very difficult to maintain if you travel for work, have frequent lunch outtings for work, or you frequently eat and drink socially.
- Difficult to sustain long-term because of this
- Not really a con but... You still should track your calories. Don't let people trick you into thinking that you can just pile high fat / low carb food into you without consequence. Calories in < Calories out to lose weight, period.
- Getting use to the lower carb days can be difficult mentally, you'll feel tired
- May have days where you feel lethargic; I'd say training frequency is affected more by low-carb eating.
- If you do get off the diet expect to gain some weight back.

I think managing one's carbs is important. Personally (take this for what it's worth), I've found that carb-cycling and using carbs to my advantage has been far more useful. For example, post-workout I eat something sweet like Apple Sauce to really get my Insulin going to get nutrients shuttled to my muscles better. I use to eat low-carb 5 days a week and then carb-up like crazy on the weekends. It worked for a while but was difficult to maintain and my training did suffer after a while. Granted I lost 25lbs doing this.

Now I've been working with a professional that has me eating a higher ratio of carbs on LIFTING days (~235grams) and a lower ratio of carbs (~110grams for me) on non-lifting days and non-lifting days do include cardio. This is the leanest I've ever been and I've seen the most success in the gym ever too.

Qarol

There's a group, if you're interested.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

Quiing

I have and I'm doing it again.

I lost 43 pounds in 4 months back in 2010, but went back to my pasta loving ways and gained half of it back.

So I'm doing it again and loving it... bacon and eggs for breakfast!!! And I just learned about shirataki noodles having very low carbs, so I can have my pasta and eat it too while staying under 30g of carbs!! :smokin:

emmalecras

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

grinch031

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

Well there is no evidence that can say whether low-carb diets are good or bad long term, but the anecdotal evidence seems to show that most people improve health on low-carb diets.

The only sustainability issue is really whether people can sacrifice foods high in carbs despite living in a toxic environment where there is temptation everywhere.

JNick77

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

Well there is no evidence that can say whether low-carb diets are good or bad long term, but the anecdotal evidence seems to show that most people improve health on low-carb diets.

The only sustainability issue is really whether people can sacrifice foods high in carbs despite living in a toxic environment where there is temptation everywhere.

True but I would hardly call carbs toxic. Can they work against you if you're not smart, yes. But if you manage them properly you'll be fine.

methodless

I just started
I used to burn 600 calories at the gym daily and to no avail
Now I have cut carbs, and I can't perform at my highest level on the highest intensity workouts. I start off at the same level and fall off a cliff (by the end, I am only about 85-90% as efficient as I was before - which isn't terrible)

I have seen no detriment in the medium intensity or low intensity workouts.

I have lost the first few pounds really quickly, but I suspect it's water that carbs tend to hang on to. I'm not doing anything extreme like under 20g etc.

I used to be complacent about carbs as long as calories and fat was low. The size of my dinner has decreased drastically, and I tend to have between 50 and 70g of carbs a day, mostly at dinner (not for any specific reason, just the way my meals are).

On weekends, I don't have time nor am I willing to change my lifestyle drastically enough to go low carb and will go higher. I don't get complacent, but I don't treat carbs like the plague either.

The hardest part for me was getting used to lunches that aren't between 2 pieces of bread or dinners that don't have a side of fries or rice, etc as well as avoiding consuming crazy amounts of juice.

grinch031

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

Well there is no evidence that can say whether low-carb diets are good or bad long term, but the anecdotal evidence seems to show that most people improve health on low-carb diets.

The only sustainability issue is really whether people can sacrifice foods high in carbs despite living in a toxic environment where there is temptation everywhere.

True but I would hardly call carbs toxic. Can they work against you if you're not smart, yes. But if you manage them properly you'll be fine.

65% of Americans cannot handle this environment. I'd say that's toxic to me.

I will shut up forever if anybody can show me a population that has become morbidly obese without eating an abundance of carbohydrates.

KANGOOJUMPS

personnaly to me, YUK!, carbs are your fuel!,,,,

JNick77

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

Well there is no evidence that can say whether low-carb diets are good or bad long term, but the anecdotal evidence seems to show that most people improve health on low-carb diets.

The only sustainability issue is really whether people can sacrifice foods high in carbs despite living in a toxic environment where there is temptation everywhere.

True but I would hardly call carbs toxic. Can they work against you if you're not smart, yes. But if you manage them properly you'll be fine.

65% of Americans cannot handle this environment. I'd say that's toxic to me.

People's inability to make responsible decisions is a separate issue, carbs themselves being toxic isn't the same thing.

Just for example:
- sweet potatoes
- rice
- oats
- berries
- tomatoes

Those are hardly toxic.

grinch031

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

Well there is no evidence that can say whether low-carb diets are good or bad long term, but the anecdotal evidence seems to show that most people improve health on low-carb diets.

The only sustainability issue is really whether people can sacrifice foods high in carbs despite living in a toxic environment where there is temptation everywhere.

True but I would hardly call carbs toxic. Can they work against you if you're not smart, yes. But if you manage them properly you'll be fine.

65% of Americans cannot handle this environment. I'd say that's toxic to me.

I will shut up forever if anybody can show me a population that has become morbidly obese without eating an abundance of carbohydrates.

haha is this a trick question? I think every population consumes some form of carbohydrates. I guess the keyword is "abundance"

No not at all. Show me an obese population that eats less than 150-200g a day.

JNick77

I have seen two dieticians over the last couple of months to gain different opinions and both have advised me not to go low-carb in any form and have recommended arund 50% of calories to come from carbs with the emphasis on low GI carbs - eg basmatic rice, wholegrains, sweet potatoes etc. but also remembering that there are carbs in lots of other foods as well.

They have both said that for long term sustainability of weight loss and health it is not the way to go if I went low-carb.

One of the dieticians worked with Diabetes Australia and this is the focus that they use in terms of the best dietary outcomes for people with diabetes.

Well there is no evidence that can say whether low-carb diets are good or bad long term, but the anecdotal evidence seems to show that most people improve health on low-carb diets.

The only sustainability issue is really whether people can sacrifice foods high in carbs despite living in a toxic environment where there is temptation everywhere.

True but I would hardly call carbs toxic. Can they work against you if you're not smart, yes. But if you manage them properly you'll be fine.

65% of Americans cannot handle this environment. I'd say that's toxic to me.

I will shut up forever if anybody can show me a population that has become morbidly obese without eating an abundance of carbohydrates.

haha is this a trick question? I think every population consumes some form of carbohydrates. I guess the keyword is "abundance"

No not at all. Show me an obese population that eats less than 150-200g a day.

That's a little subjective no? I could easily eat well over my calorie goals with 200g / carbs / day by upping high-fat low carb intake with those carbs.

Balance and good decisions. Isn't that really the key to most things in life though?

SilentRenegade

I think it depends on the person. For me I have MORE energy when on a low carb diet. In fact, I feel great in general on them. However, I have realized that it must be a lifestyle choice, not a temporary fix, because as it's been said, if you go back to eating carbs like you were before, you WILL gain weight back plus some. I have felt great eating more fats and proteins and a very small amount of carbs. I know a lot of people say they can't workout as hard without carbs, but I can work out harder without them. Test it out and see how your body reacts. My attitude is that I want to do something I feel good doing, not something I'm going to feel miserable over, because I'm not going to keep the habits if I hate doing it.

grinch031

That's a little subjective no? I could easily eat well over my calorie goals with 200g / carbs / day by upping high-fat low carb intake with those carbs.

Balance and good decisions. Isn't that really the key to most things in life though?

Okay the point is it would require effort to eat above your calorie goals on high-fat or high-protein. On high-carbs, it requires zero effort whatsoever for most of us to become obese. In fact we spend all our efforts preventing ourselves from becoming obese.

Shadowcasting

People started to consume more carbs when agriculture was developed. I researched this, and before this time there was virtually no disease.

Umm.... that's partially because 1) no medical records really exist from back in "those days" meaning....before agriculture and 2) even 200 years ago, what was the average lifespan? Yeah, people died young, and generally they didn't know why. Therefore, "no disease."

I think low-carb is one of those very-pro or very-anti things, and you'll get advice from both sides. Does it have to be all or nothing? Can you reduce carbs and get those that you DO take in from whole grains rather than say corn, sugar, white flour?

I, personally, am on the Anti- side because someone I know personally and first-hand was ordered off the diet by her doctors because not only did her cholesterol, triglycerides, etc not improve, they got significantly worse and, probably the biggest reason, is..... have you ever been stuck in an elevator with someone on Atkins? Or been on the receiving end of a "close talker" who is on Atkins or other very-low carb diet? UGH. Horrrrrrrendous. I like to say "It makes you smell like a goat!!"

BUT, sometimes you have to try things out for yourself and see how it goes for you.

Shadowcasting

I will shut up forever if anybody can show me a population that has become morbidly obese without eating an abundance of carbohydrates.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do the Chinese not eat an "abundance" of carbohydrates and yet are *not* generally known to have to propensity for obesity?

Dave198lbs

[I don't want to get in to the entire physiology of blood, and disease.

good.

zenchild

I just started the 17 day diet which isn't quite low carb, but it's similar. For the first 17 days you eat all the lean chicken, turkey and fish and vegetables you want, 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of probiotic food. Essentially you cut out starches and processed foods. After the initial phase you slowly incorporate other foods. If you reach your goal by the end of any of the three loss phases then you can skip straight to maintenance.
Today is day 3. I feel better. I woke up feeling pretty good. At 3PM I don't feel ready to fall over from exhaustion. I still want a donut more than I can say, but at least I'm not daydreaming about bread all day. Knowing I've already lost 2.6 pounds helps too. I know it's probably water weight but I don't care. The scale went down. After several months of little to no progress it's very gratifying to see something change for the better.

grinch031

I will shut up forever if anybody can show me a population that has become morbidly obese without eating an abundance of carbohydrates.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do the Chinese not eat an "abundance" of carbohydrates and yet are *not* generally known to have to propensity for obesity?

That's the other side of the argument. Yes there cultures who eat carbohydrates without obesity, but there are no cultures who are obese without eating an abundance of carbohydrates.

This shows that an abundance of carbohydrates is necessary to have an obesity epidemic, but not that carbohydrates by themselves are enough to cause it. Perhaps its the emphasis on sugar, or more wheat products, or the refining of carbs, or the combination of high carbs with high fat that has led to the problems in the USA. Carbs seem to be the one common denominator.