To Low Carb or Not to Low Carb

grinch031

If you look at it from a practical perspective, low carbing is great because it usually means you don't need to think in terms of calories.

BRB, eating 6,500 calories of bacon and eggs everyday and still losing weight.

If you think that is what I am saying to do, then go do some research on low-carb diets.

No, I'm using a ridiculous example to illustrate why your assertion that low carb dieters need not count calories is silly.

It is not silly at all. It is well known that low-carb diets are effective despite not requiring the dieter to count calories.

Which is why all ad lib studies show greater weight loss on low carb, right? Oh wait a sec, about 50% of them do not show any difference in weight loss.

Why must the weight loss be greater to be an effective dieting strategy?

You are correct, that statement was meant to say no more effective then another diet. It still can be effective

And are you comparing ad-lib low-carb to say ad-lib high-carb or ad-lib low-carb to fixed energy intake?

dme1977

I JUST posted this about 1/2 hour ago...

i adjusted my levels today ( carbs, protein,fat) brought my carbs DOWN 5% and brought my protein UP 5% to make up the difference...
anyways i know it doesnt sound like a lot but since I am bonafied carb junkie I thought maybe I could bring it down 5% at a time without sending my body into shock....
little by little i want to curb my desire for so many breads, pastas,rices ... etc...
( not KILL eating them altogether , just tame the wild beast in me)
38 minutes ago ·

*****************************
for some of us pastas , breads, and rices are/ were a staple CULTURALLY in our households and they are definetely my go to comfort food... as I said for ME its not about NOT eating them its more about eating less of them :flowerforyou:

teimo

Hi.. I must admit the low carb way of life seems to suit my body better. I lose weight quickly and feel so much healthier for it.
It does seem difficult at the start as your body craves the stodge of bread etc but I always find my skin improves, my tummy doesn't feel bloated and my energy levels soar.
I used to have a wheat and dairy intolerance so I wonder if that's why my body responds so well.
I think at the end of the day you need to give your body what it wants - it tends to tell you or react to certain foods.

stubbysticks

Low carb isn't for everybody, & yes, you do have to get creative sometimes when it comes to family dinners, but how hard is it to keep the spaghetti sauce separate from the pasta? You could have yours over spaghetti squash instead. I've done it, it's not exactly the same, but it's close enough to keep you from punching those pasta-eating suckas in the face at the table.

I don't currently follow a low carb plan but I've carb cycled in the past so I did low carb through the week with 1 high carb day on the weekends. It worked great for me because I had high targets for calories & protein, which left me pretty full so higher fat/lower carb helped me meet my goals. It was part of an overall strength training program & I made wicked progression over the months I followed it & continued losing weight.

I switched to a different cyclical diet just because it got tedious managing to all 3 macros every day. I fully expected a temporary gain since I didn't transition out of low carb, but that never happened which was cool. I suspect it was because my body was already accustomed to periodic spikes in carb intake.

The biggest benefit I think I realized from going low carb was detoxing from sugar. I wasn't aware of how much was in the foods I ate until I had to start watching carbs. That alone made me feel noticeably "cleaner" within a week. To this day, even though I don't try as hard to limit carbs anymore, I am still very aware of them when I make my food choices.

Low carb is also recommended for women with PCOS, though I suspect you are not one.

Rather than limit carbs, how about trying to get your protein higher? I didn't try look at your food diary but from my own experience, I find that meeting my high protein goals keeps the carbs lower by default.

Bottom line is that the total calories matter more when it comes to weight loss, though.

janeinspain

I say reduce carbs, but don't eliminate them. I go for 100-200 g/day. I noticed losing easier on low carb, but as I really like bread and have a sweet-tooth, it won't work for me long-term. So I keep my eyes on the carbs, but enjoy goodies every now and then.

sobriquet84

I carb cycle, but then again, I'm not training for a triathalon.

On the days I am not carbing, carbs make up about 10% of my calories, which is about 35g active carbs a day. The days I do a carb load, carbs make up about 40% of my calories. Whether I'm having a low carb or higher carb day, I DO NOT eat sugar, white flour or starches. All my carbs sources I keep low GI as much as possible.

I would recommend in the least stick with lower GI carb sources, staying away from white four and starches and avoiding sugar unless its naturally occurring. You can do this whether or not you do low carb, and since you're training for a triathalon, this might be a good option for you since it minimizes blood sugar spikes and will keep your energy levels for steady, plus greatly aiding in weight loss. Your exact ratio of carbs to protein and fat though, that's up to you and what works best for you.

bltrexler

That's what I am doing now. Love it! for a few reasons:

1. The huge losses (especially in the beginning) provide motivation to keep going.
2. I am forced to walk away from cookies, candy, and other sugary treats this way. The whole "everything in moderation" mantra only works if you can handle it, but I am truly a food addict and need restrictions to stop myself from bingeing.
3. I am less likely to go through a drive-thru or snack on junk food without thinking, because finding low-carb foods is just not as easy as grabbbing something from the vending machine.
4. Nothin about meat, cheese, eggs, or vegetables makes my body want to overeat. I can go through a family-size bag of Doritos or package of Oreos in one sitting, but I have NEVER EVER EVER felt the need to gorge myself on green beans LOL.
5. I have a ot more energy and focus when I eat low-carb. I am not groggy or sleepy all day, and I know longer feel like a bear dragged out of hibernation prematurely. There is truly a pep in my step.

Low-carb is not for everyone, but it's for this chick

I agree.. check out the Dukan diet which reintroduces moderate carb consumption after you have achieved your goal and stabilized

grinch031

So, my question is, are you/wopuld you follow the low-carb diet and why or why not?

Me? No. Never. As a normal healthy individual, there is no reason to introduce such a handicap and discomfort into my life.

I have used MFP's calorie tracking a few times for informational purposes and find that to be quite a handicap and discomfort in my life. The thought of even eating out in a restaurant is daunting to me when trying to account for calorie intake.

purplebaby1216

That's what I am doing now. Love it! for a few reasons:

1. The huge losses (especially in the beginning) provide motivation to keep going.
2. I am forced to walk away from cookies, candy, and other sugary treats this way. The whole "everything in moderation" mantra only works if you can handle it, but I am truly a food addict and need restrictions to stop myself from bingeing.
3. I am less likely to go through a drive-thru or snack on junk food without thinking, because finding low-carb foods is just not as easy as grabbbing something from the vending machine.
4. Nothin about meat, cheese, eggs, or vegetables makes my body want to overeat. I can go through a family-size bag of Doritos or package of Oreos in one sitting, but I have NEVER EVER EVER felt the need to gorge myself on green beans LOL.
5. I have a ot more energy and focus when I eat low-carb. I am not groggy or sleepy all day, and I know longer feel like a bear dragged out of hibernation prematurely. There is truly a pep in my step.

Low-carb is not for everyone, but it's for this chick

This is the way for me too...I did Atkins 5 years ago and lost 30 lbs in 4 months but then fell pregnant because the weight loss had gotten my cycle back on track....my doctors at the time asked me to stop doing atkins and to just eat a low fat/low cal diet....well that didn't work for me as I was very cranky and could not maintain and ended up gorging on crap again. Now a days, it shows that Atkins can be done while pregnant as long as you up your carbs to 60-100 grams instead of a very restricted number. For me, being able to eat fats like avocado, cheese, nuts is WAY more satisfying then being able to eat breads, pastas, baked chips, etc. So eating a low carb (lots of veggies though), moderate protein and fat diet lets me lose weight, feel more energized, and maintain long term. I am back on the diet again and have lost 54 lbs so far and do just fine....except that my daughter is a Girl Scout and I made the mistake of buying cookies for the house! I ate a few which led a whole box eaten just by me So carbs and I do not go well together.

fieldsy4life

Last post before I stop checking this thread haha.

This is from Lyle McDonald's book "The Ketogenic Diet", which is pretty much the low-carb bible:

Very low-carbohydrate (aka ketogenic) diets such as The Atkins Diet, Protein Power and The South Beach Diet have come and gone repeatedly over the years and there is currently great research and real-world interest in their effects. Unfortunately, altogether too much misinformation exists regarding them.

Folks who are pro-low-carbohydrate diets tend to present them as the quick and easy solution to everything including obesity. Easy weight loss without hunger or calorie counting is promised but never seems to pan out as well as we might hope.

At the other extreme are the anti-low-carbohydrate folks who tend to present low-carbohydrate diets as nothing short of a nutritional disaster being perpetrated by a bunch of con men.

The truth, of course lies somewhere in the middle. While low-carbohydrate diets aren’t for everyone and have their pros and cons, the research is clear: they have major benefits under certain circumstances and can be as healthy (and sometimes healthier) than ‘standard’ carbohydrate based dieting.

Key things to take home from that passage: not for everyone, and as healthy as carb-based diets under "certain circumstances".

cheria55

I read alot of comments but only a couple people threw out some numbers...how many grams of carbs is a low carb diet and how many is high carb diet? Are we all actually taking about the same thing? As you can tell I'm new to this, but I would also like to know what carbs everyone is giving up if your on a low to no carb diet? No veggies? I guess I'm getting very confused.

fieldsy4life

I read alot of comments but only a couple people threw out some numbers...how many grams of carbs is a low carb diet and how many is high carb diet? Are we all actually taking about the same thing? As you can tell I'm new to this, but I would also like to know what carbs everyone is giving up if your on a low to no carb diet? No veggies? I guess I'm getting very confused.

Everyone is going to be different, but you can purchase urine test strips (fun I know) to see if you are in ketosis. Most people find this is induced at under 30 net carbs per day, but some have to go lower than that. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber.

DO NOT GIVE UP VEGETABLES THOUGH!

JanetGurl

It appears that the carb question is like walking on a mine field on MFP.... be very careful because this topic is almost like discussing politics or religion, it can start a war....
You have to find what works best for yourself.... and what your body responds the best to. I find for myself as a diabetic the more I am strict with carbs the better I am able to control blood sugars. I eat them, so don't get me wrong because our body needs them.... but I don't feast on them at every meal or snack time.

grinch031

Last post before I stop checking this thread haha.

This is from Lyle McDonald's book "The Ketogenic Diet", which is pretty much the low-carb bible:

Very low-carbohydrate (aka ketogenic) diets such as The Atkins Diet, Protein Power and The South Beach Diet have come and gone repeatedly over the years and there is currently great research and real-world interest in their effects. Unfortunately, altogether too much misinformation exists regarding them.

Folks who are pro-low-carbohydrate diets tend to present them as the quick and easy solution to everything including obesity. Easy weight loss without hunger or calorie counting is promised but never seems to pan out as well as we might hope.

At the other extreme are the anti-low-carbohydrate folks who tend to present low-carbohydrate diets as nothing short of a nutritional disaster being perpetrated by a bunch of con men.

The truth, of course lies somewhere in the middle. While low-carbohydrate diets aren’t for everyone and have their pros and cons, the research is clear: they have major benefits under certain circumstances and can be as healthy (and sometimes healthier) than ‘standard’ carbohydrate based dieting.

Key things to take home from that passage: not for everyone, and as healthy as carb-based diets under "certain circumstances".

Which is why I don't see why certain posters seem to continuously bash the low-carb diet as unnecessary, as if they know everybody's individual needs. Some people cannot sustain weight loss on moderate-to-high carb diets because they are hungry all the time. I am one of those people. I am not diabetic or insulin resistant (as far as I know), but I hate starving all the time.

UponThisRock

No, I'm using a ridiculous example to illustrate why your assertion that low carb dieters need not count calories is silly.

I found the best results came from low-carbing AND counting calories - but I'm definitely not doing 1200 a day like the rest of MFP.

I've said this on every other grain-free and low-carb post: do what works for you; but low-carbing does require a lot of research and attention to detail. Not wanting to count calories is not a valid reason for eating low-carb.

I'm not disputing that low-carb works better for some folks.

So what exactly are you disputing?

Again I'm disputing your assertion that calories don't matter on a low carb diet. My question is: do you have any evidence to support that assertion?

I didn't say they don't matter, I'm saying that they are an effective weight loss strategy where the dieter doesn't need to restrict calories. In other words they can eat ad lib and still create a caloric deficit.

Can you support your assertion with evidence?

sobriquet84

Thank you for the responses so far. I see myself in a few of them. I guess my main reason for asking is to help me justify going back on the low carb plan. The hard part about it is eating different from the rest of the family. Spaghetti and hamburger helper are quick and easy meals for the kids and make it hard to stay away from the carbs.

For spaghetti, try Dreamfields Low Glycemic Spaghetti-- tastes just like regular pasta! You won't miss regular white pasta with making this switch. 1 serving = 1 cup of cooked noodles = 5 g active carbs and a ton of fiber.

This is what my husband and I eat and for added protein we add turkey meatballs.

taso42

So, my question is, are you/wopuld you follow the low-carb diet and why or why not?

Me? No. Never. As a normal healthy individual, there is no reason to introduce such a handicap and discomfort into my life.

I have used MFP's calorie tracking a few times for informational purposes and find that to be quite a handicap and discomfort in my life. The thought of even eating out in a restaurant is daunting to me when trying to account for calorie intake.

Ok. This again?

I find Harley Davidsons to be crappy quality, too loud, and dislike that they emphasize looks over performance. So do I go on Harley websites and talk about how I dislike them? No. That would be just as weird as going to a calorie counting website to talk about just how much I dislike calorie counting.

grinch031

I read alot of comments but only a couple people threw out some numbers...how many grams of carbs is a low carb diet and how many is high carb diet? Are we all actually taking about the same thing? As you can tell I'm new to this, but I would also like to know what carbs everyone is giving up if your on a low to no carb diet? No veggies? I guess I'm getting very confused.

Everyone is going to be different, but you can purchase urine test strips (fun I know) to see if you are in ketosis. Most people find this is induced at under 30 net carbs per day, but some have to go lower than that. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber.

DO NOT GIVE UP VEGETABLES THOUGH!

Well ketosis isn't that important as you should know reading that book. I think 150-200g is considered low-carb.

grinch031

So, my question is, are you/wopuld you follow the low-carb diet and why or why not?

Me? No. Never. As a normal healthy individual, there is no reason to introduce such a handicap and discomfort into my life.

I have used MFP's calorie tracking a few times for informational purposes and find that to be quite a handicap and discomfort in my life. The thought of even eating out in a restaurant is daunting to me when trying to account for calorie intake.

Ok. This again?

I find Harley Davidsons to be crappy quality, too loud, and dislike that they emphasize looks over performance. So do I go on Harley websites and talk about how I dislike them? No. That would be just as weird as going to a calorie counting website to talk about just how much I dislike calorie counting.

So why go on a low-carb thread to talk about how you dislike them. Hypocritical much? This is NOT a "calorie counting" website it is a fitness/health/nutrition website. Seriously, get over yourself.

kbc525

I've heard about carb cycling and was wondering it was something I should look into... to keep the body guessing