What is with the low carb fad?

Chood5

I don't get any of these fads. Just use the god damn food pyramid and you'll be fine

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha :laugh:

carolann_22

It's not a fad, it is the way I've been told by two doctors and an endocrinologist that I have to eat for the rest of my life. ANYTHING can be a lifestyle change, it depends on how committed you are to it. Just as many people in the everything in moderation camp put their weight back on eventually too - because they aren't committed.

norariz

What she said. What is low carb?

castlerobber

Low carb diet = higher risk for major heart disease issues

No, actually lower risk. It improves HDL (good) cholesterol and lowers triglycerides. Saturated fat doesn't cause heart disease; sugar and refined carbohydrates do, by increasing triglycerides/lowering HDL. LDL, the supposedly "bad" cholesterol, really doesn't have much to do with heart disease risk. The science showing all this has been around for 50 or 60 years, if not longer. The current fad among doctors of "almost everyone should take statins to get total cholesterol as low as possible" is already backfiring; exceptionally low total cholesterol levels lead to increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, never mind the side effects of statin drugs themselves such as muscle damage and memory problems.

insatiable_need

I do lower carb because I have PCOS and am insulin resistant so my doctor told me that I need to keep my carbs low (around 30-35% of my diet depending on what works for me) and my protein high. I watch my fat intake (especially my saturated fats) and do cardio 6 days a week with light strength training 3 days. Again, based on the recommendation of my doctor.

For me, this isn't a fad. It's how I'll have to eat the rest of my life because PCOS doesn't go away. You can only treat it and without access to proper medication, I have to work even harder at treating it through diet and exercise.

DrBorkBork

Just use the god damn food pyramid and you'll be fine

The government got rid of the pyramid. Their new plate is dumb. I prefer this:

Acg67

Just use the god damn food pyramid and you'll be fine

The government got rid of the pyramid. Their new plate is dumb. I prefer this:

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

twinmom01

not a fad been around for awhile...works very well for some people, like myself, I tried the "regular" way of eating to provide for a weight loss - watching fat, counting calories, exercising...etc...and watched the same 5 lbs jump up and down on my scale....

after lots and lots of reading I simply changed the way i eat by making different choices...instead of watching fat I watch carbs....I still count calories and exercise - only now the scale goes down and down again and down again....

It isn't hard to maintain for the long haul - it is all about what you put into it...I limit myself to one serving of fruit a day...instead of pasta with my marinara sauce I use Spagetti squash...instead of cous-cous for my tabouli I use riced cauliflower...instead of pizza made with a crust i use a portabello mushroom...instead of using a taco shell I use large lettuce leaves...instead of munching on crackers or pretzals for a snack i grab some cucumber or red pepper strips or almonds, or pecans or my husbands homemade deer jerky...

I don't feel deprived because I don't MISS eating things that are higher in carbs...I won't say it has been easy and it didn't happen overnight...but to say it can't be sustained over the long haul is just plain wrong - many people do it and have done it for years and years....

DrBorkBork

Just use the god damn food pyramid and you'll be fine

The government got rid of the pyramid. Their new plate is dumb. I prefer this:

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

poisons aren't really part of our plant fare. :P

I avoid nightshades (poisons) and grains (poisons)

Acg67

Just use the god damn food pyramid and you'll be fine

The government got rid of the pyramid. Their new plate is dumb. I prefer this:

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

poisons aren't really part of our plant fare. :P

I avoid nightshades (poisons) and grains (poisons)

Are you going to substantiate this claim or just add to the ridiculous claims list?

umachanxo

From my own research, low carb seems to be something that can be unhealthy if done long term. Low carb tends to mean high fat and high cholesterol.

For me, having lost 23 lbs and nearly to my ideal weight, it's much more difficult to lose those last few lbs. Right now I am alternating with 2 days of low carb and 5 days just regular balanced eating at a calorie deficit. This was suggested to me as a way to break my plateau. I am trying it and not finding it difficult.

My wedding is in 4 weeks, and so I really want to break this plateau before then.

Hope that helps!

No - that is a misconception. It is not a high fat/high cholesterol approach. If the person is making appropriate choices with a low carb intake, its extremely healthy. My total CHO is 117 and Ive been doing this for almost a year. So, sorry, youre wrong.

I was restating what both my doctor and my nutritionist explained to me as I decided to eat very low carbs and also going by personal experience. You eat 117 carbs? That's great! I'm talking about eating 50 grams of carbs or less

It's also VERY true that many foods with a low carbohydrate value have a higher cholesterol and fat value. I'm glad that it works for you, and that you are able to do it in a healthy way. However, not everyone can, and I've witnessed more close friends hospitalized and ill because they ate little to no carbs.

But - the best way to approach it is to balance everything and listen to your doctor and, if you have one, nutritionist. Every body is different, right!

DrBorkBork

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

poisons aren't really part of our plant fare. :P

I avoid nightshades (poisons) and grains (poisons)

Are you going to substantiate this claim or just add to the ridiculous claims list?

Just personal experience. I get pain in my knees when I consume nightshades. No nightshades = pain free.
My kid used to get sick every 5 mins until I took her off grains. Now she rarely gets sick.
Same for hubs.

Maybe you should try the Whole30 program for a month. Challenge yourself. Just for kicks, ya know. See the story from both sides (and see how you feel)
It might help you achieve your longer term goals of leaning out and bulking up.

Acg67

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

poisons aren't really part of our plant fare. :P

I avoid nightshades (poisons) and grains (poisons)

Are you going to substantiate this claim or just add to the ridiculous claims list?

Just personal experience. I get pain in my knees when I consume nightshades. No nightshades = pain free.
My kid used to get sick every 5 mins until I took her off grains. Now she rarely gets sick.
Same for hubs.

Maybe you should try the Whole30 program for a month. Challenge yourself. Just for kicks, ya know. See the story from both sides (and see how you feel)
It might help you achieve your longer term goals of leaning out and bulking up.

I have no doubt that you and your family feel better without eating them but going from that to saying all grains and nightshades are poisons is quite a leap.

A life without spuds, hot peppers and tomatoes would be quite a dull life for me.

grinch031

Low-carb diets are not a fad. There are plenty of researchers and doctors who promote them not only because they are useful for weight loss, but that they can also improve health markers over low-fat diets.

Anecdotally, I seem to be incapable of losing weight and sustaining it without severely restricting my carb intake, and I don't have IR, obesity, diabetes or any other obvious symptom.

magicsoupninja

I love low carb and keto/paleo. As a celiac, I'm already gluten-free, so it's not that much of a stretch. Meats, vegetables and fats are so much more nutritious than "gluten-free" marketed foods, and I'm not a fan of spiking my blood sugar through high-carb grains. Going low carb is for life: it helps me stay on track with good-quality, nutritious food that tastes delicious. Right now I'm doing under 30 net carbs per day, but after awhile I'll up it a little. It works for me!

DrBorkBork

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

poisons aren't really part of our plant fare. :P

I avoid nightshades (poisons) and grains (poisons)

Are you going to substantiate this claim or just add to the ridiculous claims list?

Just personal experience. I get pain in my knees when I consume nightshades. No nightshades = pain free.
My kid used to get sick every 5 mins until I took her off grains. Now she rarely gets sick.
Same for hubs.

Maybe you should try the Whole30 program for a month. Challenge yourself. Just for kicks, ya know. See the story from both sides (and see how you feel)
It might help you achieve your longer term goals of leaning out and bulking up.

I have no doubt that you and your family feel better without eating them but going from that to saying all grains and nightshades are poisons is quite a leap.

A life without spuds, hot peppers and tomatoes would be quite a dull life for me.

I believe they're poisons. I also believe everyone should try living grain free, no processed sugars, nightshades optional, but should be avoided if you have joint paint issues/arthritis, etc

I just wish people would try living that way for 30 days before attacking Paleo for not being "scientifical" enough for them.

If anyone wants to challenge themselves, check out Whole30. It's only 30 days of your life, but it's the cleanest you'll probably ever eat
http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/

it's not a diet, just a 30 day challenge

bcattoes

I've found that a lot of the low-carb confusion comes from there being no standard definition of a low-carb diet. I love my carbs, including whole grains. I never in my wildest dreams would say I eat a low-carb diet, but I've been in discussions about the pros and cons of it on these boards and then have someone mention something like 'staying under 150 carbs' as low-carb, or sometimes 'under 100'. I'm under 150 total carbs on a lot of days and on most days under 150 net carbs (which is all that really matters since fiber isn't absorbed).

Then others talk of eat really low carb, like 50 or something per day. These people usually are avoiding all grains.

There is plenty of evidence that eating whole grains is healthy, but I've never seen any that not eating grains is unhealthy, mostly because there isn't much research on that subject out there.

I like whole grains so I eat them, but everyone has to find what works for them. I do think you are correct that finding something you can live with long term is important.

DrBorkBork

*tease* grains are just bland modes of transportation for more delicious things... like butter... and meat.

Acg67

And here I thought Paleo people were mostly against grains and legumes.

poisons aren't really part of our plant fare. :P

I avoid nightshades (poisons) and grains (poisons)

Are you going to substantiate this claim or just add to the ridiculous claims list?

Just personal experience. I get pain in my knees when I consume nightshades. No nightshades = pain free.
My kid used to get sick every 5 mins until I took her off grains. Now she rarely gets sick.
Same for hubs.

Maybe you should try the Whole30 program for a month. Challenge yourself. Just for kicks, ya know. See the story from both sides (and see how you feel)
It might help you achieve your longer term goals of leaning out and bulking up.

I have no doubt that you and your family feel better without eating them but going from that to saying all grains and nightshades are poisons is quite a leap.

A life without spuds, hot peppers and tomatoes would be quite a dull life for me.

I believe they're poisons. I also believe everyone should try living grain free, no processed sugars, nightshades optional, but should be avoided if you have joint paint issues/arthritis, etc

I just wish people would try living that way for 30 days before attacking Paleo for not being "scientifical" enough for them.

If anyone wants to challenge themselves, check out Whole30. It's only 30 days of your life, but it's the cleanest you'll probably ever eat
http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/

it's not a diet, just a 30 day challenge

It is something I'd consider even if I don't feel any of the symptoms in the first paragraph.

And even if I was to do it and feel awesome, it would make the scientific backing of the diet any more sound, it's just N=1. I don't think anyone is really arguing about the main idea of eating mostly whole, minimally processed foods. It's the whole limit or eliminate certain food food groups that is a point of contention.

mgmlap

I do low carb cause I have insulin resistance and PCOS..so I react to carbs differently...so my medical condition has me reducing carbs...If I do carbs..they are whole carbs...whole wheat...fruits...veggies..stuff like that...