Any one else doing low carb?

wallerinaprincess

So how is it that I can diet for almost a month now, very strict, and gain one pound, and I do low carb for 2 days and lose 2 lbs? All you low carb friends out there, do you find you lose weight faster without carbs? Also, anyone know any good low carb recipes for a VERY tight budget? And how do you get your sweet cravings, particularly chocolate, taken care of? This seems to be the only way I can lose weight, I've lost 50 lbs, and 30 lbs on this before, and rather quickly. Thanks guys and gals!

ashlee588

You should NOT do low carb if you are going for long-term weight loss. The best class I ever took at my university was a nutrition class with a very smart professor who dedicates his life to nutrition. Carbs should be 60% of your daily caloric intake with protein accounting for approximately 15-20% and fat doing the same. Low-carb is actually really unhealthy. Yeah, you see fast weight loss...but it isn't good for your body.

The minute that you start eating carbs again you are going to see significant weight gain. My advice is to just eat a healthy balanced diet. Losing weight is hard, just make sure you are working out and eating lots of fruits vegetables and lean proteins (chicken). Also make sure that you allow yourself a snack or two.

Hope this helps!

shannahrenee

I'm going to have to agree with Ashlee, I saw first hand both of my parents do low carb and lose about 100 lbs combined in a very short time but as soon as they started eating carbs again they gained it all back plus some.

divambs

Low-carb can be a good thing, as long as you are limiting the wrong kind of carbs (ie, refined carbohydrates, white rice, pasta, bread, sugar), but still including the right ones from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. I agree with you completely that the weight often does come off faster when you restrict carbs altogether, but you have to ask yourself, "is this a sustainable habit?" The Atkins concept of "low-carb" is not sustainable...Carbohydrates are energy-sources and you need to eat them to live and thrive!

It's all about finding the right balance for your body. There are certain vegetables that are a great source of complex carbohydrates (onions, tomatoes, etc...) and others that have even more of the "right" carbs (small servings of carrots, sweet potatoes). Then there are low glycemic fruits (apples, blueberries) and whole grains (brown rice, barley, quinoa).

If you're making vegetables and very lean protein (in small portion sizes) the mainstay of your diet, you should find weight loss will still happen when you add in a a few servings of those healthy carbs. Something I sometimes do to find the right balance for weight loss is to add it them in slowly. Eat one serving of fruit (like an apple) and one serving healthy starch (1/2 sweet potato or 1 piece of ezekial bread) for one week and see what happens.

Keep exercising as well! That is imperative and your body will so appreciate those healthy carbs!

Robin1117

Hi --I agree with the note above. I think "low carb" gets a bad rep just because people assume low carb is Atkins. I studied up on all this about 10 or 11 years ago, and read Atkins, Protein Power and is it the Zone? Can't remember. After reading everything, I realized Atkins was not healthy and took the other path--cutting out all the pasta, rice and bread I had been eating (all foods I love!). I eat lots of vegetables, fruit, yogurt, etc.....all with lots of carbs, but healthy ones. I have been doing this since and have no major yo-yo up and down issues because of it. When I go up and down it is because I stop exercising or have too many desserts, or go out to eat too much...just like everyone else.

Since starting MFP, I have continued doing the same thing, just exercised every day and counted the calories. I think it's extremely healthy. I just stick to pasta (wheat or multigrain) maybe once a week or once every other week, and a small amount of whole grain breads. Again, the carbs I do eat are mainly fruit, vegetables and yogurt. To stick within the calorie limit, you really have to switch to low fat proteins like fish and chicken, but I still have red meat maybe once a week and then exercise more that day. When I need a chocolate craving I typically measure out a certain # of ounces of good quality dark chocolate chips and make sure the calories fit with my daily limit.

Good luck--I think you can do this both ways and still be healthy!

Reenag

Totally agree, been there done that couple of times. I used to feel tired by evening and after a few weeks of low carb, just could not resist anything sweet. Eating healthy and all food groups is the best way to go. I am still reducing good amount and feeling good, I am eating everything in moderation and exercising.