Low Carb vs. Moderate Carb

gr8pillock

Brains need carbs. If you do try low carb, do it one or two days a week, but low carb in general is asking for a serious weight gain when you finally start eating them again, because they'll go on as fat.

Just moderate, cut calories, move more, drink ENORMOUS amounts of water and avoid sodas, even diet. My approach was to plan my entire day around ONE item I absolutely could not live without, Mint Patty Frozen Yogurt. It was about 200 calories (3-4 points on old weight watchers) and I would write it in with breakfast, despite not letting myself have it until right before bed. Ate AROUND those already tallied numbers, lost 100 lbs. AND I could keep this up for life, easy. That's what matters in the end.

purple_tux1

I"m on low carb. Most days I stay around 50 grams net (carbs - fiber grams). It has been very helpful for me in terms of appetite reduction. I find if I add wheat back my appetite increases like crazy.

clobercow

Crashing into a low carb diet is rarely enjoyable. There are withdraw symptoms and time it takes the body to transition to being a fat burner. So it's best to ramp down slowly. Crashing from anything that has addictive properties is a bad idea.

However: I think low carb on a cut is the way to go. Since protein and fats are critical to lean mass and hormones, carbs should be the modifier for hitting goals. When on a cut, low carb helps quite a bit to reduce hunger and appetite and promotes the correct hormones for fat oxidation. The reverse is true when eating carbs. Hormones are promoted for growth. I feel like I'm working backwards and setting myself up for failure when I'm moderate or high carb. My appetite is constantly high and I feel deprived.

myfitnessval

i didnt do atkins but there is a 2lb water weight difference for my body if i switch from 30-35% to 50-55% carbs. its crazy but it totally makes a diff for me.

ashumeow

I do follow moderate carbs... I consume less than 130g per day and during special occasion, it increases a little bit. I cannot follow 20-30g carbs since i am a vegetarian and most of the veg foods have carbs. I can never eat less than 75g... If your bmi is on healthy rate, u must not try to be on low-carb because it might affect central nervous system slowly (proved fact).

Sarauk2sf

50g is not considered moderate - it is still low.

However, what reason are you looking to do low carb?

triggsta

I've been working towards a lower carb diet personally, around 1/3 macro each, 30-35% (or trying to limit to 100g per day). I worked my way down to it though. I did Nutrisystem at the beginning of my weight loss and started cutting back and feel a lot better than I have before. Carbs bog me down through the day. I'm waiting to finish all my NS foods so I can start using fruits and veggies as my main intakes of carbs rather than NS entrees.

GiGiBeans

Been on Atkins almost 6 months and am in later stages where I've added back most carbs except rice and pasta. No food is off limits per se unless it causes cravings. I've had mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with no problem, the key is to eat ONE portion with fat. As far as bread I've had rye, pumpernickel and low carb pitas with no problems.

I don't eat these foods as often as I did before a low carb diet because they lost their appeal and addictive hold on me. In fact I had a French Fry the other day and it tasted so bland I gave the rest away.

Pasta isn't something I will attempt until maintenance as it is so high carb, if I even want it at that point. Once the cravings are gone thankfully these foods make a backseat.

psuLemon

Just slowly increase your carbs.. you will definitely gain weight, not fat. When you increase carba your body stores more glycogen/ater. There is nothing to be afraid of as its natural. I generally limit my carbs to 35%-40% of my intake... most of which is from fruit and veggies

DawnEH612

How about just focusing on getting the proper amount of calories from a healthy balance of macronutrients and stop worrying about no or low carb options... A good blend is 50% carbs and 25% fat and protein. If you still think that thats too many carbs try something like "the zone" philosophy with a 40/30/30 option... Choose healthy carb options like fresh fruits and veggies, WHOLE grains, legumes/beans and limit simple carbs like white flours, refined wheat and grain products...those are the things that will instigate cravings.
A DIET low in carbs is not sustainable for a lifetime.. If you are looking for lifetime changes adopt an eating style that you can sustain for your lifetime... Otherwise its all in vain.
Check out the USDA website for some sound nutritional information.
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/

Extion

I'm currently doing Keto and it's working great for me. 5% carbs, 35% protein, and 60% fat.

First, I agree that the only way to lose weight would be to keep a calorie deficit. However, that's been impossible for me when trying to just eat healthy. I would always crave more sugar and carbs throughout the day and really struggle with just staying below my allotment.

With Keto, you're eating a lot of heavy/satisfying food like bacon, salami, steak, eggs, cheese, ...all these things keep me full until my next meal, and sometimes I forget that I'm even hungry and need to remind myself that I need to eat! I've NEVER felt that way before. It's amazing!

Once I reach my goal, I'll start introducing more carbs and see how that goes. But, for the moment, I feel completely content on this diet. I really believe it's the only thing that could ever work for me!

lyndalpn

I did the Adtkins diet a few years ago and it not a pleasant experience. Now my carbohydrate approach is to avoid refined or processed carbs. I eat a lot of vegetables and for the most part only eat things I have made from scratch instead of pre prepared. This way I control what is in my food and avoid all of the added sugars and sodium. I still eat the occasional rice, pasta, potatoes etc in moderation (each one less than once a week usually). One thing I have found is when I make things from scratch I can eat more of them and fit within my calories count and macros. I have a busy schedule so preparing a lot of veggies makes things simple.

Agree with all of this. Except as I am diabetic I dont eat rice, pasta or potatoesat all and only occasionally eat bread. But agree wholeheartedly with the principle here.

lyndalpn

How about just focusing on getting the proper amount of calories from a healthy balance of macronutrients and stop worrying about no or low carb options... A good blend is 50% carbs and 25% fat and protein. If you still think that thats too many carbs try something like "the zone" philosophy with a 40/30/30 option... Choose healthy carb options like fresh fruits and veggies, WHOLE grains, legumes/beans and limit simple carbs like white flours, refined wheat and grain products...those are the things that will instigate cravings.
A DIET low in carbs is not sustainable for a lifetime.. If you are looking for lifetime changes adopt an eating style that you can sustain for your lifetime... Otherwise its all in vain.
Check out the USDA website for some sound nutritional information.
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/

And this. No carbs is just silly (in my not so humble opinion) but I can see that limiting simple and highly processed carbs makes a whole lot of sense, to me anyway.

noojim

Has anyone on here ever gone from Atkins to a more moderate carb diet including potatoes, whole wheat breads, brown rice, etc? Did you see big gains?

I've tried this a few times along the way. It's always lead to weight loss stopping straight away, more cravings and binging and a creep back into high carbs and weight gain. I can eat a bit higher carbs than the old fashioned Atkins induction, but I feel best keeping things under 40 g per day.

I know it can work for some people though, so I'd say try out different levels of carbs and different foods and see how you feel and how it all works for you.

Arexxx

Low carb is very hard to stick too and makes me angry and tired. I try to stay under 100-150grams of carb per day. Works well and its not too strict

Rodhands

You are getting a lot of terrible advice right here, all this "low carb is the devil" bull**** pisses me off. As someone who obsesses about information I have read up enough on this to know that most thoughts either for or against low carb are opinions, and as we know opinions are like *kitten* in more way than one

I have been ultra-low carb for coming into the middle of my 3rd month, that means <20g carbs a day whilst eating ~110g protein/fats a day. In that time I have lost 30lbs of sensible weight at a rate of 0.625lb per day or 4.3lb per week, but bear in mind that includes my water weight which was a massive 10lbs over the course of 4 days.

Reintegration is another thing all together. Low carb is a lifestyle rather than a diet and if you don't think that you can maintain low carb on a consistent long term basis it probably isn't the diet for you. I plan to reintegrate carbs when I hit my goal weight, but not on any large scale and certainly can't see myself ever falling back into large amounts of rice/potatoes/bread, why would I when I can eat a big plate of veg instead?

Calorie defecit is without a doubt the only way to lose the weight though, I run at a defecit of 1000 calories before exercise on a daily basis.

1 final thing. The first month of low carb is horrible. You will feel like ****, your body is annoyed at you for denying it, its easy fuel. However should you get through that time successfully you will start to feel better as your body reacts to the change in diet and starts to emphasize using fats for energy rather than carbs.

If you seriously don't think you can stick on low carb for the long hall please don't look into it as a serious diet.

mogletdeluxe

Hi there,

I attempted low carb earlier this year to see if it could lessen my symptoms of PCOS, whilst seeing if it shifted some pounds.

I found it very difficult indeed. Don't get me wrong, the weight came off - but I didn't find it sustainable. That's not to say low-carb doesn't work, it just wasn't for me.

I slowly started incorporating carbs back into my diet - porridge for breakfast, for example. And then, once I felt my body had adjusted, some wholemeal pasta in my lunchtime salad. And then, a baked potato with my tea.

I did it relatively slowly and had no adverse side-effects - no weight gain, no irritated stomach, nothing. Just gave my body time to readjust.

I don't do low-carb any more, but I do make sure I get plenty of protein - especially when lifting.

TheVimFuego

I've done a low carb, even ketogenic, thing. I've recently finished 6 months on less than 50g carbs a day (mostly, there were dalliances mostly of the alcoholic nature. ..).

It sorted me out for recalibrating my taste buds (sweetness) and being able to better judge being hungry as opposed to being on a blood sugar rollercoaster. And for that I am very grateful.

Right now I'm heading for maintenance by just watching the calories and eating anything I like. I didn't need extra rules in my life and thought I'd keep it simple what with starting a new job and that.

As a fairly healthy person (not diabetic, no food allergies/sensitivities, etc) I also couldn't see any advantage (metabolic or otherwise) in staying low carb long-term (and I looked pretty hard).

I still try to keep the overly processed stuff down as I know it'll just bring the whole craving thing back, not going back there ...

I'll probably always be 'carb aware' if only to minimise any 'trigger foods' that caused me to overconsume in the past.

The low carb experience for me was great for many things. In the end though, for weight loss, it's whatever method allows you to maintain a calorie deficit most comfortably and sustainably that is the way to go.

There is no low carb magic bullet but it can help the process along.

TheVimFuego

<snip>Check out the USDA website for some sound nutritional information. <snip>

The "A" standing for Agriculture ... Hmmm ...

Despite me not being low carb anymore I do think that there is a lot of vested interest out there aimed at flogging more grain ... 'healthy whole grain' (which is a debatable phrase) or not.

mariagabriella

I did low carb as a vego a few years ago (bodybuilder PT at the time forced it upon me...) less than 40g per day, after eating probably 250-300g. it sucked. I felt sick, had no energy, couldn't concentrate (was studying for my finals at the time). didn't lose weight even though I only did it for a week.

sometimes reducing carbs helps. some people can eat very low carb and feel good. others cannot.

if you think that carbs are your problem area, slowly reduce them. I don't recommend dropping them really low, you will feel terrible. look up carb cycling - I find it really effective for weight loss (I only do it for max 2 weeks at a time though). or as I said slowly reduce them most days but have a day where you're consuming a far amount.