LowCarber wanting to try Low Fat diet for 1st time!

TinyTati

Hi okay so ever since I started "dieting" or what have you, I have always monitored my carbohydrate intake, and never my amount of fat. I'm not sure why that is, but for some reason cutting carbs just always seemed like the "right" way to lose weight in my family and stuff.

Well the fact of the matter is, we live in a LOW FAT world. I am in college and thus rely on our cafeteria for food, which offers a variety of foods, but never anything low carb or low carb friendly.
While I pretty much love eating low carb, it is so difficult to eat this way, especially now that I cannot prepare my own food in my own kitchen. Some nights I'll find myself eating the cheese off a slice of pizza, with a salad. My friends think I'm a freak.

I've more or less come to the conclusion that I am "carb sensitive" but now that I take a step back and look at it, I'm not completely sure that I am. I've ALWAYS loved candy and sweets, but I'm not convinced that's all it takes. I have a hard time getting full and/or satisfied after a high-carb meal, but normally those meals consist of simple carbs. Carbs (hate to admit it) fill me up WAY MORE than fats & moderate protein.

I've always just kinda thought that low carb was the way to go after reading Dr. Atkins' book as well as all the feedback from Leangains, Marks Daily Apple, bodybuilding forums, etc.....it seems like the LEANEST people eat low carb, high fat.

So i'm kinda confused. If low carb is so great and magical, then why do I walk into every health food store, unable to find low-carb options? Why is everything low fat STILL? What's the answer? How do i know if i am actually carb-sensitive? More importantly, If i AM carb-sensitive, then will a low fat diet do me no justice?
Today was my third day on a low fat, high carb diet (trying 2 find more protein options....) and it's all so new to me. licorice doesn't have fat? OMG, fruits and veggies!!!! never EVER touched fruit before. Rice, oats, wheat bread...yum. those were always off limits. I'm excited but conflicted......
Anyone have any insight?

blu_meanie_ca

Where you doing low carb, or no carb?
I'm insulin resistant, so I need to be aware of my carb intake. I still eat grains and fruits, just in smaller quantaties than other people might. No carb just makes me sleepy (high carb makes me hungry and sleepy).
Again, are you looking for low(er) fat or no fat? Being aware of your fat intake is good. Too much of anything is not good for you. You can even get toxic amounts of water. Attemping no fat is going to reduce your bodies ability to absorb nutrients from your food, and leave you hungry.
Low fat "foods" are usually high sugar, sodium, and other flavor additives. Eat with caution.

TinyTati

because you are insulin resistant, does that mean that you gain weight on low fat diet?

This is my first attempt at a low fat (10-20% calories from fat) diet....but if i'm actually carb sensitive or insulin resistant, will i not lose weight? What is the ultimate test?

Natihilator

I don't think we live in a 'low fat world' I think the 'low-fat/0% fat' products on the shelves at the grocery store go back to the 'low-fat diet' craze in the 90s', back when people thought that dietary fat makes you physically fat. Atkins was popular when it was introduced (in the 70s' I think?) and also when it made a comeback in the late 90s'/early 2000s'.

If low carb is so great and magical, then why do I walk into every health food store, unable to find low-carb options? Why is everything low fat STILL?

Maybe because a high-fat, low-carb diet isn't appealing or sustainable to a lot of people out there? Just a guess. It also requires more thought, cooking and preparation because like you said, there aren't many ready-made options for complete low-carb meals. I personally could not do it beyond a short-term diet, and I don't do short-term diets anymore so it's not an option for me.

Why go from one extreme to the other in terms of macro restricting? Why not try a moderate, macro-balanced diet first (40% Carb, 30% Protein, 30% Fats, as a starting point)

lacaro1

Well I guess everybody will be telling you something different on this topic. In the end you will just have to experiment a little bit with which "diet" you feel the best.
F.i. for me a high carb, moderate protein and low fat diet is great as I feel I have way more energy. Eating primarily protein makes me tired and sluggish, have not tried a high fat diet though because it is not so common where I live.
Medically speaking (I am a med student, by all means no expert) a diet high in protein would be advisable because it is very complicated for your body to use the endergy provided by amino acids and will only be used as a primary energy source if there is little glucose available (BUT eating vast quantities of protein will not prevent you from losing muscle mass while on a calorie deficit contrary to common belief - the human body starts breaking down protein from your muscles and burning glucose and fat simultaniously)
But you do not need to eat so much protein! The average human body only requires a protein intake of 35g per 24 h as your body produces the rest on its own (source: Löffler, "Basic knowledge biochemistry")! Unless of course you do not take in enough carbs (like on a crash diet) for your body to convert the glucose into amino acids and thus into protein.
Ok I am starting to ramble again, it is just that I am currently studying biochemistry and it is sooo fascinating and eye opening. To get back to your carb topic: Essentially, there is no such thing as good or bad carbs as they are all glucose/fructose, thus sugar, BUT I would advise you to primarily consume carbs that are slowlier digested (f.i. complex carbs over white bread and simple sugars) because it takes longer for your body to break down polysaccharides into monosaccharides, thus the glusoce release is prolonged and your insulin won't spike that much. Sooo a high carb diet is not "bad" or anything, just try not to eat too much chocolate or white bread and you will be fine (at least I am and I lost weight although I never was on a high protein diet)! Hope what I wrote is understandable, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask;)

jjrichard83

I see a HUGE problem right off the bat...

You say you find yourself eating the cheese off a pizza slice while eating a salad...

Don't just remove things from your diet - replace them with other healthier options.

Example - if you would normally have a salad, meat, or pasta for dinner, then having a slightly bigger salad won't cut it.

Maybe a side of baked beans, seeds added to the salad, or a chicken breast to go along with the salad.


When I switched to a mostly plant based diet, I didn't remove anything - I just kept adding new healthy choices, and before you know it; there's no room for the worse options.
You need carbs, so don't go crazy on them. Maybe just eat the high carbs earlier in the day and try to remove anything which has refined or bleached - pastas, breads, rice, ect.

TavistockToad

Instead of trying a low anything diet, why dont you just go got a moderate calorie deficit healthy lifrstyle?

plenty of fruit and veg with lean protein and balanced carbs...

Plus there is nothing wrong with a slice of pizza every now and then!

jjrichard83

Instead of trying a low anything diet, why dont you just go got a moderate calorie deficit healthy lifrstyle?

plenty of fruit and veg with lean protein and balanced carbs...

Plus there is nothing wrong with a slice of pizza every now and then!

Little fruit, and plenty of veg. in my opinion (don't go ape**** on fruit - try to eat 2 times more veggies than fruit at least).

If you are having fruit - try adding fat & protein with it - that will help make the fruit with a high GI much lower & give you longer sustainable energy.

mambagirl

I see a HUGE problem right off the bat...

You say you find yourself eating the cheese off a pizza slice while eating a salad...

Don't just remove things from your diet - replace them with other healthier options.

Example - if you would normally have a salad, meat, or pasta for dinner, then having a slightly bigger salad won't cut it.

Maybe a side of baked beans, seeds added to the salad, or a chicken breast to go along with the salad.


When I switched to a mostly plant based diet, I didn't remove anything - I just kept adding new healthy choices, and before you know it; there's no room for the worse options.
You need carbs, so don't go crazy on them. Maybe just eat the high carbs earlier in the day and try to remove anything which has refined or bleached - pastas, breads, rice, ect.

Who says that we NEED carbs? They are NOT essential,but Protein is!!!!!

mambagirl

To answer your question, OP,You just have to experiment with your diet and find a plan that works for you.MY body LOVES low carb!!! My eyebrows grow back,my periods start,I have energy,and I'm never hungry.My skin becomes gorgeous and I lose weight SUPER FAST!!! The problem is that I don't really like meat besides bacon and tuna.I'll Never crave a steak .I prefer oatmeal,yogurt, crackers,and baked goods.My body IS Insulin resistant.I also have PCOS...Low carb works for me.I TRY,TRY,and TRY again to eat lower fat,but it never works out..I'll lose weight at a snails pace and feel miserable,My eyebrows don't grow,my periods STOP,and I feel sluggish.I'm currently just counting calories,I just started back under 100 carbs per day.

You will get different responses based on everyone's experiences.We are all different and we have different needs.I would start by logging everything here and writing in the notes section everyday to see how different foods affect you.Good luck!

TinyTati

thanks everyone. my body is loving having carbs baack. I was eating all the wrong fats, even though i thought i knew everything about lowcarb eating. lol
i'm losing weight faster than ever at this intake and i feel sooo much better eating veggies, fruits, wheat bread, oats, ahh it's great

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Hi okay so ever since I started "dieting" or what have you, I have always monitored my carbohydrate intake, and never my amount of fat. I'm not sure why that is, but for some reason cutting carbs just always seemed like the "right" way to lose weight in my family and stuff.

Well the fact of the matter is, we live in a LOW FAT world. I am in college and thus rely on our cafeteria for food, which offers a variety of foods, but never anything low carb or low carb friendly.
While I pretty much love eating low carb, it is so difficult to eat this way, especially now that I cannot prepare my own food in my own kitchen. Some nights I'll find myself eating the cheese off a slice of pizza, with a salad. My friends think I'm a freak.

I've more or less come to the conclusion that I am "carb sensitive" but now that I take a step back and look at it, I'm not completely sure that I am. I've ALWAYS loved candy and sweets, but I'm not convinced that's all it takes. I have a hard time getting full and/or satisfied after a high-carb meal, but normally those meals consist of simple carbs. Carbs (hate to admit it) fill me up WAY MORE than fats & moderate protein.

I've always just kinda thought that low carb was the way to go after reading Dr. Atkins' book as well as all the feedback from Leangains, Marks Daily Apple, bodybuilding forums, etc.....it seems like the LEANEST people eat low carb, high fat.

So i'm kinda confused. If low carb is so great and magical, then why do I walk into every health food store, unable to find low-carb options? Why is everything low fat STILL? What's the answer? How do i know if i am actually carb-sensitive? More importantly, If i AM carb-sensitive, then will a low fat diet do me no justice?
Today was my third day on a low fat, high carb diet (trying 2 find more protein options....) and it's all so new to me. licorice doesn't have fat? OMG, fruits and veggies!!!! never EVER touched fruit before. Rice, oats, wheat bread...yum. those were always off limits. I'm excited but conflicted......
Anyone have any insight?

Ummm. I have been low carbing off and on for almost 10 years and I have always eaten fruit, vegetables, and some grains.

I recently gave up grains due to health issues, but when I lived the Atkins lifestyle grains (bread, oats, etc) were part of that lifestyle as well as vegetables and fruit.

I don't understand why you would want to give up eating in a way that you feel satisfied just to pursue a low fat way of eating that contains "products" that aren't even real food, just sugar and laboratory made stuff.

bcattoes

Why do you feel the need to eat low anything? Why not opt for a balanced diet of moderate carbs, fat and protein? Without a medical need to eat low carb or low fat, you'll likely find it more satisfying to have a good mix of macro and micronutrients.

cwolfman13

Why do you feel the need to eat low anything? Why not opt for a balanced diet of moderate carbs, fat and protein? Without a medical need to eat low carb or low fat, you'll likely find it more satisfying to have a good mix of macro and micronutrients.

Yeah...this^^^

Camille0502

Based on your profile (picture of thigh gap) and your friends (names indicative of EDs) - I think you may have an ED. Maybe you know it already. But if you do have an ED, all the conventional advice is out the window and you should probably be working with a professional.

Insulin resistance normally happens to severely overweight people - you are nowhere near severely overweight. I think you should consult a professional (doctor or nutritionist) about the best course of action for you. Good luck.

onyxgirl17

Why not just eat generally healthy? It doesn't have to be a low-carb or low-fat diet to be a healthy diet.

Ge0rgiana

Or you could just eat a balanced diet with healthy food.

taso42

i think you've got a gross misunderstanding of how weight loss works.
you don't need low carb or low fat or low anything.
control your calorie intake relative to your TDEE. get good nutrition. exercise sensibly. that's it. stop trying to overcomplicate it and stop believing in voodoo.

AZKristi

Maybe try a balanced diet rather than trying to restrict a single macronutrient (i.e. carbs or fat) and stick to a reasonable calorie goal?

You can't find low carb in a place like GNC because you need carbs - especially if you are going to be working out hard. That doesn't mean your body needs pizza. Avoid the cafeteria if at all possible - I can't imagine they offer much in the way of healthy carbs OR healthy fats.

purpleipod

Instead of trying a low anything diet, why dont you just go got a moderate calorie deficit healthy lifrstyle?

plenty of fruit and veg with lean protein and balanced carbs...

Plus there is nothing wrong with a slice of pizza every now and then!

This. I really don't understand why you feel the need to try a low anything specific diet. Calories in vs. calories out.

ShannonECTD

Based on your profile (picture of thigh gap) and your friends (names indicative of EDs) - I think you may have an ED. Maybe you know it already. But if you do have an ED, all the conventional advice is out the window and you should probably be working with a professional.

Insulin resistance normally happens to severely overweight people - you are nowhere near severely overweight. I think you should consult a professional (doctor or nutritionist) about the best course of action for you. Good luck.

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