no carb diet is FAILURE

applekrisp1988

After a day of the no carb thing I've had enough. The advise I was given in my introduction thread was great, I now see why a no carb diet is unrealistic. Here is my food log for today:

Egg - Scrambled, 4 egg (44g)
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 68 g

Double Luck - Canned Green Beans, 1 cup
Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)
Wal-Mart Great Value - Party Peanuts (Salted), 60 peices

Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.
Great Value - Reduced Fat 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 20 g

What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat. Any suggestions on how to be good on carbs AND eat healthy?

Mokey41

Just eat. Log your foods, stay in budget and you'll be fine. No food is the demon that has to be avoided. You get fat eating too much not what you eat.

sarahrbraun

instead of trying a NO carb diet ( which your day was not NO carb, but very very low) why not try a low carb instead? MFP seems to suggest at least 200g of carbs or more for most people...try cutting it down to 100g net ( total carbs minus fiber).

beachbums6

I did the no carb diet for a while and it does work. I missed the carbs. I now just log everything I eat and measure This helps me not over do it. Maybe have most of your carbs for breakfast and lunch and at dinner meat and vegetables.

RekindledRose

Wow... you tried for a WHOLE DAY and now you've given up?

It works for some. Not for you but that's okay. Like Mokey41 says, log your food, stay in your calorie budget. Calories in vs. calories out = the answer.

If you really want answers instead of passing judgement based on your one day of testing run a search on topics like "healthy diet', "low carb diet", "vegetarian diet" ~ whatever you fancy. Spend some time reading and learning. That will get you much better results.

Good luck. It's a journey, a lifestyle change; no quick fix answers will last.

CrisAlex

You also might want to try having less processed food - ditch the canned veggies and go for the real thing. You can cook chicken breasts and cut up fresh veggies ahead of time. I also agree with the other poster who suggests going lower carb rather than super low carb.

applekrisp1988

I can do that better, allowing 100g of carbs allows soooo many more vegetables and room for some fruit.

My friend is doing the no carb thing and I don't see how he can stand to eat bacon instead of spinach or something with some nutritional value to it, but each to his own I guess.

jeme3

There is absolutely no reason to give up any food or food group. Eat a wide variety real/whole/clean foods and stay within your calories (yes, eat your exercise calories). You will lose weight and be healthier.

No need to try the diet flavor of the week.

michellekicks

Everything in moderation. Go for 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat if you want to even do macros for weight loss... but here's my recommendation:

Get 1g protein daily for each pound of body weight, meet your daily calorie target and let your carbs and fat intake land wherever you want each day. Some days you'll feel like more carbs; some days you'll feel like more fat...

MinnieInMaine

Misinformation is the problem... Someone told you that in order to go no/low carb you can only eat meat, dairy and for some reason, peanuts (lots of carbs). That's just wrong. Atkins induction phase includes tons of veggie options. Do your research first and then give it another try if you want.

Or just approach this like many of us do and eat the foods you like, clean up your diet a bit with more fruits and veg, leaner meats and healthier fat sources and keep your portions under control. There's no need to go low carb to lose the weight...

Bakkasan

Not for everyone! Pick up the pieces and try something else.

Or prepare you own foods, no canned anything if you can avoid it.

Carbs aint the debil, but the diet is a tool that can be effective.

psuLemon

Carbs arent the enemy unless you have a medical issue nor does low carb provide any greater advantage long term. Eat moderate carbs, aim to get most from fruits and veggies and some from gains.

Trilby16

I've done it and it worked for me and I liked the foods I was eating. I would never make myself eat a canned vegetable. Why? That's gross. Commercial chicken tenders-- frozen? Garbage. If you want to make this work, eat good wholesome meats, nuts and cheeses. I did not eat reduced fat cheese either. Eat stuff you enjoy that is real.

That said, I think something like South Beach, that incorporates salad and stuff, is healthier and more sustainable in the long run. Or count calories. Then you can eat whatever you like, with only the restriction of a number of calories.

Bakkasan

Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)

Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.

BACON!!!!


What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat.

Nevermind, I'm out. Try something else, this ain't for you.

welloiledmachine

People are under the impression that if you don't eat breads, pasta, rice, grains that you are on a no carb diet. Fruits and vegetables are full of carbs and are much better for you. Wheat, grains, potatoes etc are not a necessity for the body. You don't need them.
Quinoa and sweet potatoes are great choices if you want complex carbs.
This is one of those topics that will have much debate, but one needs to do extensive research on their own and not rely on one source.

flynnfinn

After a day of the no carb thing I've had enough. The advise I was given in my introduction thread was great, I now see why a no carb diet is unrealistic. Here is my food log for today:

Egg - Scrambled, 4 egg (44g)
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 68 g

Double Luck - Canned Green Beans, 1 cup
Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)
Wal-Mart Great Value - Party Peanuts (Salted), 60 peices

Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.
Great Value - Reduced Fat 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 20 g

What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat. Any suggestions on how to be good on carbs AND eat healthy?

maybe cut back on the bacon? do full fat dairy instead of low fat...the process of removing fat from dairy freaks me out and i'm convinced it has to be worse than just eating the regular stuff. and can you try to eat REAL food? what's with all the pre-packaged, canned stuff?

i've followed low carb/primal for YEARS! it takes some getting used to. you sort of go through a low-carb "flu" then after about 1-2 weeks, it sort of hits you that you're ok and feeling great, energized, clear. i don't know what sort of change you expect to see in one day.

i also just don't eat meat and dairy. i also eat a wide variety of veggies, berries and oranges, nuts, lots of coconut products...i mostly stick to whole foods. as far as grains, i do brown rice and quinoa. i really think you should re-visit low-carbing as you have the wrong idea based on what you're eating.

i will say this though...i went back to eating refined carbs over the summer and into the holidays. no problems at all however, i found that refined carbs always left me wanting more. my sugar-tooth was out of control.

but to each his own. what works for me may not work for you. best of luck!

DebbieLyn63

After a day of the no carb thing I've had enough. The advise I was given in my introduction thread was great, I now see why a no carb diet is unrealistic. Here is my food log for today:

Egg - Scrambled, 4 egg (44g)
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 68 g

Double Luck - Canned Green Beans, 1 cup
Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)
Wal-Mart Great Value - Party Peanuts (Salted), 60 peices

Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.
Great Value - Reduced Fat 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 20 g

What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat. Any suggestions on how to be good on carbs AND eat healthy?

Check out the South Beach Diet plan. It is more about slow carbs, low GI foods, healthy fats, leaner proteins, fresh whole veggies and fruits. Much more of a balanced lifestyle, choosing high fiber carbs and healthy foods. Sustainable for life.

NeverGivesUp

add fruits and veggies yumm

sarahrbraun

I can do that better, allowing 100g of carbs allows soooo many more vegetables and room for some fruit.

My friend is doing the no carb thing and I don't see how he can stand to eat bacon instead of spinach or something with some nutritional value to it, but each to his own I guess.

for sure!!

I try to keep my carbs around 100g net . I still manage to eat a huge breakfast, occasional fast food for lunch, and dinner with the family. A sample day for me might be:

2 eggs, 3 slices of soy bacon, 1 blueberry greek yogurt, and 1 whole kiwi (peeled)--360 calories, 23 carbs, 4 fiber

wendy's single with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion ( top bun removed) --500 calories,22 carbs, 1 fiber

donatos chicken harvest salad--680 calories, 40 carbs, 6 fiber

so far I have had 1540 calories, 85 carbs, 12 fiber (73 net carbs)...that means that if I have exercised and earned more calories, I have plenty of carbs left for snacks.

BlackTimber

The more variety the better. There are a few foods that I personally avoid but you can be very healthy, lose weight and feel great just by staying within your calorie goal numbers. Everything else is minutia.

applekrisp1988

For everyone calling me out on the processed garbage (especially those chicken tenders, they were disgusting) sorry I'm just really new to this thing. I feel like an idiot for jumping into "low carbs" when I really don't have any idea about it.

As for the canned green beans, I like my green beans canned...cannot stand it otherwise. That's really the only canned vegetable I eat though. What about frozen? Is frozen OK?

It's just really expensive to buy this stuff raw....

ApexLeader

After a day of the no carb thing I've had enough. The advise I was given in my introduction thread was great, I now see why a no carb diet is unrealistic. Here is my food log for today:

Egg - Scrambled, 4 egg (44g)
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 68 g

Double Luck - Canned Green Beans, 1 cup
Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)
Wal-Mart Great Value - Party Peanuts (Salted), 60 peices

Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.
Great Value - Reduced Fat 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz
Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 20 g

What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat. Any suggestions on how to be good on carbs AND eat healthy?

there are a lot of other foods you can eat than the ones you listed. also, i've lost 12 lbs in january from sticking to 50 grams or fewer carbs 6 days out of the week.

ashfuse

eat CLEAN. I strongly suggest tosca reno--eat clean diet recharged. It's cheap on amazon and will change your whole outlook on food.

if I don't have at least 120 g of carbs a day I don't last. I workout hard, though, so I need the carbs. I try to match protein to carbs. I usually range about 130-140 g carbs and protein per day. Most of my carbs come from fruits, veggies, nuts, oats, and seeds. I do eat sweet potatoes and occasionally regular potoatoes. If I eat bread, I eat ezekiel or other sprouted bread. If I want spaghetti, I make sure it's whole grain pasta.

Sabine_Stroehm

You had carbs, btw.

But yeah, that doesn't sound fun.

I eat pretty "slow" carbs, and pretty clean.
And only eat tasty things.

:-) Find what works for you.

jsd_135

I can do that better, allowing 100g of carbs allows soooo many more vegetables and room for some fruit.

My friend is doing the no carb thing and I don't see how he can stand to eat bacon instead of spinach or something with some nutritional value to it, but each to his own I guess.

If you're just starting out, I would highly recommend that you simplify your approach. To me, trying to keep specific macro numbers under a certain (arbitrary?) point is too complicated. I feel that the heavy-duty macro-tracking is more suited to people who have their basic diet under control and are refining their macros for specific purposes (e.g., strength training). Why not go easy on yourself and try to improve your basic diet first, eliminating as much as possible the processed stuff and getting portions under control. Baby steps will likely serve you better in the long run.

Wishing you the best.

jasonpclement

I'm still not convinced that low carb is the way to go for all but maybe a very small population. I'd shoot for 100-125 grams a day if your sedentary.

I've done low carb, high carb, and in between. Low carb will make you drop lots of weight over the course of a few days, but most of its just water. When you have less glycogen in your body from carbs, you store less water, and the scale goes down. Over longer periods of time, the true weight loss across multiple diets is usually even, calorie for calorie.

Unless you are part of a very specific population with different sensitivities or what have you.

LisaGirlfriend

Everything in moderation. Go for 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat if you want to even do macros for weight loss... but here's my recommendation:

Get 1g protein daily for each pound of body weight, meet your daily calorie target and let your carbs and fat intake land wherever you want each day. Some days you'll feel like more carbs; some days you'll feel like more fat...

This for sure. I know I feel better eating lower carb. Lots of food have carbs in them that are healthy like fruits and veggies. I don't feel good when I overdo it on bread and pasta. My body doesn't like it. I also have a protein filled breakfast (very low carb) and only have the starchy carbs at dinner and sometimes lunch. Good luck.

mmapags

Everything in moderation. Go for 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat if you want to even do macros for weight loss... but here's my recommendation:

Get 1g protein daily for each pound of body weight, meet your daily calorie target and let your carbs and fat intake land wherever you want each day. Some days you'll feel like more carbs; some days you'll feel like more fat...

I essentially agree with this person although I think the protein is a little higher than nessesary. The typical recommedation is 1 gram per lb of LEAN BODY MASS, not total body weight. But either way will work and not cause and issues.

Why do you feel like low carb is imnportant? There is no proven advantage to Low Carb Diets. For some they work great and for others not so great. Sounds like you are in the 2nd category.

NeverGivesUp

try to eat clean instead by limiting the processed stuff. Diets that you cannot keep up for life never work in the long term. Get frozen fruits and veggies if the cost it too high. I would avoid canned if I were you. I personally do not believe in high protein diets although a lot of people on MFP will disagree. Your body needs to rest and should not be in go go mode all the time. Protein makes your body work constantly repairing itself. The way I feel the best is to make fruits and veggies the base of what I eat and everything else revolves around that. Then you are getting so many nourishing natural vitamins and minerals for your body.

bearwith

You need some carbs to give you the energy and to allow you to feed your brain - hence you will feel good. When you do not eat carbs, you crave sugary food and that is a rollercoster of up and down mood swings as your blood sugar goes up and down.

Keep some healthy carbs like brown rice, wholegrains and nuts and seeds. You cannot go on a diet that is so far from real eating that when you come off the diet, you will put masses of weight on because you have not conditioned yourself to normal food. I did this several times when on a diet and ended up loving hot buttered toast and sweet tea because I had missed the carbs so much.

Remember - a little bit of everything in moderation, just keep below your calories and keep exercising and the weight will fall off.

Sabine_Stroehm

For everyone calling me out on the processed garbage (especially those chicken tenders, they were disgusting) sorry I'm just really new to this thing. I feel like an idiot for jumping into "low carbs" when I really don't have any idea about it.

As for the canned green beans, I like my green beans canned...cannot stand it otherwise. That's really the only canned vegetable I eat though. What about frozen? Is frozen OK?

It's just really expensive to buy this stuff raw....

Here's a comparison between fresh and canned green beans. Price, and nutrition. Fresh is not more expensive in this case.

http://www.nutritionbudgeteer.com/Pages/nutritioncomparisongreenbeans.aspx