Anyone Else doing Low Carb?

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When I signed up for this site I did what it told me in way of calories and such but I found that after two week I had gained some weight. I might have need to add more veggies or something but I don't want to waist more time not loosing weight. I have decided to go back to the only thing that ever seemed to work for me. Which is counting carbs. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem?
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Replies

  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
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    When I signed up for this site I did what it told me in way of calories and such but I found that after two week I had gained some weight. I might have need to add more veggies or something but I don't want to waist more time not loosing weight. I have decided to go back to the only thing that ever seemed to work for me. Which is counting carbs. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

    Counting carbs without counting calories will do nothing except rid you of water weight very quickly; this water weight will return upon resuming a normal eating style.

    Low carb works wonders, but ONLY with lowered calories, high protein, cyclical carb refeeds, and intense weight training (not cardio).
  • pink_ribbon_1
    pink_ribbon_1 Posts: 46 Member
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    In a way - I am trying to avoid wheat and sugar. So, bring on the veggies, but hold the bread, pasta, candy, etc. These are big trigger foods for me.

    It's been a month and I feel much more in control of my eating. Probably because my blood sugar is not bouncing all over the place!

    I am also counting total calories.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    How many calories where you eating? Two weeks is not enough time to determine if you were on a goal plan or not. Make your diary public so we can see what you have been eating.
  • pink_ribbon_1
    pink_ribbon_1 Posts: 46 Member
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    When I signed up for this site I did what it told me in way of calories and such but I found that after two week I had gained some weight. I might have need to add more veggies or something but I don't want to waist more time not loosing weight. I have decided to go back to the only thing that ever seemed to work for me. Which is counting carbs. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

    Counting carbs without counting calories will do nothing except rid you of water weight very quickly; this water weight will return upon resuming a normal eating style.

    Low carb works wonders, but ONLY with lowered calories, high protein, cyclical carb refeeds, and intense weight training (not cardio).

    Somewhat new here... what is a cyclical carb refeed? Thanks!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    I haven't "lowered" my carbs...I have just been sticking close to my 40/30/30 macros. I rather learn how figure out the correct servings than cut them nearly out. Besides, I like pasta, bread, and stuff like that to know that an extremely low carb diet would set me up for failure.
  • saverys_gal
    saverys_gal Posts: 808 Member
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    I did Atkins years ago and lost a bunch of weight. Then I started to get really into exercise and started doing more than low impact cardio. I found that I couldn't eat LC and workout like that.

    Here I am two years later with a totally screwed metabolism from multiple reasons, LC eating being one of them. Don't restrict your diet unless you have a real reason to. Eating like that must be a way of life for you or the weight will come back. Use moderation, good whole foods and MFP to help drop the lbs. :drinker:
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
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    Opening your diary will help... Also, when you say "low carb", I think we all assume you mean that you eat carbs, but in the form of fruits & veggies (and maybe whole grains) but not processed, sugary, yeasty carbs. You need to stick to any new eating plan for at least a month to tell a difference, but if you're eating veggies with lots of sugar (corn, carrots) versus leafy greens, and high fat protein you may not be exploiting the plan as much as you can. Just a thought.
  • singer201
    singer201 Posts: 560 Member
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    The default carb recommendation on MFP is way too high. I modified my macro goals to give me about 100 gms at my average base + exercise calories and lost 70 lbs. in a year.

    Check out marksdailyapple.com for more info.
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    When I signed up for this site I did what it told me in way of calories and such but I found that after two week I had gained some weight. I might have need to add more veggies or something but I don't want to waist more time not loosing weight. I have decided to go back to the only thing that ever seemed to work for me. Which is counting carbs. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

    Counting carbs without counting calories will do nothing except rid you of water weight very quickly; this water weight will return upon resuming a normal eating style.

    Low carb works wonders, but ONLY with lowered calories, high protein, cyclical carb refeeds, and intense weight training (not cardio).

    Somewhat new here... what is a cyclical carb refeed? Thanks!

    Cyclical carb diets focus 5-6 days on lowered carbohydrates with 1-2 days of high-carbohydrates in conjunction with strength training. This keeps your fat loss from plateau'ing.
  • pink_ribbon_1
    pink_ribbon_1 Posts: 46 Member
    Options
    When I signed up for this site I did what it told me in way of calories and such but I found that after two week I had gained some weight. I might have need to add more veggies or something but I don't want to waist more time not loosing weight. I have decided to go back to the only thing that ever seemed to work for me. Which is counting carbs. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

    Counting carbs without counting calories will do nothing except rid you of water weight very quickly; this water weight will return upon resuming a normal eating style.

    Low carb works wonders, but ONLY with lowered calories, high protein, cyclical carb refeeds, and intense weight training (not cardio).

    Somewhat new here... what is a cyclical carb refeed? Thanks!

    Cyclical carb diets focus 5-6 days on lowered carbohydrates with 1-2 days of high-carbohydrates in conjunction with strength training. This keeps your fat loss from plateau'ing.

    Interesting. Thanks so much!
  • shushy70
    shushy70 Posts: 26 Member
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    i am LC right now also , I also see no changes when I count calories not to mention the intense cravings I get from eating small amounts of carb . I am trying out the carbohydrate addicts diet because I need to have one normal meal per day
  • fluffyfoxx
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    Wow so many replies so quickly! Umm to answer some of your questions I am watching my calories eating under 1200 calories a day. Yes by low carb I mean good carbs not bad ones. Carbs in veggies ect. Also eating back (or trying to eat back) my exercise calories. I have just lost weight by watching carbs before. I understand it needs to be a way of life.

    Also I thought after two weeks it wasn't working because the site said I would loose 2 pounds a week if I ate under that. I have never had a problem eating too many calories I always just pick the wrong foods.
  • lauri1219
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    I've tried to go low carb so many times I've lost count - kept losing and gaining the same 10 pounds. What I'm doing this time is trying to front load my carbs by eating them early in the day - I try to use noon as my cut off time
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    With a hundred pounds to lose you likely have a basal metabolic rate higher than 1200 calories. Eating that low may not be sustainable, and often can lead to weight loss stalls. While I often recommend sticking with a program for 4-6 weeks before trying something new, you might want to look into how many calories your body uses. You need to fuel your body.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • fluffyfoxx
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    I've tried to go low carb so many times I've lost count - kept losing and gaining the same 10 pounds. What I'm doing this time is trying to front load my carbs by eating them early in the day - I try to use noon as my cut off time


    good information, I usually work from 7am to noon so that might not work for me
  • Thrasherbabe
    Thrasherbabe Posts: 68 Member
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    I have gone gluten-free... so technically I'm eating less carbs? (bad carbs anyways):happy:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Wow so many replies so quickly! Umm to answer some of your questions I am watching my calories eating under 1200 calories a day. Yes by low carb I mean good carbs not bad ones. Carbs in veggies ect. Also eating back (or trying to eat back) my exercise calories. I have just lost weight by watching carbs before. I understand it needs to be a way of life.

    Also I thought after two weeks it wasn't working because the site said I would loose 2 pounds a week if I ate under that. I have never had a problem eating too many calories I always just pick the wrong foods.

    There is always that possibility you were not eating enough. Heck, you were even eating enough to maintain your metabolic rate. The best advice is to set a moderate deficit and if you exercise either include it in your lifestyle or eat back 50% of those calories. But there about 0 chance of gaining new fat at 1200 calories unless you have a severe metabolic issue.
  • fluffyfoxx
    Options
    With a hundred pounds to lose you likely have a basal metabolic rate higher than 1200 calories. Eating that low may not be sustainable, and often can lead to weight loss stalls. While I often recommend sticking with a program for 4-6 weeks before trying something new, you might want to look into how many calories your body uses. You need to fuel your body.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    well when I first started the site I tried to eat the calories required but I always felt way too full. 1200 is like almost perfect. I feel full and energized and if I eat more than 1200 a day I feel slugish and bloated.
  • fluffyfoxx
    Options
    I've tried to go low carb so many times I've lost count - kept losing and gaining the same 10 pounds. What I'm doing this time is trying to front load my carbs by eating them early in the day - I try to use noon as my cut off time

    I did low carb when I was in high school and I lost about 70 pounds. I think just different things work for different people.
  • fluffyfoxx
    Options
    When I signed up for this site I did what it told me in way of calories and such but I found that after two week I had gained some weight. I might have need to add more veggies or something but I don't want to waist more time not loosing weight. I have decided to go back to the only thing that ever seemed to work for me. Which is counting carbs. I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

    Counting carbs without counting calories will do nothing except rid you of water weight very quickly; this water weight will return upon resuming a normal eating style.

    Low carb works wonders, but ONLY with lowered calories, high protein, cyclical carb refeeds, and intense weight training (not cardio).

    yes I have counted carbs before back in high school and I lost about 70 pounds, I am making my calories 1200 which I can't even seem to quite eat them all. I might try the cyclical carb refeeds, that is something that I haven't tried before thanks!