Low carb dieters.. WHAT do you eat?!
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I was low carb for about 7 months. It wasn't to lose weight, it was just to test it out to see what the hype was about. I went vegetarian 2 years before that for a year. Again, I just wanted to test it out. I talked to my nutritionist, he said it was fine. The body adapts to whatever you put it through, just eat enough calories. I felt fine. I had 50g< of carbs, walked the entire length of Ohio State's campus daily, did my ghastly amount of homework and went to the gym 6x's a week. I lost the majority of my weight goal doing it. 45 of my total 70 pounds. Went from 250 to 200 eating "regularly", maybe 200 carbs a day, then 200 to 165-160 with low carb. It was alright. Like I said, I didn't feel any different than when I was eating carbs unconsciously. I mostly ate full fat foods and lots of protein, I still do because they taste good. After stopping low carb (just because=no rhyme or reason behind it besides I wanted too) I don't intake that many carbs, maybe 100g from my fruits and vegetables and I exercise for 2 hours a day (with Graves' Disease-just got diagnosed in Nov/Dec). So the moral of the story is, my body adjusted to low carb just fine. I do not think it's stupid for people to make their own decisions about their diets. If it works for them, then I say more power to them. Medically advised or not. It's their life.
I got most of my recipes off the Linda's low carb website btw.0 -
The graves disease may have contributed to the weight loss as well O_o0
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I do ocassionally do a keto diet. For me, I like that it takes away cravings for sugar and other carbs. The first couple of days can be rough and feel low on energy but after about 3 days I normally feel great. You lose a lot of water weight at first but this always helps me drop a dress size and my face looks slimmer. I know you lose weight down to restricting calories just the same as on any healthy eating but because ketosis can reduce your appetite it seems easier when low carbing. I also seemed to lose weight quicker, like 1.5 - 2lbs a week where if eating the same calories on a regular "diet" I would lose 1lb. Strange but that is just what happened.
I would eat lots of eggs, cheese, all kinds of meat, fish, nuts and low carb fruits such as berries. I'd make some lovely low carb sauces and have nice fish or steak with lots of veggies.
The main reason I would come off of a keto diet is fruit. I can live without bread and pasta and potatoes but I really miss eating a variety of fruit. I'd always gain some water weight back when I re-introduced carbs in to my diet but the net loss from eating less calories would stay off.
I think a keto diet can be very healthy but I think it can also be very unhealthy if all you do is eat bacon and eggs then a steak for dinner every day. There are lots of great salad and veggies out there that is low enough in carbs for you to eat a varied and healthy diet, you just need to plan it. But like I say, I do miss the variety of fruit.
Exercise wise I didn't have any problem. The first few days I would be low on energy but after about 3 days could exercise at the same level as previously. I think (no studies to back it up but just my thoughts) that if you were a long distance runner or endurance kind of exercise low carb would probably have a negative effect on your training. But I prefer shorter exercises like a 30 min jog or around 45 minutes of strength training / lifting, and while on a keto diet I had no problem at all performing this.
I don't think low carb is nessecerary at all for losing weight, and think some people would hate it. But there are aspects of it that I do like, such as the reduced appetite and reduced cravings.0 -
The graves disease may have contributed to the weight loss as well O_o
Sorry, I went low carb May 2011-December 2011. Didnt get diagnosed or have any thyroid issues until November 2012. Working my *kitten* off in the gym, diet and living on campus contributed to my weight loss. Probably should've added those facts in my first post.0 -
Umm. I don't have the low carb "no energy" experience this guy's talking about above, nor do I think "it sucks" to eat this way. It's definitely not "miserable" or "pointless" for me. I truly love what I eat! I eat a primal/paleo diet almost entirely made up of whole foods, including lots of nice grass fed meat, wild caught fish, and veggies, eggs, etc. I eat very low carb most days, and on days when I go to the gym and lift heavy, I eat a bit more carbs by including a sweet potato.
Even on my "high" carb days I am typically under 150g. On my low carb days I eat anywhere from 35-75g carbs , and I'm perfectly able to work out and feel great--I train kettlebells for about an hour or so on my "low" days, so I'm not talking about yoga or something of that nature. It's a pretty demanding workout. At the same time, I'm not talking about running half marathons, either. I'm not doing any sort of endurance sport training, and have no interest in doing so. That said, there are ultramarathoners who eat low carb! Check this guy out--he's a low carb ultramarathoner who won the Western States 100 race: http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2012/08/11/western-states-100-low-carber-wins-ultramarathon-steve-phinney-and-jeff-volek-study/
Regarding fruit-- if I feel like having some, I do. I just eat it in moderation and choose the sort of fruit wisely. I prefer low-GI fruits.
I don't eat grains, and don't miss them one bit! I think it's tastier and healthier to replace those foods with veggies. I don't think I know a low carb eater who restricts veggies, unless you're talking about starchy vegetables like potatoes or sweet potatoes, and that is due to the insulin response. A lot of us eat this way to better control the insulin response our bodies have to what we eat.
Anyway, I've never felt better in my life since ditching the grains and sugar and eating properly. YMMV, as they say, but I'm quite happy and healthy....
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I imagine basically eggs and meat and not much else?
I eat 100-150grams carbs/day, and I get those from veg/fruit/nuts and occasionally some legumes. I don't know how I'd manage to do less than 50 without severly cutting back my veges.
I eat a primary plant based diet, stay low carb (under 30g). It isn't difficult when you cut unnecessary sugars out of your diet.
I eat at about 1400 cal/day and am fairly active with yoga and weightlifting.
^^Yes. I eat 1800-2000/day, and have never found it problematic staying low carb and eating a lot of veggies. You do realise the vast majority of veggies are very low in carbs, right? It's kind of ridiculous to imagine that people eating low carb are only eating plates of meat, haha. The vast majority of us are eating lots of veggies, and a bit of fruit here and there as well. Some of us consume whole dairy as well. :laugh:0 -
To the OP and anyone else who is confused about how athletes can sustain their level of activity on low carb diets, research fat burning vs. sugar burning. The link I posted in my long comment discusses that a bit, but you could certainly research it a bit further, or perhaps even perform your own N=1 experiment, if your a hands-on sort of learner.0
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^^Yes. I eat 1800-2000/day, and have never found it problematic staying low carb and eating a lot of veggies. You do realise the vast majority of veggies are very low in carbs, right? It's kind of ridiculous to imagine that people eating low carb are only eating plates of meat, haha. The vast majority of us are eating lots of veggies, and a bit of fruit here and there as well. Some of us consume whole dairy as well. :laugh:
Thank you for the sane reply. I eat low-carb based on my doctor's recommendation. I have suffered from hypoglycemic episodes since childhood, so it's been a revelation for me. Since I started eating this way, I haven't had a single hypoglycemic episode, by which I mean shakes, uncontrollable emotion, including crying and anger, wild, desperate sugar cravings, and involuntary naps. I was also suffering from daily headaches and taking six Advil every single day to manage it. Those have disappeared since I swapped out my eating. I now get about two headaches a month. Additionally, I have so much more energy. I eat 50-60g of net carbs a day on a 1200 calorie diet (I'm short), with about 15-20g of fiber.
I am also confused why people seem to think that this doesn't involve eating vegetables. I eat leafy greens by the bunch. Two cups of broccoli, which is a sick amount to eat in a single serving only has 7g of net carbs. I do have a reduced fruit intake, because my natural sugar goal is about 30g a day, and 12g of sugar is about as much as I can have in a single setting without having a response. I focus mostly on berries since they're low in sugar and high in fiber. I eat meat of all kinds--beef, chicken, and fish, nuts, and small amounts of dairy like cheese and sour cream. I have 4 oz of whole milk after my cardio since that's when my body can best handle it. Oh, and I hate bacon although I do eat eggs because my chickens keep laying them.
I usually have a couple a day for either breakfast or lunch, along with spinach and tomatoes.
It's fine if low-carb isn't to your taste, but it's a little closed-minded to think it can't work for anyone.
Edit: I forgot to add that I work out 50-60 minutes a day six days a week.0 -
low carb diets seem to work for people that are just starting off and have a lot to lose and aren ot working out that much - aka atkins..
but if you are lifting and want to get stronger you should incorporate carbs into your diet..
I get about 120 to 200 carbs a day ...usually on sundays I do a carb "refeed" and try to get to 300+ which is easy for my italian *kitten* because I just house down a lot of pasta...
So i think that it depends on your goals..
My parents did atkins and lost weight but they are older and do not work out much...but once they stopped atkins they pretty much gained it back...0 -
oh as far as what I eat..depends on day but typically eggs, chicken, pork, sweet potato, steak, brown rice, quinoa, veggies, some whole wheat pasta...
my largest meal is post workout so my eating pattern is a little different than yours...0 -
Your body needs carbs for fuel with heavy exercise, that doesn't require knowledge of what a low diet carb consists of that's just fact.
Not according to top scientific peer reviewed research on nutritional science. The human body requires very few carbs at all. But hey, you want to follow mainstream mythology, whatever.
To name these "top scientific peer reviewed research" studies?...
Your body doesn't NEED carbs, correct. But prefers them as a source of fuel for intense training, such as weight lifting, HIIT, etc.
Your body prefers them because they convert to fat easier. Your physiology wants to store fat,however, this biology is exactly what we are trying to work against to lose weight.
Also, I am not citing any scientific sources for you. Google it yourself and maybe you will read them. I suggest JSTORE if you have a student account. Otherwise, google scholar is a great source for scholarly articles.
LOL you gotta love it when someone says "according to all the peer reviewed literature...' and then can't even cite said peer reviewed literature. If you were writing a research paper you of just received an F -0 -
Thanks for sharing your opinion.Let's be honest here. The only reason people do low carb is because they think that's the "only way to lose weight." I used to do that and I can't imagine ever going back to that. People that have the mentality "oh carbs cause an insulin response. If I remove them, it's impossible to store fat." Your body turns protein into glucose.0 -
www.google.com
lots of facts about how carbs are needed for heavy workouts to help your body repair and refuel. Just because it works for you now doesn't mean it's great for everyone else.
Personally, if I workout heavily and don't replace carbs, I get really weak and lethargic. My hair also falls out, my skin gets bad, I get constipated, and have trouble sleeping if I reduce carbs too low. I've tested it a few times and like clock work, all those bad symptoms come back after a few days of very low carbing.0 -
www.google.com
lots of facts about how carbs are needed for heavy workouts to help your body repair and refuel. Just because it works for you now doesn't mean it's great for everyone else.
Personally, if I workout heavily and don't replace carbs, I get really weak and lethargic. My hair also falls out, my skin gets bad, I get constipated, and have trouble sleeping if I reduce carbs too low. I've tested it a few times and like clock work, all those bad symptoms come back after a few days of very low carbing.
Yes, that's what happens to someone who isn't keto adapted....or used to burning fat rather than sugar, in other words.
It takes some time for your body to adjust, and it's not usually recommended that one exercises heavily during the adjustment period.
Peter Attia, M.D. explains it here: http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/my-pet-peeve0 -
www.google.com
lots of facts about how carbs are needed for heavy workouts to help your body repair and refuel. Just because it works for you now doesn't mean it's great for everyone else.
Personally, if I workout heavily and don't replace carbs, I get really weak and lethargic. My hair also falls out, my skin gets bad, I get constipated, and have trouble sleeping if I reduce carbs too low. I've tested it a few times and like clock work, all those bad symptoms come back after a few days of very low carbing.
Yes, that's what happens to someone who isn't keto adapted....or used to burning fat rather than sugar, in other words.
It takes some time for your body to adjust, and it's not usually recommended that one exercises heavily during the adjustment period.
Peter Attia, M.D. explains it here: http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/my-pet-peeve
I should have added that I did very low carb dieting for over a year. It wasn't until I started researching my symptoms that I realized it was my lack of carbs. Once eating carbs my symptoms disappeared. I think a year is more than enough time for the body to adjust. Whatever Peter Attia, M.D. has to say is irrelevant to me b/c I did it, it didn't work for me. Good luck to those it "works" for. Good luck when you all do decide to start eating carbs again.
I don't put a lot of stock into what doctors have to say about nutrition. If they knew so much, there would be no need for diet pills or weight loss surgeries. They go to school to learn how to fix sick people, not help them lose weight.0 -
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I also did low carb for a long time, by the way. I did Atkins. I was lethargic, and ravenously hungry. Carbs fill you and give your body fuel.
And maybe I'm stupid, but yeah. I get veg is low carb. I don't get how eating primarily vegetables gets you to 15,16,1700 calories.
Just for arguments sake (before anyone gets all flustered and nutrition police on me THIS IS JUST FOR ARGUMENTS SAKE SO CALM DOWN IN ADVANCE)
1236 calories worth of zucchini? 55 cups. 247 carbs.
They add up, and you'd have to eat like.. mass quantities. Even if half your cals came from vegetables alone. That's still fairly high carb, for a low carb dieter, no?0 -
"That's just fact".
As someone who has eaten low-carb for a year, lost 25kg (60-ish pounds), works out just fine, I'd like to know where you get your "facts" from, cos clearly my body wasn't aware.
What I eat - meat, eggs, cheese, green/ leafy veges, and limited amounts of berries. I eat less fat and more veg than my "normal diet" partner.
Out of curiosity...when you get to your goal weight, are you going to keep eating the same things you do now or change back?0 -
To get the right amount of calories on low carb diets, your supposed to eat a lot of protein and high fat.. I try to keep my carbs below 100 daily, and i only get them from fruits veggies or natural things.. Except for today and yesterday, lol.0
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Disclaimer #1: I think ridiculously low carb diets with regular exercise are generally stupid...
... Like I said.. I'm just curious.
If you don't know anything about it, how do you manage to be so opinionated?
A quick google search will give you a list of low carb foods. You could even research keto diets and find out about how intelligent people following low carb diets are managing their macros. It isn't difficult and it certainly isn't stupid.
I should have been more specific, I think it's stupid with strenuous regular exercise. Your body needs carbs for fuel with heavy exercise, that doesn't require knowledge of what a low diet carb consists of that's just fact.
I think statements that begin with "I think it's stupid" are stupid.
I exercise heavily (70-90 mins 5 days/week, mostly spent lifting), and regularly eat a very limited amount of carbohydrates. My training hasn't suffered, my progress hasn't suffered, and my body sure as he** hasn't suffered. But that's just me.
Oh and I eat between 1800-2200 calories/day.. and usually somewhere between 60 and 100g carbs. Lean protein, green veg, fats from sources like EVOO, nuts (which have carbs too), avocado, hummus, etc... It is not NECESSARY that I do so, but I do it because it works for me. I have a problem controlling carbs when I delve into them, so I avoid them for the time being. I still eat things like sweet potatoes and squash though.
ETA: The human body is an amazingly adaptive thing- while carbs provide glucose most readily/easily for use, that doesn't mean that they are strictly necessary in moderate-high amounts for function or performance. Our bodies are capable of using glycogen stores formed from excess glucose in the bloodstream as well as create new glucose from other endogenous materials (gluconeogenesis from fatty acids and glucogenic amino acids).0 -
For me I did high fat, moderate protein and low carb. The most of my calories came from fat. I still ate loads of veg, absolutely heaps of the stuff (like you say if you eat low carb foods you can eat plenty) but no where near half of my calories came from veggies. Something like 75% of my calories were from fat (from meats / cheese / nuts / olive oil etc).
I just look at low carb as a way of eating.... but like some people are vegetarian. There are healthy ways to do it and non healthy ways, it will suit some people and not others.0 -
I feel that low carb diets have their place, but as a permanent 'life change', not so much.
For example, I used one for the first five months of my lifting and 'fitness' switch (less than 40g per day). I did this because I wanted to run a strong caloric deficit (900+) without sacrificing my protein needs. Contrary to popular belief, untrained people are actually less efficient with their protein than trained athletes. Basically, they need more to achieve the same effect.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129150/
"It has been suggested that strength training athletes with greater experience become more efficient at protein utilization [27]. This contention was supported by Lemon et al. [27] who found that novice bodybuilders in the early stages of training were in negative nitrogen balance (-3.4 grams of N) when consuming 1.35 g·kg-1·day-1 and in positive nitrogen balance (+8.9 g) when consuming 2.62 grams of protein daily. Utilizing regression analysis and adding a safety buffer of 2 SD units, the protein needs to acquire zero nitrogen balance was calculated to be 1.6–1.7 g·kg-1·day-1."
Now that I've dropped 40+ pounds, I have switched back to what most would consider a 'sane' macro layout of 40/30/30 p/c/f.
I accomplished the low carb diet by eating nearly nothing by extremely lean meats (chicken/turkey breast, 99/1 ground turkey, tuna, etc.) and Quest bars. The latter of which does have a higher carb allotment, but almost all of it is fiber.
TL;DR- extremely low carb allows you to run a very strong deficit without sacrificing any protein intake, which has been found to be extremely important for untrained individuals getting started in training.0 -
As someone who is trying to do a low carb diet, I will tell you what has worked for people I know who do low carbs. Some people are "carb addicts". The biggest problem isn't the carbs themselves.... It's the fact that if I were to eat one piece of white bread, I don't feel "full" and can't stop eating the rest of the day. In order to detox and train your body to feel "full" and avoid overeating, people who are "carb addicts" generally do a 2-3 week detox process. I would look up the South Beach methodology because it gives reasoning behind this. For people who are needing to lose a LOT of weight (ex. probably about 50 pounds or more), they are probably looking for an entire lifestyle change. Eating strictly protein and veggies for 2-3 weeks and exercising is a great starting point, but it's not sustainable for a long period of time. The South Beach books do a great job of dividing foods into phases, so at phase 2, there are "legal carbs" that can be introduced into your diet. The goal is to try one food at a time and see if it "triggers" you. If you are just trying to lose 10 or 20 pounds, this type of system is not the most effective. Also, there is not a single answer that works for everyone otherwise we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic in this country. The most important thing is learning your own body and what works for you. There is a lot of research out there, but research is NOT always 100% accurate for 100% of people. Hence these are called "theories". I have seen low carb diets work for some people, but it doesn't work for others. Hope this answered your original question! 0
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I'm only doing 1200 calories a day plus exercising so it usually gets me up to about 1400-1500 calories a day. After taking into account breakfast lunch and dinner of protein and veggies as well as a snack during the day, there isn't any issue with reaching those calories. I guess I don't understand why this topic was posted in the first place though.... When I first clicked on this and posted, I thought there was an actual interest in the response. Unfortunately it seems that this is just a string of posts to bash other people's way of dieting/eating. For anyone that this hasn't worked for, I hope you have found something that does. For those of you that this has worked for, congrats and I am very glad that it has! For anyone who can't accept that what doesn't work for you is 100% wrong and there is no possible way that it could work for someone else, I sincerely hope and pray that you are not this bigoted and judgmental on other aspects of your life.0
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Try telling diabetics that eating low carb is stupid, and unsustainable. Ask them if they plan to eat that way the rest of their life. I'm sure they will answer yes, as long as they want to stay healthy.
Would you ask someone that is allergic to peanuts, if they plan to not ever eat peanut butter again? Is it stupid that they have cut a specific food out of their diet? Is that not sustainable for life?
What is stupid, is people coming in, uneducated, making blanket statements bashing other people's choices in what they put in their body. And to try to cover it by saying they are just 'curious', is so passive-aggressive. If you are indeed 'curious', then try using this tool called Google and look it up. Educate yourself about a topic before you start bashing something that is a way of life for many people, either by choice or by medical necessity.0 -
I don't consider my diet low carb, since I eat from 80 to 130 grams of carbs but I eat pretty much what I want, just trying to avoid grains or only eating a piece of it for breakfast.0
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Try telling diabetics that eating low carb is stupid, and unsustainable. Ask them if they plan to eat that way the rest of their life. I'm sure they will answer yes, as long as they want to stay healthy.
Would you ask someone that is allergic to peanuts, if they plan to not ever eat peanut butter again? Is it stupid that they have cut a specific food out of their diet? Is that not sustainable for life?
What is stupid, is people coming in, uneducated, making blanket statements bashing other people's choices in what they put in their body. And to try to cover it by saying they are just 'curious', is so passive-aggressive. If you are indeed 'curious', then try using this tool called Google and look it up. Educate yourself about a topic before you start bashing something that is a way of life for many people, either by choice or by medical necessity.
she said when pertaining to medically necessary reasons, she understands. Calm down, lady.0 -
The last part is not an opinion.0
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Seriously, it's all just preference but don't think you HAVE to do low carb to lose weight. That's coming from someone that was a low carb addict. If you feel low carb lets you control your cravings, go ahead. It's the same with IIFYM. You can eat chicken and brown rice all day, but it's not necessary. It doesn't make you all hardcore if you do that.0
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Oh and guess what, 30 grams of carbs from sweet potato and 30 grams of carbs from poptarts is the same thing in terms of effects to body composition. Can't wait to get so much hate for this.0
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