Low carb?

Tamm04

I keep reading about doing low carb. I haven't done that so I"m a bit curious and wonder if that may help my weight loss.

What is considered a low carb diet? How much are you consuming for it to be 'low'? What is on your list of foods that you avoid?

Thanks!

Slimdownmb

I literally lay off the carbs now
however carbs fill me up so u need to replace them with something else,

dont completely cut them out.
I never eat carbs after 3pm!
I never eat big portions of carbs
I stick to 1 carb a day.
Pitas and wraps are much better than bread.
if you want rice try and go for wild rice but better.

My favorite meals at the moment ....

Grilled pork chop (fat trimmed)
chop and slice - cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and lettuce
also chop ur grilled pork chop up
stuff everything into a pita bread or wrap.

Mixed bean salad-
1/2 a can of 3or5 bean salad drain and rinse
put in a bowl with chopped salad (cucumber,tomato,lettuce,onions)
1 table spoon of chunky salsa
1 table spoon of tzatziki
1/2 a lemon and a little olive oil (tiny bit)
mix all together ... its so yummy and full of fibre!

melaniecheeks

Carb sentsitivity varies greatly from one person to the next, so it might not be good for you. But try it for a while and see!

I find my body works best on around 100-150g carbs per day.

Breakfast - no cereal, toast only once or twice a week. Instead, eggs or fish, or yoghurt with berries.
Lunch - soup or salad
Dinner - protein and veg.
Snacks - nuts and cheese.

Do read the labels on foods carefully, as many have added sugar (ie carbs).

mazdauk

Carbs are not an evil food source. There are carbs in vegetables as well as obvious things like bread, rice and pasta.

BUT some carbs can be high in calories (rice is higher than pasta, which is higher than boiled potatoes, for example) so if you are reducing your calories you also might need to reduce your portion size - in any case carbs should ideally account for only 1/3 of your plate (protein 1/4, the rest veg).

Diets such as Atkins have been proved to be unsustainable long-term - you might lose very quickly in the short-term, but most regain all (and more) as soon as they go back to a normal diet. Any diet which removes a whole food group could lead to health issues (yes, even no/low fat).

All calories are equal - eat fewer calories than you expend in energy and you will lose weight. Your body doesnt actually care what the calories are with regard to weightloss - you can eat doughnuts and drink full fat Coke and you will still lose weight if you only have 1200 calories of them. But it is not a healthy way forward.

Unless you have speicifc health issues which require you to track sodium and sugar, simplyfy your macros to 45/30/25 protein/carb/fat (I think i have it the right way round!) and make sure you keep within your calorie goals and you will lose weight.

TheVimFuego

I went through a low carb phase, 6 months or so, 30 to 50g total per day. I think it helped me get in touch with real hunger as opposed to blood sugar swings. It is said to be effective for those who are 'insulin resistant' and therefore have problems metabolising highly refined carbs (like white bread, doughnuts, sugar,etc)

I hopped back onto a more balanced plan once I realised there was no benefit to me doing it anymore, too restrictive, I wanted fewer 'food rules' in my life ... These days I focus on getting enough protein (more than the default MFP guideline) and letting the rest fall where they may. And getting regular exercise, of course, nothing major, more walking and a bit of bodyweight resistence in my case.

Low carbing gets a bad rap but it think it is genuinely a good method to use if you have blood sugar control and 'I must eat every 2 hours' kind of issues. It is not, I believe, optimum for the long-term for a variety of reasons.

Carb cycling is probably worth a look ... All the benefits of low carbing (better blood sugar control, decreased cravings, etc) but none of the potential downsides (decreased metabolism, muscle cramping, dry eyes/mouth, restricted eating). Some say 3 days lower carb followed by 2 days higher could be optimal. But there is a theory for everything if you look hard enough

In the end it is whatever creates an energy gap for you, there are no magical macronutrient ratios compared to the almighty calorie gap thang.