no carbs

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Carbs are not the enemy.

There's countries (and regions of the world) where people live longer than anywhere else on Earth.

Guess what? Their diets include healthy carbs. Of course they have a strong focus on eating local and they get plenty of outdoor activity. It's all about balance.

Read the Primal Blueprint.... It's not CARBS it's all the processed carbs we scarf that effect out blood sugar that's the enemy

I absolutely agree. I don't need to read that though--but I agree it is a good resource for some. I'm a healthy weight and very active. I eat as clean as possible. I also suggest reading 'Eating Animals', 'Animal. Vegetable. Miracle.' and anything by Michael Pollan. I also have been volunteering teaching kid's programs at a farm for the past 12+ years. Learning is a constant process!

When I first started my weight loss journey, I limited my carbohydrates to about 75 grams a day to induce a large loss of water weight so that I could exercise without the pain caused by lugging around 308 lbs. I lost 30 lbs., mostly water, the first month, and it helped spur my exercise routine. I should also point out that it's very easy to stay sated because calories are coming from fat and protein. I could eat 5 pieces of bacon, 3 eggs with cheese and red bell peppers, and a glass of milk, and be good until dinner.

From my research, it appears that the body, regardless of size, only needs around 50 grams of carbohydrates a day during weight loss to avoid significant gluconeogenesis, where the body risks losing lean mass. If a person is involved in weight training or endurance training, I believe those numbers change to about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. For example, I have about 175 lbs. of lean mass, so I take in roughly 175 grams a day, on average, because I engage in strength training, on some level, nearly every day. For someone who just walks, or performs other low-intensity exercise, there is apparently no practical need for anything above 50 grams a day.

To encourage the body to burn fat most of the day while using glycogen and sparing muscle during intense exercise, you can try eating most of your carbohydrates within 2 hours of exercising. Anecdotally, that's made a significant difference in my exercise performance and body composition.

Parenthetically, you'll hear some people say that the brain needs at least 120 grams of glucose a day to function properly. Your brain can run on ketones, just fine, when you're on a low carbohydrate diet. It's how epileptics and people with Alzheimers disease are able to function better -- they have trouble using glucose for brain activity; therefore, they are on high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate diets.

i've just looked at my food diary and most days i'm around 100-120 g carbs per day(unintentionally though, I tend to gravitate toward protein and fats, i'd rather have a good steak and big azz salad than potatoes)

i meet my macros (1600-1800 cals a day) through lean meats, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes and LOTS of vegetables. when i make my protein pancakes i do put 1/3 cup of dry oats in them though, i eat those about 2-3x a week. i also have 1/2 LIGHTLY PACKED brown jasmine rice with my lean meat for lunch 2-3x a week as well.

sunday is my cheat day and i carb up like a mofo then....usually a homemade hamburger with a good ciabatta bun and some french fries. knowing that i've worked hard all week and sunday is my rest/relax/cheat day gives me something to look forward to :laugh:

i've just looked at my food diary and most days i'm around 100-120 g carbs per day(unintentionally though, I tend to gravitate toward protein and fats, i'd rather have a good steak and big azz salad than potatoes)

i meet my macros (1600-1800 cals a day) through lean meats, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes and LOTS of vegetables. when i make my protein pancakes i do put 1/3 cup of dry oats in them though, i eat those about 2-3x a week. i also have 1/2 LIGHTLY PACKED brown jasmine rice with my lean meat for lunch 2-3x a week as well.

sunday is my cheat day and i carb up like a mofo then....usually a homemade hamburger with a good ciabatta bun and some french fries. knowing that i've worked hard all week and sunday is my rest/relax/cheat day gives me something to look forward to :laugh:

Hear, hear! Your entire plan, with the cheat day, is a recipe for success. You're burning fat most of the time and then resetting your leptin levels on Sunday. That's smart.

Really this is all a guessing game to me. The only thing i have been counting is calories and making sure i don't go over them. The carbs was something a friends mentioned so i looked it up but i wanted to get other peoples opinions and experiences too. Actually i am thinking the things that irritate my ibs bread/potatoes/pasta are also starchy foods as well as high carbs so maybe it could be that making it play up. I am going to try and keep them under 100g an see how i go but i don't think i will be really strict about it and won't worry if i go over. I'm not used to eating three times a day so i don't want to push my eating too much. If i don't go over the recommended calories etc i think i will be happy with that but try bring carbs down

try reading this book called "the meat fix". it's written by this guy who was a vegan for many, many years how he suffered from IBS. i'm sure you can guess from the title how he went about curing himself. really i'm only recommending it because it sounds like y'all suffered from the same problem and perhaps you'd be better off learning from someone whom you could relate to. sure we could spout our opinions all we want, but we'll never truly understand what you're going through.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Meat-Fix-Lifetime-Healthy/dp/1849541396

No carbs = bad idea. You need them for energy!

I eat a lower carb diet, 30% carbs, 50% protein, 20% fat. It has broken a very long plateau for me and I'm losing weight quite well - mind you, I exercise like a fiend too.

I honestly would start with small goals. Instead of rushing into cutting out ALL carbs from your diet, perhaps start with a goal making better breakfast choices. I do not even keep cereal in the house anymore. Perhaps make it a goal to start by changing your daily cereal to old fashioned oats and fruit. It's a healthier, more filling choice - not to mention, it has less calories and carbs than a bowl full of cereal!