How can people stand being on low-carb diets?

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  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    If I do more cardio, I definitely want the carbs.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I like a lot of carb foods and don't want to break what I've done by binging because I denied myself those foods. I'm not just talking about the "Bad Carbs" here.

    I tried "low" carb (<200) last year, cutting out the "Bad Carbs". I barely made it into week 2 before scarfing down a *kitten*-ton of carbs. It sucked. I hated it, myself, everyone in the galaxy.
  • nphect
    nphect Posts: 474
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    People probably don't exercise as much as you do that are on low carb diets, me thinks.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    When a person takes baked goods out of the diet like bread, cake, doughnuts, bagels, and buns, it's REALLY hard to go over on your carbs without fruit. So while I do have "low carb" days, I don't do it intentionally; I only do it because there's nothing left I can eat that gives me a LOT of the "carb" macro. Most of the healthy foods you're going to eat are either fats, protein, or low cal carbs. Just turns out that way.
  • Chood5
    Chood5 Posts: 259 Member
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    When a person takes baked goods out of the diet like bread, cake, doughnuts, bagels, and buns, it's REALLY hard to go over on your carbs without fruit. So while I do have "low carb" days, I don't do it intentionally; I only do it because there's nothing left I can eat that gives me a LOT of the "carb" macro. Most of the healthy foods you're going to eat are either fats, protein, or low cal carbs. Just turns out that way.

    +1
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I did not read any of the responses but I am lower carb. I feel better then I have ever have in my life. I don't have the ummm, stomach issues that I used to have.

    I do not feel deprived at all. There is so much variety to what I "can" eat so I'm always thinking of new things.

    One size does not fit all for everyone is my conclusion.
  • senami632
    senami632 Posts: 134 Member
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    In my second week of eating around 50 carbs a day and I'm just fine. It has helped me lose 9 pounds in a week so it's working for me. x
  • TinGirl314
    TinGirl314 Posts: 430 Member
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    I stay under 200 a day...aim for about 160, but it's all from fruits ...sometimes Triscuts (Ok a lot of Triscuts)
    I can't do a no carb life myself...I do count it as the most unhealthy macro.
    It does feel good to be able to pass up a bowl of pasta though cause my body goes 'we don't eat that.' :)
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I try to eat under 100 net carbs a day. At that level I don't crave them. At 200 grams are higher, instead of being full, I want more and more carbs which for me often leads to hypoglycemic episodes.

    Don't get me wrong, it was up to me I would eat pasta and bread everyday, oh and cake, but that wouldn't be smart.

    This so much. I don't know if it's physiological or mental or emotional or what, but the more carbs I eat, the more i want to eat. NOM NOM NOM!

    I think the biggest thing to remember is that your body is pretty amazing and can use many types of fuel. If you eat less carbs, your body gets better at burning fat. If you eat less fat, your body gets better at burning carbs. It's all about what works for YOU.
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
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    I try to eat carbs with every meal. I'm looking for a balanced diet, not a low-carb low-fat low-whatever phase. Carbs are good. Carbs are fuel. I shoot for 8 USDA servings a day and make them whole-grain or multigrain.
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
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    It's not so much that "carbs are the enemy", I'm sure any low carber will tell you that they do not believe in a "no carb" diet. We just choose to cut out simple carbs and eat more complex carbs that can be found in natural sources like veggies. If you felt horrible when you lowered your carbs it might just be your body showing you how dependent you've become on them, simple carbs are very addicting. I've been low carb for about two months and I've never had more energy in my life, I find myself actually getting through the day without popping open a monster energy, which I used to have to have two daily. posts like this amuse me because they do no research and bash the unknown lol to each her own I guess.
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
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    People probably don't exercise as much as you do that are on low carb diets, me thinks.

    This is wrong. I exercise like a beast lol I lift heavy and never leave the gym without going to fail first. me thinks you don't know what your talking about :)
  • Fiona_Bullough
    Fiona_Bullough Posts: 138 Member
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    BUMP, read to page 3 and need to go to bed.

    I do between 50 and 100 g carbs per day and am doing very well. I don't feel bad at all and the weight is coming off nicely.
    I feel that I am able to maintain this 'diet' long term (as in adopt this way of eating as a life long way of eating.)
  • ltkasmala
    ltkasmala Posts: 109 Member
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    I am a firm believer that you should not eliminate any major food group. I mentioned on another thread I have always had success with carbs in my diet, even while trying to loose weight. I just cooked up two pasta containing dishes a bit ago and they also contain vegetables and/or pureed sauces made from vegetables. If you only eat the 1 cup serving size, there shouldn't be a problem! I have even eaten pasta and/or rice twice a day and still managed to loose six more pounds (seven inches) during month of September. Some people swear by the low carb approach, however. They just don't work for me! And I agree, I would be w/o energy if I didn't take in enough. I substitute teach while I am in graduate school and customarily work around smaller children whose energy I wish I had, so I'd be in trouble if I ran out during the day! :tongue:
  • tlacox1
    tlacox1 Posts: 373 Member
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    It is really what type of carbs your eating. If your eating carbs from junk food then it burns quickly but veggies and fruit are good carbs that stay in your system longer.
  • tlacox1
    tlacox1 Posts: 373 Member
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    I am a firm believer that you should not eliminate any major food group. I mentioned on another thread I have always had success with carbs in my diet, even while trying to loose weight. I just cooked up two pasta containing dishes a bit ago and they also contain vegetables and/or pureed sauces made from vegetables. If you only eat the 1 cup serving size, there shouldn't be a problem! I have even eaten pasta and/or rice twice a day and still managed to loose six more pounds (seven inches) during month of September. Some people swear by the low carb approach, however. They just don't work for me! And I agree, I would be w/o energy if I didn't take in enough. I substitute teach while I am in graduate school and customarily work around smaller children whose energy I wish I had, so I'd be in trouble if I ran out during the day! :tongue:

    My son runs Cross Country and eats pasta (as do most of the other runners in the team) the night before a meet. These types of carbs stay with you longer. All about which carbs you are taking in.
  • milkyskinn
    milkyskinn Posts: 126 Member
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    Lots of different replies already, but it really comes down to what works for the person, and it doesn't really apply to everyone. I've never believed in low carb; I do admit I just find it very, very hard to stick to, but I never gained considerable weight from eating carbs, not before I started calorie counting and not when I do now.

    I think the thing that DOES work is just dividing carbs by nutritional value and how much you move around each day, or if you do more cardio than weights. I do cardio 5-6 days a week, so I need 'em. The carbs I DO get are from fruits (only berries and citrus atm though... ) frisian rye (which is very heavy and almost pitch black, and the only type of bread I eat. It has a LOT of fiber!) and some bran.
    The only 'white' carb I'm getting is from cornflakes which I either have as a snack and those that are in my muesli. Other than that I don't eat (white) bread, potatoes, or sugary bad guys like cookies/pastries except for some special occasions/holidays :)

    And even if I do eat white rice more than brown... I really couldn't care less when I look at Japanese people and see how skinny they are while they load up on white rice/noodles every single day :) The trick is to combine them the right way. (as in more veggies, less meat, low-fat broths etc)
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
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    I'm a Type 2 Diabetic so watching my carbs is essential. I was recently hospitalized and placed on Metformin, Humalog and Lantus. My blood glucose was 584 with an A1C of 13.9%. I was doing 4 injections of Humalog, 1 at each meal and 1 at bedtime, and 1 dose of Lantus at dinner. Needless to say this got old very quickly. The glycemic nurses all told me to have 4-5 servings of carbs (@ 15g per serving) PER MEAL! While this is great for a diabetic who is in shape to counteract the insulin doses, I needed to drop weight quickly and that many carbs per day wasn't going to let it happen even with exercise.

    I went on a low-carb, med-fat, hi-protein diet (permitted by my doctor of course). Right now my macros are at 15/30/55 on a 1760 calorie diet (without exercise) which allows me a max of 79g of carbs per day. Even with this low number my blood glucose was still in the 130's, requiring me to inject insulin. I also wasn't seeing results in weight loss. So as an experiment I dropped my carb limit to 50g per day (I've read that going below 50g/day for an extended time can trigger starvation mode and make you gain weight). I saved the last 29g for diabetic needs if my glucose got too low. I also have made sure I walk at least 30 minutes/day. I've been no higher than 119 on my glucose readings and have even dipped down into the high 80's. If I'm below 120 I don't have to inject my Humalog. So now I've been FIVE DAYS with no Humalog injections. Now this may not work for other folks, but it works for my body which is what is important.

    I will say it did take me about 1.5 weeks to start to feel more energy after going so low-carb. Now that I'm loading good fats and clean proteins and complex carbs I have more than enough energy. I also consume my carbs before lunch and ZERO after that, but that's because of my diabetes. You have to go with what works for your body. Just my 2¢.
  • Easywider
    Easywider Posts: 434 Member
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    Eat a ton of meat; red or white, it's alright. :)
  • vytamindi
    vytamindi Posts: 845 Member
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    Eat a ton of meat; red or white, it's alright. :)

    No kidding!

    Just came back from the store. Bags of frozen broccoli, steaks, and chicken boobs aren't too expensive. Yay veggies!

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