Low carb?

Pandasarecool
Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone try to do 1 low carb day (75) and then one regular carb day (120-130)? Would it help me get over my plateau? Thanks! Opinions are welcome, my diary is open!

Replies

  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    bump
  • nancycaregiver
    nancycaregiver Posts: 812 Member
    I do low carb everyday. I started at 20 carbs a day. Then moved to 25 and now at 30. Lost 61 pounds since February. I like it but it's not for everyone. I have not tried the every other day thing you are talking about.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    People do carb cycling, where they only eat carbs over 50 on their work out days.
    Works for them, but i think they are really just lowering their average calories. =)
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    I'm not consistent enough to do something like that, but it sounds like it's worth a try. Let us know how it goes!
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    I do low carb everyday. I started at 20 carbs a day. Then moved to 25 and now at 30. Lost 61 pounds since February. I like it but it's not for everyone. I have not tried the every other day thing you are talking about.

    I find it hard to keep at 75! How do you manage so low? I am only trying to break a plateau, so I won't always be low carb, I just thought I might try and shock my body by doing one on one off. A low carb lifestyle is not for me, I love my bread!
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    I agree - and remember, there are "good" carbs and not so good carbs - ie bread and bread-y things aren't as good as fruits. When you lower your bread/starch carbs, you lower your total caloric intake. I follow an almost gluten-free diet partially because I'm sensitive to it, but mostly because it's how I've lost weight and cut out a lot of calories.

    If you think about it, unless it's fruits, a lot of carbs are empty or lower in nutritional value than proteins or good fats. A cup of pasta is around 200 calories, and it's loaded with carbs, but very low on protein (great for exercise, not so great for a sedentary lifestyle or for those who don't need the energy). You can eat lean protein (whether meat or non-meat) with fewer carbs and get a lot more calorie bang for your buck.

    I know that doesn't really answer your question except to say that for some people, fewer carbs overall are better than more carbs unless you're training or working out hard.
  • rickerred12
    rickerred12 Posts: 75
    What do you do for exercise? Also do you have a re feed day once a week?
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    I'm not consistent enough to do something like that, but it sounds like it's worth a try. Let us know how it goes!

    I will!:smile:
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    What do you do for exercise?

    Jillian Micheal s 30 day shred (Only on level one right now), you tube's be fit in 90, month two, and I walk about 45 minutes to an hour every other day.
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    Also do you have a re feed day once a week?

    A what?
  • rickerred12
    rickerred12 Posts: 75
    On a low carb / keto meal plan a re feed day or re feed meal is essential to keep the weight loss flowing.

    Refeed’s purpose is physiological in nature. The purpose of a refeed is usually to alleviate or prevent a stall (usually water retention or metabolic adaptation) during a diet. A refeed is different from a cheat meal since there is a specific macronutrient composition that must be adhered to. For instance, while a cheat meal can be any meal that the dieter craves, a refeed MUST contain carbohydrates, as this is the primary macronutrient that causes the synthesis of leptin. Protein does as well but it is not as effective as carbohydrates. Dietary fat does not have any effect on leptin so your metabolism isn’t elevated when a refeed is done with meals high in fat but low in carbohydrates during a diet. By the way, this means with carbohydrates levels raised fat levels must go down unless your goal is fat storage. In other words if there was ever a day to obsess over low fat food sources, a refeed day is it all depending on the amount of carbohydrates. This is a nice segue to the reason a refeed is so important for some during a diet.
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    On a low carb / keto meal plan a re feed day or re feed meal is essential to keep the weight loss flowing.

    Refeed’s purpose is physiological in nature. The purpose of a refeed is usually to alleviate or prevent a stall (usually water retention or metabolic adaptation) during a diet. A refeed is different from a cheat meal since there is a specific macronutrient composition that must be adhered to. For instance, while a cheat meal can be any meal that the dieter craves, a refeed MUST contain carbohydrates, as this is the primary macronutrient that causes the synthesis of leptin. Protein does as well but it is not as effective as carbohydrates. Dietary fat does not have any effect on leptin so your metabolism isn’t elevated when a refeed is done with meals high in fat but low in carbohydrates during a diet. By the way, this means with carbohydrates levels raised fat levels must go down unless your goal is fat storage. In other words if there was ever a day to obsess over low fat food sources, a refeed day is it all depending on the amount of carbohydrates. This is a nice segue to the reason a refeed is so important for some during a diet.

    So like, once a week I bump my carbs intake up to like 145 and keep fat low? And the rest of the week try and stay around 75?
  • rickerred12
    rickerred12 Posts: 75
    Not much need to worry about fat (good fat...omega 3s ect.) just ensure the meal has mostly carbs. The purpose of low carb is to burn fat. Here is what your body uses for fuel in order.
    1. Carbs
    2. Fat
    3. Muscle

    A low carb plan will cause a depletion of carbs forcing the body to burn fat for energy. I usually eat a large meat lovers pizza (18 inch) takes about 1 hr.
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
    Not much need to worry about fat (good fat...omega 3s ect.) just ensure the meal has mostly carbs. The purpose of low carb is to burn fat. Here is what your body uses for fuel in order.
    1. Carbs
    2. Fat
    3. Muscle

    A low carb plan will cause a depletion of carbs forcing the body to burn fat for energy. I usually eat a large meat lovers pizza (18 inch) takes about 1 hr.

    OK, I think I might try this (Not the pizza though, probably a sub of some sort...:wink: )
  • PHXBlondie
    PHXBlondie Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks for sharing the info about the re feed meal. I've done a lot of low carb dieting and I got so frustrated with the occasional stall. This makes sense to me and would be a welcome reprieve from low carbing every once in a while. Thanks for the info. :-)

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