Anyone at goal or has lost not doing low carb?

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Replies

  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
    [quote/]
    For some people they have to control carbs, this is their 'normal', be thankful you don't have to.
    [/quote]

    Yes! This!
  • dcmat
    dcmat Posts: 1,723 Member
    I hit my ideal weight range last year doing a high carb diet and are maintaining the weight doing the same this year. It all depends on what you do with those carbs once eaten – for me it was cycling 11,500 miles last year and 15,150 miles so far in 2012
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
    I did South Beach a few years ago, which is no carbs for the first two weeks and then gradually adding in a few fruits and whole grains for the period after that. I lost about 15 lbs over 5 months. It took me five years to gain most of it back because I gradually added too many carbs back in. I won't do a specific no-carb diet again, but I definitely feel better when I don't eat so many of them. My macros here are set to 40-30-30, but I usually have about 50g of carbs left over at the end of the day. The main SB thing that 's stuck with me is to think about what non-carb options I have, especially for snacks. Some celery with a little peanut butter or hummus will keep me filled up way longer than a couple of those 100-calorie snack packs. It also got me in the habit of packing my own lunches and planning meals ahead of time.
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    Not at goal yet, but losing with macros of 40/30/30. Protein and fats help you feel full, but your body needs carbs, preferably ones that aren't processed.
  • Sweet_Pea0107
    Sweet_Pea0107 Posts: 90
    I lost weight and got to my goal without doing low carb!
  • marathon_mama
    marathon_mama Posts: 150 Member
    Low carb doesn't necessarily mean cutting out all carbs. Your body does need some carbs. Most people who say they eat low carb are cutting out simple carbs like sugar in cakes, cookies, sodas. and white flour- chips, crackers, white breads, white rice and white pastas. They concentrate on eating more vegetables and higher fiber carbs i.e. fruits and whole grains, which fill you up. They also eat higher protein and good fats. These foods keep you fuller longer and allow you to eat less total calories. You can lower your calories 200-300 per day by cutting out sugar and simple carbs, but keep your proteins and good fats high, and you won't be any hungrier than you were eating at the higher level. Sugar and simple carbs also make your blood sugar spike and release a lot of insulin, causing you to crave more sugar.

    Of course there are many people who have lost weight without cutting out sugar, bread, pastas, etc. They did so by cutting back on calories and exercising. It is harder to have a large calorie deficit while keeping your protein levels good, if you don't cut back on the sugars, etc. It will usually be a slower loss and you will need to do a lot of exercise to burn off the carbs in your diet, before you can start burning stored fats. But it can be done. It's all in the way you choose to lose.

    yes, exactly correct.
  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
    Low carb doesn't necessarily mean cutting out all carbs. Your body does need some carbs. Most people who say they eat low carb are cutting out simple carbs like sugar in cakes, cookies, sodas. and white flour- chips, crackers, white breads, white rice and white pastas. They concentrate on eating more vegetables and higher fiber carbs i.e. fruits and whole grains, which fill you up. They also eat higher protein and good fats. These foods keep you fuller longer and allow you to eat less total calories. You can lower your calories 200-300 per day by cutting out sugar and simple carbs, but keep your proteins and good fats high, and you won't be any hungrier than you were eating at the higher level. Sugar and simple carbs also make your blood sugar spike and release a lot of insulin, causing you to crave more sugar.

    Of course there are many people who have lost weight without cutting out sugar, bread, pastas, etc. They did so by cutting back on calories and exercising. It is harder to have a large calorie deficit while keeping your protein levels good, if you don't cut back on the sugars, etc. It will usually be a slower loss and you will need to do a lot of exercise to burn off the carbs in your diet, before you can start burning stored fats. But it can be done. It's all in the way you choose to lose.

    yes, exactly correct.

    Yep
  • gillleeman
    gillleeman Posts: 397 Member
    bump
  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
    I eat what I want, but track my calories. no special diet here. lifetime change for me!:
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,193 Member
    Low carb doesn't necessarily mean cutting out all carbs. Your body does need some carbs. Most people who say they eat low carb are cutting out simple carbs like sugar in cakes, cookies, sodas. and white flour- chips, crackers, white breads, white rice and white pastas. They concentrate on eating more vegetables and higher fiber carbs i.e. fruits and whole grains, which fill you up. They also eat higher protein and good fats. These foods keep you fuller longer and allow you to eat less total calories. You can lower your calories 200-300 per day by cutting out sugar and simple carbs, but keep your proteins and good fats high, and you won't be any hungrier than you were eating at the higher level. Sugar and simple carbs also make your blood sugar spike and release a lot of insulin, causing you to crave more sugar.

    Of course there are many people who have lost weight without cutting out sugar, bread, pastas, etc. They did so by cutting back on calories and exercising. It is harder to have a large calorie deficit while keeping your protein levels good, if you don't cut back on the sugars, etc. It will usually be a slower loss and you will need to do a lot of exercise to burn off the carbs in your diet, before you can start burning stored fats. But it can be done. It's all in the way you choose to lose.

    yes, exactly correct.

    Yep
    I consume about 200 g's of carbs a day, which is less than my protein intake and is considered a low carb diet......not to be confused with the very low carb diet VLCD where around 5% of calories are carbs and will always find the person in ketosis.
  • shyn52
    shyn52 Posts: 19 Member
    Low carb has never worked for me. I have lost over 40 lbs focusing only on calories. Tracking on MFP has been tremendously helpful - and I have been targeting 1200 calories. For health reasons I needed to stop my moderate exercise - but that didn't stop my weight loss.

    The latest research shows that how you lose weight is very personal - what works for one person may not work for another. A very good presentation of the research was done by HBO. The HBO series Weight of the Nation was developed in partnership with the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I have worked in the nutrition public health world and this was eye opening for me.

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