Does anyone follow a lower carb diet?

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meyerstwilight6
meyerstwilight6 Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read a lot of evidence that points toward a lower carb diet for overall health. Not necessarily a strict Atkins diet but something that limits carbohydrates and sugar. Does anyone else follow such a diet and how are your results? I've had good success with a low calorie diet and exercise. I am more or less trying to focus on what is heart healthy. According to my research, a diet higher in carbs is actually detrimental for you and more so than a diet higher in animal fat.

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  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    I wouldn't say I am on a low carb diet, but I try to get my carbs from vegetables, fruit, whole grain bread/wraps, oats, and things of that nature. Fats from, nuts, oil, peanut butter, and lean meats.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Only in the sense that I manage my macros @ 40/30/30 (carbs/protein/healthy fats). IMO (and that's all it is),the biggest issue with carbs and in particular, high carb diets is that most people get these from highly processed carbohydrates and simple sugars that spike blood sugar levels and can lead to things like type II diabetes.

    Before I started managing my macros and was only looking at the calories I was more like 70/15/15...bringng my carbs down to 40 has helped me to make much better decisions in RE to what that macro is made up of and helped me make better dietary choices in that RE. Most of mine now come from vegetables, fruit, and whole grain and my sugar intake has decreased while my fiber intake has increased exponentially.
  • mjames38
    mjames38 Posts: 18
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    I'm on low carb (40 grams a day). I lost 20 pounds in about 3 months and I just started back up today. Looking forward to losing another 10 :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Lower, no.
    Slower, yes. :smile:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    What do you consider "lower"? I'm lower carb than I used to be, but not what "low carbers" would consider low.

    Curious what exactly you've read and what you mean by "overall health"...
  • meyerstwilight6
    meyerstwilight6 Posts: 72 Member
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    I read something that states eating two pieces of wheat toast is the equivalent of 2 tsp of sugar into your blood stream!
  • meyerstwilight6
    meyerstwilight6 Posts: 72 Member
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    I guess more or less what I have read states eating a diet higher in carbs can result in constant spikes in blood sugar. This *can* eventually progress into insulin resistance and is linked to obesity and heart disease. Also type 2 diabetes as one person mentioned.
  • meyerstwilight6
    meyerstwilight6 Posts: 72 Member
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    Specifically after reading "Good calories, bad calories" by Gary Taubes recently.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I guess more or less what I have read states eating a diet higher in carbs can result in constant spikes in blood sugar. This *can* eventually progress into insulin resistance and is linked to obesity and heart disease. Also type 2 diabetes as one person mentioned.

    So because 1 person mentioned it, you're taking it as truth?

    Eat a well balanced diet. Get some exercise. You'll be fine.
  • Calantorntain
    Calantorntain Posts: 172 Member
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    I'm on lower carb. I started my weight loss efforts at the end of September because I started bike commuting, and started eating a better diet early October. Down about 30lbs, so I'm not complaining! But for me it's a combination low cal, low carb, moderate+ exercise (biking is my main form of transportation, so I bike 60+ miles a week). My protein definitely could be higher. I'm not a vegetarian by a long shot, but most my meals are mostly vegetables because I like to eat a LOT, without eating a lot of calories.

    I very rarely eat bread or pasta, it's so easy to eat too much of both of them, plus both generally need to be covered in calorie filled toppings. I semi-frequently have steel cut oats (with chia seeds and ground flax) for breakfast, and I'll sometimes have popcorn as a main course for dinner. Both whole grains, and higher in carbs, but "heart healthy," and they don't cause sugar spikes. I'm lower carb, no low/no carb!
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    I think a lower-carb diet helps with swings in blood sugar that can lead to feeling hungry.

    It is also the kind of diet that humans evolved to eat and that only changed in the last 100 years.
  • meyerstwilight6
    meyerstwilight6 Posts: 72 Member
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    This is exactly what I want to accomplish. Nothing extreme but something where I am more conscious of how many and as you stated..exactly what they consist of!
  • lasmit4477
    lasmit4477 Posts: 308 Member
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    You can still eat carbs, just consider the source and you could also choose foods that are on the lower glycemic end. Fruits, veggies, oatmeal, ect.

    You lose weight being at a deficit. Period. Regarless as to where the calories come from. However, what you eat does play the role of how you feel, usually...and I am sure you are more concerned with over-all health and wellness!

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