Protein Only?

ChabsHere
ChabsHere Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
If I consume just protein with dairy here and there, veggies and fruits, nuts etc. will there be quicker weight loss (with excercise)? I've heard of people consuming only protein, any meat (mostly white meat), fruits, veggies, nuts..no carbs like bread, rice, cake, flour.. Any advice? Thanks :smile:
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Replies

  • BiohazrD
    BiohazrD Posts: 48
    Low carb diets work, but not for everyone. They can make you feel kinda tired and you'll lose a lot of water weight.

    Protein is good, but no need to make it your only food. Do a high protein diet with some healthy fats and whole grains.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Your body needs a certain amount of glucose every day to live and make energy. Carbohydrates are your body's best way to get glucose. Complex carbohydrates are one great way to get glucose.

    There's glucose in milk, by the way, in the form of lactose, a simple sugar. Me, personally, if I was worried about carbs, I'd give up milk before 100% whole grain wheat bread. (Not that you should give up either.)
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    Don't focus on the quickest weight loss. Focus on sustainable weight loss. Can you eat only that stuff forever?
  • BiohazrD
    BiohazrD Posts: 48
    Your body needs a certain amount of glucose every day to live and make energy. Carbohydrates are your body's best way to get glucose. Complex carbohydrates are one great way to get glucose.

    There's glucose in milk, by the way, in the form of lactose, a simple sugar. Me, personally, if I was worried about carbs, I'd give up milk before 100% whole grain wheat bread.

    Milk is very good for you. Don't do this please. Milk has lots of healthy hat, lots of vitamins, lots of protein, and lots of calcium. Get lactose free milk if you're worried about carbs/sugar.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Don't focus on the quickest weight loss. Focus on sustainable weight loss. Can you eat only that stuff forever?

    this!!! all day, every day!!!
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    I eat like this--check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ for more info if you're interested.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    My advice would be to set up a reasonable calorie and macro intake for your goals, and hit those targets eating foods you enjoy.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Your body needs a certain amount of glucose every day to live and make energy. Carbohydrates are your body's best way to get glucose. Complex carbohydrates are one great way to get glucose.

    There's glucose in milk, by the way, in the form of lactose, a simple sugar. Me, personally, if I was worried about carbs, I'd give up milk before 100% whole grain wheat bread. (Not that you should give up either.)

    Your liver can produce glucose from protein so it isn't necessary to consume any carbohydrate if you don't want to! :)
  • sexelby
    sexelby Posts: 19 Member
    I see a dietician regularly, and in females a low carb diet is condoned. Men have the ability to almost 'make' carbohydrates in the body, where as women can't. And women lacking in carbohydrates notice an incredible change in mood and irritability.

    I am on a high protein diet, with an average amount of 'good' carbs (like brown rice and whole grains), and low fat.
    It's working pretty well for me. Combining this and exercise I have lost 15lbs this year alone.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    There is nothing wrong with carbs, unless you have some sort of allergy or intolerance. Only start eating this way if you plan on continuing to eat this way for the rest of your life. If you don't, you'll gain weight back when you add carbs back into your diet.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    My advice would be to set up a reasonable calorie and macro intake for your goals, and hit those targets eating foods you enjoy.

    now hold on just a minute!!!!!
  • duril64
    duril64 Posts: 5 Member
    You have the idea though. Just cut out all of the the processed crap and the empty carbs like refined sugar, breads and pastas unless whole grain\whole wheat. It's actually pretty simple, but it takes some willpower and discipline to get started and be consistent.

    Combine good eating with regular exercise 5 to 6 times a week (30 min to an hour, mix it up with different forms of cardio and resistance training). Once you start eating clean regularly, and if your daily calorie intake is less than your daily calorie burn, you'll start to burn fat.

    You don't want to focus too much on how much you weigh. Record your weight, but focus more on how much bodyfat you have, and measure your critical areas like your waist (around the belly button) hips (around the butt) and arms. To get your bodyfat, get a good handheld device, BF weight scale or use calipers. I just use a BF weight scale. Even though it's not as accurate as calipers, if you check your BF at the same time of the morning before you get going, you'll have a baseline to work with and a good idea of your progress.

    As you lose BF, gauge how much to lose by looking in the mirror. Do you like how you look yet? If you had a muffin top and it's not gone yet and you want it gone, keep going! Do the clothes you really want to wear fit comfortably yet? If not, keep going!

    Once you get there, you'll want to up your calories a bit (no crap!) to stop the BF loss.

    Lastly, maintenance can be the hardest part. Most people can lose weight over a few months, but then they hit their goals and start to slack off. Everyone slips and slides now and then, but if you have really made a lifestyle change and cut out the processed crap and refined crap for good, and exercise, you'll keep the BF off.

    Good luck!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I see a dietician regularly, and in females a low carb diet is condoned. Men have the ability to almost 'make' carbohydrates in the body, where as women can't. And women lacking in carbohydrates notice an incredible change in mood and irritability.

    I am on a high protein diet, with an average amount of 'good' carbs (like brown rice and whole grains), and low fat.
    It's working pretty well for me. Combining this and exercise I have lost 15lbs this year alone.

    Gluconeogenesis isn't limited to males.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    I see a dietician regularly, and in females a low carb diet is condoned. Men have the ability to almost 'make' carbohydrates in the body, where as women can't. And women lacking in carbohydrates notice an incredible change in mood and irritability.

    I am on a high protein diet, with an average amount of 'good' carbs (like brown rice and whole grains), and low fat.
    It's working pretty well for me. Combining this and exercise I have lost 15lbs this year alone.

    Gluconeogenesis isn't limited to males.
    I was about to say the same thing. The only reason I reduce carbs (down to 125 to 160 grams) during a cut is to notice visual changes in my body fat percentage more easily since less water is between the skin and underlying muscle tissue.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Your liver can produce glucose from protein so it isn't necessary to consume any carbohydrate if you don't want to! :)

    It _can_ do it, true. Creates extra waste chemicals in the blood though, making your kidneys and liver work harder to eliminate those. So you need more water. Very low blood glucose is bad for the brain, too, for SOME people. Or so I hear. And getting your glucose from protein is much more expensive than from carbohydrate sources, in my opinion.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    You lose weight by eating at a calorie deficit. If you would like to cut things out from your diet, I'd do it if you have a specific reason (simple carbs can cause blood sugar crashes in diabetics and hypoglycemics, some people don't have will power to eat just five chips, etc). Limiting certain types of foods can help people, but if it's not something you don't mind giving up for the rest of your life, don't bother.
  • oh_em_gee
    oh_em_gee Posts: 887 Member
    I do higher protein and reduced carb, but I'm pretty moderate. But, by all means, limit processed junk and simple sugars, and go ahead and replace it with lean protein. Make sure you don't eliminate all fats though, because you do need some.
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    Very low blood glucose is bad for the brain, too, for SOME people. Or so I hear.

    While it's true that low blood glucose is bad for the brain, given a properly functioning endocrine system (insulin and glucagon) - the amount of dietary glucose you eat has no effect on that.

    There are multiple redundant pathways that the body can store, convert, or generate glucose for the body to use, when there is no immediate source of carbohydrates. If this wasn't true, we'd all be dead a few hours after our meal digested, because our brain would shut down.
    And getting your glucose from protein is much more expensive than from carbohydrate sources, in my opinion.

    Sometimes the cost is worth it.
  • jamielynas
    jamielynas Posts: 366 Member
    Have fun going to the toilet
  • LBNOakland
    LBNOakland Posts: 379 Member
    bump
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    If I consume just protein with dairy here and there, veggies and fruits, nuts etc. will there be quicker weight loss (with excercise)? I've heard of people consuming only protein, any meat (mostly white meat), fruits, veggies, nuts..no carbs like bread, rice, cake, flour.. Any advice? Thanks :smile:

    Unless you are ingesting only a liquid protein there is no such thing as "Protein only"

    All meat has fat, some even more fat cals than protein cals.
    All nuts are mostly fat
    Most veggies are water and some carbs, less protein.
    Many dairy foods have significant carbohydrate (lactose). Skim milk has more than Whole milk (they took away the fat that has no carbohydrate)

    Refined carbs like white rice, flour, sugar and the things that they are made from make it very easy and convenient to eat calories and eat them quickly. Taking these things out of your diet can be what some people need to see a change. I need to be much more restrictive in my carbs than that in order to control my otherwise runaway appetite.

    One of my buddies lost a ton of weight just cutting out Sugared Cola drinks. There is no one answer and all answers do not apply to all folks. It depends who you are, what you tolerate and where you are starting from. If you already only drink sugar free drinks then you can't cut out sugared drink now can you?

    I do Low Carb, High Fat along with Fast-5 I'll let my results speak for themselves.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    Since I have direct experience with this I’ll offer my advice. About 10 years ago, I went from 285 to about 200 doing pretty much what you are describing, except more restrictive.
    Typical Day was
    Eggs and Bacon and Coffee/Half and Half for breakfast

    Chicken Salad for lunch

    Bunless Hamburgers or Some Kind of Steak for dinner.

    Weight dropped very quickly and effortlessly. The problem was, I believe it very much changed my mindset about weight management and set me back in the long run. I was always on the plan or off the plan. When I was off the plan, boy was I off the plan. Gluttonny abounded. When I was younger and much more active it worked. But as I moved into the office world the weight kept creeping up and up. Found myself at 260. Now I’m focusing on meeting my calorie goal and macro goals, and the weight is coming off easily and I’m still able to have pizza and other stuff once in awhile (I still try to eat fairly healthy as it helps me meet my goals without getting hungry) and when I have this stuff in my brain I’m still considering that moving towards my goal because I’m staying in my ranges.

    So long story short, yes you can. I would not make it a black and white thing. Given equal calorie intakes, you will have likely the same fat loss. Weight loss may be higher because of glycogen depletion but this is not actual fat loss but water loss. As soon as you start eating more carbs a portion of your weight will come back. Focus on meeting calorie and Macro goals. Adjust as needed based on results.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    My question is why? It's been proven through the sun that no one diet is better another. So low carb will NOT provide any greater weight loss/fat loss long term over a conventional diet. The only benefit of low carb is the initial 5-10 lbs of water weight. Over extended periods of time, fat loss is the same. So why restrict yourself. Now if low carb helps you no over eat or you have a medical condition, that's one thing but it won't help you.
  • Hpliza529
    Hpliza529 Posts: 5 Member
    I have been dieting for over a year now. I only lost 30lbs last year because I hit a plateau and I just couldn't break the barrier. I was eating a 1400-1600 calories per day (major change from about 2500-3000 per day) and exercising 3-4 times per week. My friend started the Dukan Diet around September of last year and she has already lost 43lbs. This diet is also a low carb diet; however, it shows you how to slowly incorporate carbs back into your diet. Since I got discouraged with regular dieting, I'm now trying the Dukan Diet also. I'm on day 2 and I feel good so far. About 10 years ago, I did the Atkins diet but I felt horrible all the time and had to stop. From what I've seen my friend go through, this diet seems a little better than Atkins but is still as intense. Depending on how much and how fast you want or need to lose weight, a good option is just to cut down on carbs but not completely cut them out. If I was in a different situation, I probably would cut down intead of cutting them out.
  • SadKitty27
    SadKitty27 Posts: 416 Member
    I tend to feel that milk is not all that it's cracked up to be, but to each his or her own. Here are a few articles that somewhat touch base on why I don't like milk. However, I like some forms of dairy (cheese and butter for example,) so I do feel like a hypocrite lol - but, be that as it may I could never stomach drinking milk.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium-and-milk/
    http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/
    http://www.naturalnews.com/035039_raw_milk_pasteurized_CDC.html


    There are plenty of substitutes for milk as well as supplements; I'll be sticking to those for my dietary needs ;)

    As far as the bread goes - I've also cut that out of my diet. Not just because the hair in the processing of commercial bread freaks me out, but because I find that my body reacts badly to those types of carbs (they tend to make me feel ravenous, and would never fill me up or make me feel satisfied.)

    Here are some reading materials about bread in case anyone was curious:

    http://www.naturalnews.com/032718_L-cysteine_commercial_bread.html
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/01/does_your_daily_bread_contain_human_hair.html


    Now, you can't cut out carbs completely, but you can elect to get them from much better sources (veggies for example.) I don't know about you, but I'm the type of person who doesn't do well with moderation - the low carb way of life helps keep me in check.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Don't focus on the quickest weight loss. Focus on sustainable weight loss. Can you eat only that stuff forever?

    ^ this.

    All low carb diets I've been on, I've gained them right back.

    Make small life changes one at a time. You didn't gain all that fat in 3 months, don't try to remove it all in 3 months either.

    Make changes, and change those into life habits.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    I tend to feel that milk is not all that it's cracked up to be, but to each his or her own. Here are a few articles that somewhat touch base on why I don't like milk. However, I like some forms of dairy (cheese and butter for example,) so I do feel like a hypocrite lol - but, be that as it may I could never stomach drinking milk.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium-and-milk/
    http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/
    http://www.naturalnews.com/035039_raw_milk_pasteurized_CDC.html


    There are plenty of substitutes for milk as well as supplements; I'll be sticking to those for my dietary needs ;)

    As far as the bread goes - I've also cut that out of my diet. Not just because the hair in the processing of commercial bread freaks me out, but because I find that my body reacts badly to those types of carbs (they tend to make me feel ravenous, and would never fill me up or make me feel satisfied.)

    Here are some reading materials about bread in case anyone was curious:

    http://www.naturalnews.com/032718_L-cysteine_commercial_bread.html
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/01/does_your_daily_bread_contain_human_hair.html


    Now, you can't cut out carbs completely, but you can elect to get them from much better sources (veggies for example.) I don't know about you, but I'm the type of person who doesn't do well with moderation - the low carb way of life helps keep me in check.

    I like cheese for the taste, but our bodies DO NOT NEED milk or dairy for calcium. However if you remove it, you just need to be slightly more aware what veggies will give you enough - and eating acid forming foods doesn't help with the bloods PH - which results in remove calcium stores from the bones I believe to adjust
  • ChabsHere
    ChabsHere Posts: 11
    Thank you all for the advice!! Good luck!
  • k8ecakes
    k8ecakes Posts: 51
    an all protein diet did not work for me (they put me on one at the advice of my old nutritionist). It made me gain 10 pounds! (and not 10 lbs of muscle either...)
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    There is no quick fix.

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