no carb diet is FAILURE

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Replies

  • I can't do without carbs. I don't eat crazy amounts but I eat enough to feel happy and not irritated. Balance is the key that's all.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Your body needs to rest and should not be in go go mode all the time. Protein makes your body work constantly repairing itself.

    What exactly do you mean by this?
  • jazzalea
    jazzalea Posts: 412 Member
    wow one day and it's already a failure..... hmmm wonder why it worked for me? oh yeah.... because I found foods that I liked .....and concentrated more on ME than on what I was fueling my body with......

    find what works for you and stick with it......
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    No carb diets (or very low carb diets) are counter-productive in the long term. It is okay to go very low carb for a max of a couple of weeks to kickstart a diet but to stay on it will make you burn muscle--not a good thing. You need the "muscle-sparing" effect of adequate carbohydrates (and that DOESN'T mean that obese people should be eating a high carb diet--because most obese people have a problem with high blood sugar/ high insulin). I eat between 100-200 grams of carbohydrate (I exclude sugar and wheat because I found that I was addicted to both of them) mostly from starchy vegetables and some fruit. I eat one or two pieces of 100% organic rye bread (two on my heavier exercise days) and it completely satisfies any "bread hunger" (and, in fact, I defy anyone to eat more--it is a very heavy, nutrient-dense food that seems to stay in your stomach for the entire day). This diet, combined with exercise will reduce body fat while retaining more muscle than very low-carbohydrate diets.
  • abrahamsitososa
    abrahamsitososa Posts: 716 Member
    Yes dehydrating your body of carbs is a failure. That's why Dr. Atkins had to file for bankruptcy.
  • You were eating carbs, though. "No carb" is a scam. and "low carb" is a fad diet without a whole lot of science behind it.

    I don't really eat any grains, but I eat plenty of carbs because fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, etc. all contain plenty of carbs.
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    Carbs are the easier and best way to give your body food, because your body can break it down a lot better and easier than any other type of food. Carbs are good for us! We just can't over do the simple carbs, stick with the complex carbs :) Simple carbs (such as white bread, table sugar) break down really fast, give you a burst of energy then leave, complex carbs (such as wheat) break down easily, but slowly, so it gradually gives your body as much energy as you need throughout the day.
  • fun_b
    fun_b Posts: 199 Member
    It worked for me a few years ago when I lost over 30 pounds and kept most of the weight off. I am no longer on the diet but it took two week for me before I saw positive results and I never felt sick. Just a thought but could you be eating too much Bacon?
  • tjl2329
    tjl2329 Posts: 169 Member
    Yeah no carbs suck. i just try lower carbs. I am dibetic so my dietian recommended it. lost over 30 lbs doing it. since dec. i eat 30 - 45 carbs per meal and 15 to 30 grams per snack. at first it was hard but i rarely go over. if i really want something i wat it. i dont like meat very much. but love cheese yogurt and peanuts. eggs only a little bit. i am over in fat an protein so i am now working on that. just try to reduce carb a little at a time. you can do it.
  • princessd84
    princessd84 Posts: 121 Member
    The whole "war on carbs" really grinds my gears. Your body NEEDS carbs for energy. They serve a vital function. To cut them out is faddy and not a healthy long-term eating plan. Around 33% of your calorie intake should come from carbs.
  • nessagrace22
    nessagrace22 Posts: 430 Member
    Instead of trying to cut them out completely how about just getting rid of white carbs from your diet? Brown carbs are less processed and have far better benefits as the contain the bran so take a lot longer to digest and you therefore feel fuller for longer.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Carbs are the easier and best way to give your body food, because your body can break it down a lot better and easier than any other type of food. Carbs are good for us! We just can't over do the simple carbs, stick with the complex carbs :) Simple carbs (such as white bread, table sugar) break down really fast, give you a burst of energy then leave, complex carbs (such as wheat) break down easily, but slowly, so it gradually gives your body as much energy as you need throughout the day.

    This is true for those whose bodies respond "normally" to carbohydrates. When people have a disposition to blood sugar anomalies, even complex carbs (like whole wheat bread) can be problematic. Eliminating carbohydrates is a definite problem for everyone, but the obese fare better if they lower their carbs a BIT. Obesity yields better to a mild restriction of carbohydrates and a vigorous program of exercise---both of which tackle the problem of high blood sugar/high insulin leading to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. Exercise works to make greater insulin sensitivity, and mild carbohydrate restriction leads to lower blood sugar levels. Many diabetes researchers feel that obesity and Type II diabetes are essentially the same disease and call it "diabesity". Those who are termed "morbidly obese" almost always become Type II diabetics, given enough time. It would be far better for them to restrict carbs, exercise and prevent diabetes than to address it with chemicals once it is established. True? I have known several people who have reversed their diabetes with the lower carbohydrate/exercise program. Yet, faulty programs continue to be preached to the ignorant and the sick.

    I have a real problem with official websites of dietetics associations, advocating low or no-fat diets to prevent diabetes (and then you look at the sponsors of those websites and it reads like a "who's-who" of the pharmaceutical industry). It is quite irresponsible (to say the least) when they are careful to say that, IF lifestyle changes are not effective, then there are drugs to treat diabetes. My brother is a Type II diabetic who was counseled that he could eat anything he wanted, so long as it was "no-fat" or "very low fat". He did lose weight, BUT, his diabetes got worse. Since his diagnosis, he has taken any number of anti-diabetic drugs but he has now "graduated" to daily insulin injections, with all the side effects that accompany those drugs. He has spent a lot of money.
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    Low carb diets can be okay food wise if you do your homework. You really have to research the foods you can eat. I vaguely remember doing the Atkins diet about 10 years ago and as a vegetarian I did find it quite trying.

    My opinion is that its not good for your health long term and its just one of those quick fix diets. I managed about 3 weeks and had weekends off but still managed to stay in 'ketosis' and I lost 14lbs during that time. Afterwards the weight slowly crept back on and I had to learn a whole new way of eating again so I think it would just have been better to have had patience and just learned to eat more healthily without limiting myself in the first place
  • suzely0530
    suzely0530 Posts: 150 Member
    After a day of the no carb thing I've had enough. The advise I was given in my introduction thread was great, I now see why a no carb diet is unrealistic. Here is my food log for today:

    Egg - Scrambled, 4 egg (44g)
    Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 68 g

    Double Luck - Canned Green Beans, 1 cup
    Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)
    Wal-Mart Great Value - Party Peanuts (Salted), 60 peices

    Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.
    Great Value - Reduced Fat 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz
    Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 20 g

    What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat. Any suggestions on how to be good on carbs AND eat healthy?

    I know someone who was on a no carb diet. He did great at first...lost a lot of weight. But then he started getting really sick, his hair even started falling out :( Be careful
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I'm a low carb paleo eater--I have to say that what you decided to eat sounds absolutely disgusting to me, too. Canned green beans? WHY? Also, why "no" carb? There were carbs in your food. Not a lot, but there were definitely carbs. If you want to honestly give this way of eating a go, get a book. Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution is great. So is Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. Check the Atkins book as well, if that sounds interesting. Bottom line is that you did it for one day, you went about the whole diet in the most wrong way possible, so it's no wonder that you found it unbearable. :laugh:

    I live on 75g or less of carbs each day. I also exercise like a beast 4-6 times per week. I'm doing fantastic. If I feel the need, I up my carbs on any given day by having something healthy, like a sweet potato and a piece of fruit. I've lost about 50 lbs in six months and it feels like I'm not even dieting. I eat tons of FRESH veggies every day, at every meal. I also eat good cuts of GOOD meat (not tilapia or chicken breasts), and lots of tasty and very satisfying saturated fats. I love it! I have no reason to return to a life of breads, rice, pasta, sugars, processed foods, etc. I'm healthier than ever, and very satisfied. We're all different, but that's my experience.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    I wouldn't be interested in a diet that didn't include fruits and vegetables. I think they are essential from a nutrition standpoint.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I wouldn't be interested in a diet that didn't include fruits and vegetables. I think they are essential from a nutrition standpoint.

    Are you sure you are clear on what is or isn't an essential nutrient? I am not a low carb advocate or practicioner however, there are only 2 essential nutrients, as has been stated several times in this thread, protien fat. Carbs are not. They are helpful but not essential.
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
    Your body needs to rest and should not be in go go mode all the time. Protein makes your body work constantly repairing itself.

    What exactly do you mean by this?

    If it is always in repair mode it doesn't have time to rest.
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
    I wouldn't be interested in a diet that didn't include fruits and vegetables. I think they are essential from a nutrition standpoint.

    Are you sure you are clear on what is or isn't an essential nutrient? I am not a low carb advocate or practicioner however, there are only 2 essential nutrients, as has been stated several times in this thread, protien fat. Carbs are not. They are helpful but not essential.


    try vitamins and minerals. They are most defnitely essential for health and well being.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Your body needs to rest and should not be in go go mode all the time. Protein makes your body work constantly repairing itself.

    What exactly do you mean by this?

    If it is always in repair mode it doesn't have time to rest.
    So, you beleive eating protien causes your body to be in "repair mode"? Why? What scientific basis do you have for this? What is being repaired?
  • ukgirly01
    ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
    No carb means no fruit and veg that can't be good
  • kuntry_navy
    kuntry_navy Posts: 677 Member
    After a day of the no carb thing I've had enough. The advise I was given in my introduction thread was great, I now see why a no carb diet is unrealistic. Here is my food log for today:

    Egg - Scrambled, 4 egg (44g)
    Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 68 g

    Double Luck - Canned Green Beans, 1 cup
    Amick Farms - Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, 12 ounces (GROSS)
    Wal-Mart Great Value - Party Peanuts (Salted), 60 peices

    Generic - Frozen Tillapia, 16 oz.
    Great Value - Reduced Fat 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz
    Generic - John Morrell Bacon, 20 g

    What a rubbish diet. I feel literally sick from all that grease and non nutritional fatty meat. Any suggestions on how to be good on carbs AND eat healthy?

    there are a lot of other foods you can eat than the ones you listed. also, i've lost 12 lbs in january from sticking to 50 grams or fewer carbs 6 days out of the week.

    ^bingo^
    steaks, chops, try and get your hands on some wild game(you have to add fat to make certain wild game greasy)
  • DebraMAnderson
    DebraMAnderson Posts: 4 Member
    i agree with all the responses to remove the packaged foods, do 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat, for your defined calorie intake with good quality un processed foods. your muscles require carbs, however you can gain these without breads, cereals, grains, pasta or rice. read up on Paleo... i have followed for 12 months and it's really easy.
  • abrahamsitososa
    abrahamsitososa Posts: 716 Member
    Carbs are essential to the human body. We don't produce them and our body needs them.
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    Stop thinking diet...think lifestyle change and eat everything in moderation. Cleaner foods are better...grill meats...add dairy or alternatives if you prefer....have some breads but mix it up with oatmeal and other grains. Basically, weigh and measure and eat food that will make you feel good. Veggies are wonderful and will help fill you up. There's not reason to torture yourself with one group of foods. Ask yourself this, "Is this the way I want to eat for the rest of my life?" If not, eat what you life but healthy versions and then you can slowly lose the weight to a better you.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Carbs are essential to the human body. We don't produce them and our body needs them.

    Carbs are a nonessential nutrient. Glucose can be produced via gluconeogenesis from amino acids (protein). Essential nutrients are fats and protein.
  • I find that on a plate you have have a quarter of carbs,a quarter of protein and half of vegetables or salad and still lose weight
  • sks120
    sks120 Posts: 2 Member
    Yes! Please people, you want to create a new diet (a new healthy way of eating for yourself). Do NOT cut out a food group, you can't maintain that for the rest of your life.
  • abrahamsitososa
    abrahamsitososa Posts: 716 Member
    Carbs are essential to the human body. We don't produce them and our body needs them.

    Carbs are a nonessential nutrient. Glucose can be produced via gluconeogenesis from amino acids (protein). Essential nutrients are fats and protein.

    Fats, protein, electrolytes, carbs, vitamins.

    Edit: The body uses carbs to make glucose
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    Wheat, grains, potatoes etc are not a necessity for the body. You don't need them.
    Quinoa and sweet potatoes are great choices if you want complex carbs.

    A large russet potato has about 165 calories, 50% of Vitamin C, 25% daily fiber, 33% potassium, 10% iron, and 5 grams of protein. While it may not be appropriate for diabetics, many other people regularly eat and enjoy white potatoes and benefit from their significant nutritional value.