Low carb diets

As said before from a previous poster, low carb may not work for every one, but I do know that it has worked tremendously for myself, and for my husband. My husband weighed in at 320 pounds with sleep apnea, knee problems, acid reflux and general "plumbing" issues. Myself, I weighed in at my highest, 216 pounds and have suffered from PCOS since I was 11, and weight that never came off from anything I did.

I went into the Police academy in 2010 lagging behind every one else in my class, and I got a ton of crap from my fitness instructor as to why I wasn't losing weight. Couldn't convince him for the world that I was exercising ALL THE TIME, and eating what I thought was healthy (measured out fruits, vegetables, skim milk, low carb everything, multi grain, etc). Well, after graduation, I hit a depressive slump pretty hard, and it sucked. I discovered the ketogenic diet which was suppose to help with PCOS and anxiety/depression issues via Reddit, and my husband and I decided to give it a go.

It was probably the best decision we've ever made. All together, we've lost 80 pounds since September, and still counting. All of my husband's problems are gone, and my PCOS is for the first time in my life under control, and my depression has almost disappeared. We're energetic, and not starving like we were on low calorie/moderate carbohydrate diets. Once we hit our goal weights, we're switching to a paleo/clean diet.

I'm also moderately active once again. Will be running again soon as well. I've had no problems. It's all about keeping an eye on your macros and your vitamins.

Forget peoples opinions. If you want to try it, please do. It can be a very effective tool. You will know in a week or two if it's for you.

Some of us do great on it and could absolutely care less what other people think.

Just quickly on this, you wont know "in a week or two" with the Ketogenic diet, infact you will likely be in the middle of whats coloquially termed "keto-flu" at this point. As your body is in carb-detox and so will be being very very grumpy

If you actively consider doing keto then please give yourself a month of working hard on it.

Just something to point out

there are so many reasons that you need good carbs in your eating plan from fiber to energy to vitamins..I've lost 154 pounds and am muscled without dietary extremes...plus variety makes the chance of lifestyle change permanance more likely..much more

I believe Gary is specifically talking about refined carbohydrates in this book. He is not talking about vegetables and fruits and also other starches like sweet potatoes. I also believe it depends on your goals and your body. If you're lean, by all means eat more carbs. However, if you have fat to lose, lower them and monitor how you feel (hunger, energy levels, cravings) then adjust again. Don't be afraid to become your own chemistry experiment. This is how we learn.

According to Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser you shouldn't cut out all carbs. You should eat complex carbs and limit them to breakfast and lunch. No carbs after lunch.

hmm,.,, carbs are your fuel,,, i am a high cardio girl,,,,,, i like to do 2 to 3 hours cardio a day,,, i need that fuel!

Cutting down on processed foods has helped me. Cutting down on starches and sugars has helped me to control my appetite. It has worked well for me. However I do realize that losing weight is about calorie consumption. Eating less calories than I burn has helped me to lose weight. I don't think carbs are bad for you. I get carbs mostly from fruits and vegetables. I don't think sugars and starches are bad unless you eat too many and go over your calorie allowances for the day. I realize lowering carbs would not work for everybody but I am glad it has helped me.

Sorry I only just saw this reply, so this information might be completely useless to you. I think the important thing with low carb diets/lifestyle changes it to make sure you don't limit yourself by saying "I can't eat any food!". Want to make a cake? Use a combination of almond meal and coconut flour, want a burger? make oopsie bread or make a paleo loaf with flaxseed meal. You'd have to decide just how strict to be, I'm a ketoer so I keep my carbs under 20g each day, eat a normal amount of protein and fill up the rest of my calories with fats like mayo, cheese, keeping the skin on chicken, cooking in butter. At no point do I feel like I'm starving hungry or limiting myself. There are a whole host of veggies you can eat with 20g a day, and even a few berries you just have to check your amounts. Essentially what I've do is eat what I would normally eat- so a chicken breast wrapped in bacon, instead of the mash I'd have mashed cauliflower. If I make spaghetti bolognese I would have a bowl of broccoli and spinach instead of the pasta. If you want any more meal ideas feel free to pm me!

Question for everyone here: What do you consider 'low carb' ? I see a few of you mentioning under 20g a day, which seems fairly incredible from my perspective (I'm trying, and mostly failing, to hit around the 70-80g/day mark) 90g seems to be my sustainable average, having cut out bread/grains/potatoes etc temporarily to see if I can break a long plateau, and this seems low to me - what is the general definition of 'low carb'?

A low carb diet is generally defined as one that is less than 100g a day. If you see 20g a day people are generally going to be following a ketogenic diet (which I do), which limits carbs and forces your body into a state which uses fat as the primary fuel. Keto can be a bit rough for a week or so until your body gets adapted, but after that you will find you have more energy, aren't as hungry and can do more vigorous exercise without hitting "the wall" than before.