Has anyone lost weight WITHOUT reducing carbs?

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  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
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    Carbohydrate rich foods tend to be some of the most calorie-dense, which is why they get a bad name. It is far easier to over-eat with carbs than it is with other food groups - e.g. one pitta bread, a not unreasonable portion, is 160 kcal. Try eating 160 kcal in celery or lettuce in one sitting!

    But ultimately, it's all about calories in-calories out, and if you are careful with all your food intake, you will lose weight unless there's a medical reason preventing that.
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    YES!!! I have lost 65lbs and continue to lose and could never give up carbs. I have learned to eat the RIGHT carbs so that I get more bang for my buck, so to speak and stay fuller for longer without that carb hangover. There are different kinds of food groups because your body needs every one of them for something. Not giving your body what it needs for fuel will not allow you to perform at your best in any circumstance.

    Not everyone does well on carbs. In me things like fruit juices, fruits, sugars, pastries, potatoes, parsnips cause terrible cravings, blood sugar spikes and crashes, slow-release carbs like grains and legumes, beans, lentils etc cause sluggishness and indigestion.

    They don't make me full, they make me hungrier. I'm even inclined to overeat salad if it contains things such as tomatoes, carrots and red sweet peppers.

    The point here is that YMMV. It depends mainly on how much insulin an individual person secretes.
  • sharonKay65
    sharonKay65 Posts: 93 Member
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    In my opinion yes. I do not track my carbs, and since joining MFP I have lost 13 pounds and since January 1, I have lost a total of 18 pounds. I am concentrating on a 1200 calorie per day Low-fat ,(and Low Sat. Fat,) Low Cholesterol, HIgh Protein, and Higher Fiber. What I track is based on my personal needs.
  • akmett
    akmett Posts: 75 Member
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    I think it depends on your body and where you get your carbs. I lost 41 lbs just by lowering cals and only lowering carbs slightly. Then for 5 months I only lost 2 lbs. I lowered my carbs to 35% by getting rid of the processed stuff and BAM lost 6 lbs in less the 2 weeks. I introduced pizza, ice cream etc back and even though I stayed at my calorie goal I gained 2 back. To me that tells me my body can't handle it.
  • RandiLandCHANGED
    RandiLandCHANGED Posts: 630 Member
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    Yes, I eat a lot of carbs and still lost weight :)
  • SwimFan1981
    SwimFan1981 Posts: 1,430 Member
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    Me
  • jsuaccounting
    jsuaccounting Posts: 193 Member
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    Years ago, I started gaining a few pounds so I switched to skim milk and started avoiding 'fatty' foods - eating less red meat and more salads with low calorie dressings. This didn't prevent me from continuing to gain weight until within 7 years I eventually got up to 150 pounds from my original 105 pounds. For a while I slowed the weight gain by going back to smoking and then stopped smoking but drinking my coffee black.

    One thing to keep in mind is that if your macro ratios may stay the same and you restrict calories -you would end up eating fewer grams of carbs. So almost everyone who loses weight through diet, reduces carbs. The only exception is if you go on a low fat, unrestricted calorie diet where you replace fat with carbs, which does work for some people. However, the carbs sometimes stimulate appetite so it can be dificult in the long term. My theory is that this is what happened to me - although I cut back on fat calories - I ate more whole wheat breads, candy, pastas, fruits to more than make up for the fat calories.

    The strategy of avoiding empty or low-nutrient carbs (cola, sugar, bread, cereal) keeps me from gaining weight. In my own experience, to lose on a low carb diet, I generally have to replace fruit with vegetables and also avoid candy and bread. However, for a few weeks I have also lost a couple of pounds by just eating less overall. I found that it was hard to sustain and required careful calorie monitoring.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Just to add another voice:

    I've lost 48lbs without restricting carbs (or anything). I ate pizza last night and had a bowl of Lucky Charms before bed. I eat pasta, bread, rice, etc. I eat over 200g of carbs a day.
  • ChristinaR720
    ChristinaR720 Posts: 1,186
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    Cutting carbs was never in the cards for me, as I love bread, pasta, and rice. I knew if I was going to make this lifestyle change sustainable, I had to be realistic about what I could and couldn't live without. As of this morning, I've lost 24 lbs in 3 months without cutting a single carb. Carbs are definitely staying!
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    It's very easy to lose weight while eating carbs. I love carbs, yum yum! I don't restrict any food in my 'diet', even chocolate, cinnamon buns, pasta.

    If you do not restrict any food on your "diet" then IN WHAT WAY is this a "diet" at all? It's just the way you would normally eat? Your post makes no sense, unless you are puking it all up afterwards.
  • tidesong
    tidesong Posts: 451 Member
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    Yep. Over 90 pounds gone without restricting carbs.
  • tidesong
    tidesong Posts: 451 Member
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    I think what was meant is that they allow themselves anything they want to eat. They probably eat whatever they want, but in MODERATION. I am the same way. There is nothing that is restricted from my diet. I allow myself to eat what I want. But I maintain portion control, and stay within my calorie range. And for me, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, as cliche as that sounds.

    ETA: And since what I've been doing has obviously worked for me, I don't really care what anyone has to say about it! Oh, and no puking up anything here. :P

    It's very easy to lose weight while eating carbs. I love carbs, yum yum! I don't restrict any food in my 'diet', even chocolate, cinnamon buns, pasta.

    If you do not restrict any food on your "diet" then IN WHAT WAY is this a "diet" at all? It's just the way you would normally eat? Your post makes no sense, unless you are puking it all up afterwards.
  • nreuter1
    nreuter1 Posts: 8
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    Everything in moderation! Also changing what sort of carbs you eat helps, so wholegrain pasta and brown rice instead of normal. With potatoes boil them as opposed to roast or fry etc. Little changes make a real difference.
  • aswearingen22
    aswearingen22 Posts: 271 Member
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    Yes, I never restrict carbs. In fact, I likely need to increase them. I'm an endurance runner (training for half marathons and a marathon) and carb's are essential to endurance sports. I'm reading a fabulous new book by Matt Fitzgerald ("The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond "the Wall") that talks all about the bad rap that carbs got in the 70's through current and how carb's are needed for best performance in endurance sports. If you aren't an endurance athlete, you likely don't have to worry about getting enough, but I think it's an interesting discussion that talks about how the previous "low fat" diet became the "low carb" diet when really, we just need a balanced, healthy diet.
  • Mistyfied_MD
    Mistyfied_MD Posts: 62 Member
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    Yes; I don't pay any attention at all to carbs and have lost weight. Although I will note that I don't often exceed the amount of carbs allotted to me by MFP, I just don't focus my diet on that and am more concerned about calories, fat, and sodium.
  • linalovekitty
    linalovekitty Posts: 187
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    Let me say this re carbs:
    I spent the majority of my life thin and around 115-120lbs at 5'5, however I had only about 16% body fat and was a size 2 xxs with a lot of natural lean muscle by only restricting calories. I lived on about 1200 calories per day of whatever I wanted and cheated on weekends. If I went on a week long vacation a few times a year I cheated the whole week- never gaining more than 2-3lbs of water weight which quickly was lost upon return home.

    I ate dessert everyday of my life (about 4 fun size milky ways. theyre so sweet and rich theyre more decadent than a high calories pastery and 2=150cals.) and one good size meal usually pasta with chicken, or a salad with breaded chicken, a small slice or 2 of bread. I drank diet pop & water. (I am not advocating diet pop for nuturition, yes I am versed on the chemicals, but its an important note that I drank it bc it has zero calories and never contributed to weight gain). and if I wanted a snack it was usually a starch, maybe a handfull or 2 or pretzles or a bowl of cereal like Apple Jacks or honey nut cheerios.

    When I turned 30 I got off track bc of an extended summer holiday- lots of heavy dinners out with friends and gained about 10lbs over 3 months. In an effort to take that weight off I restricted carbs and dairy and did a modified version of PALEO (NO STARCH NO DAIRY). I gained 30lbs in 18months on that diet. The worst part: I had zero energy, felt like I was starving/dying all the time, and woke up every am hungry and to a weight gain! No I wasnt eating cheetos and pizza in front of the tv, I was restriciting carbs like a mad woman. My hormones and thyroid were normal, I had zero health issues.

    Right when I was about to give up and just accept being fat forever, I realized one thing: I had maintained a thin weight by EATING CARBS! So I reintroduced carb eating 2 weeks ago and joined this forum.

    So far here's what Ive noticed: I require far fewer calories with carbs. 1200 -1500 calories is EASY with carbs. Before on low carb I was probably eating in excess of 3000+ calories and STARVING all the time. I had zero energy and was exhausted all the time.

    In the last 2 weeks my hair has grown an inch. My hairdresser just trimmed it 2 weeks ago, I went back in today and she was speechless and STUNNED and the root growth doesnt lie :)

    I will check in next week with weight loss

    Oh and the irony of my post- my husband lost 50lbs on paleo! feels amazing with tons of energy. He was always carb sensitive thou
  • linalovekitty
    linalovekitty Posts: 187
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    I think it depends on your body and where you get your carbs. I lost 41 lbs just by lowering cals and only lowering carbs slightly. Then for 5 months I only lost 2 lbs. I lowered my carbs to 35% by getting rid of the processed stuff and BAM lost 6 lbs in less the 2 weeks. I introduced pizza, ice cream etc back and even though I stayed at my calorie goal I gained 2 back. To me that tells me my body can't handle it.

    re carb cutting: The loss was probably water weight. Eating starches even when we limit our calories causes us to hold onto more water. Thats why people always report big weight losses the first few weeks after restricting carbs, bc of water weight loss. Thats why I kept restricting carbs bc intiitally Id always lose 2-4lbs the first few days, then the loss would just stop.
  • hulkklogan
    hulkklogan Posts: 77 Member
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    I'm an advocate of cutting out all grains, and your sources of carbs should come from veggies, including limited amounts of sweet potato, and limited fruits.. but that is because I believe it's what is healthiest and more along the lines of what a human being is supposed to eat. That being said, it is entirely possible to lose weight while eating carbs. The fact is when you cut calories, you likely will be cutting carbs down as well. Another fact is that not any one diet works for everyone. Anyway, IMO, there is no real justification of eating 300g carbs/day, unless you're trying to run a marathon every day. 150g of high-quality carbs will serve the average person just fine. Rolled oats, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, wild rice, etc... I personally keep my intake to 75-80/day (or try to.. I tend to go on binges on the weekends, as evidenced by this past weekend :(), but I don't monitor the carb intake hardcore like I did when I was on Atkins.
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
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    Let me say this re carbs:
    I spent the majority of my life thin and around 115-120lbs at 5'5, however I had only about 16% body fat and was a size 2 xxs with a lot of natural lean muscle by only restricting calories. I lived on about 1200 calories per day of whatever I wanted and cheated on weekends. If I went on a week long vacation a few times a year I cheated the whole week- never gaining more than 2-3lbs of water weight which quickly was lost upon return home.

    I ate dessert everyday of my life (about 4 fun size milky ways. theyre so sweet and rich theyre more decadent than a high calories pastery and 2=150cals.) and one good size meal usually pasta with chicken, or a salad with breaded chicken, a small slice or 2 of bread. I drank diet pop & water. (I am not advocating diet pop for nuturition, yes I am versed on the chemicals, but its an important note that I drank it bc it has zero calories and never contributed to weight gain). and if I wanted a snack it was usually a starch, maybe a handfull or 2 or pretzles or a bowl of cereal like Apple Jacks or honey nut cheerios.

    When I turned 30 I got off track bc of an extended summer holiday- lots of heavy dinners out with friends and gained about 10lbs over 3 months. In an effort to take that weight off I restricted carbs and dairy and did a modified version of PALEO (NO STARCH NO DAIRY). I gained 30lbs in 18months on that diet. The worst part: I had zero energy, felt like I was starving/dying all the time, and woke up every am hungry and to a weight gain! No I wasnt eating cheetos and pizza in front of the tv, I was restriciting carbs like a mad woman. My hormones and thyroid were normal, I had zero health issues.

    Right when I was about to give up and just accept being fat forever, I realized one thing: I had maintained a thin weight by EATING CARBS! So I reintroduced carb eating 2 weeks ago and joined this forum.

    So far here's what Ive noticed: I require far fewer calories with carbs. 1200 -1500 calories is EASY with carbs. Before on low carb I was probably eating in excess of 3000+ calories and STARVING all the time. I had zero energy and was exhausted all the time.

    In the last 2 weeks my hair has grown an inch. My hairdresser just trimmed it 2 weeks ago, I went back in today and she was speechless and STUNNED and the root growth doesnt lie :)

    I will check in next week with weight loss

    Oh and the irony of my post- my husband lost 50lbs on paleo! feels amazing with tons of energy. He was always carb sensitive thou




    thank u !!! i also have so much more energy!!
  • megleo818
    megleo818 Posts: 595 Member
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    I don't limit my carbs. Never have. I do exercise a lot, but I don't think that's what made me lose 30 pounds -- the weight left because I stopped eating too many CALORIES. Period.

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