Has anyone lost weight WITHOUT reducing carbs?

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.

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.

Me

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

So sick of the low-carb crap. Unless there's a medical reason for it, IDGI.

Yes, I've lost weight. I've lost 23 pounds in a month and a half without eating low carb. Several years ago I lost 50 without worrying about them.

Yep, 50 lbs. However, as I get closer to my goal, it's vital that I get enough (100g) of protein for my ideal body composition since I'm lifting, so I usually don't have the calories for more than 100g of carbs. They certainly won't derail your weight loss though.

I am a carb girl all the way. Most of my calories come from healthy fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber whole-grain carbs (not refined sugars and highly processed crap) and I've never been overweight. Unless you are insulin resistant, I can't think of why you'd need to cut them out.

I haven't given up carbs and have lost over 30lbs. I just limit my calories and make healthier choices ( whole wheat ETC). BTW I started MFP after I had already started losing