Low carb dieters.. WHAT do you eat?!
Replies
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Disclaimer #1: I think ridiculously low carb diets with regular exercise are generally stupid...
... Like I said.. I'm just curious.
I still don't understand why it's assumed I don't know anything about it. I know the science behind why carbohydrates are important. What I was asking, is what do people who do low carb diets eat day to day? Out of my apparent "passive aggressive" curiosity, lol. I don't see why me defending my opinion makes me so awful, unless a doctor tells you to do so I don't agree with the idea of cutting an important macronutrient (for the most part) out of your diet.
You weren't being passive-aggessive. You were being aggressive - words like "stupid" certainly tend to be interpreted that way, especally when "stupid" really would be ignoring a HUGE subset of people with metabolic disorders. And, no, coming back later with lolz and "If it's a medical necessity that's a different story" doesn't work. How about if you do some research about the reasons why a low-carb approach might be preferred by some BEFORE you post about how stupid it is.
Fat (essential fatty acids) and protein (amino acids) are necessary macros. Carbohydrates, while certainly tasty, are not important as you claim.
And to answer your "innocent" question, low-carbers eat vegetables (thereby getting some of those "important" carbs), nuts and seeds (thereby getting some of those "important" carbs), meats (including eggs), fats and cheese (also a source of those "important" carbs. Depending on where a low-carber's macros are set, they may also include small portions of fruits (especially berries), legumes, dairy products in addition to cheese, and starchier vegetables such as sweet potatoes.
Let me point out I said "generally" stupid. Which means usually, but not always. As in it's not stupid when it's medically necessary. Anyways. People are too sensitive. Let's remember this is the internet before we go getting all offended.
Also thank you for so kindly answering my question.
I'm not offended at all. I was happy to answer what _ I _ think is a "generally stupid" question, since I know the science behind why carbohydrates are not so important
^^ That right there? Textbook passive-aggressive. lol0 -
Disclaimer #1: I think ridiculously low carb diets with regular exercise are generally stupid...
... Like I said.. I'm just curious.
If you don't know anything about it, how do you manage to be so opinionated?
You took the words right out of my mouth!!!
I still don't understand why it's assumed I don't know anything about it. I know the science behind why carbohydrates are important. What I was asking, is what do people who do low carb diets eat day to day? Out of my apparent "passive aggressive" curiosity, lol. I don't see why me defending my opinion makes me so awful, unless a doctor tells you to do so I don't agree with the idea of cutting an important macronutrient (for the most part) out of your diet.
I eat a low carb diet according to what are popularly known right now as "paleo" or "primal" principles. Not all low carb dieters eat this way, and not all paleo or primal enthusiasts eat low carb, either. This is just what I personally eat:
PROTEIN: meat (all sorts including offal), fish, game (mostly venison since i'm in Scotland now), poultry, fresh eggs (yolks and all)
FATS: butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, EVOO, olive oil, walnut oil, avocados
CARBS: nearly all veggies, some fruits.
You seemed confused in another comment you made regarding something I didn't actually say--when I mentioned that I eat a large amount of veggies (as do most low carbers), I didn't say that I get HALF or MOST of my 1800-2000 calories from veggies! :noway:
I think from looking at the list of stuff I eat you can probably put two and two together and realise that the bulk of my calories are coming from healthy fats, then protein, then carbs. My macros are set to 60f/25p/15c.
Here is a list of what I personally avoid eating on an every day basis--
added sugars, artificial sweeteners, alternative sweeteners, etc.
food additives in general
processed foods
grains
white potatoes
dairy
alcohol
I think I mentioned this in a comment before, but I love eating this way! In fact, I'm giggling at all the people who seem to know this way of eating is going to be "unsustainable" for me.
And please note that when I listed those foods I avoid eating on an everyday basis, it doesn't mean I never have a drink with friends, or eat a slice of cake at a birthday party. Of course I do! I indulge in certain things when I want to, and when I feel it's appropriate to do so. I eat dairy more often, but it catches up with me (I'm slightly allergic, or I'd be all over full fat dairy products).
See, what is truly "unsustainable" for me is returning to a diet high in sugars, grains, and alcohol. I would be very ill, indeed...as I was before I made a bunch of positive changes.
I also want to add that I don't think it's stupid for ANYONE to eat in a way that makes them healthier and happier. I don't care if a person has a medical reason to eat low carb, avoid grains, avoid dairy, or whatever.
First and foremost, it's none of my business if they have health issues, and I would feel pretty awkward saying something like "only people with medical issues should eat that way" because it implies that one must have some sort of diagnosis and be ill to eat as they want to and in whatever way makes them feel good. How ridiculous! Nobody says this to vegans or vegetarians, either. I was part of that group of weirdos for 20 years, so I know. But beyond that, I am 100% certain I know my own body. I'm perfectly capable of figuring out what certain foods do for me/to me, and I don't need a doctor to approve of my own findings. I like to assume others are just as capable as I am of performing their own N=1 experiments and figuring out what's right for them.0 -
not all paleo or primal enthusiasts eat low carb, either.
QFT.0 -
I'd say eggs, meat, bacon, cheese. Fibrous green veggies. Coconut oil by the spoonful. Avocado.
All that jazz.
Avo has heaps of carbs! I never realised until I started logging!
Not really, 1 average California avocado (about 5 oz.): 3 grams effective (net) carbohydrate plus 9 grams fiber and 227 calories0 -
Well I don't eat mainly protein because I want to do a "fad diet". I eat mainly protein because my body simply can't tolerate wheat.
My body feels a million times better. I'm more alert and I maintain a healthy weight of 10 stone.
What works for some doesn't always work for others and I don't think people should knock it unless they have tried it.
I eat ...................
Hard boiled eggs, fresh smoked salmon, Quorn chicken style pieces, lots of salad, vegetables, extra mature cheddar, fried, scrambled and poached eggs. I make homemade chillis, cottage pies and I do eat a little rice. Basically I eat as much fresh and unprocessed food as possible.
I DON'T eat .............
Bread, pasta, potatoes, yoghurt or any junk food.
I drink mainly bottled water and very very little fizzy pop.0 -
I've wanted to try low carb, but even on a day where most of my meals are fruits, lean meats, and veggies, I still can't stay under 100 carbs. So I need to read a few pages back and see how it can be done! A lot of the low-carb foods I hear about are processed and loaded with other stuff. And lean meat/protein is good but like everything else, too much can be harmful, and I'm not much of a meat eater to begin with!0
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I do strenuous exercise all the time and I eat low carb (I'll eat a carb once a week for fun). Some people can get energy from the fat they eat. If you eat low carb, you raise your fat intake levels (as well as your protein). As far as micro nutrients go, you need to increase your sodium intake (especially if you're on low carb). You don't retain water like you do when you eat carbs and to keep this hormone balanced, you need to increase sodium.
What did people get for fuel before agriculture was invented? Here's a better modern example, how do the Inuits get their energy? They don't eat carbs (they eat only animals with the occasional berry in the short summer), and they go kayaking for seals in icy sea water. That seems pretty strenuous.
Great comment about the Inuits. I now try to limit carbs to about 120 grams or less per day. When I do long cardio-over an hour- I may eat few more bananas or apples. I find I have more energy and easier to control hunger.0 -
Your body prefers carbs (as an energy source) because carbs are composed of monosaccharides (in their most basic form), like GLUCOSE, which is the body's primary (and FAVORITE) source of energy- not because they're the easiest to convert to fat. They're the easiest to STORE... as in glycogen storages (again, one of the body's favs) and when glycogen stores are sufficient, excess glucose will be stored as fat.
I agree with this in general.0 -
Oh and guess what, 30 grams of carbs from sweet potato and 30 grams of carbs from poptarts is the same thing in terms of effects to body composition. Can't wait to get so much hate for this.
Body composition will not be same for both foods. Sweet potato has a lot of fiber and will release carbs to bloodstream more slowly than the carb rush from the processed white flour of the poptarts. The high blood sugar from the poptarts will cause an insulin spike and the sugar will be coverted to fat. Less likely the sweet potato will be converted to fat. Body composition will be different.0 -
Most dietitians even think the G.I is flawed.
The GI is actually VERY flawed- I said their glycemic RESPONSE.. as in the metabolic/physiological response to the specific foods.. is variable.
The Glycemic Index is called into question because it does NOT take enough into account- for instance- carrots are fairly high on the GI, but carrots only have a high enough GL to qualify for their level on the GI if someone eats an exorbitant amount of them. How many people sit down and eat an entire plate of carrots?
So yes, it is flawed, which accounts for the relative closeness of sweet potatoes to pop tarts on the GI (60:70)- thank you for your support of my argument.
Lol
Diaz EO et. al. Glycaemic index effects on fuel partitioning in humans. Obes Rev. (2006) 7:219-26.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00225.x/full
Summary
The purpose of this review was to examine the role of glycaemic index in fuel partitioning and body composition with emphasis on fat oxidation/storage in humans. This relationship is based on the hypothesis postulating that a higher serum glucose and insulin response induced by high-glycaemic carbohydrates promotes lower fat oxidation and higher fat storage in comparison with low-glycaemic carbohydrates. Thus, high-glycaemic index meals could contribute to the maintenance of excess weight in obese individuals and/or predispose obesity-prone subjects to weight gain. Several studies comparing the effects of meals with contrasting glycaemic carbohydrates for hours, days or weeks have failed to demonstrate any differential effect on fuel partitioning when either substrate oxidation or body composition measurements were performed. Apparently, the glycaemic index-induced serum insulin differences are not sufficient in magnitude and/or duration to modify fuel oxidation.
Long-term effects of 2 energy-restricted diets differing in glycemic load on dietary adherence, body composition, and metabolism in CALERIE: a 1-y randomized controlled trial
http://www.ajcn.org/content/85/4/1023.abstract?ijkey=57903af923cb2fcdc065ffd37b00a32e22f4c5cf&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
Conclusions:These findings provide more detailed evidence to suggest that diets differing substantially in glycemic load induce comparable long-term weight loss.
Reduced glycemic index and glycemic load diets do not increase the effects of energy restriction on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese men and women.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16177201
In summary, lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects.
You are leaving one thing out- will power or control. The low glycemic diet and low carb diets are far easier to stay on because they take less willpower to control hunger. Hunger pains caused by eating low glycemic carbs are very difficult to control.0 -
Anyone fancy a sandwich??0
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Your body needs carbs for fuel with heavy exercise, that doesn't require knowledge of what a low diet carb consists of that's just fact.
Not according to top scientific peer reviewed research on nutritional science. The human body requires very few carbs at all. But hey, you want to follow mainstream mythology, whatever.
To name these "top scientific peer reviewed research" studies?...
Your body doesn't NEED carbs, correct. But prefers them as a source of fuel for intense training, such as weight lifting, HIIT, etc.
Your body prefers them because they convert to fat easier. Your physiology wants to store fat,however, this biology is exactly what we are trying to work against to lose weight.
Also, I am not citing any scientific sources for you. Google it yourself and maybe you will read them. I suggest JSTORE if you have a student account. Otherwise, google scholar is a great source for scholarly articles.
Stores as fat easier? LOL..... I'll stick to being lean on my 400+ carbs a day plz0 -
Oh and guess what, 30 grams of carbs from sweet potato and 30 grams of carbs from poptarts is the same thing in terms of effects to body composition. Can't wait to get so much hate for this.
Body composition will not be same for both foods. Sweet potato has a lot of fiber and will release carbs to bloodstream more slowly than the carb rush from the processed white flour of the poptarts. The high blood sugar from the poptarts will cause an insulin spike and the sugar will be coverted to fat. Less likely the sweet potato will be converted to fat. Body composition will be different.
PhD in broscience.0 -
Disclaimer #1: I think ridiculously low carb diets with regular exercise are generally stupid...
... Like I said.. I'm just curious.
If you don't know anything about it, how do you manage to be so opinionated?
A quick google search will give you a list of low carb foods. You could even research keto diets and find out about how intelligent people following low carb diets are managing their macros. It isn't difficult and it certainly isn't stupid.
I do low carb, not because of diet, but to manage my type I diabetes. I eat less than 50 a day most days. I enjoy lean meats, low fat cheeses, turkey bacon, all vegetables (including the starchy ones) and fruits. If I want a bit of bread, rice, or tortillas, I ust keep the portions small. Low carb is a good choice for me, but might not work for everyone. I don't work out vigorously. I don't see how someone can do no carb, but I think it's a matter of what works best for you and your situation.0 -
Disclaimer #1: I think ridiculously low carb diets with regular exercise are generally stupid...
... Like I said.. I'm just curious.
If you don't know anything about it, how do you manage to be so opinionated?
You took the words right out of my mouth!!!
I still don't understand why it's assumed I don't know anything about it. I know the science behind why carbohydrates are important. What I was asking, is what do people who do low carb diets eat day to day? Out of my apparent "passive aggressive" curiosity, lol. I don't see why me defending my opinion makes me so awful, unless a doctor tells you to do so I don't agree with the idea of cutting an important macronutrient (for the most part) out of your diet.
Please cite the science why carbohydrates are important. What is important about this micronutrient?
I tend to eat about 80-100 grams/carb daily. Sometimes less and, occasionally, more.
I lift heavy, do kettlebell routines with plyometrics, run, steep summit hikes/climbs carrying 25-35# backpacks, snowshoeing, occasional classes like spinning and kickboxing, and do regular long bike rides (33 hilly miles yesterday).
My energy levels are great. I feel better, think clearer, have better memory, never get ill, and can go all day without eating a lot of carbs. If I eat more on a regular basis, I tend to get lethargic, headachey, grumpy, and depressed.
Sometimes I do eat more because I want a piece of cake or cookies or a good cinnamon roll but I need to be sure I do this on days when I have had a good, intense workout or I pay a physical/mental/emotional price for it. In other words, I may have such a treat on workout days but never on recovery days. During my 33 mile ride yesterday, one of the stops at this event had some yummy looking baked goods so I had some kind of peanut butter/graham cracker baked concoction that was divine. But I didn't need it for energy.
So, again, please tell me what I'm missing by not regularly ingesting more of this "important" micronutrient.
Extra points if you can avoid the rudeness that you displayed in your OP.0 -
Yes, of course it CAN be done, by why WOULD you do it? You'd feel a hell of a lot better, could push more weight and do more "jumping pull ups" with carbs than without.
No, some of us don't "feel a hell of a lot better".
Eating more carbs on a regular basis makes me lethargic, crabby, gives me headaches, achey joints, can bring on my depression that went away once I regularly cut down my carb intake, and a host of other negative impacts. Oh, I will get dark circles under my eyes as well. The only time I've ever had heartburn in my life is when I eat too many carbs, especially breads.
I lift heavy, do kettlebell routines with plyometrics, run, steep summit hikes/climbs carrying 25-35# backpacks, snowshoeing, occasional classes like spinning and kickboxing, and do regular long bike rides (33 hilly miles yesterday). And I feel great doing it.0 -
Disclaimer 1, it's not really stupid.
Disclaimer 2, find your own way that works and do it
Lean meats, fish, vegetables, full fat dairy, nuts, eggs, many more.
Post as many studies as you like, till you are blue in the face. It doesn't matter. There are people on both sides who will laugh at anything you post valid or not. The only thing that matters is 'does it work for you'.
For some people, the fact is, it's just easier.
Well said...If it works for you, it shouldn't matter to anyone else.0 -
I eat less than 50 carbs a day. I don't eat bread, rice, potatoes, or pastas though so it makes it easier to do.0
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Yes, of course it CAN be done, by why WOULD you do it? You'd feel a hell of a lot better, could push more weight and do more "jumping pull ups" with carbs than without.
No, some of us don't "feel a hell of a lot better".
Eating more carbs on a regular basis makes me lethargic, crabby, gives me headaches, achey joints, can bring on my depression that went away once I regularly cut down my carb intake, and a host of other negative impacts. Oh, I will get dark circles under my eyes as well. The only time I've ever had heartburn in my life is when I eat too many carbs, especially breads.
I lift heavy, do kettlebell routines with plyometrics, run, steep summit hikes/climbs carrying 25-35# backpacks, snowshoeing, occasional classes like spinning and kickboxing, and do regular long bike rides (33 hilly miles yesterday). And I feel great doing it.
.
Yes, some people don't do so well on carbs. That's true. But I think you'll find most do. If you can do all that stuff you mentioned and recover well then great, more power to you.
It's interesting you mention lethargy, crabbiness, headaches, achey joints and depression and credit that to carbs, then the only carb source you bring up is "breads". These sound like almost trademark symptoms of some kind of gluten-intolerance. Have you tried implementing carbs such as sweet potatoes, fruits and rice in your diet? Just curious.0 -
I can tell you what they don't eat.
<---- THIS0 -
I have to have low carb due to having PCOS, Meat cheese some poatoesand a lot of veggies and things like that. I am limited to 90ish carbs a day. It isnt that bad0
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I'm only posting here because Magerum did.0
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Your body needs carbs for fuel with heavy exercise, that doesn't require knowledge of what a low diet carb consists of that's just fact.
Not according to top scientific peer reviewed research on nutritional science. The human body requires very few carbs at all. But hey, you want to follow mainstream mythology, whatever.
To name these "top scientific peer reviewed research" studies?...
Your body doesn't NEED carbs, correct. But prefers them as a source of fuel for intense training, such as weight lifting, HIIT, etc.
Your body prefers them because they convert to fat easier. Your physiology wants to store fat,however, this biology is exactly what we are trying to work against to lose weight.
Also, I am not citing any scientific sources for you. Google it yourself and maybe you will read them. I suggest JSTORE if you have a student account. Otherwise, google scholar is a great source for scholarly articles.
LOL you gotta love it when someone says "according to all the peer reviewed literature...' and then can't even cite said peer reviewed literature. If you were writing a research paper you of just received an F -0 -
I don't do strictly low carb, but I eat very little bread and never base a meal around a grain, like pasta. I had 77 g of carbs today (my limit is 150-200 depending on how much I exercised, but I rarely go over). I'm not opening my diary, but since you were asking "OMGwhatdoyoupossiblyeat" this is basically what I had today:
Breakfast- smoothie with spinach, protein powder, unsweetened cocoa and peanut butter
Lunch - green salad with chicken breast, kalamata olives, avocado, blue cheese, cucumber; 1/2 cup greek yogurt with a cup of strawberries
Snack - almonds, string cheese
Dinner - Baked tilapia and 2 servings of steamed broccoli.
I'm 350 calories under my goal and a little low on protein, so I will probably make a cup of cocoa with 2% milk and protein powder.
This is a fairly typical day for me, foodwise. I don't feel groggy, hungry or unenergetic. I get up at 5:30 every morning to exercise, work full time and then go to after school activities with my kids.0 -
Low carb is good for sedentary people, not for people who do intense anaerobic training. If you are not using muscle glycogen, you only need to replace liver glycogen which 50-100g per day can do. If you are lifting heavy, you need to eat more carbs to replace muscle glycogen which can hold about 3x more than your liver.
I eat low carb on my rest days and higher carb on my strength training days. My favorite low carb meal is a spinach salad followed by a huge steak and a heaping side of veggies like broccoli. I have a huge appetite and this is really the only low carb meal that actually fills me up.0 -
The main reason I can't stick with less than or around 50gr of carbs a day is because I love vegetables. I won't eat the high starch one but I do make big pots of vegetable soup every week with greens, cauliflower, a small yam, peas, carrots, tomatoes, green beans and more greens. The carbs add up but they're not from grains, pasta or packaged goods so I figure it can't be anything but good for me. It bumps my daily carbs to 80 or even 100gr. Meh. I can't see myself eating salad, berries and broccoli for the rest of my life. There are just too many delicious vegetables and fruits to enjoy.0
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Disclaimer #1: I think ridiculously low carb diets with regular exercise are generally stupid...
... Like I said.. I'm just curious.
If you don't know anything about it, how do you manage to be so opinionated?
You took the words right out of my mouth!!!
I still don't understand why it's assumed I don't know anything about it. I know the science behind why carbohydrates are important. What I was asking, is what do people who do low carb diets eat day to day? Out of my apparent "passive aggressive" curiosity, lol. I don't see why me defending my opinion makes me so awful, unless a doctor tells you to do so I don't agree with the idea of cutting an important macronutrient (for the most part) out of your diet.
Please cite the science why carbohydrates are important. What is important about this micronutrient?
I tend to eat about 80-100 grams/carb daily. Sometimes less and, occasionally, more.
I lift heavy, do kettlebell routines with plyometrics, run, steep summit hikes/climbs carrying 25-35# backpacks, snowshoeing, occasional classes like spinning and kickboxing, and do regular long bike rides (33 hilly miles yesterday).
My energy levels are great. I feel better, think clearer, have better memory, never get ill, and can go all day without eating a lot of carbs. If I eat more on a regular basis, I tend to get lethargic, headachey, grumpy, and depressed.
Sometimes I do eat more because I want a piece of cake or cookies or a good cinnamon roll but I need to be sure I do this on days when I have had a good, intense workout or I pay a physical/mental/emotional price for it. In other words, I may have such a treat on workout days but never on recovery days. During my 33 mile ride yesterday, one of the stops at this event had some yummy looking baked goods so I had some kind of peanut butter/graham cracker baked concoction that was divine. But I didn't need it for energy.
So, again, please tell me what I'm missing by not regularly ingesting more of this "important" micronutrient.
Extra points if you can avoid the rudeness that you displayed in your OP.
Blood glucose level of zero sounds like it's totally fine0 -
Eggs, quinoa, lots of veggies, a little bit of meat (mostly fish and chicken). I don't intentionally eat low-carb, but I try to cut out a lot of processed carbs (bread, pasta) because they generally have more calories than alternatives and they make me feel bloaty.0
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Blood glucose doesn't drop to zero- your body intervenes before that (catabolism of liver glycogen, fatty acid conversion, etc etc) There are mechanisms in place to keep your body going in a whole heap of situations- unless something is seriously dysfunctional.
Would I recommend a super low carb diet for anyone and everyone? Nope. Nor would I recommend it for most people... but my intake is fairly low carb because that's what works for me.. but I'm also cautious about adequate nutrient intake, fiber consumption, and macro balance.
I think a lot of people jump on the low-carb diet because of the draw of the initial water losses.. and then when they drop that water weight, they think "hey, this really works for me"... we would all hope that everyone would find a balance in intake, exercise, macros.. in life in general. But we're people.. we're not exactly balanced.. so we do what works for us.. ;-)0 -
I tried low carb for a week. My lifting sucked, my dancing sucked, I was tired, cranky and wanted to punch everyone in the throat. Nobody can take my carbs away from me now!0
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