If its really about calories then explain to me why.....
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how can you even get less than 20 mg of carbs a day?0
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I honestly think this is most likely the answer. I know that once in my life I did Atkins and just like you said I did have great success. I am a big guy and I have lost over 100lbs three times in my life. While I lost pretty decent with Atkins, it was not one of the 100lbs times. I just found it to be a really unsustainable way for me to eat every day of my life and I will tell you that the day that I stopped avoiding the carbs I started putting the weight right back on.Your friend who lost weight counting carbs instead of calories may have also been eating low calories as a side effect of cutting out most carbs.
Now I current still try to "avoid" carbs as I am just trying to eat better choices and the carbs that I often went for just simply are not good foods for you to eat. I am losing weight currently at a very satisfying rate and I am doing that by counting the calories and trimming the stupid carbs.0 -
Well, the low carb craze has been around for about 20 years (at least, the Atkins Diet has been around since the 50's and has been popular since the 70's,) and obesity is still getting worse, so using your logic, low carb obviously doesn't work, either.just read the USA Today article and read the comments below AND THIS lady hit the nail on the head for me with her comment and I understood in plain simple terms what she was talking about and WHY low carb works faster than counting calories...below was her comment
A thorough study of human biochemistry will explain why low carb and low glycemic diets work. Just the facts. If you do not understand biochemistry you need to have an open mind. The facts: the healthy human body will metabolize every carbohydrate it is fed. Every one. Some faster than others. But every one of them. What it doesn't use immediately for energy is stored. A small amount is stored in the liver for energy reserves. The rest of the unused carb gets converted to fat and stored as such. It is a very quick efficient process in the human body. Too many carbs result in the requirement for a lot of exercise to keep from storing it as fat. Starve the body of carbs and it will have no choice but get energy from other sources like your own body fat. Breaking down fat and converting to energy is not as easy as burning carbs so it works harder. Metabolism increases. Fat gets burned and all the while a heavy work out is not needed. This doesn't excuse a person from exercising but as the fat is lost exercise becomes easier and more fat is burned off.
Why, since the advent of low fat (high carb) diets, has the american public become more and more obese? Its not working is it? Give solid science a chance. And just for fun, start looking at the carb content in the foods you eat. You'll be surprised and how much you are taking in.
Also, carbs are almost never actually stored as fat. It's actually a rather laborious process, and it's much easier to burn the carbs for energy, and store fatty acids as fat. Also, in the presence of a calorie deficit, even if every carb you ate turned I to fat, every single one would get burned off anyway, in addition to the extra needed to make up the deficit. Either way, your theory just isn't true.0 -
I'm disappointed with the amount of people, hoping others fail (that seems to be whats implied with the amounts of 'setting yourself for failure', simply for not following their eating plan.
Even if you just monitor calories, you can go 'ahh hell to this' and fall off the horse.
Most people give up, its getting back on the horse that is the success.
Some people are sweet, some are savoury, some love fat, some love sugar. Everyone is different.0 -
After reading all of the comments on the low carb vs counting calorie debate I feel inclined to respond. Nothing works if you're not willing to make the LIFESTYLE CHANGE!!! If all you want to do is lose weight, keep doing what you've been doing & when you reach your goal weight stop making the healthy eating choices & go back to how you were eating before you lost the weight. Then when the weight creeps back on & you can't seem to figure out why, blame the "diet" you were on & find another way to experience quick weight loss. Right now I'm following the South Beach Diet & I'm learning what foods (carbs) trigger cravings by taking the time to add them back into my diet slowly. Did I lose weight fast initially....absolutely! Am I still losing weight....yes, but at a steady, controlled rate (.5 - 2 lbs/wk). It's not coming off as fast as it did during the first 2 weeks on the plan, but because I made the choice to change my eating habits, not just "diet", when I do reach my goal weight there won't be anything for me to stop doing.0
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All I want to know is WHY they (low carbers) lose at such a faster rate than calorie counters? That's it! Not opinions (with all due respect)
Do you the amount of calories they aren't taking in??? There is an incomplete picture, how are you supposed to be able to answer this questions with 0 info.0 -
Simple carbs have extremely high caloric count, cut them, cut calories. So, less calories, see weight loss. It IS about calories after all.
I've been on Atkins and I've counted calories and eaten a balanced diet and I've lost weight doing both. Faster with a low carb diet.
Why? Low carb diet causes quicker weight loss because your body is not burning simple carbs, for energy. Your body is pulling from your fat and muscle for energy and fuel, hence more rapid weight loss.
Counting calories, or simply reducing how many (balanced) calories you would need to eat to maintain your current body weight will allow you to lose weight, but at a slower pace, because your body is allowed to utilize all the nutrients as well as an even, balanced portion of carbs as fuel. Also, because your diet is more evenly balanced, your organs funtion more properly, causing you to burn your stored up fat more efficiently.0 -
Low carb diet leads to metabolic issues over time... People should realize by now that low carb dieting is dangerous and embrace a healthier way to get lean. And besides, time will always show that slow and steady wins the race!0
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I'll take the carbs you're not eating...0
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Do tell. What metabolic issues arise from a low carb diet?Low carb diet leads to metabolic issues over time...
Low carb diets are often used to mangage metabolic issues - Type 2 diabetes for example. Those that are pre-diabetic should lower their carb intake to control their blood glucose levels.0 -
bump0
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OK, so there's no way I'm reading all 7 pages of this, but here's my 2 cents.
low carb works as long as you maintain a calorie deficit. The reason you see so many success stories is because the American diet is SOO carb heavy. Partly because so many carb heavy foods are so calorie dense as well. If you cut back carbs, you are cutting back a large percentage of the food that is available, including a huge number of calorie dense foods. Hence... easier to maintain a deficit because the choices are so limited and more filling.
It has nothing to do with the "evil carbs" themselves, but everything to do with a person's preferences.
As far as your body being able to convert every carb to energy or fat versus protein or fat... Well, that is complicated, but lets just say it is negligible in the scheme of things. If your TDEE is 1500 and you eat 2000 calories of 100% protein, your body will convert a good portion of that extra 500 calories to fat as well. It is true that carbs are considered the "preferred fuel" for your body because they take the least amount of processing by your body. However, fat and protein are not that different. Your body can convert those to stored fat or usable energy as well.0 -
bump as I am trying to eat less carbs as my weight is not shifting .........but within the past 20 years I have lost (the same) 3 stone 3 times at Slimming World where I could eat unlimited pasta, rice and potatoes.....After I had hit 40 though it just no longer worked for me and I gradually started to gain weight again even though I was eating exactly the same (carb heavy) diet plan. Bizarre. Look forward to seeing what others say...0
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Wow. There's a lot of misinformed people in this thread.
No, low carb diets aren't fad diets. A grain-free low carb existence is what our ancestors thrived on for millions of years. Farming is only about 10,000 years old. I'm not a big paleo supporter, but facts are facts.
All diets have terrible success rates. All of them. It makes no sense to single out low carb. If anything, low carb is easier to follow because it's more satiating.
No,carbohydrates are not essential to your existence and you won't lose muscle mass or get sick from abstaining from them. However, it's really difficult to get under 20 grams a day, so it's a moot point.
Water weight loss is only in the first week of a low carb diet. The improved performance of low carb is due to many factors. One of them is NATURALLY being less hungry, lowered insulin resistance, metabolic cost of processing ketones, thermogenesis from increased protein intake, etc.
If you don't know what ATP is, then please don't say it's all just a matter of calories.0 -
People lose weight on low carb diets because carbs are glucose. Your body uses glucose for energy in metabolic reactions in the body. The electron transport chain, citric acid cycle, glycolysis, etc. When you don't have enough glucose your body uses glucagon to break down stored nutrients. So, it takes from fat and protein stores and converts the molecules into glucose. You only loose weight on low carb diets because you are pretty much cutting your body off from it's main source of energy so it has to break down all other parts of your body to be able to function. This diet is not a good idea, and it is not good for human beings. Carbohydrates are good, such as those from whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. Atkins style diets work when you're on them but once you're off your weight will go back up and it will be harder to get off again. Diets should never be a thought, lifestyles should be.0
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You lose so much faster on a low carb diet as you rapidly lose your water weight. Typically when you are on a low carb diet you are increasing fruits/vegetables to fill yourself up. Alot of these have diuretic properties which helps in losing water weight, mostly in week one. Also when you are on a low carb diet, typically it means you're on a high protein diet which helps in building of lean muscle.
Also it would depend on if the regular diet before the low carb diet, where were the carbs coming from? Most people are consuming complex carbs such as white bread, rice, pasta etc.. and these are harder for the body to break down and store as fatty tissue if they are unused through exercise. Once you cut out the carbs and you're on a higher protein diet particularly along with working out, you will be building lean muscle. Which in turn increases metabolism, resulting in faster weight loss.0 -
Still wondering WHY if its calories in calories out that matter!! Why they are able to lose soo much faster??
All calories are not equal and the body expends differing amounts of energy digesting different foods - the thermic effect.
Out of the food groups, the thermic effect is reckoned to be as follows:
#1 Protein - up to 30% (i.e. the body will use 30 calories to digest 100 calories of protein)
#2 Complex Carbs (especially fibrous veg) - up to 20%
#3 Simple Carbs & Fats - approx 3%
So my theory is that if a low-carber is eating lots of protein and green veg, they'll be expending more calories just digesting it than a calorie-counter who's having the same calories but made up of a bit of everything and especially more than a calorie-counter who's tending towards simple carbs.
Or to put it simply - you expend more calories digesting a steak and green beans than you digesting a lasagne.0 -
You only loose weight on low carb diets because you are pretty much cutting your body off from it's main source of energy so it has to break down all other parts of your body to be able to function. This diet is not a good idea, and it is not good for human beings.
You don't know about gluconeogenesis apparently.Carbohydrates are good, such as those from whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. Atkins style diets work when you're on them but once you're off your weight will go back up and it will be harder to get off again. Diets should never be a thought, lifestyles should be.
So once you start eating things that make you fat, you will gain weight? Which diet plan lets you gorge yourself on everything a lose weight? I'd like to know how that works.0 -
Facts are facts, huh?Wow. There's a lot of misinformed people in this thread.
No, low carb diets aren't fad diets. A grain-free low carb existence is what our ancestors thrived on for millions of years. Farming is only about 10,000 years old. I'm not a big paleo supporter, but facts are facts.
All diets have terrible success rates. All of them. It makes no sense to single out low carb. If anything, low carb is easier to follow because it's more satiating.
No,carbohydrates are not essential to your existence and you won't lose muscle mass or get sick from abstaining from them. However, it's really difficult to get under 20 grams a day, so it's a moot point.
Water weight loss is only in the first week of a low carb diet. The improved performance of low carb is due to many factors. One of them is NATURALLY being less hungry, lowered insulin resistance, metabolic cost of processing ketones, thermogenesis from increased protein intake, etc.
If you don't know what ATP is, then please don't say it's all just a matter of calories.
Fact is, humans were eating grains long before farming happened. Why do you think they started farming them to begin with? Archaeological records show humans baking flatbreads on hot rocks over 30,000 years ago.
As for "improved performance of low carb?" Controlled studies have shown that there is no improved performance, all other variables (exercise, caloric deficit, protein levels) held constant. It's fully a personal preference.
After all, facts are facts.0
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