Another annoying question about carbs hit me with science

I have the same problem. Actually, have been doing the calorie counting thing this past month and lost about 5 lbs as well.
I am also around 158 today. I feel that the biggest thing to get over is the mental stuff that comes with trying every diet out there.
I used to do low carb. For a really long time-during pregnancies and all. Just my opinion- but I do feel it becomes boderline
eating disorderish when applying good and bad labels to food. Its just food. I lose 5 lbs really fast when I low carb-so that tells me it is water. I think portion control with a balanced mindset and balanced priorities goes a long way. Of course, cutting sugar and dairy and wheat can be good - But - if you want a piece of toast and eating it is going to keep you from feeling deprived and help you maintain a long term way of eating without all the mental stuff that diets bring then I say have a piece of toast. Just really savor and enjoy it. Life is meant to be full and enjoyable. I got tired of everything being No. I think its human nature to eventually rebel. The weightloss is slower but when I exercise and watch my portions I do feel more balanced. I tend to make healthier choices because no one is forcing me to do anything. Hope this helps.

Keep in mind that it's not JUST water weight when you go low carb--if your calories eaten are less than your calories used, then of course you'll lose fat on a low-carb diet. It's just that carbs, stored as glycogen, make you hold on to water, so if you go low-carb, you lose that glycogen and its accompanying water--which comes right back when you start eating carbs again. EDIT (hit post too soon): But any fat you lost on your low-carb diet will stay off if you eat properly at maintenance...which many people don't do successfully because all they learned on a low-carb diet was how not to eat carbs, not how to incorporate them in a healthy diet.

Eat your food and like it! You'll lose at a deficit.

I agree with majope re: what I have read. I also do better losing when I limit grains--I usually give up bread, pasta, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes) and white rice (brown rice once a week on my heaviest workout day). I have always lost the quickest eating this way, and not just water weight, but fat, and sometimes muscle, too. I have also gained the weight back when I returned to white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white rice and regular Cokes (and to be fair, I always quit exercising once I started gaining, and then the weight really piled on). This time, instead of telling myself I can never have those things again (and to be honest, I don't really like most of them, but I eat them out of convenience), I am allowing myself to have them sparingly (well, not the Cokes).

I know that a lot of people here say that a calorie is a calorie, but there is plenty of information out there that suggests that for some of us, at least, that may not be entirely true. Sure, "everyone" can lose in a deficit, but not always at a specific rate (that is, just because you eat 500 calories under your TDEE, doesn't mean you will lose 1 lb. per week each week).

If you do better cutting out carbs, then by all means, cut them out, but be mindful that if you just all of a sudden add them all back when you hit maintenance, you might not maintain, at least not at first. Even Atkins advises adding some of them back, but slowly. Alternatively, only cut out some of them instead of all of them and see how it goes for a bit. If you lose quickly enough, then you don't have to cut them all out. I ate fruit, sweet potatoes and a little brown rice while I was losing and was able to average about .8 lbs. per week for the 6 months when I was trying hardest to lose. Also keep in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint, so if it takes a while to lose all you want, don't get discouraged, just keep going.

A calorie is a calorie...our bodies just process them differently.

I made my decision to go low carb after talking with Dr. Robert Su on carbohydrates and their effects. I also spent years struggling to lose weight without a plan. Low carb works for me better than anything else has. I don't think carbs are "evil." I just don't think I need to be glutting on them when I can have protein or high fiber veggies.

Like others have said - it is water weight loss.

Here is a great explanation: http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058097.php

Adding my voice to the others here, but I also want to address the "no dairy" instruction you said a couple of people had given you. A lot of young women, in particular, are calcium deficient because they eat little or no dairy. I agree with the poster above who said that the "bad food" mentality that makes people feel horribly guilty about the tiniest bit of some food is straying into eating disorder territory. The idea that you must never have carbs or never have dairy is orthorexic. It's not healthy.

Include some dairy, include some carbs, include some proteins, include some fruit and if your overall energy intake is ok, you'll be ok. You'll also be less likely to binge or have your weight yoyo because of the extinction burst from your pet craving.

Like others have said - it is water weight loss.

Here is a great explanation: http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058097.php

OMG i've lost 88 pounds of water?! Bloody hell! :noway:

OP, eat a balanced diet providing you are not dealing with any sort of metabolic issues or food intolerances and you'll be fine. There isn't any need to overthink caloric deficits. Make good choices, eat sensible portion sizes, weigh/measure/track everything.

If you find that certain foods lead you to overeat, feel poorly, etc. then simply don't eat them.

HAHA! love your comment about the water!

I agree with most of what has already been said above. Please don't get all hung up about 'carbs' etc being "BAD". Carbs are not just bread etc, they include fruit and veg (extremely good for you, and for your diet!) and they are broken down in the same way by the body. Every person is completely individual and what will work for others may possibly work for you, but probably not because your body will burn your nutrients in a different way than, say, mine would.

I believe that you should stick to what you are doing. Eat the foods that you enjoy, and just eat them in moderation. DO NOT go way under your calorie requirements thinking that you are doing yourself good by losing the weight that little bit faster, it won't work in the long term because you can't continue like that forever. (A friend of mine lost over 9.5 stone on diets shakes etc, and within 12 months has now put it all back on because she can't control her eating!)

Personally, I have tried the calorie reduction way and it doesn't really suit me as I constantly feel deprived, so I have just started the 5:2 diet this week, and have to say that I think this will suit me much better, as I feel like I am only 'dieting' two days a week.

The human body is not yet able to digest grains etc properly yet, as it has only been introduced very recently in terms of the evolution of our digestive systems. This is partly why people sometimes feel bloated after eating grains, particularly bread. Another reason you may get bloated after bread is because many bakeries only 'part bake' the bread during manufacture, so the yeast carries on fermenting inside the body. (I was shocked when I was told this by a friend who has had a bakery for generations!). If you do feel the need to eat breads etc, try to stick to whole grains as they are low GI (will digest more slowly), and contain far more essential vitamins/minerals etc.

On the subject of low carb diets, the reason most people lose weight on them is because they end up eating fewer calories overall, so it is really just another calorie reduction system.

At the end of the day, the real science is CALORIES IN - CALORIES USED/BURNED = WEIGHT LOSS OR GAIN.
You have to put less calories into your body than it uses in order to lose weight. This is why exercise will help in your weight loss journey too.

I wish you the very best of luck in your weight loss journey. YOU CAN DO IT! (I have found that listening to hypnosis recordings when going to sleep at night has relaxed me lots in relation to food, and many are free apps to download).

Yeah - I've lost about 150lbs of water! It's a wonder my skin held :laugh:
I recommend you read Atkins' book. He invented low carb.
Different things work for different people - I've tried most of them, and really low carb is the only thing that works for me.
Good luck :flowerforyou:

Here's what I've figreud out: a calorie is a calorie, but dropping carbs out might make you lose more because a) the thing you substitute carbs/grains with has less calories in it b) it's harder to binge on protein and fat (ever tried binging with steak vs. binging with toast? or felt unable to finish that McBurger, but the fries were still going down?) c) your body has to work harder to turn protein and fat into blood sugar and stuff that your muscles use.

I've lost 14lbs now (in 2 months) by switching things up a little: I love pasta, but instead of having a huge amount of pasta, some sauce with it and maybe a tiny side salad (if any at all), I have the same amount of sauce, a little bit of pasta (about 1/4-1/2 of what I used to have) and a large salad. This does NOT mean I'm cutting out all grains, carbs, white flour or anything like that - I'm simply minimizing the portion size and having a larger portion of veggies with it.

On water weight loss, I've heard from several friends who've done the low carb diet, that the reason they lose so quickly in the first couple of weeks is water weight, but after that the pace will slow down to a "normal" weight loss pace but they just find it easier to lose weight with the low carb diet because they feel it fills them up more.

Technically, if you eat under your TDEE you will lose weight, so in that respect, a calorie is a calorie.

But WHAT you use those calories on will determine your health, body composition, energy levels, hunger levels, etc.

A general rule is to make sure you get adequate protein and healthy fats in. .7-1 gram Protein per pound of Lean Body Mass is a minimum to help you keep as much muscle as you can. If you are lifting heavy, then you may require more.

Aim for .35-.5 grams of Healthy fats per pound of LBM, i.e. nuts, olive oil, avocados, etc. will help keep your hormone levels good, hair and skin moisturized and healthy, and aid in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Omega 3s will actually help you burn belly fat. They are also found in oily fish like salmon, etc. Omega 3s are found in many other foods.

Higher protein and healthy fats also keep you satiated longer, which will help you stay under your calorie goal.

The rest of your calories can be filled with carbs. High fiber carbs are preferred over simple, processed carbs and sugar. But it doesn't mean that you can never have any of the 'good stuff', you just have to have it in moderation.

As for the gluten controversy, yes, while it is true that only 1-2% of the population has true Celiac Disease, considerably more people have a sensitivity to gluten that can cause less severe, yet still very troubling and often painful side effects, such as bloating, stomach and intestinal pain, joint paint, fatigue, headaches, etc.
Apparently wheat today is not processed the same way as it was 50 years ago, and this change has caused many problems in a lot of people. I haven't read it, but there is a book called Wheat Belly, that I have heard explains this change very well.

Some people have the same symptoms with processed sugar. In addition to that, processed sugars and processed, low fiber grain products can cause a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, which impedes fat burning, and then when your blood sugar drops and you 'crash', then you are left tired, hungry, and craving more sugar/carbs to get your energy back. The cycle can cause you to go over your calorie goal. It can also cause mood swings, and you might be depressed and frustrated and end up giving up trying to lose weight altogether, because "diets don't work".

People are different. Our body compositions are different. How we process certain foods can differ from each other. Our activity levels are different. Some people can eat high amounts of simple carbs and sugar and still lose weight without any problem. Some of us can't. It seems that many women have a higher sensitivity to carbs than men. This is especially true if you carry your weight in your midsection, are considerably overweight, and/or have a history of Type 2 Diabetes in your family. Of course you can also find some women who say they eat high amounts of sugar and lose just fine as well.

For me personally, a lower carb/ higher fat/ moderate protein diet works very well. I have all the risks for Diabetes, plus I have an autoimmune disease, arthritis, and PCOS. I feel better and have much less pain now than I have had in years. I can occasionally have some sugar or bread product and get away with it, but if I have too much, my body will certainly tell me about it.

Find what works for you, and learn moderation. Extreme black and white thinking is the downfall of many weight loss plans.

Oh, and as for dairy, I have no opinion on that, other than if it doesn't bother you and you enjoy it, then go for it. If you DO cut out dairy, then be sure you take a calcium supplement, and look for other high calcium foods to add to your diet.

I thought that the reason for low carb was the way the body burns calories. For instance, it burns carbs last- protein and fat first. So by eating low carb, the body burns fat. Is this not true? I am eating low carb right now (it will be somewhat temporary because I am trying to break a stall). Atkins induction-type thing.

Your body actually burns carbs FIRST, as they are more easily used for fuel. Therefore if you feed your body enough carbs, then it has no reason to burn stored fat. If you eat at a calorie deficit, then you will eventually run out of carbs for fuel at some point and then your body will use stored fat for fuel. By eating lower carbs, your body can burn thru those quicker and get to the fat burning sooner. Of course there is more complicated science behind this, but it is the general idea behind low carb.

I thought that the reason for low carb was the way the body burns calories. For instance, it burns carbs last- protein and fat first. So by eating low carb, the body burns fat. Is this not true? I am eating low carb right now (it will be somewhat temporary because I am trying to break a stall). Atkins induction-type thing.

Yes, the premise of eating lower carbs is that you're body will be forced to rely more heavily on fats for energy, rather than carbohydrates since they are no longer so readily available.