why do ppl do low carb for weight loss?
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That_car_is_full_of_balloons
Posts: 135 Member
but a lot of people dont eat low carb and arent overweight?
so then why would carbs make some humans fat but not all of them?
just had this thought today at work
corworker is doing a low carb diet to lose weight
and there i was shoveling rice in my mouth and just shrugging. works for me.
so then why would carbs make some humans fat but not all of them?
just had this thought today at work
corworker is doing a low carb diet to lose weight
and there i was shoveling rice in my mouth and just shrugging. works for me.
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Replies
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I can only speak from personal experience, obviously everyone is different. I am following a low carb lifestyle, because it is the only way I am able to control my caloric intake. When I consume carbs such as bread, sugar, starchy vegetables, and junk food, I always overeat. When I remove those items from my diet, I am able to stick to a 1200 to 1500 calorie diet filled with healthy foods, not junk. It works for me. It's still all about the calories.0
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I know that for me it's not the amount of carbs but the type of carbs. If I eat veggies - those come with fiber, they fill me up, and I feel great. If I eat bread, on the other hand, or sugary sweets - I get a sugar rush, then a crash and I want more, more, more and it's very difficult for me to control how much I eat. And obviously healthy fats and proteins are good for you too, so I have plenty of room for those foods as well if I'm not overdoing carbs.
I still end up with something like 100g of carbs a day, but also like 60+g of fiber, so I don't get the sugar rushes, and don't feel hungry and it's easy to for me to maintain. I don't really have to weigh things like that - I'm not going to overeat raw green beans or whatever to the point where I gain weight, so I can estimate and it comes out close enough. When I was eating starchy carbs, I'd really have to strictly watch portion sizes to keep it under control and felt hungry all the time.
I realize not everyone suffers from the same cravings and such. So if you can eat those things in moderation without a struggle, I wouldn't sweat it. If you're constantly craving more, it might be worth looking into reducing sugary/starchy carbs to see if it makes things easier for you. Sounds like you don't need to worry about it, but maybe the above helps make it make sense why some people do.0 -
Low carb isn't the only way to lose weight, but carbs are the least satiating macronutrient. On the standard ketogenic diet, it's low carb, moderate protein, high fat. This puts your body into ketosis which some people prefer. Also, for those with insulin resistance it can make it easier to lose weight. In your average person, it doesn't really matter. My lifts suffer if I keep carbs too low. I just try to get a balance of everything.0
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Low carb diets by definition are high protein, high fat diets. Protein and fat are both very satisfying, so usually low carb diets fill you up with less calories and lead to weight loss through a calorie deficit. That being said, low carb diets are certainly not necessary to lose weight.0
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Seriously? Because different people are different and what works for one person doesn't work for another. Why does my healthy-weight triathlete mother have high HDL and total cholesterol, and I have high HDL cholesterol (because we both work out a lot), but even at my most overweight my total cholesterol is lower than most people's LDL? We're not clones of one another!
I have depression, and for some people, low carb helps with that because of stabilized blood sugar, but for me, I fall into a serotonin deficit and it is not pretty. So I don't get to eat as much fat as agdyl does, but I do eat a lot of vegetables and modest amounts of fruits and starchy (and sweet!) carbs because they are important for my brain chemistry's stability. If I keep the fat low I am able to eat a very decent amount of protein and enough volume to keep me from being hungry on a small calorie restriction.
agdyl has found a way of eating that works for her and she feels great. I've found a way of eating that works for me and I'm feeling pretty good if a little impatient for the weight to come off.
You just have to find what works for you and stick to it.0 -
I can only speak from personal experience, obviously everyone is different. I am following a low carb lifestyle, because it is the only way I am able to control my caloric intake. When I consume carbs such as bread, sugar, starchy vegetables, and junk food, I always overeat. When I remove those items from my diet, I am able to stick to a 1200 to 1500 calorie diet filled with healthy foods, not junk. It works for me. It's still all about the calories.
Ditto. Plus, things like sugar, gluten and starch make me feel like crap!0 -
Personally, my body doesn't process them well and they cause my thyroid to be sluggish. When I'm not managing my carbs my triglycerides double,and I put on weight like crazy. However, when I try to keep them at a low amount, I drop weight very rapidly. I'm sure everyone has different reasons,and I don't know the "scientific" answer. I just know why it works for me.
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I have Hashimotos, an autoimmune thyroid disease. It causes me to gain weight, even while working out and eating at a calorie deficit. It took two years to figure out how the heck I was eating at a calorie deficit and gaining fat! We are taught that a 3500 calorie deficit equals 1 pound of weight loss. For most people thats true, but for some it doesn't work that way. One thing that helps manage Hashimotos weight gain is to keep the body burning fat instead of carbs by keeping the carbs very low.0
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Because it works so much better for me. I did Jenny Craig in 2006 and it took 3.5 years to lose 35 lbs. I started low carb in Feb 2013 (I am now almost 45), and have lost weight so much faster, easier, and cheaper. I am much happier now that I did low carb.
The protein and fat in the diet curb appetite for me--I am not starving 1-2 hours after a meal.
When I get to my goal weight I will add more fruits and veggies because of the nutrients that they add, so then I won't be technically low carb.
--I kept off the weight loss from the Jenny Craig diet for several years, until I became hypothyroid and the weight slowly went back up over 2 years. I started the low carb about 1 month after being but on synthroid, but REALLY didn't want it to take another 3.5 years.but a lot of people dont eat low carb and arent overweight?
so then why would carbs make some humans fat but not all of them?
just had this thought today at work
corworker is doing a low carb diet to lose weight
and there i was shoveling rice in my mouth and just shrugging. works for me.0 -
The high fat is not necessarily true, it depends on what protein sources are selected. I can keep my fat grams lower than MFP goal easily by selecting low fat chicken and pork loin as a protein source. Sometimes I am under my fat goal. Your "by definition" comment is not correct.Low carb diets by definition are high protein, high fat diets. Protein and fat are both very satisfying, so usually low carb diets fill you up with less calories and lead to weight loss through a calorie deficit. That being said, low carb diets are certainly not necessary to lose weight.0
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Seriously? Because different people are different and what works for one person doesn't work for another. Why does my healthy-weight triathlete mother have high HDL and total cholesterol, and I have high HDL cholesterol (because we both work out a lot), but even at my most overweight my total cholesterol is lower than most people's LDL? We're not clones of one another!
I have depression, and for some people, low carb helps with that because of stabilized blood sugar, but for me, I fall into a serotonin deficit and it is not pretty. So I don't get to eat as much fat as agdyl does, but I do eat a lot of vegetables and modest amounts of fruits and starchy (and sweet!) carbs because they are important for my brain chemistry's stability. If I keep the fat low I am able to eat a very decent amount of protein and enough volume to keep me from being hungry on a small calorie restriction.
agdyl has found a way of eating that works for her and she feels great. I've found a way of eating that works for me and I'm feeling pretty good if a little impatient for the weight to come off.
You just have to find what works for you and stick to it.
I think that's the key - experimenting to see what makes you feel best. I don't just look at the scale, but I keep notes on how I feel when I eat a certain way - and if I was fighting cravings all day or if I felt satisfied. I've tried really low carb a few times and I feel low energy and tend to get headaches. So out with that. When I cut out added sugar, I had cravings for the first few days but then it became easy. If it was constant cravings all the time - that's not sustainable for me. I needed to find something that makes me feel healthy AND doesn't require too much willpower to stick with on a daily basis.0 -
Low Carbers get laid way more often0
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Low Carbers get laid way more often
I must be doing it wrong
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3rd day on low carb and I can see how less bloated I feel and that to me is worth it. Also like someone said before, I eat less calories but a lot of satisfying food, I dont feel I need to reach for snacks too often. also because alot of my carbs would come from bread things I feel my skin is looking less dull and brighter!
now I have not weighed myself in a while, waiting for the 1st, so then I will see if it helped it that department, no matter what I feel better on less carbs.
Ive lost alot of weight before with alot carbs so It doesnt matter i guess, its more of a way to eat.
and also i love coming up with different things I can eat with less carbs or finding new foods to try!0 -
I have Type 2 Diabetes and no matter how much the American Diabetes Association tells me it's good for me to eat 100s of grams of carbs every day as long as they are "good" carbs, it's not true. My body does not process carbs well at all. In fact, if I eat too many salads during the week, my fasting blood sugars begin to rise. I have to monitor even healthy carbs from vegetables in order to keep my blood sugar within normal ranges. I keep my carbs under 50 most days and my recent labwork tells me that my body is happy and healthy that way.
Everyone is different and not everyone needs a low carb diet. But for those of us that do, we really wish people would understand that everyone needs to eat what is right for their body and not just label it as a "fad" or "unhealthy." Thanks for asking a non-judgmental question instead of just criticizing something you didn't understand.0 -
I do it because my doctor told me too. Well more specifically to cut down my carbs to see if it makes an impact on my thyroid (I have some wonky *kitten* happening and have for over 2 years and we are currently trying everything possible to see if it works). He firmly believes it could be a combination of carbs and my weight causing some of the issues. ~shrugs~ what works for some doesn't always work for others.0
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For me it's simple ~ I can eat lots of the foods that I love, never be hungry and yet lose weight and feel fantastic
Each to his own; low fat/low cal never suited me, I was always starving & felt deprived, with lousy skin/hair & no energy - and if it doesn't suit then it can't last/work.0 -
I can only speak from personal experience, obviously everyone is different. I am following a low carb lifestyle, because it is the only way I am able to control my caloric intake. When I consume carbs such as bread, sugar, starchy vegetables, and junk food, I always overeat. When I remove those items from my diet, I am able to stick to a 1200 to 1500 calorie diet filled with healthy foods, not junk. It works for me. It's still all about the calories.
Ditto. Plus, things like sugar, gluten and starch make me feel like crap!
^THIS^
I would eat whole loaves of bread, whole cakes and lots of sugar. I also used to nap after lunch everyday.
Still get cramps and/or fall asleep after pasta.0 -
Because they believe that carbs are unhealthy. It's not true of course.0
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Within three days of going lower carb (under 150), I no longer have "cravings". I get hungry because I am out of food in my belly, not because I am bored. I can really feel the difference in how my body responds to food. I have PCOS which causes insulin resistance, so controlling carbs is good for me. Now when I do this, for a few days I do struggle with lower energy, but the rest is worth it.0
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