why do ppl do low carb for weight loss?

You lose a lot of weight to begin with, though it's not fat.

My brother lost 98lbs in 7 months; I can assure you it wasn't all water :laugh:

But there is something besides fat and water that can be lost -- muscle. I've read a lot of debate on the subject, but the argument goes that if a person does extreme low carb, but doesn't eat high protein and couple it with weight lifting, it is likely that they are losing a great deal of muscle weight instead of fat during a low carb diet. I've never done low carb, so I have no personal experience to draw from. Just saying that this is one of the never-ending arguments about low carb all over the internet.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-maintain-muscle-while-losing-weight/#axzz2a1f9RIde
http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/3/1/9

I agree with you that one needs to eat sufficient protein to maintain lean body mass while eating a low carb diet. I eat 75-100 g/day. However, as long as the dietary intake of protein is sufficient, studies have shown that ketogenic diets help maintain lean body mass better than high carb/low fat weight-loss diets. Reference: "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Drs. Steve Phinney and Jeff Volek.

I can speak from personal experience that low carbs just isn't a great idea. Sure, you'll lose weight initially. It's really something you gotta do forever in order to be effective. Once you get back to eating carbs, you'll gain the weight back you lost. Low carbs for me just meant no energy and LESS options. (my fault trying to do low carb as a vegetarian: not the easiest..)

everyone is different though.

Carbohydrates are an empty, nutrient-void food. The moment our bodies absorb them they are pure sugar.
WHY are we recommended to eat so much of the stuff?
Low carb WORKS, both for weight loss *and* health. Full stop.

Try doing any sort of endurance exercise without carbs. You wont last long. For those of us who are active, carbs are NOT 'empty'
I went low carb for 3 days and felt like *kitten* when I tried to work out. Never again.

Well let's see. No energy? I am 58, I raise a 6 year old grandson. I am diabetic, hypothyroid.

I normally go to bed at Midnight.

Monday, up at 6:45; Gym: 90 minutes included elliptical(20min), free weights, and weight machines.
Tuesday up at 5:45; Gym: 25 minutes on elliptical; 45 minutes swimming laps nonstop
Today, up at 6:45, Drove 220 miles. Straight to gym: 15 minutes on elliptical, 65 minutes on weights.

I eat 20 net carbs/day (since March). I don't eat grains. I dropped my cholestrol 40 points to a healthy 162 in 4 months.
I eat high fat 60-70%. I eat lots of green veges and sometimes blueberries. I am not hungry all day. I eat when I am. I am losing weight. My blood sugars are amazing as is my blood pressure.

No energy problem here. I used to sleep 12 hours/day and always feel tired. Dropped the carbs and changed the heck out of that sluggishness. This is a lifestyle for me. When I get my last 30 pounds off, I will slowly add back some carbs. They will be sweet potatoes, tomatoes, berries, melons, apples. They will NOT be grains other than quinoa occasionally. I don't need bread. I make my own low carb bread, muffins, pancakes out of nut flours and ground flax. I eat eggs, avocado, turkey, chicken, fish, occasional beef/pork, healthy oils, moderate nuts/cheese/sour cream/mayo. I don't eat bacon unless it is turkey bacon. I have the healthy oils and butter.

I don't feel tired, sluggish, irritable, hungry, or deprived. I am happier eating this way than on any other plan. My doctor is pleased. THIS works for me.

Wow, whole three days he did low carb, huh? What a trooper. Totally enough time to find out if it actually works.

You lose a lot of weight to begin with, though it's not fat.

My brother lost 98lbs in 7 months; I can assure you it wasn't all water :laugh:

No, it was a calorie deficit.

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.

It's not the carbs that make the person overweight, rather than an over-abundance of the things.

Personally, if I eat a food that is high in carbs, I just crave more and if I am on a low ebb or my willpower is a bit on the fragile side, then I will just give in and eat more, before I know it, I am over my daily calorie amount, THEN I will most likely decide "oh well, I am over now anyway, I'll have another cake" on and on it goes. It would be okay if I stopped at just the one little cake, but I don't.

Many people do not have such a thing happen and control their carb intake, I have just learned that I do not tend to have much control in that area so I steer clear.

I guess this is where the quote "know thyself" comes in eh

I'm able to stop myself. (Except with potato chips) I counted the calories I was eating on average before the diet. it was 1800-2000 on average sometimes lower sometimes higher depending on teh occasion but in general I'd say in that range somewhere. But I don't think my normal metabolism is able to handle that many calories and I just was gaining weight eating that much food a day. With carbs that's about where meals end up with a few reasonable meals a day and a snack. with low carb those meals go a lot further and I am not hungry. (part of it is the appetite curbing effect at play)

So basically with carbs.. I am hungry all the time if I try to eat 1200 calories. but not so with low carb high protein. Given my lower metabolism I am going to have to have a modified diet like this probably forever if I want to stay at maintenance once I get there. because if i go back to eating a full carb diet I'll be right back where I started.

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.

You do know there's other carbs, much healthier carbs, than junk food right?

no, it wasn't muscle he lost or anything valuable - it was simple plain ol' fat

I don't understand all the scaremongering re low carb diets? There are plenty of happy, healthy & fit long-term low-carbers walking about who aren't quite knocking on death's door simply because they cut flour, pasta, rice, sugar, potatoes and the like from their diets :laugh:

erm....no :laugh: His breakfast alone was bacon, eggs, frankfurters & mushrooms *every* day - always fried.
His coffees (several a day) were made with thick cream.
He ate lots of butter, cheese and full-fat mayo.

He lost the weight purely and simply because he cut the carbs to <20 a day and upped his protein & fats.

You can't knock something you haven't tried, just because it sounds too good to be true. It DOES work, as anyone who has done it (properly) knows

You brother was doing a Ketogenic Diet. Very low Carbs, Moderate proteins, High Fats.

People who don't know how this diet works, or ever been on wouldn't understand. Not all diets will work for one person. They have to find what works best for them. If you and your brother are happy with the results then I see nothing wrong. I applaud him myself tbh.

I do a variation of Ketogenic Dieting called "Cyclical Ketogenic Dieting." For me It's where I include a weekly/bi-weekly 24 hr 1000g+ Carb refeed period. This is to help maintain my muscle strength in the gym since I lift heavy often and

When I first started the ketogenic diet I had 10.2% body fat. 3 Months later I was 5.7% body fat. I do my carb refeed period to keep my BF% in check from getting too low. I feel a lot better using fat sources as energy instead of carbs. More alert & awake. Lifts are going up up, best shape of my life. Low carb dieting is a lifestyle change.

Also, one cannot just come off a low carb diet over night. This is where most people fail at because most will go back to regular eating/binge on food. Carbs have to be "SLOWLY" added back in over weeks. Like adding 10~20 Carbs a week to carb count. Or personally I'd recommend a Carb cycling diet, but with only 1 High carb day.

He is 6ft and was 20st+, he went right down to 13st 5.
His intake was <20 carbs per day, he never counted calories, never needed to - but the calorie count would've been very high since the bulk of his diet was fat and protein.
Same for myself and others who have lost weight on low carb.
I'll put a typical day's menu of his into the diary here and check the calorie count, just out of interest

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.

FYI, sugar rush is a myth... it doesn't exist

Low carb diets work because they force one to give up or severely limit things that many people love to snack and binge on. Sugars, chips, bread, crackers, pasta, etc. This is also why low carb diets have a statistically poor long term record. So before starting, you should ask yourself if you are prepared to limit or give these things up permanently. If not, you stand a good chance of become one of the statistics that gain all the weight back.

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.

FYI, sugar rush is a myth... it doesn't exist

Anyone who has ever seen a little kid after eating a big piece of cake washed down with Kool-Aid knows that it does indeed exist.

I did a <20 G diet years ago and lost 75 LBs eating "whatever I wanted in terms of calories." I had always assumed I was eating 4-5K per day.

However, I wasn't tracking calories. When I do the math now, my calorie intake was in reality far less than I had assumed.

Breakfast
4 Large Eggs = 280 Calories
6 Pieces of Bacon = 240 Calories

Lunch
16 oz. Beef (ground or steak) = Approximately 700 Calories

Dinner
4 Chicken Thighs = 600 Calories
2 oz. Cheddar Cheese = 200 Calories


TOTAL = 2020

I was in my early 20s and started at around 350 LBs. My TDEE even without working out was in excess of 3500/day, meaning I could have multiple snacks throughout the day and still come in at a significant caloric deficit. I played a lot of basketball, baseball and golf as well.

I do agree that a low-carb diet when my activity level is uber low, does make me feel better, more energized, satisfied, etc. However, for weight loss, it is pretty clear that the only thing that matters is Cals in vs. out.

WTG, Steffiejoe, congrats!
Low carb suits me for the same reasons, and it annoys me that it's *still* seen as a "fad" diet. I also eat more veggies than I ever did before when every calorie counted & I had to choose.
Two members of my family are type 2 diabetes - I suggested low carb to them, gave them a cookery day at my house where we cooked up lots of yummy low carb things, and within 6 weeks these 2 people had stabilised their blood sugars and were able to ditch some medication.
One of them was my Mom....she also lost 2st, and a nurse told her "I have to say this in strictest confidence, but you are doing the right thing". You see, a low carb diet isn't endorsed yet, even though the results are clear.
Carbohydrates are an empty, nutrient-void food. The moment our bodies absorb them they are pure sugar.
WHY are we recommended to eat so much of the stuff?
Low carb WORKS, both for weight loss *and* health. Full stop.

Carbohydrates are not nutrient-void food. I understand that some people choose lower carb diets for a variety of reasons, but that's no reason to spread misinformation. Carbohydrates are a vital energy source (which is why even very low carbers still don't eat 0 carbs) and has important roles in the breakdown of fat, regulation of blood glucose, and protecting muscle tissue, among other things. http://www.sparknotes.com/health/carbohydrates/section2.rhtml

very low carbers still eat some carbs because in practical terms it is impossible to eat a truly 0 carb diet. Most people will still want to eat vegetables and some fruits because they have important micronutrients and fibre, and there are still small amounts of carbs in nuts and other foods.

Also I think this is why atkins kinds works but doesn't. It even restricts your intake of plants which seems a bit dumb. I think most low carbers now still eat plenty of veg.

Fiber is a carbohydrate. You eat veggies for the carb called fiber because it would be nice to be able to take a normal poop.

OK, so very low carbers eat some carbs because it seems impossible to eat 0 carbs in a practical fashion. Do you understand why this is true? It's because your body is set up to use carbs to help break down fats (which are vital also because they help us absorb vitamins and nutrients). If you don't eat carbs, you have to find a way to eat an incredibly greasy diet with all of your vitamins and nutrients being fat soluble. As Mark's Daily Apple puts it:

"The Inuit do, though, show us that an-all meat, zero carb diet has the potential to be healthy. It might even be desirable for certain people if (here comes the tricky part), as I said, they use organic range-fed whole animals – muscle meat, fat, organs, offal, stomach contents – to get the whole spectrum of fat-soluble nutrients and vitamins. All those thriving near-carnivorous traditional groups the zero carb crowd likes to throw around weren’t buying tubes of 80/20 Walmart beef and nothing else; they were eating spoiled organs, consuming stomach contents, fermenting full-fat dairy, drinking fish liver shooters, gnawing on still-beating bison heart, and feasting on a “guts and grease” diet. Stefansson’s oft-cited all-meat diet experiment wasn’t just muscle and fat; it was fried liver and brains, fish, and a whole host of animal products. As for the ground beef and water diets that seem popular in some ZC circles? You’re fooling yourself if you think that’s an optimum diet for health and longevity, and I’m not sure if some favorable lab numbers garnered after six months of eating nothing but burger mean much at all. Better than the standard American diet of chips, sodas, cookies, and rancid fats on top of the same burger meat? Maybe. Optimum? Not a chance. Let’s see what happens in thirty years. Staunch ZCer Danny Roddy’s strangely scurvy-esque symptoms following a purely pemmican diet should give you pause.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/zero-carb-diet/#ixzz2a4aY7Ass&quot;

Just saying that eating at least a few carbs seems pretty darn vital to me.

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.

Ditto for me. Hashimotos sucks for weight loss until you figure out what you can eat and not eat. For me, if I eat more than 20-30 carbs at a time my blood sugar will spike and that will cause my slow reacting pancreas to dump out a ton of extra insulin that isn't needed and then converted to fat...once I figured out what was contributing to my weight gains and resistance, I was able to successfully start a weight loss journey. I was just like this poster and would eat 1000-1500 (even tried more calorie intake, for those that think that's the cure for me, lol!) and GAIN weight while exercising. One month I logged everything I ate and ended up with an average of around 1200 calories a day. That month I gained 8 pounds. Watching the types of carbs and the amount of carbs I eat along WITH lower calories has been the cure for me FOR NOW. I hope to reduce SOME of the insulin resistance but know that more than likely I'll have to continue a lower carb lifestyle.