Help with low carb diet

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  • JaceyMarieS
    JaceyMarieS Posts: 692 Member
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    Upping your fat intake will keep the carb cravings away. Once you get to the point of your body burning off the small amount of carbs you have eaten is starts burning fat for fuel. Your body wants a quick fuel source so it craves carbs. Replace the carbs with fat (Like adding a couple of table spoons of coconut oil to coffee first thing in morning) Don't be afraid of eating foods higher in fat.

    I have lost 150 pounds doing LC in 13 months and have kept it off for 14 months now. The biggest turn around point for me was when I did exactly what I mentioned above. Once I learn fat was not the enemy while doing LC it was a lot easier to do and maintain.


    Upping fat intake is also what's worked for me. I've lost weight, normalized blood sugar levels and greatly improved my lipid panel.
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
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    More energy?

    I guess fruits are bad considering that is a simple carb source.

    I thought fruits were considered complex?

    there seems to be conflicting info on this

    either way, fruits provide dietary fiber and shouldn't be avoided imo

    So what is the difference? She will have less energy from eating the fruit based off of your reasoning
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    There's no such thing as a controversial scientific debate.

    A topic becomes controversial when one side deliberately, and repeatedly ignores scientific evidence to continue supporting their belief in something.
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
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    I swithched to LC a month ago. I tried it before, but like you, ended up binging. A lot of research and understanding of how your body works helped me a lot. This time I am trying to follow Dukan diet, and I would say after first two weeks all cravings for sugar and breads had stopped. I know a lot of people here saying that it doesn't matter as long as you stick to your calories goal, but it does matter for me, because I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid last year. Even thougth doctors were able to bring all my hormones to normal now, it can relapse any time. And no, it was not on doctor's advise to go low carb. It just took me a six month of researching the causes and consecuances of my condition (I always been healthy and no thyroid problems in my family). I start coming to the conclusion that my high carb diet could be one of the causes of it. I moved to US 15 years ago and of course felt into the habit of pasta, pizza, sandwiches (you name it). I wasn't gaining too much weight (I was staying at my 50-52 kg), but my body became soft, despite my exersising. Carbs do effect your insulin and, in my case, T3 and T4 hormones production in liver. So, now a month of low carbs, I see tremedous different in my body appearance: it became more lean, firm and cellulite dissappeared. I don't have too much weight to loose (10 kg total) and my weight loss is very slow (so far I lost 5 lb since May). But loosing weight is not my primarily goal. Feel free to friend me if you need more support on LC diet.
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
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    I forgot to add: I feel great and full of energy now, BUT -- first couple days were misarable. I knew it will be, so I planned for it, and took two days off work. I slept a lot, and cut any heavy exercises -- no running, no HIT, just walking and yoga. After two weeks, I added slowly my weight training, I ran twice since I started the diet on August 15th (not long distance, just 5k). You have to be prepaired for loss of energy at the beginning. I did increase my protein consumption a lot: now my goal is 110 protein, 95 carbs, 49 fat, 25 sugar. All my carbs are coming from vegetables now, but after I reach my goal weight, I will slowly introduce grains again, then a little bit bread. Hope it helps!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Why is nobody telling her that eating a low carb diet is completely pointless?
    Because not everyone is a moron that has to impose their views on someone asking a simple question.

    If you have no constructive advice to offer go find a thread about pointlessly lifting things or whatever your area of expertise and interest is.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I thought fruits were considered complex?

    No. The carbohydrates in most fruits are sugars - simple carbs.

    There's a bit of starch in bananas, that's a complex carb.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
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    Your thinking about what will lead to carb cravings is incorrect.

    Eating far less carbs, or eliminating starchy/sweet carbs does not lead to more carb cravings and the resultant bingeing. Keeping things in your diet like the low carb baked goods, the nakd bars and the protein bars will indeed lead to more carb cravings--those bars are typically not very low carb, and they always use some sort of sweeteners, even if they are "natural" as the label will say. Artificial sweeteners can also trigger that craving response, so if you're looking to avoid having cravings, don't eat sweetened things, don't eat a ton of fruit (but don't entirely eliminate fruit, either), don't make "clean" baked goods (whatever that means), etc.

    Make sure you're eating enough healthy fats and filling up on veggies and meats rather than these sweet sorts of things. I think you'll find staying relatively low carb is really quite simple that way, and you won't be battling the odd hunger pangs and cravings that having the sweetened bars and baked goods typically induce.
    Hi everyone!

    So I know the debate around low carb diets is a controversial one. However I really would like to properly give it a go as I see so many success stories from people who adopt this eating pattern. I know this type of diet works well for me as a couple of years ago I was doing some volunteer work in Africa for a month and lost a lot of weight. I was eating a lot but the only carbs that was ever served was occasionally some rice with dinner. Breakfast was always eggs and fruit and lunch/dinner was always fish or chicken with veggies and as I said occasionally rice (maybe once a week.) I've tried since to go low carb but I do find I get the craziest carb cravings and actually just end up binging. For example I had a really good 8 days straight under 40g carbs, then on the 9th day literally ate about 6 bowls of porridge, 4 slices of bread, 3 bananas! I just couldn't stop my body was screaming at me to eat carbs. How do you low carb folk stay full? Also I have a major sweet tooth but to avoid eating choclate and candy etc I often get protein bars, or Nakd bars or do "clean baking" using oat flour etc. I'm scared that taking these sort of things out of my diet will make me crave sweet things even more and I'll end up binging. So basically I'm just looking for some tips from anyone out there who has been on a low carb diet for a while and has found success with it.
  • goodnamegone
    goodnamegone Posts: 237
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    I still eat bananas and dates. I read that dates have a lot of carbs in them. I stopped eating bread, pasta, rice and all grains, all white flour foods. I am losing weight. Not feeling a need to binge. Maybe just have less carbs like you did in Africa? Curious what other people will advise.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    Staying under 40 is why you're tempted to binge. You should really re-introduce carbs back in (slowly) after the intial two weeks of staying around 20-30. After that, you should eat 40-60 for several weeks and then 80-100 for "maintenance". If your weight loss slows at 80-100, scale back until you find your magic number.

    I have insulin resistance, so I have to maintain a low-carb/low-sugar diet. I eat around 40-80 carbs per day. Any more than that, and I stop losing. Any less, and I go crazy. ;)

    I do miss certain foods, so I have a bite or two (literally - one bite or two) every so often. Any more than that, and the cravings and hunger comes back. If I stick to my plan, I don't feel hungry between meals, and I feel more energetic. Granted, I eat like this for health reasons. People who don't have insulin resistance and actually use carbs for energy properly have to eat more, so be careful that you aren't eating too little and getting tired.

    This is great advice for low carb dieting. Include 4-6 oz's of lean protein at meals and healthy fats to keep hunger at bay. I only lose weight when I stay at 75 carbs or less. I maintain on 75 - 200 and gain over 200. You'll need to slowly up your #'s to find your sweet spot. I find the more active I am the more carbs I can handle.
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
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    I totally agree with GigiBean. 40 g carbs is too low, you will be hungry all the time. Even if you eat only vegetables as a source for carbs, you should be getting at least 90-100.
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
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    If you are doing low carb, you need to up your fats. Don't try to do low carb and low fat, you'd be struggling.

    You can check out this low carb group where you will find more constructive and useful advice / support as opposed to the main forum:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

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