Can I lose weight without going low carb?

I wish I could do 1250 calories a day plus working out, but that just makes me super hungry.

To answer the original question, you could eat 100% carbs and lose weight. But what that would mean for me on a 1300 calorie day is 3 donuts. And nothing else. You're going to be hungry. As others have said, protein and fat keep you feeling full longer. I eat carbs. I eat the "bad" carbs and the "good" ones. Always have, always will. But I eat them in moderation. I'm relatively thin, so my goal - even when I exercise - is low, because I don't have as much mass...and don't burn as much. I "could" eat the donuts. But if I'm looking at 1300 calories, I don't want to waste 400 of them on a donut because I'm going to be starving all day. I am going to save my carby meals for the things I love, and plan when to eat them and how much. You don't HAVE to do low carb, but chances are, unless you learn to limit your carb intake, you're not going to succeed, because hunger will get the better of you. Maybe you could save your less healthy choices for the days when you work out and have the extra calories from exercise. Work out, and enjoy some pizza that night. Or a donut. Or whatever you want...

I too have done Low carb, VLCD, HCg diet and atkins in the past. All which were successful but never long term. I would always go back to binging and cravings those bad foods once off the diet. I have battled with the same 50 pounds on and off for years.

This sticks out to me too...and the fact that you want to lose so quickly. We all do...if you make a change, its natural to want to see those results. But quick fix losses don't last. Because you're not teaching yourself to get out of those old habits. The 5lbs you lost in a few days on Atkins? Natural. You're depleting your glycogen stores, and it's not fat loss, it's water loss...Mine are depleted right now, because I've been doing this for a while. But I had a few days unrestricted eating on a trip recently, and gained 8lbs in a week. Lost 7.5 in a week once I started getting back to my healthy lifestyle. Which means less than a pound of that week was actual fat gain.

If you are serious about wanting the weight to be gone, and stay gone, read around here on the forums. Learn about macros and TDEE/BMR and how to make the choices that will keep you full. Find some exercise that you love. Learn about it from the people here who have lost a significant amount. From the people who are maintaining.

And the best advice I can give you - is learn to love the process...patience is the key, not quick results. The process is amazing. Your body will change in ways that you never dreamed. It will get leaner and stronger and it will take time. But you are worth it.

Yes please do! Research good carbs eliminate bad carbs as much as possible.

Yes, exactly what she pposted. There is a difference.

I don't consider myself doing "low carb" or "low fat" - meaning I don't go out of my way to do that. I can't deprive myself of carbs or fats or that's all I'll want and go haywire.

Very early on, I realized I was having LOTS more carbs and fats, but not very much in the way of protein. My dietician told me that if I focus on protein, the fats/carbs will take care of themselves. I've found that to be pretty accurate - for me anyway.

I will say that if I go to, say, Longhorn Steakhouse and really want a cheeseburger, I'll order it without the bun if I want to have fries. Or if I decide I'd rather have the bun, I'll order a salad instead of the fries. It's the whole idea of "choose your doom."

It does help to make sure you get enough fiber. I get Chocolite protein bars to help with that - they have about 10 g fiber in them - 1 or two of them in a day and I've pretty much met my fiber numbers. I get them at www.healthsmartfoods.com.

After my husband was told by his doctor to get his carbs to 100grams a day, he lost weight. I believe it was 20 pounds over a six month period(give or take). He also exercised, so I am sure that helped.

But, to answer your question, I think you can loose weight without going low carb.

your husband lost weight because he was eating fewer calories. the carb restriction was a caloric restriction.

After giving your comment so thought and given the fact that I am stubborn, I do not agree with your statement. He didn't reduce his caloric intake. He was eating protein enriched foods which did not equal FEWER calories. He found a good balance between what the dr wanted and not feeling hungry all the time.

that's fine that you disagree with my statement, it doesn't mean you're right. You can't argue against calorie deficit = weight loss. There are a hundred thousand ways to approach that equation. Carb reduction is one of them.

was your husband logging his calories? No? Well, most likely case was that he was eating at a deficit. Problem solved.

After my husband was told by his doctor to get his carbs to 100grams a day, he lost weight. I believe it was 20 pounds over a six month period(give or take). He also exercised, so I am sure that helped.

But, to answer your question, I think you can loose weight without going low carb.

your husband lost weight because he was eating fewer calories. the carb restriction was a caloric restriction.

After giving your comment so thought and given the fact that I am stubborn, I do not agree with your statement. He didn't reduce his caloric intake. He was eating protein enriched foods which did not equal FEWER calories. He found a good balance between what the dr wanted and not feeling hungry all the time.

that's fine that you disagree with my statement, it doesn't mean you're right. You can't argue against calorie deficit = weight loss. There are a hundred thousand ways to approach that equation. Carb reduction is one of them.

was your husband logging his calories? No? Well, most likely case was that he was eating at a deficit. Problem solved.

Assumptions on here run amok. To answer your question he was logging his calories. Are you saying that foods rich in protein and low in carbs are low in calories as well?

you can almost hear the point whooshing over your head.

he was at a caloric deficit. He was eating less than his TDEE. That's how he lost the weight.

I did low carb years ago but couldn't keep the weight off. To me, and this is just my opinion, it is more important to me to be able to eat a healthy diet comprised of everything than to eliminate good carbs which I enjoy. I love my fruit and brown rice. Now, I am a truly believer in eating the GOOD carbs: sweet potatoes, brown rice, avoiding white sugar as much as possible, and etc. But, I am not so strict on it that I make myself miserable. If I feel myself floundering I will make half a candy bar fit into my macros to keep myself from going off the deep end. For the first time in my life I am losing weight just by eating at a 500 calorie deficit and trying to stay near my macros. But I don't just eat anything. I eat good lean protein, good carbs, fruits and veggies and etc. I do not recommend more than a 500 calorie deficit. You will get hungry and discouraged if you do. My hubby and I have ONE cheat meal per week where we eat whatever we are craving. I am still losing and it works. BUT, I highly recommend that you get on an exercise routine and lift weights. I could go on and on but I won't. I am about 290 days into this journey and I am loving it. Really!!!

After my husband was told by his doctor to get his carbs to 100grams a day, he lost weight. I believe it was 20 pounds over a six month period(give or take). He also exercised, so I am sure that helped.

But, to answer your question, I think you can loose weight without going low carb.

your husband lost weight because he was eating fewer calories. the carb restriction was a caloric restriction.

After giving your comment so thought and given the fact that I am stubborn, I do not agree with your statement. He didn't reduce his caloric intake. He was eating protein enriched foods which did not equal FEWER calories. He found a good balance between what the dr wanted and not feeling hungry all the time.

that's fine that you disagree with my statement, it doesn't mean you're right. You can't argue against calorie deficit = weight loss. There are a hundred thousand ways to approach that equation. Carb reduction is one of them.

was your husband logging his calories? No? Well, most likely case was that he was eating at a deficit. Problem solved.

Assumptions on here run amok. To answer your question he was logging his calories. Are you saying that foods rich in protein and low in carbs are low in calories as well?

you can almost hear the point whooshing over your head.

he was at a caloric deficit. He was eating less than his TDEE. That's how he lost the weight.

Anyone that can rock a beard such as yourself is someone that knows it all! Nice day to you my friend.

I used to think low carb ( South Beach) was the only way I could get my body to lose weight. Then, I lost a bunch of weight on WWs and I am now losing very easily on the MyFitness Pal plan. I'm just logging my foods as I eat them during the day and I'm losing 1 pound a week. Plus, I can eat anything and don't have to deal with those insane exchanges on WW.
I had felt like my metabolism ground to a halt in the past few years with getting closer to menopause. Now, I'm finding that I was just taking in too many calories, like everyone else.

I tried low carb, and didn't like the way it made me feel after a few days. Actually I didn't end up losing either, I gained. As soon as I went back to just counting calories and staying within my macros, the weight was coming off.