low carb experiences?

lrk93101 · January 2011

Hi all, I've been reading a lot about the low carb diets for health and weight loss, and was wondering what your experiences are, good and bad. Thanks for the input!

cindaroses · January 2011

I did the low carb diet for about a month. I lost weight, and looked more tone afterwards. The first few weeks were easy, because the diet was new and I was results fast. Afterwards I was tired and had no energy. If I ate something sweet, I had instant energy. I think instead of a low carb, go lower carb. It is really hard to maintian low carb for long periods, plus it isn't good to cut out whole groups of food. You can even be lower carb and include lots of fruits. Strawberries and other berries have less carbs than something like a banana or an apple.

ahbach2005 · January 2011

My wife and I have done this in the past and it does work. Oncee you get to where you want to be you have to rembmer to transition back to a more balanced diet.

Stay away from long term no carb diets.

Be sure to eat several meals a day..you will feel tired if you dont and cravings way get the bes of you.

Good crbs are the key....we had our best results with low to medium quality carbs

gdunn55 · January 2011

I done one last year. If done right and along with exercise, you can lose alot of weight in a short amount of time. I dropped 14 lbs in about 2 weeks. Everything I read was that if you did low carb, you do not do it for long periods of time. I done it roughly for a month, got down to a goal I had set and was good. However, a month later I was off of it, and put all the weight back on. You might have a better run at it, only thing I will suggest is read the ingrediants for anything you buy. Try to cut out the high fructose corn syrup, and look for what the net carbs are. Even now I'm still not consuming all the carbs MFP says I need to. Once you learn about carbs and how they work, you'll catch yourself staying away from the bad carbs. Good luck.

Goal_Seeker_1988 · January 2011

First of all what is your fitness goal? Second, low carb is really good for ppl lookin to tone up. Body builders use low carb and the p90x follows a low carb diet. It's something you stay on for a while. However, don't leave out all your carbs... You body needs carbs for fuel durin a workout. If you are a runner than you def. want and need carbs... As for weight loss it would only be tempary unless you are plannin to stay on a low carb diet 4ever! Basically, all I can say is weightloss is a live and learn experience. It doesn't happen over night and tryin different diets don't always work. Once you lose the weight then consider low carb for tonin up or higher carbs for marathon training. But you wont have lastin results with low carb high protein startin out in your diet. Live and learn that's how you get success! I lost 75lbs and kept it off for over 2 years the best advice that I can give you or anyone is EAT CLEAN! and you wont go wrong!!!!!!! Don't get all low carb, no sugar, blah blah blah diets... Eat small proteins and keep your meals clean and exercise 6 days a week doin weight training and cardio.

MzBug · January 2011

When I went straight to very low carb I was irritated :explode: ALL the time. I had to reduce it slowly or I would have gone postal on someone! Now I have my goals set at 40/30/30, and very seldom get close to my carb limit. Since too many grains were my problem I try to limit my grains to 2 meals a day, usualy oatmeal at breakfast and a sandwich thin at lunch. The rest of my carbs are fruits, vegies and dairy (and the occasional sweet).

Good Luck!

Mindful_Trent · January 2011

I agree with the "lower" carb instead of "low" carb. People don't NEED 55-60% of their calories to be from carbs, but they also do need some carbs. I try to eat 45% carbs, 25-30% protein and 25-30% fat. It works for me - but everyones needs are different. Carbs are very important for your overall health - it is a key fuel for your body. In general, people shouldn't go under 45% carbs (I've also heard 130g) unless you're under strict dr. supervision (licensed nutritionist preferrably). Occasionally it may be okay, but not long-term.

It's also key to differentiate between "good" and "bad" carbs. If you're eating good carbs - veggies and fruit, legumes, moderate amounts of starchier veggies like potatoes, yams, etc., and then non (or low) processed foods like quinoa, barley, oatmeal (NOT instant), etc., then you should be okay. I try to minimize/eliminate as much flour/sugar/processed carbs like pasta and cereals and whatnot.

Pragmatica · January 2011

Hi all, I've been reading a lot about the low carb diets for health and weight loss, and was wondering what your experiences are, good and bad. Thanks for the input!

I have lost over 135 pounds since Oct 2009 with ketogenic low carb. I made the decision to make this a lifetime decision, and I feel like a million bucks. I have an incredible amount of energy, I am off all of my previous blood pressure medications, and I am not longer considered pre-diabetic! I recommend that people try it, but understand and research the science behind why low carb works. I think that is very important for success in any diet - plus, you have to learn how your own body works. Low carb is not for everyone. It does take a lifetime commitment for weight management.

Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing low carb for life. Staying under 100g or even in ketosis doesn't do any damage to your body. Your heart and other organs actually perform more efficiently while running off ketones! Anyways, I know WAY TOO MUCH about low carb.... so I leave with this excellent article: http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/PIIS0899900710002893/fulltext

k8tmama · January 2011

All I know is that I am doing a lower carb (probably about 60-80g/day) approach and I have lost almost 10 pounds since the beginning of the year. I've been snowed in or with sick kids almost that entire time, so my exercise has been limited. (Normally I get in 3-4 hour-long workouts at the Y every week.) I have always been a low-fat (or as little fat as possible), calorie counting dieter, but now I am eating things that are really filling (salad with chicken, some cheese, a tbsp of real dressing, sunflower seeds, etc.) and I am loving it. I can seem myself doing this longer term, enough to get off all of this extra weight I'm carrying. I think that I will be successful this time because I like what I'm doing and I'm not so hungry all the time.

peggybrant · January 2011

There is a person on here by the name of pixelblossom and she is very informed on low carb. Maybe talk to her. She is in my friends list if you want to look her up.

manda1284 · January 2011

Lower carb seems to work best for me for losing weight and feeling good. I have a ton more energy, and tend to be less hungry. There's a website called "the diet solution" that I really like. I don't follow it to a "T", but her articles are interesting. I think everyone responds differently to different ways of eating, but for me, low carb works. And my body loves it... I feel like it functions better. I just try to get my carbs from veggies and nuts, when trying to lose. Fruits are great and obviously good for you, but I try to limit them, when I'm really trying to slim down. I don't shy away from fat either! I get kind of grossed out by some animal fat, so if I do trim it off, I be sure to cook it with an added fat like olive oil or butter.

I think low carb and resistance training are a great combo to get lean and mean

jessicazanebell · June 2011

I am currently 123lbs and on 1300 cals a day, set to lose 1lb a week. I was curious about trying a low-carb diet. How many carbs a day is considered low-carb i was thinking under 50g?

jessicazanebell · June 2011

I am currently 123lbs and on 1300 cals a day, set to lose 1lb a week. I was curious about trying a low-carb diet. How many carbs a day is considered low-carb i was thinking under 50g?

low carb experiences?

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