No carbs?

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Replies

  • Sofaa1
    Sofaa1 Posts: 19
    You can find calculators online that will show you how many grams of carbs you can consume a day and still reach your goal, so it is not necessary to completely cut out carbs.
    However I find that shredded zucchini is a good substitute for pasta in pasta dishes. And pan-fried (no oil, butter, etc.) riced cauliflower is an awesome substitute for rice in my opinion. I always do that :)

    It is also possible to buy shirataki noodles, which is a 0 calorie noodle. It is not cheap though :)
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    I've been told that no carbs are a good way to go for losing weight..
    No bread, rice, pasta, cous cous etc...
    Is this a healthy idea, if so what are good replacements?

    A No carb diet would certainly be unhealthy. Whilst carbs are not an essential macro nutrient they are optimal in a diet for best health, as they provide many of the micro nutrients we need for good health.

    Also depending on our life style they replenish glycogen stores in our muscles, which are utilised during anaerobic activity.

    I think when people mention a no carb diet they mean a low carb diet. A low carb diet is extremely healthy as long as the carbs you are eating are providing your required micro nutrients.

    It is not an eating strategy that suits everyone, just moderation and restricted calorie counting doesn't.

    If you are going to try it I would suggest you stick with it for at least a month as the conversion to burning more ketones and less glucose as energy can leave you feeling a bit sluggish and can last for a day to a couple of weeks (depending on how reliant you are to carbs).

    Good luck.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I'm still eating veg and nuts, but i've been told to cut out things like bread, rice and potatoes?

    they would be a good choice to establish your calorie deficit. Not a huge amount of nutrition there.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    My Macros where set to 50% of my intake coming from carbs and I managed to lose a few pounds so unless you have a medical condition that would prevent you eating them I am in the camp that carbs are not the devil and can be consume during weight loss. More important is that you are maintaining a calorie deficit and tracking and logging your food intake... Best of Luck
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
    Here's the counter argument. I eat 500g of carbs. I'm slowly losing weight.
    Just because it's not processed and bleached carbs doesn't mean it's bad carbs
  • Celia_Arminta
    Celia_Arminta Posts: 10 Member
    No carbs is not a sustainable way of eating. What was that fad diet called? Aitkins? Yeah you'll lose, but once you fall off the wagon it will come right back. Learn to eat with moderation and enjoy your food! I make my meals look good and I sit down to eat with my kids.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    No carbs is not a sustainable way of eating.

    The OP's definition of "no carbs" was no bread, pasta and something else I forgot. Not zero carbohydrates.
  • Maggit59
    Maggit59 Posts: 5 Member
    Being a type 2 diabetic that is highly carbohydrate sensitive (they spike my glucose readings) I am now eating a low carb (less than 20 g per day) , moderate protein, high fat protocol and it is the best thing I have ever done. My macros are 5% carbs, 15% proteins, 80% fats. Carbs are not required to live but protein and fat are. I am eating a ketogenic diet.

    If you want to do this, you need to expect to have a learning curve to do it properly. I have been reading and researching daily for 6 months and still have a lot to learn but time will pass anyway and I might as well be wiser for it. Fats, including saturated fats, are not bad for you unless you combine them with excessive carbs. Switching from a typical SAD diet with high carbs mostly via grains and low fat to this protocol has dropped my HgbA1c from 7.9 with medications to 5.5 (and falling) without medications and I have boundless energy. It IS easily sustainable without a problem and anyone who says otherwise is not doing it correctly. My husband has already lost 36 lbs on it and he is not diabetic, loves it and plans to stay on this for the rest of his life, too. We eat a huge abundance of organic vegetables, non-commercial meats, no grains, no dairy except for grass fed butter, some heavy cream, real cheeses or cream cheese for treats (they can bump my sugar), no fruits at the moment while losing weight but berries are the best choice and we will add them back later on, we eat similarly to Primal with no veggies that grow underground (all starchy) and no corn for the same reason.

    Dana Carpender has several great low carb cookbooks and she has been low carb for 17 years and counting.
    I just made low carb full fat raw milk ice cream that is amazing and guilt free :D.

    You get into trouble with eating high fat and high carbs. You have to educate yourself.
    Watch Food, Inc if you want to know more, read The Art and Science of Low Carb by Volek and Phinney
    Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt is a good start at www.dietdoctor.com

    AMEN......love your post, the science, and love not craving the crap foods anymore.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    When I was on a Dr supervised VLCD, the only way I could get through it was by eliminating all grains and starchy vegetables and most fruits as well. I ate a lot of greens and an occasional half an apple but I kept my overall carbs low. This restriction helped to eliminate my cravings and also reduced my overall appetite so I could get by on only 800 calories a day. It also allowed me to get adequate protein on such a low calorie amount.

    This way of life is not sustainable but I did lose 70 pounds eating this way. I only did it though because I wanted to be in the best possible health prior to having bariatric surgery. So I did an 800 calorie VLCD for 4.5 months prior to surgery in order to have the best possible outcome. I firmly believe if I had just eliminated carbs and NOT had the surgery, I would immediately regained the weight as soon as I reintroduced the starches and my appetite returned to normal, which for me was RAVENOUS. Now since the surgery, I no longer consciously eat a low-carb diet though my diet is naturally lower in carbs than the S.A.D. simply because my reduced stomach size no longer requires copious amounts of starches and grains to feel satiated.

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