Does low carb make you lose faster?

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AnswerzPwease
AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Newb question. If newb questions annoy you, you may want to leave now or risk being annoyed. Anyway, I can't do low carb because as soon as I go off of it I stuff my face with the carbs I've been missing for so long. But I did seem to lose faster on it for some reason. For 4 months of my weight loss journey I was strictly low carb (25g or less carbs per day). I lost about 73 pounds in 17 weeks. I didn't track any calories during those months so maybe I was just way under TDEE? Or is there something about low carb living that makes you lose weight faster?
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Replies

  • charlieibeling
    charlieibeling Posts: 93 Member
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    for most people yes. keeping insulin low(not eating carbs) as long as possible will speed up fat loss. when you eat carbs you secrete insulin. insulin is responsible for shuttling in nutrients to fat cells and limits fat oxidation when its elevated in the blood. a good compromise is dont eat any carbs until after your workout in the afternoon evening. its effective and you wont go totally nuts
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    for most people yes. keeping insulin low(not eating carbs) as long as possible will speed up fat loss. when you eat carbs you secrete insulin. insulin is responsible for shuttling in nutrients to fat cells and limits fat oxidation when its elevated in the blood. a good compromise is dont eat any carbs until after your workout in the afternoon evening. its effective and you wont go totally nuts

    Gotcha.

    Yeah it's definitely slowed down, almost in half, since just counting calories and IIFYM.

    I wonder if this is why IF helps?
  • fastfoodietofitcutie
    fastfoodietofitcutie Posts: 523 Member
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    I want to go low carb to help lose weight faster but I know it's not something I can stick to long term and would just gain the weight back. I'm trying to make this a long term lifestyle change so it's not realistic to eat such low carbs for the rest of my life.
  • Taiser
    Taiser Posts: 81 Member
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    It did in my case. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was a carb fiend!!! When I stopped and switched to "good carbs" whole wheat and what not I lost 65 lbs in 3 months (diet and a hard core workout routine) but the I'm sure the lower/good carb switch had a lot to with it. If you stick with it, the cravings go away. I was a pasta monster and now have it once in a while but use whole wheat now... it's an acquired taste but now when my Italian mother-in-law has pasta when we visit (white pasta) I barely eat it, it's too bland for me now... I've totally lost the taste for it! :)
  • paulawatkins1974
    paulawatkins1974 Posts: 720 Member
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    Ya it works temporarily, mainly because refined carbs can have a lot of calories. So not much bang for your buck. So you end up eating more. (especially me I tend to eat too much of it and go overboard) It's still ultimately eating less calories than your burning.
  • KM0692
    KM0692 Posts: 178 Member
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    My husband dropped 20 lbs. in 4 months just by cutting (way) down on carbs. He never counts calories. Me? There is no way I can live without my carbs, lol

    ETA: Congratulations on your weight loss. That is a tremendous accomplishment!!!
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    It did in my case. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was a carb fiend!!! When I stopped and switched to "good carbs" whole wheat and what not I lost 65 lbs in 3 months (diet and a hard core workout routine) but the I'm sure the lower/good carb switch had a lot to with it. If you stick with it, the cravings go away. I was a pasta monster and now have it once in a while but use whole wheat now... it's an acquired taste but now when my Italian mother-in-law has pasta when we visit (white pasta) I barely eat it, it's too bland for me now... I've totally lost the taste for it! :)

    I also have a little home gym. Would you mind sharing what your workout is?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    I believe this question was already thoroughly answered in your previous post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1347263-do-you-believe-in-strictly-calories-in-calories-out
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    I believe this question was already thoroughly answered in your previous post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1347263-do-you-believe-in-strictly-calories-in-calories-out

    I don't recall ever asking this question in that thread. That thread did get very, very long and someone else may have brought it up.
  • Taiser
    Taiser Posts: 81 Member
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    My diary should be open, my workout is in there, but I'm not sure if it comes up since it doesn't show any calories burned in the weight lifting part. My workout is pretty straight forward. It takes about 1.5 hours a day for my lifting and then I finish up with 30 minutes of cardio. During the heavy weight loss time I was doing an hour of cardio a day on an elliptical and/or treadmill 6 days a week, but that much cardio (after I lost the weight) was impeding my muscle mass building goals so I went down to 30 minutes. Lifting is pretty straight forward, I do a two day split, Day one is Chest and arms, day two is back, shoulders and legs. 6 days a week I try to do with Sundays off, but sometimes during the week I miss a day, just because of my work hours...
  • protein321
    protein321 Posts: 16 Member
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    dont listen to the first post its broscience unless you have health problems
  • cwrig
    cwrig Posts: 190 Member
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    When I stopped and switched to "good carbs" whole wheat and what not I lost 65 lbs in 3 months (diet and a hard core workout routine) but the I'm sure the lower/good carb switch had a lot to with it.

    Dont agree that whole wheat is a "good carb". White bread and wheat bread have the same amount of carbs. You might argue that wheat bread has more nutrients than white bread, but carb wise its just as bad.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Or is there something about low carb living that makes you lose weight faster?

    There's a reduction in glycogen stores and associated water that gives an initial boost to weight loss. That bit would return on reverting to a high carb diet of course.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    for most people yes. keeping insulin low(not eating carbs) as long as possible will speed up fat loss. when you eat carbs you secrete insulin. insulin is responsible for shuttling in nutrients to fat cells and limits fat oxidation when its elevated in the blood. a good compromise is dont eat any carbs until after your workout in the afternoon evening. its effective and you wont go totally nuts
    None of that is necessary. Carbs can be whenever, not just after the afternoon workout. Fast loss is not going to speed up to to timing carbs.

    On the whole fat oxidizing, you can't just look at the process of when insulin secreted. There are peaks and valleys and the valleys have to outweigh the peaks.

    Saying someone will not go crazy eating the way you suggest is your opinion not a fact. I know many people including myself That would find eating like that to be a pain and unnecessary.

    Low carb is effective due to a reduction in calories. Not because it's low carb. If you replaced the calories with protein you somehow lose weight because carbs are low. It's about overall calories, not just carbs.

    FYI- protein also creates an insulin response.
    The anti-carb warriors seem to forget this
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    I believe this question was already thoroughly answered in your previous post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1347263-do-you-believe-in-strictly-calories-in-calories-out
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Its not a race. If you can't keep the weight off, its not working for you.

    Eat in a way that suits you (but less obvs). Take your time. All diets basically work, its finding something that will work for you long-term.
  • cargotrailer
    cargotrailer Posts: 62 Member
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    Low carb is effective due to a reduction in calories. Not because it's low carb. If you replaced the calories with protein you somehow lose weight because carbs are low. It's about overall calories, not just carbs.
    I agree with the above statement....
    I will comment on my personal experience, no scientist here...
    I will go "lower" carb (30 - 50) when I feel like I am stuck or even unmotivated on my "diet" and it seems to help get me going again, but I am pretty sure it is just a mechanism that I use (to reduce my overall calorie intake), that works for me, to get me back on course.. And I only do it for 4 - 5 days...(I am a firm believer in CICO!)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    for most people yes. keeping insulin low(not eating carbs) as long as possible will speed up fat loss. when you eat carbs you secrete insulin. insulin is responsible for shuttling in nutrients to fat cells and limits fat oxidation when its elevated in the blood. a good compromise is dont eat any carbs until after your workout in the afternoon evening. its effective and you wont go totally nuts
    None of that is necessary. Carbs can be whenever, not just after the afternoon workout. Fast loss is not going to speed up to to timing carbs.

    On the whole fat oxidizing, you can't just look at the process of when insulin secreted. There are peaks and valleys and the valleys have to outweigh the peaks.

    Saying someone will not go crazy eating the way you suggest is your opinion not a fact. I know many people including myself That would find eating like that to be a pain and unnecessary.

    Low carb is effective due to a reduction in calories. Not because it's low carb. If you replaced the calories with protein you somehow lose weight because carbs are low. It's about overall calories, not just carbs.

    FYI- protein also creates an insulin response.

    This.

    Also, you may see a temporary boost from your glycogen stores depleting, but once you begin eating more calories or carbs, the glycogen stores just fill back up.

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