Does low carb make you lose faster?

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  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    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?
    Oh, I'm so annoyed! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

    Just kidding.

    It's simple.

    Because with low carb, you are eating more calories than you are burning. People who do low carb will gain weight if they eat more calories than they burn. :smile:
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
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    Thank you for the clarification on my use of the word cure. I know that high carb whole foods, rich in fruit and veggies ends insulin dependence for people with diabetes 2, but not if you go back to other ways of eating. Diabetes 2 is lifestyle.

    Having said that, the a vegan whole foods low fat diet is a huge change.. Ending insulin dependence and labs going back to normal including serum lipids is fantastic. But whole foods vegan low fat is not for everyone.

    I even said I am going to eat what I consider good fats regularly. That is my choice as a whole foods vegan who has on the whole given up refined sugar. I so completely support the dignity of choice in what we choose to eat.

    Diet alone will not end insulin dependence for diabetes 1 though. Diabetes 1 is a means a destroyed part of the body, so a person with that type of Diabetes will remain insulin dependent on any diet.

    Admittedly, I'm not good at semantics when I'm not the expert. I just know the evidence is there for what I am saying, although the way I'm saying it is probably as clear as mud.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.

    Then the easy answer here is for you to cut back on your carbs. That seemed to work better for you, and you were able to do it for 17 weeks, so it is sustainable for you for awhile. Just be careful when you do start to add them back in at whatever point you choose. Add them slowly, and keep an accurate calorie count. You will gain a small amount of water weight when you increase your carbs, but unless you go crazy with them, you won't gain EVERYTHING back.

    Diabetics, and those that are insulin resistant will need to eat lower carbs for the rest of their lives. If you do not have these conditions, then it is pretty much CICO for maintenance.

    Maintenance is the tough part of losing weight. If you don't make permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits, the weight you lose will come back on, no matter HOW you lose it.
    This doesn't mean that you have to continue eating the exact same way in maintenance that you did during the weight loss phase, just that you need a maintenance plan that will be sustainable for life.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    Thank you for the clarification on my use of the word cure. I know that high carb whole foods, rich in fruit and veggies ends insulin dependence for people with diabetes 2, but not if you go back to other ways of eating. Diabetes 2 is lifestyle.

    Having said that, the a vegan whole foods low fat diet is a huge change.. Ending insulin dependence and labs going back to normal including serum lipids is fantastic. But whole foods vegan low fat is not for everyone.

    I even said I am going to eat what I consider good fats regularly. That is my choice as a whole foods vegan who has on the whole given up refined sugar. I so completely support the dignity of choice in what we choose to eat.

    Diet alone will not end insulin dependence for diabetes 1 though. Diabetes 1 is a means a destroyed part of the body, so a person with that type of Diabetes will remain insulin dependent on any diet.

    Admittedly, I'm not good at semantics when I'm not the expert. I just know the evidence is there for what I am saying, although the way I'm saying it is probably as clear as mud.

    What percentage of your diet is carbs? On some 'high carb' diets I have seen, some people are eating up to 80% of their diet in carbs. I cannot image ANYONE who is Diabetic or IR being able to control their blood sugar on that high carb level, unless they are on a very low calorie as well, and even then, it is questionable.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I don't think there is a clear definition of "low carb".

    Table 1 in http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900714003323 proposes

    Very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD)
    Carbohydrate, 20-50 g/d or less than 10% of the 2000 kcal/d diet, whether or not ketosis occurs

    Low carbohydrate diet: less than 130 g/d or less than 26% total energy
    The American Diabetes Association (ADA) definition of 130 g/d as its recommended minimum.

    Moderate Carbohydrate Diet: 26 - 45%

    High Carbohydrate Diet: Greater than 45%. Recommended target on ADA websites
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.
    Hold on a second. You asked the original question itt and then give that respose? What was the point of the thread?

    Trying to figure out WHY.

    It could simply be a cycle I'm in. I may have hit a pleateu with low carb as well.

    Why are you getting offended? Because I lost more while eating less carbs?
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.

    Then the easy answer here is for you to cut back on your carbs. That seemed to work better for you, and you were able to do it for 17 weeks, so it is sustainable for you for awhile. Just be careful when you do start to add them back in at whatever point you choose. Add them slowly, and keep an accurate calorie count. You will gain a small amount of water weight when you increase your carbs, but unless you go crazy with them, you won't gain EVERYTHING back.

    Diabetics, and those that are insulin resistant will need to eat lower carbs for the rest of their lives. If you do not have these conditions, then it is pretty much CICO for maintenance.

    Maintenance is the tough part of losing weight. If you don't make permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits, the weight you lose will come back on, no matter HOW you lose it.
    This doesn't mean that you have to continue eating the exact same way in maintenance that you did during the weight loss phase, just that you need a maintenance plan that will be sustainable for life.

    That's why I stopped doing it. I was CRAVING carbs and that always led to bad things.

    I would love to get just SOME of the success I had on low carb with CICO though.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    nope, eating at a calorie deficit makes you lose faster. team that up with daily exercise and you got this in the bag.:drinker:
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.
    Hold on a second. You asked the original question itt and then give that respose? What was the point of the thread?

    Trying to figure out WHY.

    It could simply be a cycle I'm in. I may have hit a pleateu with low carb as well.

    Why are you getting offended? Because I lost more while eating less carbs?

    Are you in a plateau? How long has your weight loss been stalled?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.

    Wait - Just the other day you were singing the praises of "eating more" and the weight was falling off.
  • sandryc
    sandryc Posts: 33
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    I do have PCOS and insulin resistance like many obese people. I don't eat "low carb" but I do eat foods that are low glycemic index. Every time I eat a small amount of carbs (mostly from fruit/whole grains? I make sure the meal includes a little bit of protein to lower the overall gi of the meal. I also eat very small meals about every 2-4 hours (whenever I am hungry), so a meal for me would look like a yogurt and 27 grams of grainola or 2oz of chicken and some whole grain chips with 100 grams of raspberries...

    I also track everything I eat and do calorie control.

    When I eat like this I lose weight because my calories are at a deficit. Also though, I *feel* better and less hungry than I ever did just doing low calories and high carbs. I sleep better too.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.
    Hold on a second. You asked the original question itt and then give that respose? What was the point of the thread?

    Trying to figure out WHY.

    It could simply be a cycle I'm in. I may have hit a pleateu with low carb as well.

    Why are you getting offended? Because I lost more while eating less carbs?

    Are you in a plateau? How long has your weight loss been stalled?

    Less than 5 days since his last post on this thread

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1355025-i-thought-the-eat-more-food-people-were-crazy?page=4
  • PrissyPisces
    PrissyPisces Posts: 117 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.

    Exactly! I have to have my carbs. I'd be lying to myself and everyone else if I said I could live the rest of my life with hardly any. Lol!. However, I've cut back quite a bit. :smile:

    It sure will speed up weight loss, but it'll be temporary once you revert back. Not discouraging you from doing as you please, but if I were you, I'd just try my best to follow a balanced diet that I can live with. From my experience, telling yourself that you can't have something, makes you want it that much more. :laugh:

    Good luck on your weight loss! I wish you success! :happy:
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.
    Hold on a second. You asked the original question itt and then give that respose? What was the point of the thread?

    Trying to figure out WHY.

    It could simply be a cycle I'm in. I may have hit a pleateu with low carb as well.

    Why are you getting offended? Because I lost more while eating less carbs?
    Because people have presented you a plethora of information and it seems you've chosen to remain ignorant.

    Anyway, weightloss is not a linear process. I've had weeks where I didn't lose a thing, followed by a week dropping 4lbs+. Impatience will be your downfall if you continue to leap from one plan to another.
  • LisaBear1986
    LisaBear1986 Posts: 85 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.

    I've always been a little confused by the peaks and valleys.

    If I eat 10 small meals a day, even though in a calorie defecit, won't I consistently be in a peak because I'm eating very often and the body doesn't have much time to go into a valley?
    The body is constantly storing and burning at the same time. The metabolism is like a set of dimmer switches, not a set of on/off switches. in an overall deficit, burning will outpace the storing. The opposite is true for a surplus.

    ^All of this. Anyone that tells you low carb makes you lose weight faster because of insulin response doesn't understand how the body works. As @MrM27 stated, insulin has a basal level and is always present. Protein also stimulates an insulin response. Low carb will lead to faster initial weight loss due to muslce glycogen depletion (water weight), but fat loss is dependent on calories in vs out. Low carb followers lose weight due to caloric deficit, not the fact that they consume less carbs.

    Meal timing/frequency doesn't inhibit weight loss, calories in vs out determines weight loss. So even if you at 20 small meals, your net caloric deficit is all that matters. As @eric_sg61 stated, your metabolism doesn't turn on or off.

    I absolutely agree with this. If you take in more carbs/calories than your body needs and you don't burn them, they turn into fat. Gotta find a balance in your diet and exercise regime.
  • AnswerzPwease
    AnswerzPwease Posts: 142 Member
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    I don't know all the scientific stuff.

    But I do know that when I did low carb the weight fell off me consistently.

    Now it's barely moving.

    And since I know someone's going to ask - I weigh everything with a food scale.
    Hold on a second. You asked the original question itt and then give that respose? What was the point of the thread?

    Trying to figure out WHY.

    It could simply be a cycle I'm in. I may have hit a pleateu with low carb as well.

    Why are you getting offended? Because I lost more while eating less carbs?
    Because people have presented you a plethora of information and it seems you've chosen to remain ignorant.

    Anyway, weightloss is not a linear process. I've had weeks where I didn't lose a thing, followed by a week dropping 4lbs+. Impatience will be your downfall if you continue to leap from one plan to another.

    WTF are you talking about? Where did I choose to remain ignorant ... and when was I EVER ignorant? I simply said that I lost weight very quickly eating a low amount of carbs and when I switched to just CICO it slowed down. I THEN said it could have been a coincidence and I'm just trying to figure out why it happened.

    So seriously, WTF are you talking about?

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