Does low carb make you lose faster?

McDougall and Dr. Christian Barnard and many other notable professionals know that a high carb whole foods vegan diet rich in veggies and fruits will cause weightloss, reverse heart disease, and cure diabetes 2. You can look this up on posts on youtube for interviews with these long term professionals.

I am on this diet, although I am not restricting fat so much, while McDougall recommends low fat. I firmly believe in the benefits of some good fat from nuts, good oils and the like.

I lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks eating vegan, whole foods, not restricting fat but by no means going nuts with it, and cutting out refined sugar.

Having said that, there are other ways to eat that also cause weight loss and I'm not sure if they reverse heart disease or cure diabetes 2. I know that ketonic diet does not seem to hurt blood labs and seems to help them quite a bit. Like serum cholesterol, triglycerides. I do not know about the long term effects of morbidity regarding heart disease and curing diabetes 2 as I can't find long term studies on it or any references on cures for these diseases while on the ketonic diet.

There is abundant evidence of reversal of both heart disease and the curing of diabetes 2 on a whole foods vegan diet which is low fat. Not here to argue, just saying my decision was based on what I learned after doing research. I respect everyone's right to decide what works for them.

It feels like carbs are in everything! What are you guys eating to only eat 25g or so a day? Lots of meat?

I eat everything my carb-thriving counterpart eats, just without the starch/sugar. That means things like eggs, cream, cheese, nuts, meats, lots of non-starchy veggies.

Main dishes might include stuffed peppers, chili con carne, stews, soups (sans noodles) etc. Usually my dinner plate is a serving of meat & double veggies. Veggies may be au gratin or a dinner salad, chef's salad, greek etc.

Chia seeds, Coconut oil, butter, avocado & fat from pasture raised animals are what I use for my fats.

ETA: I try to keep my carbs to <25/day

Damn, you're almost making me miss the days when I was strictly super low carb lol! No, but I do still eat largely like you describe here. I had some cracked black pepper turkey breast deli slices wrapped around avocado earlier this evening...I almost smacked myself in the face it was so good!

Thing about that way of eating is that if you truly enjoy the foods she's mentioning above, it's a program you'll really thrive on. I think people who do enjoy, and thrive, on low carb long term (for whatever reasons) are the people who genuinely come to prefer the list of low and lower carb type foods.

I'd low carb almost every day of my life even now if I didn't have a wicked sweet tooth that I enjoy indulging.

It does work at first but it will go back to normal rate later.
A good balance after will be required.... good carbs,good fat...good protein

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McDougall and Dr. Christian Barnard and many other notable professionals know that a high carb whole foods vegan diet rich in veggies and fruits will cause weightloss, reverse heart disease, and cure diabetes 2. You can look this up on posts on youtube for interviews with these long term professionals.

I am on this diet, although I am not restricting fat so much, while McDougall recommends low fat. I firmly believe in the benefits of some good fat from nuts, good oils and the like.

I lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks eating vegan, whole foods, not restricting fat but by no means going nuts with it, and cutting out refined sugar.

Having said that, there are other ways to eat that also cause weight loss and I'm not sure if they reverse heart disease or cure diabetes 2. I know that ketonic diet does not seem to hurt blood labs and seems to help them quite a bit. Like serum cholesterol, triglycerides. I do not know about the long term effects of morbidity regarding heart disease and curing diabetes 2 as I can't find long term studies on it or any references on cures for these diseases while on the ketonic diet.

There is abundant evidence of reversal of both heart disease and the curing of diabetes 2 on a whole foods vegan diet which is low fat. Not here to argue, just saying my decision was based on what I learned after doing research. I respect everyone's right to decide what works for them.

My husband has Type 2 diabetes and has it well under control to the point that his Doctor says that if he didn't know he had it, he wouldn't be able to tell from his regular HbA1c tests. Type 2 diabetes can be controlled, managed or 'reversed' through lifestyle changes like a healthy diet and exercise, sometimes to the point that medication can be reduced or no longer needed, but it can't be cured.

Indeed.

I think the confusion comes in because people who are Insulin Resistant might reach blood glucose of 'diabetic levels'. However, if they are able to reverse their Insulin Resistance, they are able to maintain non diabetic blood glucose levels without medication. Losing body fat & exercise can be a very effective way to control T2D, however, not a cure.

A cure implies (at least to me anyway) that a condition goes away, never to return.

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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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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:

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.