Low Carb success?

writerly · July 2014

Is there anyone out there with success from carb counting, not calorie counting? I would love to hear your success and it would be awesome if you posted pics also! I need motivation and I have already lost five pounds the last two weeks on low carb, but I want to see if it's just an immediate thing or if it's steady weight loss.

Thanks!!

lolabluola · July 2014

Absolutely! 42lbs down so far!

Just keep it real and do what you can and don't completely deprive yourself

Do a lot of research and experiment!

it was pretty immediate in the beginning

bikermike5094 · July 2014

here we go again.. bring on all the fitness guru's that think that you cant have success or sustainability with a low carb approcach. topics like this seem to bring them out of the woodwork. yes, low carb (not no carb) can and does work. I do P90x 3-4 times a week plus walk 2 miles 3x a week and i average about 100 carbs/day. I've lost 50 lbs in 6 months and see no reason to change. I get my carbs through fruits and sweet potatos, and dark chocolate for a once in a while snack.

but hey, what does my 50 lbs know? Bring on the peanut gallery!

writerly · July 2014

@bikermike5094 why are you so upset? I just asked a simple question as to whether or not it worked and it seems like nobody else has commented negative things about low carb. Congratulations on your fifty pounds, by the way!

@lolabluola thanks for the advice! I found a website with great recipes!! (Peanut butter low carb cookies, yum!!)

yasmine334 · July 2014

Yes it does work, at least for me :blushing:

I just have to add that I keep the calorie deficit because in some days I would love to have a piece of bread in my food. I cannot eat without counting calories, but I stick to 50-100 carb grams per day (some days I get more, but I always try to keep the calories deficit at the end of the day/week).

writerly · July 2014

Thanks!! I was just wondering.

monica10171 · July 2014

I have lost 50lbs on low carb. I keep my carbs to under 50 and calories around 1200-1400. I am diabetic also, so this works perfect for me.

marchellaz · July 2014

I lost 60 lbs in 3 months.. but found them plus 20 ish more when I stopped. I think it is hard to live on. Just my opinion. I have no patience and mfp is taking a lot longer but a simple way to maintain.

baconslave · July 2014

I've been low carbing for almost 2 months. I've lost 28 lbs so far. Exercise 4-5 days a week. I usually try to keep carbs under 30g/day. And I have to keep my calories down or I stall. Before this I lost 50lbs doing the low carb/high fat, but I thought "hey, I can add back some stuff." Ummm...many pizzas, bags of chocolate, gallons of beer, and 50lbs gained later, I finally realize that I am a carb addict and that I just can't control myself. So I mostly eat meat and veggies and drink water, and have some eggs, sour cream, and cheese (moderation). I have the occasional diet soda. I'm committed to this way of life. I can't ever have sweets, breads, rice, and pasta, but I'm fine with it. Healthy and weighing less is good enough for me.

I'm really happier than I have ever been now. I haven't taken any progress pics. Maybe I should...
I'd like to add that you should really take your measurements. Sometimes things will slow down on the scale, but your body is switching things up and you are losing inches. This is an invaluable tool to keep you from getting discouraged. 9 times out of 10, if you are on plan but the scale is giving you the shaft, you are losing inches instead. Best wishes.

DeadliftAddict · July 2014

There are but, lower carb diets are just a way to create a caloric deficit which is the ONLY thing you need to lose weight. This isn't a knock on low carb before I get accused of doing so. Just pointing that lower carbs just equate to lower calories for most.

StrongHealthyPowerful · July 2014

I lost roughly 55lbs four years ago, using a semi low carb diet. It was more of a low bread diet I suppose, as I’ve noticed that MFP calculates all fruits and veggies as carbs, which wouldn’t have worked with how I lost weight originally. I just limited my bread and starchy vegetable intake by a lot and ate plenty of lean proteins, veggies and fruits. Minimal dairy and very little sugary foods as well. Anyway, not sure if that’s exactly the food plan you were asking about, but it did help me to take all of that off in roughly seven months. Since then I’ve tried to continually restrict my (bready) carbs, although at times I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit. I’m currently on MFP to recover from the 10-15lbs I put on thanks to that pesky polar vortex this past winter. Ugh.

While it hasn’t been perfect, I have mostly been able to maintain. My profile picture show a before and after that I took two years ago, but it's accurate again now as I've succeeded in dropping that stupid winter weight, thank god.

What’s your meal plan look like?

lolabluola · July 2014

There are but, lower carb diets are just a way to create a caloric deficit which is the ONLY thing you need to lose weight. This isn't a knock on low carb before I get accused of doing so. Just pointing that lower carbs just equate to lower calories for most.

This is true. low carb just meant cutting out the junk food for me pretty much - stuff on a salad instead of on bread etc - since bread and carbs is easy for me to over eat on. It was just something that made me feel good and I could stick to easier than counting calories - but the low carb = lower calories and less over eating. (bread chips cake cookies mashed potatoes etc)

yasmine334 · July 2014

I lost 60 lbs in 3 months..

This is very unusual in a "healthy" diet :noway:

TheSatinPumpkin · July 2014

still a progress but getting there.

baconslave · July 2014

I lost 60 lbs in 3 months..

This is very unusual in a "healthy" diet :noway:

Sounds like somebody forgot to healthy.

And yes, generally when you go back to eating all the same terrible crap you ate that gained your weight in the first place, you regain. Stinks but that's the way the human-body machine works. I'm not going to say I don't miss the sweets, but I'm happier losing and being healthy. Don't want the diabeetus. My mom has it. She'll eventually die from complications. 6 months later she is still recovering from the last complication. The docs even have HER eating reduced-carb (around 120g/day).

I'm going to go eat more meat. NOM NOM NOM.

justinfinityandbeyond · July 2014

It's strange, attempting low-carb diet is forcing me to eat more vegetables! I'm often hungry and I can't reach for a sugary or carby snack, so I pile in the cruciferous veggies to fill my stomach with some satiating fibre. It's great! But the pounds aren't dropping *very* quickly. This is a long haul.

icrushit · July 2014

Yep, having great success so far! The 16lbs I've shed thus far have all been a result of low carb, even if a portion of that is water weight. In fact I've been happy to let my appetite find its natural level with the amount of carbs I've been eating (50- 100g), and actually at the point where I'd like to slow down the rate I'm losing, which is a good complaint I guess!

Anyway, its all good, and I'm really enjoying how moderating my carbs is helping me moderate my appetite, and reduce my tendency to overeat

And all this from a low carb sceptic, who felt such a daily diet could not be healthy! Turns out I'm eating more healthily than I've ever eaten, and there has never been a point where I've been eating so many vegetables and superfoods every day

Anyway, big low carb fan here, and although I shall more than likely revert to a moderate carb intake when I lose the weight I wish to, that is in about 20lbs time, and have a lot of time to give thought to how I want to go once I've completed the weight loss phase

kmr0293 · August 2014

I live on it. But I'm hypo and have pcos. So this is pretty much it for me.

zkjmum · August 2014

My profile pic shows a 17 kilo loss (I've lost more since), most of that was achieved in 6 weeks, thanks to carb counting and keeping my calories below 800/day. I was only counting carbs to induce rapid weight loss to prepare for an upcoming surgery (gallbladder). The doctor saw me last week and was pleased with my weight loss, so I've since been able to switch to counting calories until the surgery, after which, I plan to lose the rest with Weight Watchers. I prefer to lose weight by eating a well-balanced diet...low carb was only ever going to be a temporary measure for me.

baconslave · August 2014

I prefer to lose weight by eating a well-balanced diet...low carb was only ever going to be a temporary measure for me.

I would argue that my diet is well-balanced. We've been shown that the fear of fats is unfounded. I eat lots of protein and fat. Lots of meat, some eggs, a little dairy, and a little nuts. And I do eat between 20 and 30g of carbs daily which are almost all veggies (salad, brussel sprouts, greens, salads, and etc). I drink loads of water and avoid processed crap-food. Later, when it comes time to maintain, I'll probably up carbs to around 40-50g/daily to add fruits. The excessive sugars in breads, pasta, potatoes, and candy aren't healthy, no matter how "balanced" your diet is. I get more nutrients now than ever. My appetite has decreased, and I have so much energy. I beat the pants off my kids at soccer. I'm no longer at risk for diabetes. As a matter of fact, there is talk in the medical/health community discussing that low-carb diets should be the first-effort in regulating diabetic patients. I just don't eat myself to death on carbohydrates any more, things our bodies WERE NOT designed to eat much of in the first place.

I don't see what's so unbalanced about it. It's a way of life to me. I can eat this way and live a long healthy life if the Fates decide to play nice. But to each their own.

Low Carb success?

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