so far so good for me. Been following DANDR since August 27, 2013 and next Wednesday will will mark one year since starting this WOE (started at 432lbs and currently 241lbs). Love it.

^^^^^^^^
What Dragonwolf said.

I would also add you might need to eat more then 1800 calories, especially working out most days. One of the great things about a LC/HF diet is you shouldn't feel hungry all the time on it like a low calorie diet.

Hello all! I have been thinking about going low carb for quite some time. I am 4 ft 10, 36, female and weigh 261. My goal weight is between 90 and 100 pounds. So yeah, I have a ton of weight to lose.

I have a friend that is doing low carb (she's not really doing keto but just low carb in general I guess. I'm kind of clueless lol) and she recommended that I eat about 1800 cals a day (I do exercise 6 times a week for 30 minutes... walking and elliptical mostly) and she said for my fat to be 70%, my protein 20% and my carbs 10%.

Is this healthy or ok for someone so heavy? I'm seriously scared of having a heart attack. My mother and grandmother had heart problems (bypasses) although I do not, the last time I was checked out I was ok... it was a few years ago though.

I don't fear fat, I'm just worried. I know it sounds stupid, but I figured you all could help me. Thank you so much!

By your calorie ticker, are you trying to get down to 80lbs because Im 4'2 and a child of my height should be about 75lbs.
We are not kids and me, I am bigger chested, so I carry some of the "extra" weight on top.
A "healthy" weight at 4'2, I should be about 90lbs...100 being on the higher end of the scale...youre taller than me!

I've lost 130lb through LC and am trying to lose the last 10-20 with just a calorie deficit and exercise. It hasn't budged the scale at all yet and it's been 7 weeks.!!! I am going to lower my carbs again and see how that'll go with my workouts.

To answer your question. YES! LC is a good way to lose a lot of weight. Higher protein and maybe a bit lower fat would be my suggestion-especially as weight training while you're losing is excellent-but you need that protein to maintain that muscle!

Good luck!

Hi, this is great, I'm just starting too, and needing to lose a similar amount. We could keep each other company?
I've set MFP to 25% carbohydrates and I'm letting everything else look after itself. I exercise 30mins a day, and aim for 1400 calories. So far its been easy, never hungry, lots of choice, just the odd moment where scrambled egg looks a bit lonely on the plate. I've seen a bread substitute made with cream cheese and eggs that I want to try.
Good luck!

I was listening to Good Morning America the other day. A new study showed that low carb/high fat dieters lost more weight and were healthier than low fat dieters.

Has anyone else heard or seen the report?

I don't watch GMA, but I assume it's the recent one that's surfaced. In which case, it's been picked apart in half a dozen threads on MFP alone. The biggest flaw in this study in particular (from what I gather) is that the "low fat" ...isn't. The "low-fat" intervention took fat intake from 35% to 30%, while the "low-carb" intervention went from 50-60% carbs to something like 5-10% (modified Atkins, I think).

It's a mediocre study at best, and there are far better ones out there. Such as the A to Z trial -- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17341711 and the others Dr. Attia talks about throughout (and particularly at the end of) his video on the history of the politics around fat --

Absolutely. I see a bariatric physician, who puts all of her patients on a low carb diet. Her variation is that you count all carbs, not net carbs, but don't count any that are in the allowed vegetables (pretty much everything except butternut squash). I'm allowed to eat 20-30 carbs a day, and I bring in MFP diary with every appointment. I'm 5'2" and started at 258. It's been almost a year and I am down 50 pounds. This is with no exercise. I've lost enough that I can start exercising and building muscle. It definitely works for those with a lot to lose.

In May I had to change the way I monitor my diabetes. I used to take my insulin based on what my blood sugar was at the time of my meal. I was testing my blood surgar 3 times a day. Then, in May, my doctor told me to try and count carbs and base my insulin intake on what I eat. Also, I was prescribed a continuous glucose monitor. Since changing, I no longer want to take large amounts of insulin so I don't eat a lot of carbs. I am down 24lbs and feeling happier with myself. I used to take a minimum of 18u of insulin and then add units based on what my blood sugar was. Now, I take an average of 5 units per meal. Sometimes more or sometimes less.

If your interested in reading all the benefits and scientific data about low carb dieting here's a link I found that summarizes 23 studies *with links to the actual data so if your like me and want to know what is said is true you can see it in the scientific journals too*.

http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/

These studies show that low carb dieters lose weight more quickly, often stick with the diet longer (slightly less people on the low carb diets went "off the wagon" during the studies), can lose weight while eating more calories and have fantastic improvements in their cholestorol, triglicerides, HDL, LDL etc.

Now, let me give advice from my own personal experience. Low carb works well for me. I lost 40lbs in about 6 months the first time. I was able to maintain my loss for about a year while still eating somewhat low carb. I feel fuller when I go low carb and don't binge eat as much. However. Low carb diets (especially ones that are SUPER low carb like Atkins) can get really boring really fast. Also, be sure you don't have hypoglycemia. Going too low in carbs when you have low sugar issues anyway will make you turn into a zombie...and make you feel like crying in a corner all day like I did.

Super low carb diets like Atkins can also be very unforgiving. Once in Ketosis your body will lose steadily. If you take a day off though and cheat once, your body will throw itself out of ketosis and it'll take another week of hard work to start losing again. I burned out very badly after 2 years trying to keep it up. The thought of eating another piece of meat turned my stomach. This turned into a yo yo dieting nightmare for me.... ack!

So with that said. I'm having really good results this time keeping my carbs in the 50-90 a day range and trying to pack as much protein and healthy fats as I can into my day while still maintaining a lower calorie count. I've found I can eat more calories, with reduced carbs and still lose more effectively without going crazy. Its a great way to leverage both things that fuel weight loss (lower cals and lower carbs). The more whole foods (lean meat, fish, veggies) you can make yourself eat the more success you'll see. This method allows me to cheat once in a while without breaking my weight loss momentum too.

Another plus. The foods in the lower carb AND lower calorie range almost force you to eat the whole clean foods that are most healthy and most filling for you. Processed/junk foods are usually either high carb or high calorie. I've learned to love these clean foods (even the ones I didn't before) because I now feel soo much better.

Here's something I highly recommend. Go get a full blood panel done before you start. Then get one done 6 months to a year later after eating lower carb as solidly as you can. I can guarantee there will be positive changes that will impress both you and your doctor! Remember to take it one step at a time and find a lower carb lifestyle that you can maintain for life and stick with it. I'm excited to see your results. Good Luck!