How have I only just realised how great low-carb is?!

Carbs are nutrients too! I am all for cutting simple carbs, but maintaining a normal (not low) complex carb program as part of a total calorie reduction plan along with methods to increase metabolism (exercise, occasional calorie boosts) is probably healthier. Rapid weight loss is exciting, but not likely to ever be long-term. The body quickly reacts to it and lowers the rate at which you burn calories and unfortunately that's probably what's going on with your weight now after multiple cycles of fad diets.

Carb restriction does, indeed, lead to ketosis...which can, in some people, lead to kidney and liver damage. If your breath becomes 'bad' (trust your friends or family on this) your body is likely trying to get rid of excess ketones. It will also do that through your urine. If you have a history of kidney or liver issues, I recommend not following low-carb diets.

Carbs are nutrients too! I am all for cutting simple carbs, but maintaining a normal (not low) complex carb program as part of a total calorie reduction plan along with methods to increase metabolism (exercise, occasional calorie boosts) is probably healthier. Rapid weight loss is exciting, but not likely to ever be long-term. The body quickly reacts to it and lowers the rate at which you burn calories and unfortunately that's probably what's going on with your weight now after multiple cycles of fad diets.

Carb restriction does, indeed, lead to ketosis...which can, in some people, lead to kidney and liver damage. If your breath becomes 'bad' (trust your friends or family on this) your body is likely trying to get rid of excess ketones. It will also do that through your urine. If you have a history of kidney or liver issues, I recommend not following low-carb diets.

Sorry but that's largely nonsense. Any time someone concludes something is "probably healthier" without any reasons as to how or why screams "I'm just repeating what I've been told without any actual knowledge about the subject." But if you want to talk about what's truly healthy, dropping the fat and reaching a healthy weight/body fat percentage is one of the absolute best things you can do for your health, with staying active competing for the top spot as well. If a low carb diet allows you achieve those goals, it's one of the best things for your health. What's not healthy is staying overweight and worrying about possible consequences of particular macronutrient distributions, if you were to lose weight. That's not to say people should lose weight by any means necessary, but the "concerns" you're raising are largely myths and for someone to avoid a tool that could help them improve their health because of such misinformation would be a damn shame.

As for your notion that it will impede long-term success, there's no evidence that I'm aware of that low carb diets lower your metabolism as you're suggesting - actually, some older studies suggested low carb diets offer a metabolic advantage, but new (better) studies seem to show there's no real metabolic advantage either way. But the notion that your body will "react" to a low carb diet and lower the rate you burn calories... again, you offer no evidence, just conclusory statements that aren't backed by the evidence. Put simply, following a low carb diet in and of itself does not reduce your metabolism, at least not beyond the expected reductions from staying in a caloric deficit and dropping weight. If you knew a bit about low carb diets, you'd realize the weight loss is from glycogen depletion, and that a simple carb refeed will put that weight back on. Depleting and refilling glycogen stores is not going to cause "metabolic damage." As for liver and kidney damage, I can only speculate that you're thinking of studies that suggested if you're already predisposed to kidney problems, a high protein intake can exacerbate those problems - but that's a protein intake issue and not a low carb issue. Even then, many low carb diets are moderate protein diets (frequently lower in protein than the general fitness and IIFYM recommendations) and can hardly be said to be the only diets out there with a moderate/high protein intake.

Personally I don't know why people go on so much about low carb diets when they aren't really that familiar with them. They certainly aren't for everyone and personally I almost never recommend them to people, but the stream of misinformation and fear mongering are mind boggling to me. Seems to me you could just say they're very restrictive and ill-suited for most people, and then leave it at that. That certainly seems a lot easier than making up stuff like they'll kill your metabolism and destroy your kidneys.

The best I've ever felt in my life is when I follow the Zone menus and lifestyle. It's hard to keep up with, which is why I struggle to always eat that way, but when I set my mind to it, I feel amazing and the weight literally melts off. It's lower carb (the carbs you do eat are mostly complex) and I love it. I have recently started monitoring which types of carbs I'm putting into my body again. The more bread/cereal/oatmeal I eat, the hungrier I am and the easier it is to jump ship. :-/

Nice. You read what you wanted to hear into that.

I said that "rapid weight loss" is not likely to ever be long-term. By "rapid weight loss", I meant ANY plan that causes a loss of more than 1-2 lbs per week....not necessarily just low carb options.

I also didn't say that everyone will suffer kidney or liver issues. I said "in some people". I personally have a history of large, obstructive kidney stones requiring medical intervention. Going on a plan that increases my risk of forming stones is an unnecessary risk for me, and might be for some others, as well. I was sharing personal knowledge and not "repeating what I've been told".

I have had success with calorie reduction plans that do not restrict specific macronutrients. I regained due to blatently disregarding what led to that previous success, but that does not negate it. I don't wish to argue or provide my personal resume. Do what you want. I gave my .02.

And a diet rich in whole grains like wheat will ultimately disable or kill some people. It's a matter of perspective and knowing YOUR body. cheers

Just wanted to add to this thread.

I started a paleo type diet with some exercise in November 2012. After 4 months on this plan I had lost 40 pounds. I was doing well and then I switched jobs. As I started getting more comfortable at my new job, I reverted back to my old eating habits. In just over a year, I gained back 27 pounds from the 40 I had lost. At the end of April 2014, I decided to give low carb a try.

Low carb has worked wonders for me. In the last 4 months I have lost 50 pounds and I never feel deprived. I still make and eat extremely delicious food and it keeps me satisfied longer. This is because I eat more fat. I do not feel as hungry as I used to and my intake of food has decreased. I am mindful of ensuring my body gets enough calories per day. I also work out and do not feel fatigued during my workout.

People have commented on the health concerns surrounding low carb, such as cholesterol, and liver and kidney function. After being strict the last 4 months I decided to go to my doctor for a physical. Prior to my diet I had fatty liver disease and kidney stones. Since losing the weight and eating this way, all my levels are excellent - the best my doc has seen in the last 10 years. The fat around my liver is completely gone, so I no longer have fatty liver disease. In terms of my kidneys, I developed kidney stones during pregnancy. Although my kidney stones are still there, I have not had one flare up since starting this way of eating like I have had previously.

Lastly, I am so sick of people calling this a fad diet. The truth is any diet can be considered a "fad" unless you are willing to make a lifestyle change. CICO could be a fad if you eat like crap once you stop counting cals. At the end of the day, you have to recognize that you have not had a healthy relationship with food in the past, and you have to be conscious of what you eat in the future. Any diet can be a “fad” unless you make it lifestyle change.

When I was low-carbing, I did lose some weight, but I was starving all the time. I would eat two large portions of meat, and two servings of steamed veggies and a salad every meal, and still be hungry. And the meats weren't all lean, and I was using butter on my veggies, and oil on my salad, so it wasn't a lack of fats. I found it very unsustainable for that reason.

This is contrary to almost every other post in this thread and to the concepts of low-carb diets in general...how much fat were you eating? Honestly curious.

I unfortunately wasn't tracking anything but carbs, but I would eat things like steak and oven fried chicken a lot. Lots of grilled meats, not lean ones. When we went out, I would eat 2 racks of ribs without sauce, and two servings of steamed veggies. Lots of cheese and other full-fat dairy also. It got very expensive to eat out. I had no problem giving up bread or rice/grains, but the potatoes were killing me. Oddly, I hardly ever eat potatoes now, but I do eat a lot of bread. I've been considering giving this another go, since it was so easy to lose weight before, but I'm not sure I can currently afford the expense of all that meat.

This is why I am low carb...

'Low-Carb Solutions

Insulin promotes fat storage, so women with PCOS often have trouble losing weight. A diet high in carbohydrates exacerbates the problem, because the body releases insulin in response to any type of sugar or starch. Consequently, the Office of Women's Health recommends a PCOS diet featuring few processed foods or added sugars. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism in 2005 found that women with PCOS who ate fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day had significant decreases in insulin, testosterone and body weight'.

Low carb is a truly amazing lifestyle! The 29th of this month will be my 11 month anniversary of low carb living. I have lost 110 pounds and completely reversed all my health problems including major depression, sleep apnea, and fibromyalgia!

Hey, hey - keep it down. The low-carb haters will just declare this all in your head, not something real.

Hardly. However, it's difficult to credit low-carb when the reasons for these improvements are just as likely to be a result of losing the weight and/or higher fat intake.

Sleep apnea in particular often improves just from losing weight.
Depression is known to improve just from increasing fat intake (no idea how commonly this happens).
I have never heard of just low-carb helping anyone with fibromyalgia - and this is significant because I happen to work in lupus (and, because the majority of patients initially diagnosed with lupus are actually fibromyalgia patients, also fibromyalgia) research.

ETA: This is not to say low-carb is bad. But it is not a 'miracle diet' either. Those who find they eat less on it and don't feel deprived should stay on it. Those that don't shouldn't feel they need to jump on the bandwagon in order to have success.

And BTW - you should still watch your calories on low carb. I know a couple of people who went low carb and gained weight fast because they LOVE meat and cream and eggs and cheese and veg and, and, and ... In fact, low carb really wasn't much of a change from their previous diet.

*Update* I had my 2nd weigh-in (17 days in) and I'm down another 8.4lbs, 18 lbs total in 17 days, also down 9 inches. I feel great and energized! And since cutting the carbs has put my body in ketosis I never feel hungry! I love this diet! I've also started cooking more for myself and have found that although this diet limits some food I used to enjoy, there are loads of different options that I'm growing to love!

Ketosis: Unhealthy metabolic state. During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can dull appetite and cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Ketones consist of acetone, acetoacetate or beta-hydroxybutyrate. Very high ketone levels can be toxic, making the blood more acid, and may damage such organs as the kidneys and liver. Ketosis is potentially a serious condition if keytone levels go too high.

Carbs are nutrients too! I am all for cutting simple carbs, but maintaining a normal (not low) complex carb program as part of a total calorie reduction plan along with methods to increase metabolism (exercise, occasional calorie boosts) is probably healthier. Rapid weight loss is exciting, but not likely to ever be long-term. The body quickly reacts to it and lowers the rate at which you burn calories and unfortunately that's probably what's going on with your weight now after multiple cycles of fad diets.

Carb restriction does, indeed, lead to ketosis...which can, in some people, lead to kidney and liver damage. If your breath becomes 'bad' (trust your friends or family on this) your body is likely trying to get rid of excess ketones. It will also do that through your urine. If you have a history of kidney or liver issues, I recommend not following low-carb diets.

Sorry but that's largely nonsense. Any time someone concludes something is "probably healthier" without any reasons as to how or why screams "I'm just repeating what I've been told without any actual knowledge about the subject." But if you want to talk about what's truly healthy, dropping the fat and reaching a healthy weight/body fat percentage is one of the absolute best things you can do for your health, with staying active competing for the top spot as well. If a low carb diet allows you achieve those goals, it's one of the best things for your health. What's not healthy is staying overweight and worrying about possible consequences of particular macronutrient distributions, if you were to lose weight. That's not to say people should lose weight by any means necessary, but the "concerns" you're raising are largely myths and for someone to avoid a tool that could help them improve their health because of such misinformation would be a damn shame.

.......(edited bc of length)..................

Personally I don't know why people go on so much about low carb diets when they aren't really that familiar with them. They certainly aren't for everyone and personally I almost never recommend them to people, but the stream of misinformation and fear mongering are mind boggling to me. Seems to me you could just say they're very restrictive and ill-suited for most people, and then leave it at that. That certainly seems a lot easier than making up stuff like they'll kill your metabolism and destroy your kidneys.

The entire last half of what she said above is true. Restricting carbs below a certain level absolutely can lead to ketosis and can cause liver and kidney damage as well as a sort of "diabetic coma" or even death if you allow it to continue for an extended period of time. Ketones create acidity in the blood (ketoacidosis) and can be toxic. Do some research on ketoacidosis, ketouria, and ketogenisis.

You should probably do your own research before calling someone else's "misinformation."

The entire last half of what she said above is true. Restricting carbs below a certain level absolutely can lead to ketosis and can cause liver and kidney damage as well as a sort of "diabetic coma" or even death if you allow it to continue for an extended period of time. Ketones create acidity in the blood (ketoacidosis) and can be toxic. Do some research on ketoacidosis, ketouria, and ketogenisis.

You should probably do your own research before calling someone else's "misinformation."

If you don't understand the difference between dietary ketosis and ketoacidosis, you really shouldn't be posting on this topic.

I'm really not going to get into an argument on here because it's pointless. You just really need to look up some stuff on ketoacidosis if you think it can't be caused by a "ketogenic diet." Ketoacidosis isn't just associated with diabetes or alcohol. Just because that may be all you can find on the internet because you don't know what keywords to use or you don't go past page 1 of your Google search doesn't mean low-carb induced ketoacidosis doesn't exist.

What meal plan are you doing

I too have been one to bounce around from diet to diet. I had lost a lot of weight when I was a teenager but gained it all back plus more in my early 20"s. I've tried "low-cal" and weight watchers before (multiple times). I've paid for the nutri-system diet too... Nothing worked, I felt that I was starving myself and never really felt satisfied with my meals. A few weeks ago, my boss introduced me to a miracle eating plan! A plan where I'm never hungry, Most meals are easy to prepare (You still have one homemade meal per day), I can still snack AND I don't have to exercise! This all sounded too good to be true. I figured I didn't have anything to lose except for the weight so I gave it a shot. In my first week I lost 9.6 lbs and 6 inches! I was beyond amazed, It's been almost 2 weeks and I've already lost a full pant size! I feel great, I'm never hungry and I'm not having food cravings! I only eat about 40-45 carbs per day and I intake a lot of protein, this eating plan puts your body into a state of ketosis (your body's fat burning state). This has worked for me so far. I'd say if low-carb is working for you like it's working for me, keep it up! Best of luck to you on your weight loss journey!

The entire last half of what she said above is true. Restricting carbs below a certain level absolutely can lead to ketosis and can cause liver and kidney damage as well as a sort of "diabetic coma" or even death if you allow it to continue for an extended period of time. Ketones create acidity in the blood (ketoacidosis) and can be toxic. Do some research on ketoacidosis, ketouria, and ketogenisis.

You should probably do your own research before calling someone else's "misinformation."

If you don't understand the difference between dietary ketosis and ketoacidosis, you really shouldn't be posting on this topic.

I'm really not going to get into an argument on here because it's pointless. You just really need to look up some stuff on ketoacidosis if you think it can't be caused by a "ketogenic diet." Ketoacidosis isn't just associated with diabetes or alcohol. Just because that may be all you can find on the internet because you don't know what keywords to use or you don't go past page 1 of your Google search doesn't mean low-carb induced ketoacidosis doesn't exist.

An argument would require you to actually show some support for this position, rather than just conclusory statements. If you can show anything other than n=1 examples of this possibly occurring or it occurring in people that weren't predisposed to such a condition, I'd love to see it. I wouldn't call that pointless, I'd call it very enlightening and potentially very helpful to a lot of people. That said, I'm pretty sure that sort of proof isn't out there and I suspect I know the n=1 examples you're talking about, but if there's more to it I'd love to see it.

Low carb works for me because eating carbs makes me hungry, while eating protein and fat makes me feel full.

^ This ^

I find it so much easier to stick to calorie limits when I get my calories from mostly fat & protein.

*Update* I had my 2nd weigh-in (17 days in) and I'm down another 8.4lbs, 18 lbs total in 17 days, also down 9 inches. I feel great and energized! And since cutting the carbs has put my body in ketosis I never feel hungry! I love this diet! I've also started cooking more for myself and have found that although this diet limits some food I used to enjoy, there are loads of different options that I'm growing to love!

Ketosis: Unhealthy metabolic state. During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can dull appetite and cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Ketones consist of acetone, acetoacetate or beta-hydroxybutyrate. Very high ketone levels can be toxic, making the blood more acid, and may damage such organs as the kidneys and liver. Ketosis is potentially a serious condition if keytone levels go too high.

If it causes kidney and liver problems why do doctors recommend it for things like polycystic ovary syndrome?