Does low-carb really work?

I started MFP thinking counting calories would help me lose weight but after a while got bored with it and found it too much hassle weighing foods.

I then started reading about Akins and other low carb diets. Again, I could not stick them for more than a few days so I think tweaked the diets to a low carb lifestyle, and I have been doing this for 5 months with no hassle of calorie counting. I have found it very easy compared to other diets.

I have lost around 36lbs since I tweaked my diet, I was 320lbs so not quite as big as you but still big. I am now 283lbs. I expect to drop another 15lbs to 20lbs by Xmas.

You are kidding yourself though if you think on a low carb diet you can eat Tortilla chips, yoghurts and oatmeal.

To start with I would pig out on meat, poultry, cheese, fish and eggs for a few weeks, it will be hard but you need to get rid of the sugar cravings which MAKE YOU HUNGRY for any food not just sugary foods. After 2 weeks, cut down on meats and eggs and replace some of them with vegetables that grow above the ground and also fruit and lots of it. Sure fruit has natural sugars but I do not believe it has as much affect as refined sugars. You can also eat nuts too.

For drinks I struggle with water so I now quench my thirst with Soda water (just carbonated water), I also have 2 mugs of latte coffee a day with equal in.

I ONLY weigh in on a Monday morning after I have been to the toilet and showered. Most weeks I will lose 0.7kg but one week I lost 3kg and that was not at the start of my lifestyle change. Some weeks you will lost nothing but work on losing about 3kg per month and be happy with that. I think losing it slowly will help keep it off. I think it will take me 1.5 years into my lifestyle change to see me drop 50kgs or just over 100lbs.

It is not easy but it is by far the easiest one I have done, it is not just losing the weight though, there are so many other benefits like more energy, less headaches, less water retension.

Of course, everyone is different, and different diets suit different people, I suggest finding a lifestyle change rather than a diet, if you diet then you will struggle but if you find the right lifestyle change then you can not fail.

Oh, and another thing, when I go to the supermarket, I notice now that I go no further than the fresh food departments. Everything I buy is fresh meats, cheeses, eggs, fruit, vegetables etc.

I lost 110 lbs on the Slow Carb Diet from the book The 4 Hour Body. I started at 330 lbs, there are food restrictions on it, 6 out of 7 days no fruit, dairy, wheat or starchy veg but you get a cheat day once a week to keep your sanity. Carbs will come from veg and legumes (beans, lentils etc). I don't care what anti-low carbers think, when you are that over weight, some food restriction and sacrifices will be needed to achieve those losses. The majority of this fat loss was food and I did weight training 3 days a week, 0 cardio other than a 5 minute warm up before weights. I was never hungry a I generally ate large portions of the suggested foods, it was easy to follow, no food counting or measuring needed as it's pretty low calorie.

My goals have changed to a recomp, doing IF and still only lifting 3 days a week, but I now follow a IIFYM flex dieting approach with no food restrictions. Anyone with that much weight to lose I will always recommend the 4 Hour Body, it changed my life and my health.

Low carb works for me. It doesn't work for everyone. A couple tips, these are for diabetics to regulate blood sugar, but at your weight, I'm assuming you're close.

I actually have to eat more often than I did before. Breakfast happens almost immediately after I wake up. Either a bowl of cheerios (plain) with whole milk and some cinnamon or an egg with a piece of dark rye and butter.

Lunch is usually some low glycemic veggies and tuna.

Dinner is meat and veg, maybe a carb if I have room.

1. Always mix whatever carb you eat with some protein. So, a spoon of peanut butter with a piece of toast.
2. Whole fat is usually lower in carbs than "light."
3. Balance your carb, if you eat 30g of carb for breakfast, you should have 30 for lunch and dinner as well. I keep my carbs to about 100g/day and the rest is left for wiggle room.
4. Eat at regular intervals. You don't want to spike or lower your blood sugar too much. If I go low, I know, cause I get super tired super fast. I'll eat something and perk right up (by something, I'm talking a spoon of peanut butter.)
5. Peanut butter is your friend! Seriously, it's got a good mix of fat, sugar and protein and it doesn't take much to kill a craving.

I'm carb cycling at the moment...I've only been doing it for a week, so I'm no expert. I do 5 low carb days and 2 high carb days. On low carb days you can't have things like yogurt, oats, tortilla chips etc.

I'm only doing it temporarily. I'm 4 months post partum and wanted to give my diet a kick up the ar*e, plus I'm taking part in a biggest loser competition. It was my personal trainer who suggested I do it.

I lost 66lbs after my 2nd baby by eating healthily and sticking within calories, and exercising a lot, so you don't need to do low carb. I have to admit I'll be glad when the next 7 weeks are over as I miss simple things like eating an apple on my low carb days! However, if I win £500 for the biggest loser competition it'll be worth the sacrifice lol.

for me calorie and carb control. I think cutting out processed foods,white flour and bread are my keys. I am losing 2 lb a week. slow and steady is boring but effective.I also eat tons of veg to feel full. Bean sprouts and Kale are edible!!!LOL

Yes low carb works 100% (it works for everyone)!

The one thing it isn't though is sustainable for everyone. Just as as calorie counting isn't!

ehhh.. I would disagree that it works for everyone. I personally have been unable to do any diet that is less than 200gs of carbs a day.

for me calorie and carb control. I think cutting out processed foods,white flour and bread are my keys. I am losing 2 lb a week. slow and steady is boring but effective.I also eat tons of veg to feel full. Bean sprouts and Kale are edible!!!LOL

Yes low carb works 100% (it works for everyone)!

The one thing it isn't though is sustainable for everyone. Just as as calorie counting isn't!

ehhh.. I would disagree that it works for everyone. I personally have been unable to do any diet that is less than 200gs of carbs a day.

The diet works! It's the sustainability that doesn't work for everyone!

Just as the exact same thing applies to calorie restricted diets (calorie counting)!

It didn't work. I couldn't sustain anything less than 200g for more than a few weeks in which I didin't lose any weight. So NO it didn't work. Your assessment is a fail at best. :laugh:

I am doing the LCHF, lost about 12-13 kg since 1 August. I was addicted to carbs, and had that typical huge mid-section. What I have noticed is that my moods are a lot better. My skin looks healthier. I am honestly enjoying and believe that this is sustainable. I’ve given up sweets and refined starch, however I can freely have cappuccino and cream, or leave the skin on the chicken mmm divine. I am eating healthier fats like coconut oil, ghee and olive oil. Avoiding all root veggies for now, as well as fruit. I will add them back once I am close to goal weight. I also do bullet proof coffee which strangely works for me.

Sometimes I wonder how long a diet has to be around before it stops being called a "fad" diet. Dr. Atkins wrote his book in the 70s, and keto has been used since the 20s (first to treat epilepsy).

Which kind of low carb diet are you on? There are several kinds - keto, Atkins, South Beach, and Paleo, to name a few.

I've been on keto since mid-May of this year, and I can tell you, it has definitely worked for me. I started at about 20 lbs lighter than you, and I have lost nearly 70 lbs since. I have started exercising too, but I mainly attribute the weight loss to the diet.

As some have mentioned, the foods you are currently eating are not going to help you in a low carb diet. The trick is usually to get into ketosis (burning fat for fuel primarily instead of carbs; using your ketones instead of insulin). Many recommend that you severely restrict carbs in the first couple of weeks to kick start the diet. I've always hovered around eating <20g of carbs a day and that seems to work for me just fine. (I've even had a few cheat days here and there, and it only made my weight bounce back up a few once.)

Keto is also a high-fat diet, so your macros should be the majority from fat, second from protein, and third - way down - from calories. I think my current ratio is 70-25-5 but I'm not currently logging so I'm not too sure. It's pretty close to that though. There's a reason it's called the bacon diet - bacon has so much fat, and is so delicious. You can still eat vegetables but you will want to be careful about portion control and which vegetables have less carbs so you don't overdo it.

Oh, and as you get into it, you'll find there are a lot of low-carb products out there that cater to this diet. You can subtract dietary fiber and sugar alcohols from your net carbs, if you didn't know that all already. I've found, thus far, Atkins bars, low-carb ice cream, sugar free puddings and jellos, Carb Balance tortilla wraps (my fave), and just recently sugar free Reese's. Incidentally all of those at Walmart.

Like has already been stated, low carb may not be for you. Not everyone can handle cutting out their favorite foods, and the more sustainable you find a diet, the more likely it is you will be able to stick with it and keep the weight off. I know counting calories isn't for me. But you might want to give it a proper try before you give up all together.

Another misconception about low carb is that you don't need to count calories. You do. It is just harder to go over your calorie limit on low carb.

You really don't, at least not at first. Your hunger levels will do that for you. And when I say "at least not at first", I mean at least for the first 150 lbs or so, considering your starting point.