who is doing low carb

CONGRATS! I hope that I will be down 76 pounds in 8 months!!! I am diabetic and will turn a young 62 years of age this month. My husband is a carb addict and he needs to lose around 20 lbs, but won't admit it! He doesn't mean to, but he pushes food at me. He has recently retired and he has taken on the role of chef. I wrote down what I can and cannot eat, but he still ask me if I want some ice cream or whatever he is eating. He forgets that goes under the category of temptation. It is my health at stake and I don't think he realizes that. I am not blaming him, we must learn to say "NO!", and to mean it. I am doing that and it feels good!

I am doing paleo and my carbs come from carrots, beets, 1/4 cup of sweet potato a day. I have been doing it for over 2 years. I lost 20 lbs in the first 5 weeks with no exercise.

Now I am doing GAPS

It's interesting to me how low carb gets put down so frequently here on MFP. It's not the way many here on MFP lose weight, but it does work for many people.

There are many people who lose weight better following a low carb meal plan. Low carb doesn't mean you eat butter with a side of bacon, it means you eat meats, veggies and dairy mostly. Eliminating processed junk and empty starches from one's diet is universally accepted as a move in the right direction...

I lost 120lbs about 10 years ago following low carb. I've lived basically lower carb for the past 11 years. I was pretty happy living without sugar or starch. Occasionally indulging gaining a few then relosing it again. My avatar is a before and current.

This past year I've made the transition to adding more carbs into my diet. I've decided to try to eat more carbs to fuel my workouts and am still trying to lose 10-20lbs of fat too. It's been about 3 months and I've been working out hard, lifting 3x a week and cardio 2-3times a week too. Running a caloric deficit but with higher carbs than I did for years-and I'm up about 5 lbs! But the weight training has done great things for me. I'm hoping my body will eventually decide to lose some more fat given enough time...but truthfully going back to LC is always in the back of my mind. I didn't dislike living LC, but I wanted the freedom to indulge here and there in carbs yumminess and not gain 5 lbs overnight.

Many here lose just fine by reducing their calories. It's not working for me, and maybe it's because I'm hypothyroid and hormonally off, but LC has been my best weight loss meal plan. Ymmv... Good luck!!

I've never understood the low carb hate either. Time and time again you hear how it's the only thing that's worked after trying to "restrict calories but eat what you want" for years. Myself included. 20 years of calorie counting = 50 extra kgs. Clearly works ... not. At least not for people who I think are naturally insulin resistant and have a problem with carbs. A few people have the will power and self control to limit their calories while eating alot of carbs. Forever. But I'll wager they are the exception, not the rule. For the most part people gain it all back again, it's not sustainable. That's why the sucess stories are such a damn miracle.

Like it or hate it, low carb works. It allows people to gain control over their appetite, lose weight, become healthier, better bloodwork, lower glucose levels, less inflamation, reduced medications.

Why such a vehement hate and disdain for people who choose to cut processed food, grain and sugar out of their diets for the good of their health and to get their appetite under control in the long term. I would argue that is how we're SUPPOSED to eat. Just because all that packaged rubbish is available, just because we humans are clever at making chemicals we can eat, doesn't mean we should put that stuff in our bodies. Ever, really. But I don't hate all of you who justify your right to do so. Just don't try and tell me it's "fine" as long as you stay under your calorie limit. It's really not.

I say "Respect" to people who have managed not just to cut calories to lose weight, but have made a real and lasting change to the way they eat and the relationship they have with food. Low carb has literally saved my life, not to mention improved it's quality immensely.

I'm trying 30%, 40%, 30% seems to be a good starter without dropping them too low to begin with.

I've never understood the low carb hate either. Time and time again you hear how it's the only thing that's worked after trying to "restrict calories but eat what you want" for years. Myself included. 20 years of calorie counting = 50 extra kgs. Clearly works ... not. At least not for people who I think are naturally insulin resistant and have a problem with carbs. A few people have the will power and self control to limit their calories while eating alot of carbs. Forever. But I'll wager they are the exception, not the rule. For the most part people gain it all back again, it's not sustainable. That's why the sucess stories are such a damn miracle.

Like it or hate it, low carb works. It allows people to gain control over their appetite, lose weight, become healthier, better bloodwork, lower glucose levels, less inflamation, reduced medications.

Why such a vehement hate and disdain for people who choose to cut processed food, grain and sugar out of their diets for the good of their health and to get their appetite under control in the long term. I would argue that is how we're SUPPOSED to eat. Just because all that packaged rubbish is available, just because we humans are clever at making chemicals we can eat, doesn't mean we should put that stuff in our bodies. Ever, really. But I don't hate all of you who justify your right to do so. Just don't try and tell me it's "fine" as long as you stay under your calorie limit. It's really not.

I say "Respect" to people who have managed not just to cut calories to lose weight, but have made a real and lasting change to the way they eat and the relationship they have with food. Low carb has literally saved my life, not to mention improved it's quality immensely.

^^ Well said. :drinker:

I have only a very limited experience with low carbs, having started this after being diagnosed diabetic recently. I've struggled with my weight all my life. And now I had blood sugar levels to worry about too.

Guess what? I've started losing weight, my blood sugar is stable and I finally feel free to say no to the foods that brought me to this situation. I'm in no way an expert, lchf is the opposite of what I've believed all my life. But it works as nothing else has ever worked.

I'm trying to learn more. I'm now reading Why We Get Fat: And What to Do about It by Gary Taubes
http://tinyurl.com/lmlcexx
and I do recommend the book to anyone that has tried and failed to lose fat on "willpower", losing some only to get it all, and some more, back. Gary Taubes does an amazing job of distilling a century of scientific knowledge about human nutrition and physiology and making sense of all the contradictory info going around. It's fascinating reading (even if not as easy reading as most of the oversimplified ideas we've been fed all our lives) and most illuminating.

From Iowa State. . . .human sciences. . . .

"The roles of carbohydrate in the body includes providing energy for working muscles, providing fuel for the central nervous system, enabling fat metabolism, and preventing protein from being used as energy. Carbohydrate is the preferred source of energy or fuel for muscle contraction and biologic work."

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/content/carbohydrate

It's sort of pointless to post a quote without giving any explanation about why you think your quote is relevant to anything in this thread, particularly a quote that isn't self-evident. Is your contention that you cannot exercise on a low carb diet? That's nonsense. That your CNS shuts down on a low carb diet? I'd love to see the studies on that. Do you even have a point? Who knows, because you said nothing beyond posting a quote about what carbs are for at a high level.

Here too is a random quote from Iowa State:

The energy obtained from fat plays an important role for both high intensity and endurance sports. Fat serves as the primary fuel for low intensity and long duration activities such as marathons, triathlons, and cross country skiing. In high intensity activity, where carbohydrate is the primary fuel, fat is necessary to fully release the available energy in carbohydrate.

Wow. Don't we feel enlightened? Random blurbs from Iowa State surely trump all the literature when it comes to weight loss, activity and LBM retention on low carb diets.

Sarcasm aside, should a professional athlete use a low carb diet gong into a competition? No, other than perhaps for making weight. But is that at all relevant to the average Joe or Jane looking to cut weight, up their activity level and retain lean body mass? Nope. There are plenty of strength athletes that cut using low carb diets and, of all athletes, it's the strength athletes whose anaerobic performance stands to suffer the most. Yet many have successful cuts following such diets.

Low carb is simply a tool. If it's helpful, people should potentially should use it. If it's not, they shouldn't. But leaving unrelated quotes around with no explanation about what you think said quote demonstrates, presumably in an attempt to dissuade people from using such a tool? Give me a break.

I didn't have a contention and if people use low carb as a tool fine. Yes low carb is simply a tool, but for many, they aren't really sure what it means. Since no one has defined low carb in this thread maybe you could enlighten everyone as to what low carb actually is. Is it by percentage of overall MACROS or number of grams? Personally, I've seen a wide disparity between numbers in other threads and since it is a tool what are the parameters?

Im not going to tell you what to do all I will add is don't follow trends as we are all very different, research and experiment.

This is worth a read:
http://news.cancerconnect.com/low-carbohydrate-diet-shows-risks-and-benefits/

In Summary
To summarize—a low-carbohydrate may have both pros and cons, but uncertainties remain. Perhaps such a diet produces a beneficial metabolic response, but perhaps it also increases the risk of heart disease. Deeper examination of the data reveals that there are a variety of factors at play, including the importance of glycemic load.
Neither study leads to the conclusion that carbohydrates are good or bad. In fact, in an editorial accompanying the JAMA study, George A. Bray, MD says, “Although the exact relationship between dietary composition and weight maintenance remains unclear, calorie restriction is more important than diet composition in administering weight loss regimens.”[3]
The bottom line—we may never be able to isolate nutrients and determine the ideal diet, if in fact there is such a thing. However, common sense seems to dictate that real food—in the form of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and animal products—is the optimal foundation of a healthy diet. Balance remains the key.
In the end, Michael Pollan may have summed it up best: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”[4]
References:
[1] Ebbeling CB, Swain JF, Feldman HA, et al. Effects of dietary composition on energy expenditure during weight-loss maintenance. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2012; 307(24): 2627-2634.
[2] Lagiou P, Sandin S, Lof M, et al. Low carbohydrate-high protein diet and incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Swedish women: A prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal. 2012; 344: e4026.
[3] Bray GA. Diet and Exercise for Weight Loss. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2012; 307(24): 2641-2642.

From Iowa State. . . .human sciences. . . .

"The roles of carbohydrate in the body includes providing energy for working muscles, providing fuel for the central nervous system, enabling fat metabolism, and preventing protein from being used as energy. Carbohydrate is the preferred source of energy or fuel for muscle contraction and biologic work."

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/content/carbohydrate

That's a dumbed-down version for the masses who prefer not to read up on the subject...

Yes, the body needs carbs, but more specific, if needs what carbs easily convert to in the body - glycogen. That's why a low-carb diet is effective - your body uses its stored fat to make the glycogen through dietary ketosis. Duh.

Good luck! I'm actually going starch free, not carb free, since carbs are in fruits/veggies. So far I love it!

You need to take a potassium supplement before bed.

Proof ?

Question: If someone had said "You should eat a banana before bed," would you call for proof?

It's interesting to me how low carb gets put down so frequently here on MFP. It's not the way many here on MFP lose weight, but it does work for many people.

There are many people who lose weight better following a low carb meal plan. Low carb doesn't mean you eat butter with a side of bacon, it means you eat meats, veggies and dairy mostly. Eliminating processed junk and empty starches from one's diet is universally accepted as a move in the right direction...

I lost 120lbs about 10 years ago following low carb. I've lived basically lower carb for the past 11 years. I was pretty happy living without sugar or starch. Occasionally indulging gaining a few then relosing it again. My avatar is a before and current.

This past year I've made the transition to adding more carbs into my diet. I've decided to try to eat more carbs to fuel my workouts and am still trying to lose 10-20lbs of fat too. It's been about 3 months and I've been working out hard, lifting 3x a week and cardio 2-3times a week too. Running a caloric deficit but with higher carbs than I did for years-and I'm up about 5 lbs! But the weight training has done great things for me. I'm hoping my body will eventually decide to lose some more fat given enough time...but truthfully going back to LC is always in the back of my mind. I didn't dislike living LC, but I wanted the freedom to indulge here and there in carbs yumminess and not gain 5 lbs overnight.

Many here lose just fine by reducing their calories. It's not working for me, and maybe it's because I'm hypothyroid and hormonally off, but LC has been my best weight loss meal plan. Ymmv... Good luck!!

the up 5 pounds after adding carbs back in is water weight. your muscles store glucose and the glucose is stored with a certain amount of water. when we first go on a low carb diet the first 5-7 pounds lost is water from the body burning up the glucose stores. in the liver and muscles

To the OP. I'm on low carb currently. it seems to be the only thing that really works for me. the carb cravings go away... I am a grazer.

I'm not one of the people who go on the super low restriction though. I try to keep it at 50 net carbs or so. sometimes I hit as high as 70 but it's usually by accident.

I keep it between 20-40 net carbs a day and love this way of eating. It's no longer a diet, but a life style now...

Well, there are obviously several people who lack a lot of knowledge of low carb diets and how it works. Yes carbs are energy....when you eat a higher carb diet. When you eat low carb your body uses fat for energy.

I eat low carb/keto/long term induction right now. I first found the low carb way of eating a few years ago and lost alot of weight. I maintained the loss for awhile (YES I did eat bread, fruit, cookies, and cake again) and then I got pregnant with my son and all sense of portion control went out the window. Which brings me to where I am now. I have tried to stick to just low calorie, lower carbs...but Im hungry and then eventually I binge which leads me to a few months of just not eating or caring.

Im sticking to low carb again because it curbs my hunger and I eat less...which leads to a calorie deficit which leads to weight loss! I'm eating more veggies that I would have on a low calorie diet and more protein.

And for someone wanting a definition of low carb...it really is different for everyone. I consider 20-30g of low carb, others might say under 100g....I don't see how not having a specific number is needed for it to still be a tool for weight loss? That makes zero sense? Also, for many low carb eaters, since calorie goals vary, its the RATIO of fats/proteins/carbs that make a difference. Which also varies from person to person as far as what they choose or aim for. It's experimenting and finding out how many carbs is too many because they might feel hungry all day.

I'm chiming in late, but I've been doing keto for over a year now. Started out at 165 and am hovering around 135-140 most days(less to lose, means it takes forever to come off!). We low-carbers do exist on this board, but sometimes we get drowned out by naysayers.

I am just starting again and need to do low carb as well! Please ad me as I can use all the help as carbs are my weakness!!!