Looking for low carb/good carb friends for support

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Traditional calorie counting doesn't work for me, in fact I think my body rebels! For the past month I have been trying a low net carb diet "inspired" by atkins, but not the by the book atkins. Finally some great results (14 of my 34 pounds in a month)! Any one out there doing similar and wants to share experiences, recipes, and tips.

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  • ch0c0lati3r
    ch0c0lati3r Posts: 11 Member
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    interesting.. would you mind explaining/ sharing the theory? congrats on the weight loss!
  • flipnsexy
    flipnsexy Posts: 37
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    interesting.. would you mind explaining/ sharing the theory? congrats on the weight loss!

    I'd like to know as well lol! Congrats for sure. Keep up your hard work :)
  • ppiinnkkmmoonn
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    i use both. watch my carbs and calories when i was larger i could eat all the protein and fat in the world now i cant. i have to watch my fat and calories plus carbs. there are a lot of foods i just cant eat even those so call good food like fruits i eat very little makes me gains. my protein i keep a lot higher then anything else and my fat low as well as my carbs. i can eat nuts like almonds in size potions which is where most of my fat comes from and fish oil pills. it working for me right now. so i support low carbing all the way
  • aljvb23
    aljvb23 Posts: 8
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    OK, never have put the theory into words, but I will try.

    I have always eaten and craved carbs, not sugars really, but more like potatoes, pasta, rice. I could happily eat these items all day every day.

    This past November, I vowed to myself to loose weight. I found myself at 146 pounds on my 5 foot 1/2 inch frame - size 12 jeans tight on me. This had happened slowly over about 3 years - after I had my youngest - post pregnancy weight 112.

    From November to March 15th I dieted, traditionally, and exercised. I was miserable, hungry, tired, and lost only 2 pounds.

    I remembered my mothers struggles with weight - she was always dieting, never thin. I was thinking about accepting being "overweight but active." but I did a little research about metabolism and nutrition and decided to make a departure from traditional calorie counting as a last ditch effort.

    After looking at the atkins and the south beach diets, I decided (for no good reason) that combining the thinking between the two was something I could do and live with. So I started out limiting net carbs. but not in the atkins way of counting net carbs, I was aiming for a high ratio of fiber to total carb in my foods. I did no calorie counting. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and protein. Another part is that I am trying to stay away from any processed foods.

    Immediately my hunger and cravings were non existent. After a couple weeks I started using MFP just for curiosity sake to really track my nutrition. I found that I am naturally eating only between 1000 and 1200 calories per day. No hunger.No cravings. And I feel strong. (I have continued to work out).

    Thats it. Not really a theory but It seems to be working. lost 14 of my approx 35 pounds in the last month and I feel great.
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
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    I'm doing low carb (20g/day) and I'm monitoring my calories (anywhere from 1000-2000), but carbs are more important to me. I try to get my protein high as I can, but it's not my focus. Fat, I monitor but don't hold back.

    I feel like I have an adverse reaction to carbs (simple)....and it has negative physical and mental reactions to me...and weight loss is of course my motive here as well.


    It works. I'll be your friend.
  • javarushed
    javarushed Posts: 218 Member
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    I'm pretty much doing the same thing with trying to combine diets lol. I've been a southbeach dieter in the past and lately I've been reading some decent articles about the keto diet. Lately, I've been trying to follow southbeach phase 1, while trying to stay under 50 carbs a day so I stay in the guidelines of that keto diet. I lost 33 lbs in 2 months following the southbeach diet. If you want to add me feel free!
  • aljvb23
    aljvb23 Posts: 8
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    I'm pretty much doing the same thing with trying to combine diets lol. I've been a southbeach dieter in the past and lately I've been reading some decent articles about the keto diet. Lately, I've been trying to follow southbeach phase 1, while trying to stay under 50 carbs a day so I stay in the guidelines of that keto diet. I lost 33 lbs in 2 months following the southbeach diet. If you want to add me feel free!

    wow, great results. I have feeling we may be metabolically related.! I will look at the keto diet, see what it has for me. As it is I would estimate my net carbs around 50-60 depending on the day.
  • ch0c0lati3r
    ch0c0lati3r Posts: 11 Member
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    I see.. Does MFP let you do net carb calculation? I'm new here.. Maybe this is where Weight Watchers come in? I used to be on WW, only for a month but tracking points got too complicated for me plus it's not free.. booo.. :)

    So when you track your food now on MFP, do you calculate net carbs?
  • LaJauna
    LaJauna Posts: 336 Member
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    Traditional calorie counting doesn't work for me, in fact I think my body rebels! For the past month I have been trying a low net carb diet "inspired" by atkins, but not the by the book atkins. Finally some great results (14 of my 34 pounds in a month)! Any one out there doing similar and wants to share experiences, recipes, and tips.

    I am a strict low carber. My caloric ratios are 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbohydates. I do not count calories but try to keep my ratios within this criteria. Some days I eat 3000 calories and some days I eat 1000 calories. I try to eat to hunger. Most days I am not hungry when I awaken so I don't eat until lunch or later. I eat until full. The main thing I count is my carbs and it naturally seems to balance out at the above ratios.
  • aljvb23
    aljvb23 Posts: 8
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    Yes, in your settings you can add fiber as a nutritional value that you can track. Then you just subtract fiber from carbs to get net carbs. My mobile app has the fiber report automatically but I had to add it to my computer account.
  • kris4real
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    Dr. Diane Schwarzbein wrote a book and does lectures called "the Schwarzbein Principle". It takes low carb eating and puts it into a level of understanding about blood sugar and diabetes / hyperglycemic incidents. It really helps to wrap all the theories together. She emphases it as an "anti-aging" benefit, too. She encourages nutritional choices based on natural foods rather than artificial ones. That we are essentially poisoning our bodies with chemicals, additives, preservatives and "white flour, white sugar" syndrome which is causing illness and obesity, etc.

    I recommend this reading to everyone that read Atkins. It is focused on sustaining Health and lifestyle.

    She's wonderful.
  • javarushed
    javarushed Posts: 218 Member
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    Thanks! I've been more so on the higher end of carbs lately (70-80) a day because I've been eating a lot more to try to build muscle while losing weight.

    Here is a nice keto guide I came across:

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=132598293
  • aljvb23
    aljvb23 Posts: 8
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    Dr. Diane Schwarzbein wrote a book and does lectures called "the Schwarzbein Principle". It takes low carb eating and puts it into a level of understanding about blood sugar and diabetes / hyperglycemic incidents. It really helps to wrap all the theories together. She emphases it as an "anti-aging" benefit, too. She encourages nutritional choices based on natural foods rather than artificial ones. That we are essentially poisoning our bodies with chemicals, additives, preservatives and "white flour, white sugar" syndrome which is causing illness and obesity, etc.

    I recommend this reading to everyone that read Atkins. It is focused on sustaining Health and lifestyle.

    She's wonderful.

    Sounds like something I should really read. I too have been interested is anti-aging effects of what I have been doing. for example, I have integrated flax seed into my diet - a lot of hunger satisfaction and a lot of other benefits.
  • ppiinnkkmmoonn
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    oh one more thing im not diabetic but i do monitor my blood level when it even im not hungry yes weird but what can i say............