low carb diet
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I've read a lot about ppl losing lots of weight eating low carb. Can someone who has lost weight this way tell me if you have to do portion control, or can you eat as much protein and fat as you want. I want to do it, but don't want to waste my time. I have a slow metabolism due to hypothyroidism, so that is making it hard to lose weight right now. Getting frustrated?
thanks, brenda
If you have health issues make sure you check with your doctor! I've lost 65 pounds low carb, 30 grams or less a day. I've done both lower calorie as well as "eat what I want" and had more success when I kept cals at a reasonable amount for my BMR (1600-1800 per day.) I've NEVER had a lack of energy at this carb level.0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »The reason people have success in "low carb" is that it eliminates a lot of convenience and processed foods that are so easy accessible, cheap, and can be reached for mindlessly.
Balanced is better than low carb. The key is to limit processed carbs that instantly turn to sugar (such as pasta, cereals, breads, breakfast bars, etc...) that pack a lot of calories. Do not worry about complex carbs at all - such as veggies or fruit. You need those, your body evolved that way. What I do is make sure my side to my protein is mostly non-processed (pinapple salsa as a side to my chicken instead of rice, roasted veggies side to my meat instead of pasta or potatos), things like that. It is pretty natural not to overeat on those.
Many so called processed carbs ARE complex carbs.
And fruit are simple carbs...
Fruit has both complex and simple carbs, with some instant energy release and some gradual. It is actually a very good combination.
OK, give me some examples of processed foods that are complex unrefined carbs?
fructose is a simple carb
Complex carbohydrates, or polysaccharides, are composed of simple sugar units in long chains called polymers. Three polysaccharides are of particular importance in human nutrition : starch, glycogen , and dietary fiber .
http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/Carbohydrates.html0 -
Exactly.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »The reason people have success in "low carb" is that it eliminates a lot of convenience and processed foods that are so easy accessible, cheap, and can be reached for mindlessly.
Balanced is better than low carb. The key is to limit processed carbs that instantly turn to sugar (such as pasta, cereals, breads, breakfast bars, etc...) that pack a lot of calories. Do not worry about complex carbs at all - such as veggies or fruit. You need those, your body evolved that way. What I do is make sure my side to my protein is mostly non-processed (pinapple salsa as a side to my chicken instead of rice, roasted veggies side to my meat instead of pasta or potatos), things like that. It is pretty natural not to overeat on those.
Many so called processed carbs ARE complex carbs.
And fruit are simple carbs...
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SnuggleSmacks wrote: »That must be why there are so many obese Asians, with their enormous quantities of white rice.
There are. It's a huge problem. I live in Asia, and many of my relatives and neighbors are suffering from obesity and diabetes. The reason seems pretty obvious to me -- they continue to eat traditional amounts of rice, but are now following a "modern" lifestyle (instead of working in the fields, walking everywhere, etc). Processed foods with added sugars are still only a minor contributor; oils are certainly part of it; but the basic issue IMO is too much rice. It's a complicated topic, but basically you can burn off rice if you're highly active, but not at traditional levels if you're sedentary.0 -
You can't eat endless amounts of protein and fat unless your goal is weight gain.
I more than likely suffer gluten intolerance (having a blood test tomorrow to rule out celiac's) so I've been going low carb/high fat/moderate protein for the last few weeks and I find I'm eating more and actually enjoying the foods I'm eating because they're mostly things like burgers and hot dogs (without the buns), lasagne, shepherd's pie, and a lot of other stuff. (Mind's gone blank so I can't think of all the foods I eat. All my low carb meal ideas come from Pinterest.) I'm still restricting calories but have had to add a lot more veg to my diet so I can get some carbs. I've been losing weight at the same rate as before, it's just that now I have a lot more energy and I'm nowhere near as bloated as I used to be.0 -
You can't eat endless amounts of protein and fat unless your goal is weight gain.
I more than likely suffer gluten intolerance (having a blood test tomorrow to rule out celiac's) so I've been going low carb/high fat/moderate protein for the last few weeks and I find I'm eating more and actually enjoying the foods I'm eating because they're mostly things like burgers and hot dogs (without the buns), lasagne, shepherd's pie, and a lot of other stuff. (Mind's gone blank so I can't think of all the foods I eat. All my low carb meal ideas come from Pinterest.) I'm still restricting calories but have had to add a lot more veg to my diet so I can get some carbs. I've been losing weight at the same rate as before, it's just that now I have a lot more energy and I'm nowhere near as bloated as I used to be.
Lasagne might not be the best choice for either low carb or GF.0 -
If you can't control your portions, you're not going to lose weight. Some people insist on magical, silver-bullet cures, so low carb was born. It is just another elimination scheme to create a calorie deficit. It's not the food, it's YOU.0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »You can't eat endless amounts of protein and fat unless your goal is weight gain.
I more than likely suffer gluten intolerance (having a blood test tomorrow to rule out celiac's) so I've been going low carb/high fat/moderate protein for the last few weeks and I find I'm eating more and actually enjoying the foods I'm eating because they're mostly things like burgers and hot dogs (without the buns), lasagne, shepherd's pie, and a lot of other stuff. (Mind's gone blank so I can't think of all the foods I eat. All my low carb meal ideas come from Pinterest.) I'm still restricting calories but have had to add a lot more veg to my diet so I can get some carbs. I've been losing weight at the same rate as before, it's just that now I have a lot more energy and I'm nowhere near as bloated as I used to be.
Lasagne might not be the best choice for either low carb or GF.
Unless it's zucchini lasagna.... That stuff if delicious.0 -
Chaotic_Weevil wrote: »For overall weight loss, calories are what matter in the end. You could eat low carb, high carb, high fat, high protein etc but you aren't going to change the laws of physics. Expend more energy than you consume and you will deplete your fat stores.
That being said, I eat fairly low carb. Aside from a small amount of bread at breakfast, the majority of my carbs come from vegetables. I do so for the following reasons
• it's harder to snack when you're limiting carbs, and I tend to take too many calories in via snacking
•Protein and fat make me feel fuller than carbs do
•By cutting starches out of meals and snacks, I tend to take in more vegetables. If I have the option of rice or bread or what have you, I normally won't eat enough veg. That leads to me not getting enough nutrients.
•it leads to me being more creative with my meals and having more variety.
•I find it leaves me less bloated.
So, choosing to go low carb has some benefits for some people, but it's more related to how it affects your food choices and satiety than anything. If you have no trouble stating within your calorie goals whilst eating carbs, there isn't much reason to cut them out.
Exactly.
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baconslave wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »You can't eat endless amounts of protein and fat unless your goal is weight gain.
I more than likely suffer gluten intolerance (having a blood test tomorrow to rule out celiac's) so I've been going low carb/high fat/moderate protein for the last few weeks and I find I'm eating more and actually enjoying the foods I'm eating because they're mostly things like burgers and hot dogs (without the buns), lasagne, shepherd's pie, and a lot of other stuff. (Mind's gone blank so I can't think of all the foods I eat. All my low carb meal ideas come from Pinterest.) I'm still restricting calories but have had to add a lot more veg to my diet so I can get some carbs. I've been losing weight at the same rate as before, it's just that now I have a lot more energy and I'm nowhere near as bloated as I used to be.
Lasagne might not be the best choice for either low carb or GF.
Unless it's zucchini lasagna.... That stuff if delicious.
right0 -
Chief_Rocka wrote: »
That must be why there are so many obese Asians, with their enormous quantities of white rice.
Ricecism
[/quote]
best post ever... 0 -
baconslave wrote: »Chaotic_Weevil wrote: »For overall weight loss, calories are what matter in the end. You could eat low carb, high carb, high fat, high protein etc but you aren't going to change the laws of physics. Expend more energy than you consume and you will deplete your fat stores.
That being said, I eat fairly low carb. Aside from a small amount of bread at breakfast, the majority of my carbs come from vegetables. I do so for the following reasons
• it's harder to snack when you're limiting carbs, and I tend to take too many calories in via snacking
•Protein and fat make me feel fuller than carbs do
•By cutting starches out of meals and snacks, I tend to take in more vegetables. If I have the option of rice or bread or what have you, I normally won't eat enough veg. That leads to me not getting enough nutrients.
•it leads to me being more creative with my meals and having more variety.
•I find it leaves me less bloated.
So, choosing to go low carb has some benefits for some people, but it's more related to how it affects your food choices and satiety than anything. If you have no trouble stating within your calorie goals whilst eating carbs, there isn't much reason to cut them out.
Exactly.
Precisely exactly. Great explanation.0 -
SnuggleSmacks wrote: »Actually, it isn't possible to lose weight if you're not in a calorie deficit, whether you achieve that deficit through a low-carb diet or just portion control. In other words, you can't eat more than you burn and still lose weight, no matter what you eat, and you can lose weight in a calorie deficit, no matter what you eat, even if it's nothing but Twinkies and Doritos (which I don't suggest as a healthy diet, but if you're curious, Google "Twinkie Diet.")
Some people find that it's easier to maintain a calorie deficit if they cut out or limit certain foods or types of food, like carbs, alcohol, sweets, juice, starches, or whatever. If you find that cutting carbs helps you to stay within your goal, that might be a reason to consider it. But there is no magic to low-carb dieting which would make it possible to eat an excess of calories and still lose weight.
Actually, you're sort of right, well done. However all calories are not created equal, and all macros are not treated the same by your body. Too many carbs causes your body to resond with insulin, and store fat. Low carb has the opposite effect. Which is why people can struggle to lose weight on 1200 cals of a low fat high carb diet, and easily lose weight on 1800 to 2000 cals of a low carb high fat diet. You can try and simplify a very complex process (how our bodies work) all you want, but there's more to it than you think. Maybe you just don't understand, and that's okay, there is plenty of reading out there and thousands of people who have shared their real life findings.
Shai, well done! All calories are NOT the same. We can't be dumb about the calories we take in, but if you learn to eat only when hungry, you won't eat enough calories from fat to be able to gain fat. I've lost 12 lbs in 3 weeks on a LCHF diet and I only watch my macro nutrients. I've stayed at 10% carbs on about 2000 calories a day. This is enough calorie restriction to make all the difference and yet I'm never hungry. You may notice that 2000 calories can't really be considered "restricted". For those who work out a lot, you'll need to up those calories and maybe even the carb %. In the end, we need to know what our bodies respond to, as we may have some underlying medical conditions like insulin resistance (as I do, thanks to PCOS). If you're insulin resistant, low carb with no calorie counting will be an awesome start for you!-1
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