Thinking of doing low carb diet. Does this sound ok?

ThatDoll
ThatDoll Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so I have been doing a lot of research about low carb diets.
I have always thought that doing a low carb diet was just a set up for failure; like you will be depriving yourself from the carbs and as soon as you even smell a piece of pizza, you will gain like 5 lbs back (ok not really but you get the point).
I've always heard that people usually gain the weight back, PLUS MORE, which scared the hell out of me!
Recently, I watched a documentary about how sugar affects our minds and bodies and I decided I wanted to try to lower my sugars and carbs intake in order to beat the 'addiction' (YES I am an addict!! I admit it! I have no self control around bread, rice or sugary foods).
ANYWAYS, to make a long story short, what I found was that the reason why low carb dieting seems to help people lose so much weight is because the first 5-10lbs you lose are water, and the lowering of carbs helps you have less hunger pangs and cravings.
This would seriously help me sooooooooo much. I always end up over eating at the end of the day because I start listening to my cravings and thinking with my tongue OTL
I basically just need to get some self control, which I think will be easier to achieve by lowering my carbs.
So this is my plan:
Lower my carb intake to under 50g, which will help me stay at a caloric deficit that will allow me to lose as much weight as I need.
When I reach my goal weight, I will up my carbs slowly, which also means my calories will be going up until I reach an amount of calories that will help me maintain.
I am ready for the 5-10 lbs of water to come back!
Then I will live a lifestyle where carbs (as in sugary foods and bread) don't dominate my diet and life.
I really want to stop eating so much bread and sugars. Bread makes my stomach feel sluggish and nasty after I eat it, but ofc, my cravings just get the best out of me.
So does this sound like a good plan?? I feel like I'm just going to get laughed at :cry:

Replies

  • ThatDoll
    ThatDoll Posts: 37 Member
    btw I will be exercising (ie doing cardio and lifting) as I do this since I love going to the gym! Idk if that will do anything besides help increase the caloric deficit

    I'm a semi newbie so plz go easy on me
  • kschhr
    kschhr Posts: 103 Member
    Calories in, calories out. Carbs aren't going to make you fat, and not eating carbs won't necessarily make you skinny. If you want to cut down your sugar intake, avoid *kitten* sugar-filled crap foods.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    edited May 2015
    I'll be honest, I was kind of worried when you mentioned documentary and addiction, but this might actually be one of the few "I want to go low carb" posts where I don't want to bang my head into the desk.

    I think you have a realistic view of how a low carb diet can assist you in achieving your goals without falling into the trap of magic. You're acknowledging the drop in water weight and the need for a calorie deficit, and you seem to have an idea of the long-term changes you want to make. So I don't think it's a horrible plan.

    I would recommend checking out one of the low carb groups, as it's not just lowering carbs, you have to compensate with increased fat and/or protein. They would have some good recommendations for macro ratios, recipes and food ideas, and just general tips about eating low carb.

    Edited because holy redundancy, Batman.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    ThatDoll wrote: »
    So this is my plan:
    Lower my carb intake to under 50g, which will help me stay at a caloric deficit that will allow me to lose as much weight as I need.
    When I reach my goal weight, I will up my carbs slowly, which also means my calories will be going up until I reach an amount of calories that will help me maintain.
    I am ready for the 5-10 lbs of water to come back!
    Then I will live a lifestyle where carbs (as in sugary foods and bread) don't dominate my diet and life.
    I really want to stop eating so much bread and sugars. Bread makes my stomach feel sluggish and nasty after I eat it, but ofc, my cravings just get the best out of me.
    So does this sound like a good plan?? I feel like I'm just going to get laughed at :cry:

    Focus on what you will be adding to your days.
    Remember that you will be adding fats and oils -- full fat salad dressing, mayo, . .
    Eat lots of green leafy vegetables (romaine, spinach, swiss chard, kale) and things like asparagus, sprouts, mushrooms, cucumbers, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash, eggplant, zucchini, green beans.

    Join this group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
    There is no harm in trying it. Of course you don't need to go low carb too lose weight, we all know that. But based on your statement that eating breads makes your stomach feel sluggish, I would say try cutting back and see how you feel. I have similar issues when eating grains, I also have insulin resistance, which is the reason I cut back on carbs. I haven't felt this good in a long time. You probably don't even need to go as low as you agree thinking, you can still eat carbs and feel the benefits from low carb by eating around 100g a day. Do it gradually and stop where you feel comfortable. Definitely check out the low carb group on here for tons of advice and support. Best of luck to you.
  • ThatDoll
    ThatDoll Posts: 37 Member
    Thank you guys :*
  • crazygooselady
    crazygooselady Posts: 76 Member
    Listen to your body. My hair got thin and I suddenly developed dry eyes. Now and that I am eating them again my hair is better but my eye doctor says I will need eye drops or tear duct plugs from now on. I was doing same amounts as you. Prior to limiting carbs I did pig out on crackers and homemade bread dough. Now I eat bread a couple times a week and get more of my carbs from potatoes and rice, and corn, instead of other grain based products. Look up side effects and know when to stop. It may be long before you reach your goal weight. Be sure to weigh accurately, too. I didn't and that did lead to gain.
  • crazygooselady
    crazygooselady Posts: 76 Member
    Oh, and I have lost 20 pounds after starting to eat more carbs.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I think for you it sounds like a great plan because when you add your current motivation, understanding of the water weight issues and long term strategy together you seem to have worked out what you think will work well for you
  • Merci4u
    Merci4u Posts: 41 Member
    I have noticed that carbs don't keep me full as long as others. Cals in and cals out works but lowering the carbs helps curb the cravings.

    I personally am not on low carb but I don't regularly eat bread and most of my dinners are meat and veg rather than pasta or rice based. Try different things and don't get discouraged if something doesn't work for you. You will get there with perseverance.
  • LMS120yesIcan
    LMS120yesIcan Posts: 35 Member
    I did pretty much what you are planning to do. I went low carb for about 5 weeks and lost 6 pounds. It reduced my sugar cravings. I started MFP and am now counting calories because I became bored with the food on the low carb diet. The cravings still have not come back and it's been about 35 days on MFP with an additional loss of 8 pounds. I think exercise and drinking plenty of water has also helped suppress my food cravings. Good luck on your weight loss journey.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    I eat low carb and did a low carb diet in the past. The first round I lost 90 pounds and did a pretty good job of maintaining. I then got pregnant and ate enough for 3 people and regained a lot of the weight.

    I now know I lost the weight because I was eating fewer calories, but reducing my carbs and increasing my protein and fat intake kept me feeling full. I also reduced my calories from not eating things like fries, cookies, cake, etc which I didn't practice any form of portion control. It was easier for me to eat none of that than limit to a bite/serving/one, etc. I also incorporated more veggies than ever before into my diet..

    People will regain weight lost if they eat more than maintenance calories, whether it was low carb/low calorie/slim fast/etc. I think the part that knowing how low carb works will help you understand once you start introducing carbs again. You understand that a high gain doesn't mean its fat and why that happens. But, for me, that can play with your mind a bit and I sometimes get this attitude of "Well I already ate cake for this person's birthday, so for breakfast I'm just going to get a few pancakes since I already ate carbs". That's a slippery slope and calories start going up and up again.

    Check out the Low Carber group. A lot of good info!
  • steffydill
    steffydill Posts: 12 Member
    I have recently "avoided' bread pasta rice and anything high carb. Not because i wanted a faddy diet but I found my carb intake DID have an effect on my weight and made me feel sluggish and so I just stick to my calories but avoid carbs if I can. I am still eating carbs in Form of lots of veg and occasional fruit, if I want carbs I have them as I found staying under 50g a day really hard, but cutting out bread and pasta etc has really helped me make healthier choices and therefore stay within my calories.
    I make alternatives to bread, rice and pasta- cauliflower pizza base, cauliflower rice and courgette pasta are brilliant (loads of recipes on pinterest) and my husband and son both love these versions too do its win win.
    I have loads of energy, my weight is falling, losr 17lbs in last 6 weeks and I have lost that bloated feeling.
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