Low carb... Is it a diet fad?
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Just be warned, you'll get the usual Keto fans posting all sorts of fantastical claims for low carb if you start a low carb thread.
The average person here loses weight fine by just counting calories and without all the restrictions of keeping in ketosis. They don't bother posting about a cult diet fad.
Truth, I'm guilty of promoting the eating style that I believe in, study extensively, and follow currently.
And while CICO is great for weight loss, it does nothing to address the real reason anybody wants to lose weight, health.
Can you lose weight and become healthier with CICO?
Yes
Can you lose weight and become healthier with Ketogenics?
Yes
Then why do Ketogenics?
Because for a fat person who has no idea what portions or dieting is, telling them to go low-calorie and low-fat usually means to go high-carb high-sugar. Which wrecks havoc on the body's hormone system and fat burning ability. Low-fat leads to hunger, which leads to going over your calorie restriction, which leads to just giving up. Not to mention how wrong most people are at counting calories or estimating weight or portion sizes of food.
Telling people not to eat carbs is simple and effective, without any of the usual pitfalls most people fall into. Many Ketoers suggest not even counting calories, to focus strictly on counting carbs, and that the calories, and the weight, will take care of itself.
Yes, you can lose weight just fine by counting calories and being strict to that. But I think there's a better way that leaves you feeling better and not completely deprived of good food.
So the advantage of keto is that any fool can do it, because they don't need to learn about portion control? What happens in maintenance? Or are you saying "keto for life?"
I have been counting calories and feel great. Energized, stronger, sleep better, and when I look at my nutritional balance, I'm getting the macros and micros I need for health.
OP, I wouldn't call low carb a fad. It works for some but not for others. Just beware of some of the more fantastic claims being made about it. As for long term success, diet is like exercise. Find something you enjoy and are likely to stick with. If you hate running on a treadmill, how long will you do it? You're better off finding something you enjoy. Same with diet. If you enjoy carbs, you are better off finding a way to fit them in so you can do this for the long haul.0 -
Lots of countries that aren't obese utilize sugar fine. In the US and UK, the problem isn't mainly sugar causing obesity........................it's overconsumption of total calories regardless of macros.Just be warned, you'll get the usual Keto fans posting all sorts of fantastical claims for low carb if you start a low carb thread.
The average person here loses weight fine by just counting calories and without all the restrictions of keeping in ketosis. They don't bother posting about a cult diet fad.
Truth, I'm guilty of promoting the eating style that I believe in, study extensively, and follow currently.
And while CICO is great for weight loss, it does nothing to address the real reason anybody wants to lose weight, health.
Can you lose weight and become healthier with CICO?
Yes
Can you lose weight and become healthier with Ketogenics?
Yes
Then why do Ketogenics?
Because for a fat person who has no idea what portions or dieting is, telling them to go low-calorie and low-fat usually means to go high-carb high-sugar. Which wrecks havoc on the body's hormone system and fat burning ability. Low-fat leads to hunger, which leads to going over your calorie restriction, which leads to just giving up. Not to mention how wrong most people are at counting calories or estimating weight or portion sizes of food.
Telling people not to eat carbs is simple and effective, without any of the usual pitfalls most people fall into. Many Ketoers suggest not even counting calories, to focus strictly on counting carbs, and that the calories, and the weight, will take care of itself.
Yes, you can lose weight just fine by counting calories and being strict to that. But I think there's a better way that leaves you feeling better and not completely deprived of good food.
I've dealt with people who are low carb and unfortunately the majority of them REALLY WISH they could enjoy carbs without reprecussion. Guess what? Many do just fine. Guaranteed that more pro and amateur athletes utilize carbs in their diet than those that don't to perform at their best levels.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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It's all very well enjoying your way of eating but when you attribute magical properties to it or say everyone should do it you're simply wrong ...nobody likes evangelists
I did actually keto for a few months in my yo-yo years ..,crashed and burned
When science is called "magical properties". Or when ignorance is called an opinion. Or when an individual anecdotal failure is used as evidence. #fatlogic
Nobody likes an evangelist? Maybe OP might like an answer from someone who actually does Ketogenics to talk about low-carb and their own experience? Instead of a group of equally aggressive high-carb eaters bashing anyone who dares step against their mainstream preconceived notions? #foodforthought
There is no fat logic in people disputing your keto envangelism that everyone must try it and its lowest possible denominator effectiveness
I have no issue with low carb I don't think it's a fad, I think it's a way to hit a calorie defecit
I have issue with so called "studies" that don't match protein and calories and issues with people expounding a one size fits all philosophy
Please, bring the science ....0 -
Also keto <>low carb so your comments are potentially off topic0
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If you can't sustain a low carb diet the rest of your life and you're just doing it to lose weight, then yes it's a fad diet.
I am a big believer in losing weight the way a person intends to maintain it for the long term, but in reality for a lot of people (including me) a lot of weight loss programs are not sustainable for the long, and that includes counting calories or similar programs such as WW which uses points. I certainly wouldn't consider calorie counting as a fad diet because it isn't sustainable for the long term/rest of a person's life.
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I have been low carb high/fat for over 3 years now.
And have been losing weight those three years.
I am old enough to have tried everything else, and THIS method works for me and I plan to continue it.
Is it the best method for everyone? I doubt that.
But if nothing else has worked for you long term, it is worth a shot.
It is not a fad, and is not new.
William Banting is one the more famous users who popularized a version of it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Banting
My benefits are:
Lost weight (100 lbs so far)
Improved lipids
Normal blood sugar (was diagnosed diabetic day before I started)
Normal blood pressure
More energy
No more acid reflux (this was in the first week, so diet related, not weight loss related)
Rarely hungry
Negatives:
Really, just giving up or reducing foods I loved too much before. But the ONLY thing I gave up completely was Coca Cola. I was addicted to that for 40 years. Won't ever drink that again in case cravings return.
I will still have part of a birthday cake or bread at a restaurant every once in a while. I just don't keep that stuff at home or seek it out.
I cook most everything I eat now, and I think most people would have positive health outcomes just doing that alone.
I go off and on with counting calories. If I don't, personally, I can eat way more than I need as cheese and butter pack so many calories in small amounts.
But there was a 7 month period or so where I took a break from counting calories...just continued to eat the low carb way I had been. I didn't lose weight, but I didn't gain any back either. Without even trying. This told me this method worked for me and was something I could definitely do long term.
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It's really preferences. Keto/some low card and I don't jive because I'm a vegetarian and it just becomes to constricting and would force me to eat a lot of dairy, oils, and avacados which I don't care for. Some like it because WOO bacon and weight loss.
I'll take mah carbs and focus on keeping my protein up.
What the diet can give you is decreased hunger do to the fat and protein which makes it easier to sustain a deficit. Any other health claims... meh duno. For weightloss no matter what you eat just keep it under your total daily burn.0 -
Some people find health and happiness in keto/low carb, and it can be really beneficial for some medical issues.
I, myself, am not too sure if it's realistic to be doing keto for the rest of your life. I think maybe the research is not quite there yet, about how it will affect someone's health in the really long run...
But, I think low carb/keto can work for some people especially with staying satiated during calorie-restricted weight loss.
Just like eating really high carb while losing weight works for me! (No medical issues)0 -
It works for some people, especially people with PCOS or severe epilepsy, but you should be choosing a diet you can maintain for life. I personally think reducing "white" carbs and focusing on whole grains is good for your overall health and makes it easier to lose weight by keeping you fuller, but I really don't like to follow any diet that completely or nearly completely cuts out any major food groups. Many carbs are nutrient rich, and are more affordable and accesible for people from lower incomes. From a wider perspective, I dont believe the world population can be sustained without grains, grains are good for food stability.
Maybe that was a bit off topic but basically, carbs are not evil.
You can lose weight with them, you'll be healthier is you choose whole grains, youre more likely to maintain your diet for life if it doesnt cut out any major food groups.0 -
Low carb isn't neccesarily no carb. Low carb doesn't automatically mean a ketogenic diet.
I eat low carb... I eat rice, dark chocolate, starchy vegetables, some fruits, lentils and even occasionally wheat products (though I do find them hard to digest so I tend to avoid them). I find protein and fats are more satiating, so for me, it works and is sustainable.
I don't think it's a fad, I just think what works for some may not work for all.0 -
bluefish86 wrote: »Low carb isn't neccesarily no carb. Low carb doesn't automatically mean a ketogenic diet.
I eat low carb... I eat rice, dark chocolate, starchy vegetables, some fruits, lentils and even occasionally wheat products (though I do find them hard to digest so I tend to avoid them). I find protein and fats are more satiating, so for me, it works and is sustainable.
I don't think it's a fad, I just think what works for some may not work for all.
Agreed- my comment was moreso aimed at the poster Nage who was talking about ketogenic diets.0 -
JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »bluefish86 wrote: »Low carb isn't neccesarily no carb. Low carb doesn't automatically mean a ketogenic diet.
I eat low carb... I eat rice, dark chocolate, starchy vegetables, some fruits, lentils and even occasionally wheat products (though I do find them hard to digest so I tend to avoid them). I find protein and fats are more satiating, so for me, it works and is sustainable.
I don't think it's a fad, I just think what works for some may not work for all.
Agreed- my comment was moreso aimed at the poster Nage who was talking about ketogenic diets.
No worries... my comment wasn't aimed at you specifically. I just wanted to clarify as the two tend to get lumped together quite a bit. My point was only that you can continue to have carbohydrates on a low carb diet... they're just restricted.
Any diet that involves cutting calories will restrict one macro-nutrient or another.0 -
No Fad. The only way to convert from a typical sugar-burning American, to a fat-burner.
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"What do I think? Everyone should give Ketogenics at least a legitimate 3 month shot. No carbs for 3 months. It's a challenge a lot of people can't accomplish. Why? It separates those who are dedicated to changing their body, and those who buy Fitbits then eat pancakes, burgers, and drink beer all weekend long."
This statement is purely opinion and does not contain one basic fact.
I do not "do" low carb or Ketogenics. I AM dedicated to changing my body. I have lost 36 lbs and was able to go off all of my blood pressure medications and my A1C is no longer in the prediabetic range . So, yes I have changed my body.
By the way.. I have a Fitbit, and other than the beer, gimme those pancakes and burgers!0 -
It's a fad if you treat it like a fad. If you use it like a tool that helps you manage your calories it's a good tool for some (not for me personally), but if you expect to lose any real weight eating at a calorie level that exceeds your maintenance you will be sorely disappointed. It's a fiction if you buy into all the magic properties sometimes attributed to it as a set in stone fact instead of a personal variable. Some people, for example, tend to feel less hungry on low carb diets, and assume that's the case for everyone. It's not. It's a tool just like any other tool (IF, using smaller plates, increasing your activity, eating or not eating breakfast...etc) that some people use to make it easier to eat fewer calories than their body burns. And just like any other tool, it works for some and doesn't for others.
Pros:
- Improves blood sugar for some people
- Improves hunger for some people
- Improves blood panel for some people
- Easier to stick to for some people
Cons:
- Makes blood sugar worse for some people
- Makes hunger worse for some people
- Makes blood panel worse for some people
- Harder to stick to for some people0 -
It doesn't really matter if it is a fad or not.
What matters is does it work for you and fit in happily with your lifestyle. That will vary depending on the person.
Personally, I feel a balanced diet will probably suit the majority of people the best but it is clearly not the only way of being successful or even the best way for some people.0 -
Do you see the irony in someone who needs to cut back even on fruit to not go over his 20 g of carbs saying the others are depriving themselves of good food?Just be warned, you'll get the usual Keto fans posting all sorts of fantastical claims for low carb if you start a low carb thread.
The average person here loses weight fine by just counting calories and without all the restrictions of keeping in ketosis. They don't bother posting about a cult diet fad.
Truth, I'm guilty of promoting the eating style that I believe in, study extensively, and follow currently.
And while CICO is great for weight loss, it does nothing to address the real reason anybody wants to lose weight, health.
Can you lose weight and become healthier with CICO?
Yes
Can you lose weight and become healthier with Ketogenics?
Yes
Then why do Ketogenics?
Because for a fat person who has no idea what portions or dieting is, telling them to go low-calorie and low-fat usually means to go high-carb high-sugar. Which wrecks havoc on the body's hormone system and fat burning ability. Low-fat leads to hunger, which leads to going over your calorie restriction, which leads to just giving up. Not to mention how wrong most people are at counting calories or estimating weight or portion sizes of food.
Telling people not to eat carbs is simple and effective, without any of the usual pitfalls most people fall into. Many Ketoers suggest not even counting calories, to focus strictly on counting carbs, and that the calories, and the weight, will take care of itself.
Yes, you can lose weight just fine by counting calories and being strict to that. But I think there's a better way that leaves you feeling better and not completely deprived of good food.
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Except there's no anti-keto fanatics here. I don't see anyone saying "stay away from it, high carbs are better for you!" everyone says it works just fine, no better or worse than other approaches.
There is however at least two people who say keto is better because it does all those amazing things for them and one of them implies people who don't do keto aren't dedicated enough to their health and don't "have what it takes" and probably eat pancakes, burgers and drink beer all weekend long.
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