Low Carb high Fat and Protein diet.....success?

I am currently on a low carb high fat and protein diet with minimal exercise and am wondering how many people have had success with this way of eating? I'm at 20% carbs 40% fat and 30% protein. 1,400 calories a day.
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Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Doesn't add up to 100% ;-)
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
    edited April 2016
    yarwell wrote: »
    Doesn't add up to 100% ;-)
    Lol!

    Eat in a way that is sustainable for a lifetime and which makes you feel the best, not because you think it'll lead to weight loss. All macro splits will result in weight loss when combined with a caloric deficit.
  • Red13
    Red13 Posts: 287 Member
    It all depends what your body needs. Some people do not react well to carbs as much as people want to preach only deficients matter. I am insulin resistant so carbs were holding me back until I went Keto. If you feel like carbs send you down a path of binging and cravings you may want to lower. Before Keto I was stuck for months with the same 2 lbs. I broke through and lost 6. I don't have much more to lose but I feel like this helps me stay on track and burn fat.
  • eyeshinebright
    eyeshinebright Posts: 51 Member
    Red13 wrote: »
    It all depends what your body needs. Some people do not react well to carbs as much as people want to preach only deficients matter. I am insulin resistant so carbs were holding me back until I went Keto. If you feel like carbs send you down a path of binging and cravings you may want to lower. Before Keto I was stuck for months with the same 2 lbs. I broke through and lost 6. I don't have much more to lose but I feel like this helps me stay on track and burn fat.

    When I was reading your post a light bulb went off on my head. Carbs have definitely increased my hunger and cravings. I wonder if I may be slightly insulin resistant as T2 Diabetes runs in my family... but anyway, yeah OP it depends on the person what makes them feel the best but you could try a different balance of macros for a few weeks and keep track of how it feels and your progress. All within a calorie deficit of course.
  • michaelachallis
    michaelachallis Posts: 137 Member
    I had great success... Lost 10kgs... Then as soon as I started eating carbs again I put it all back on :(
    I just found it too restrictive
  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
    I've lost 37lbs since the 1st of February on LCHF. I think it would be sustainable over a lifetime if you are in the right head space (i.e. not someone who delights in cheating or fantasizing about bread haha ;) ). My macro breakdown for reference is 5% carbs (I keep to well below 20g net though most days), 70% fat, 25% protein
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I had great success... Lost 10kgs... Then as soon as I started eating carbs again I put it all back on :(
    I just found it too restrictive

    I'm the total opposite, I feel like it is definitely something I can do forever, I don't find it to be onerously restrictive or anything... I lost the first 80 lbs of my total loss doing it the "CICO/ Eat Less Move More" way and that stressed me out. I was constantly dealing with cravings but no more. My last 30+ lbs lost have been Low Carb and I love it. Just goes to show there really isn't a One Size Fits All diet!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    Doesn't add up to 100% ;-)

    The other 10% must be alcohol, since that's all that's left.

    that's about what I did on Atkins induction, actually it was more than 10%
  • livierosebud01
    livierosebud01 Posts: 2 Member
    edited April 2016
    I've lost 60 pounds since September doing low carb, high protein (atkins).
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I lost 40 lbs in just over 4 months eating about 1500kcal per day of 5% carbs, 75% fat and 20% protein. I then upped my calories to 2000-2500kcal per day because I started feeling hungry. That was 6 months ago and I am maintaining without any problems, and I am still pretty much sedentary.

    I now weigh about 150lbs; I am 5'8" and wear a size 8/medium.
  • BelleCakes2018
    BelleCakes2018 Posts: 568 Member
    I am also low carbing at 20% protein, 75% fat and 5% carbs... I do feel much better on this and cravings are pretty much non -existent. However you do have to watch the calories.. 1400 could be fine for you, but not knowing your height and weight it would be difficult to tell.
  • Unice95
    Unice95 Posts: 11 Member
    Good morning, I am loving lchf because my cravings are extremely less and I am not hungry all the time anymore. My macros are 1490kcal per day of 5% carbs, 75% fat and 20% protein, however, usually, I do not meet the percentages correctly. So starting this week, I will make sure I meet my fat percentage if nothing else. It makes me feel good but I am not losing like other success stories. :-( But I will trust this process because overall, I feel great.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.
  • findingtracy
    findingtracy Posts: 14 Member
    Are you guys counting total carbs or net carbs in your percentages? if its net carbs, is there a way to set that up in MFP? I'm glad you all are here and posting.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I just switched to low carb. I always hit my protein and then whatever happened with fat and carbs just happened. My fat is still moderate because I was eating so low that it's actually taking me practice to raise it. I'm finally able to hit 50g now. Hoping to up it a little more soon.

    Anyway, it's only been a few weeks but I found that I like the lower carbs better now than I'm more lean because I'm generally less bloated, and it's fun to actually eat olive oil and bacon. The main reason I like it is mainly because of aesthetics though. I just look better. It wouldn't make a difference if I was still 40 lbs over weight though.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Are you guys counting total carbs or net carbs in your percentages? if its net carbs, is there a way to set that up in MFP? I'm glad you all are here and posting.


    Just track your fiber intake instead of sugar. It's really easy to see where your net carbs are for the day when they are both tracked in your diary.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    Why would one made sick by eating carbs ever want to go back to eating carbs which are totally optional for health reasons?
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    edited April 2016
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    Why would one made sick by eating carbs ever want to go back to eating carbs which are totally optional for health reasons?
    Because in my experience, most people who go on a low carb diet do it because they think it is the secret to weight loss. They don't realize, that barring some medical condition, it is nothing more then a low calorie diet. So when they finally give up, and they will, they will gain all their weight back because they still have not come to accept that it is a surplus of calories, not some boogeyman macronutrient that causes fat gain.

    That said, if you like low carb and feel you can sustain it, do it. It works, just not better or worse then most low calorie diets.

    Be careful not to confuse the how with the why in regards to fat loss...
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Are you guys counting total carbs or net carbs in your percentages? if its net carbs, is there a way to set that up in MFP? I'm glad you all are here and posting.

    I just go on total carbs and keep them under <50 grams daily so I can live in a state of Nutritional Ketosis for health reasons at age 65. I track my net carb intake after the fact with a $15 breath analyzer off eBay. I track my net CICO with a set of digital bathroom scales each morning. I decided to do it in a way I can do the rest of my life.

    Best of success. I found the first six months to be a learning curve for sure and nearly two years later I still learn/understand more every week. :)
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    why would you gain weight? You only would if you eat more than you burn. Carbs are not magical fat-gathering particles.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    eeejer wrote: »
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    why would you gain weight? You only would if you eat more than you burn. Carbs are not magical fat-gathering particles.

    To be fair, you'd gain a little bit of weight as your glycogen stores replenish with water, but beyond the initial gain, you won't see much. However, many people see this initial gain when moving to maintenance from a decent deficit in general.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
    I'm doing low carb moderate protein and fat. Losing slowly and steadily. I don't plan on reintroducing carbs into my diet due to medical issues so this is a true lifestyle change for me.
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    eeejer wrote: »
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    why would you gain weight? You only would if you eat more than you burn. Carbs are not magical fat-gathering particles.

    To be fair, you'd gain a little bit of weight as your glycogen stores replenish with water, but beyond the initial gain, you won't see much. However, many people see this initial gain when moving to maintenance from a decent deficit in general.

    ...and we don't care about water weight. I should have said fat of course, but I meant weight that is subsequently hard to lose.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited April 2016
    J72FIT wrote: »
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    Why would one made sick by eating carbs ever want to go back to eating carbs which are totally optional for health reasons?
    Because in my experience, most people who go on a low carb diet do it because they think it is the secret to weight loss. They don't realize, that barring some medical condition, it is nothing more then a low calorie diet. So when they finally give up, and they will, they will gain all their weight back because they still have not come to accept that it is a surplus of calories, not some boogeyman macronutrient that causes fat gain.

    That said, if you like low carb and feel you can sustain it, do it. It works, just not better or worse then most low calorie diets.

    Be careful not to confuse the how with the why in regards to fat loss...

    J72FIT I agree if people see LCHF as a weight loss gimmick they may not to be motivated by its life extending features like Chaperone Mediated Autophagy (CMA) for example. I do LCHF for pain management but once I learned more of its features other than just pain management like resolving my 40 years of IBS, etc I got even more excited.

    Its potential to improve quality of life by protecting against diabetes, cataracts (earned OD degree SCO 1986), cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers, etc intrigues me in a medical sense. I have been researching the the why and how Low Carb High Fat works down to the cellular level for a couple years.

    A major driver is I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and knowing how to treat it in my teenagers should the need arrive is important to me as a father. They were watching me become immobile and with a fast declining health status. They had to help me out of the car and even dress me some days.

    I did not want them to see AS as the potential they might experience without hope.

    Today I understand had I known to address the gut bacteria that triggers AS often I could possibly avoided the health and related deformities due to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

    I do now plan to live to be 110 and walking and talking the whole way. The kids watching me walk death backwards by the LCHF Way Of Eating shows them a WOE that may fix them someday if AS strikes them or their potential children.
  • BelleCakes2018
    BelleCakes2018 Posts: 568 Member
    edited April 2016
    Are you guys counting total carbs or net carbs in your percentages? if its net carbs, is there a way to set that up in MFP? I'm glad you all are here and posting.

    For me personally i've noticed that MFP counts just net carbs.. but I do enter a lot of UK food which list carbs as net anyway. If you're listing US food, there may be a difference as they count total carbs there with fiber I think.
  • EddieHaskell97
    EddieHaskell97 Posts: 2,227 Member
    I've used Atkins/ketosis to lose 61 lbs in six months. It does work to accelerate loss, and it absolutely suppresses appetite. It's not a whole lot of fun, and not something I could do beyond six months. I was happy to get out of it.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    cgvet37 wrote: »
    The question is, can you maintain it. As soon as you reintroduce carbs back into your diet, you will gain weight.

    What, no CICO ? Carbs are fattening ?

    A few pounds of water and glycogen maybe, but that's your lot.
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  • KombuchaKat
    KombuchaKat Posts: 134 Member
    Very low carb has never worked for me. I can do moderate carb and be fine but if I go below 30% carbs I get really lethargic and cranky. At this point in my life I could never do it since I'm extremely active, walking 2-7 miles/day along with regular Cross fit, yoga, and other activities. Currently I'm set at 30% carbs, 50% fat and 20% protein (based on The Perfect Health Diet) and that seems to be working fairly well. I would totally agree that low carb leads to lower calories, fat and protein are much more difficult to overeat since they are satiating.

    Keep in mind that men tend to do better than women with lower carbs, although I'm not convinced anyone should do it long term. A woman's body will always need to have more fat because your pituitary gland judges your health based on whether or not you can sustain a pregnancy. This is a totally primal mechanism, it doesn't care if you want a baby or not. Going too low on carbs can have hormonal consequences down the road for women. This will only make it more difficult to lose weight among other health concerns.

    Another consideration is your gut microbiome, which essentially are your second brain. There is SO much interesting information coming out about it now. And your friendly little bacterial bugs like carbs, especially resistant starch and fiber. Keeping them plentiful and happy also helps with weight loss and overall well being.