Low carb high fat?

glfernandes828
glfernandes828 Posts: 101 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Woah I haven't been here in a year! But I'm glad to be back, it's nice to hear other people's opinions, suggestions and critique. Soo my fitness journey has been a roller coaster. I tried to go vegan last fall and it was very difficult, I'll go into details more later, but after eating a ton of fruit servings per day and continuing to workout as hard as I always did, I realized I wasn't losing any more weight. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to friends and colleagues and decided I'm going to switch to a low-carb, high-fat diet. I plan to eat more protein and way less sugar, that will mean cutting down my fruit intake to 0-1 servings a day :'( This will be hard for me since I got accustomed to eating so much fruit daily. I'm also cutting out bread, pasta, rice, even whole grain. I know these things aren't bad for you in the whole grains form but I want to lose weight so I'll be cutting them out and sticking to veggies, eggs, chicken and seafood mostly! I plan to make it a lifestyle so I'll be able to maintain my desired weight forever. Tell me your thoughts! Have you tried a low-carb diet?

Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited June 2016
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Why do you think you have to choose another extreme diet, especially when the last one failed? Do you realistically see yourself not eating fruit, bread, pasta etc forever? You can eat everything, even white varieties, if you count calories and hit your goal.

    I guess I don't see why it has to be "forever". Maintenance stages (at least) of formal low carb diets include fruit and grains.

    OP: do your research. And I'll ask as well: why do you WANT to do low carb? Have you tried calorie counting and eating a balanced, tasty, nutritious diet? It's not something I do, or enjoy, but it seems to be a great fit for many folks here. Your profile says you want to lose TEN pounds. Is that correct?
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited June 2016
    High carb for life here and losing weight.
    Lentils, beans, quinoa, oatmeal, barley, bananas, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and even brown rice.
    Not bad foods.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    High carb for life here and losing weight.
    Lentils, beans, quinoa, oatmeal, barley, bananas, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and even brown rice.
    Sad to see that you are giving up these great foods

    Legumes. I couldn't live without em!
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    edited June 2016
    OP, Why do you insist on making it so complicated?
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited June 2016
    Cutting back on added sugars seems to be common in every diet.
    That is "keeping it simple".
    I've never seen the high sugar diet.
  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
    I do low carb high protein. I'm vegetarian, but lean very close to vegan. I like it. Helped with my overall health. I lost 84 pounds.
  • JinjoJoey
    JinjoJoey Posts: 106 Member
    I don't understand why anyone undertakes complicated diets by cutting anything out. Calories in/Calories out. That's the simplest and most basic way to lose and maintain weight. Unless you're a tri-athelete or a body builder whose trying to win the Mr. Universe, there's no reason to not just monitor calories while making sure you eat essential nutrients.

    OP, if you found yourself stuck, not losing weight, you were taking in more calories than you burned, the end
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    Weigh your foods, count your calories and learn to eat the stuff you enjoy so you can keep enjoying them for the rest of your life. There's no need to follow any set program, plan or cut anything out.
  • JinjoJoey
    JinjoJoey Posts: 106 Member
    xmichaelyx wrote: »
    OP, I eat basically the way you describe. I didn't really plan to eat like this-- I don't care about Atkins, or paleo, or low-carb, or whatever -- but I tried a lot of different things and this is how my eating habits evolved.

    I don't get why commenters here are calling it "extreme" or "complicated." It's really easy to follow, and very filling, making it super easy to stay under your caloric goal. It's not necessary to eat this way, but it's so easy that I've stuck to it for years (cheating liberally on most weekends).

    Where I will agree with others is that you seem to be into following trends rather than taking your own preferences into consideration, which is a recipe for failure. Vegan to low-carb is a bizarre shift. It's great that you're trying new things to see what works for you, but the fact that you're committing to something that you may not like (as you did to veganism, apparently) makes me wonder if it wouldn't be better for you to just count calories and try lots of different foods until you find an eating pattern that YOU like, rather than wondering what works for others.

    Stop reading about diets and just eat. Discard what doesn't work for you and hold on to what does, and over a few months (or even a year) everything will fall into place.

    I wasn't necessarily saying it's hard to follow, just that, it's already enough work keeping track of calories and behaving yourself for a lot of people, so I don't understand why people choose to follow any specific diet which excludes all kinds of stuff and complicates your diet even further. Again, some might not care, but diets that exclude all kinds of foods or things like carbs or fats just annoy me. I already spend enough time looking over calories in foods, the last thing I want to do is be micro managing carbs, fats, etc... But if it works for someone, more power to them. I just think it's not really necessary to maintaining your weight and health.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    She's crying, for god's sake, even before she's started. I'll call that extreme.
  • edival
    edival Posts: 23 Member
    There are some great keto groups on Facebook with support, recipes, success stories and science. They tend to have great reading materials and links as well. One I really like is called Ketogenic Success. Check it out, if it seems like something you can do, then just do it. If not, it'll still be there for when you're ready. I've been doing it for 17 months and love it. I love the science of it, how it meshes with human evolution and has been proven to be effective when done right in multiple occasions. I especially love how it's been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes, and help with so many other metabolic diseases in this day and age which are escalating out of control.
  • CaliforniaAJ
    CaliforniaAJ Posts: 196 Member
    I have been low carb for about 4 months now, and I feel amazing. I am intolerant to many grains anyway, including wheat. As a Blood Type 0, a high protein, high fat, low grain (carb), diet suits my genetics.
    My husband eats the same as I do, but in larger portions. So far this year I have lost over 40lbs and he has lost 65lbs. My diary is open if anyone wants to look. I eat less than 20g carbs a day, usually around 14-15g.
    I work out 5 days a week, 45 mins on a treadmill and 20 mins of strength training.
    All I can say is low carb works for me in a way that nothing else did. I average about 1050 cals per day and I never feel hungry. I have tons of energy. My skin, hair and nails are better than they have been for 20 years. For me this is a way of life, not a fad diet.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Why do you think you have to choose another extreme diet, especially when the last one failed? Do you realistically see yourself not eating fruit, bread, pasta etc forever? You can eat everything, even white varieties, if you count calories and hit your goal.

    This^

    I don't eliminate anything to lose weight, that I don't intend to give up forever.

    I've yo-yo'd in the past. Why take the time to weigh & measure "diet" foods while losing weight, only to get to goal and have no idea what a REAL serving of ice cream looks like because I eliminated that when I was losing. I need to learn portion sizes for all my favorite foods.

    Losing weight is just the first step............
  • glfernandes828
    glfernandes828 Posts: 101 Member
    Thank you guys for all the advice I'm going to take everything into consideration for sure! I definitely want to still try this out for a month and see how it goes cuz I don't find it hard or complicated, it's actually kind of fun to try a new plan and analyze the results. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with trends at all, I went vegan for the ethical purposes after doing a ton of research and realizing how much corruption regarding the effects of meat and dairy farming, but that's another topic. I also tried it because dairy affects my skin pretty bad and I've come to realize that so do sugars, that's another reason I want to try to cut out sugars and carbs. I already do count calories, and have for 2 years now. I'm happy with my weight but would love to lose more that's why I want to try something new. It's not that big of a deal to me. In the end I can see myself going back to my old diet of fruits for breakfast and snacks and mostly veggies and lean proteins for main meals, but for now I really want to experiment with this and see what happens.
  • glfernandes828
    glfernandes828 Posts: 101 Member
    Update: it's been three days since I started my low carb meal plan and I've lost 3 pounds. Weighed in today at 114! So happy to see how my body reacts when I cut out sugar! Lovin it s1fx7p9zbdci.jpeg
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    I do low carb high fat/protein when I want to focus more on body recompisition and it helps me. But you weigh 114lbs you don't need to be on a diet, you just need to lift to build muscle to get your body to look the desired way you want. Loosing more weight could put you at a unhealthy weight.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Yes, you lost some water weight which is common with low carb. Everyone's body reacts that way.
  • CaliforniaAJ
    CaliforniaAJ Posts: 196 Member
    glfernandes828 wrote: »
    Update: it's been three days since I started my low carb meal plan and I've lost 3 pounds. Weighed in today at 114! So happy to see how my body reacts when I cut out sugar! Lovin it s1fx7p9zbdci.jpeg

    Well done! It's always nice when you get that bonus at the start, as it puts you in a positive frame of mind. There is no point me telling you how hot you look ;-)
    I am at 152 right now (from 198) and I had a goal of 140. It has been so 'easy' for me on the low carb that I am now readjusting that to 120 and hope I can look anywhere near as fantastic as you. It would be a dream come true.

    Do bear in mind what others have said though hun, that it's not always about losing weight. You can get a better shape with good workouts, and sometimes even gain a little but look better, as you are adding muscle weight but toning everything up tight ;-)

    When you get to where you are now, it might be time to pack away the scale and just judge yourself by how your clothes fit, or how you feel about how you look, rather than stressing over a few lbs.

    I hope I can take my own advice in the future o:)>:)
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited June 2016
    I hate to say it but @hornsby is right. You cut carbs and therefore you lost water weight. This is completely normal. And you may feel a bit better as far as not being as fluffy with the water weight, and you may be loving the scale amount today but don't be fooled that it is actually fat loss.

    And in your post it says that you will be eating a lot more protein. that does not makes sense to me on a low carb high fat diet. Large amounts of protein on this type of diet is counter productive, as protein can be broken down and used like carbs in your body thus keeping you essentially out of "low carb".

    Personally after looking at the photo you posted, you don't need to loose a pound. I am 112 pounds and I am clean bulking as I just do not need to loose another pound, I need to gain some lean muscle. Have you considered this prospect?

    And low carb high fat diets to me is just a sucky way to eat when it is completely unnecessary. This is my honest opinion and yes I tried it, and it was totally not necessary. If I were to have a medical condition that warranted eating way, I would do it, but only if it were life and death. I really hated the low carb flu.. It was devastating and two weeks I was a miserable person. One month later, I dropped it. I needed my carbs back and I need to be on high protein and moderate carb to meet my fitness goals.
  • kvab
    kvab Posts: 6 Member
    Im a keto-gal and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. No cravings. No pmt. No hunger. I look better. Feel better. Energy levels way higher. Sleep better. Wake refreshed with no need for an alarm clock anymore. Skin and hair better. Blood results doing great across the board.
    It was a 3 month long super steep learning curve to get my head around it and adapt my cooking ( my weekly shop costs no more than prior to keto now my store cupboard is switched over and I have some essentials). I went super geeky over it and read / watched everything I could get my hands on. Wish id discovered it years ago. For the first time in my life im no longer controlled by food. Can't ever see myself not being keto.
  • cherishpatterson
    cherishpatterson Posts: 11 Member
    No Hunger! That's my favorite part about ridding the processed foods, sugars, "white" foods from my diet. My journey of health has been down many paths of diets, plans, etc... but this by far is the most healthful I have felt. My body feels great, I have zero hunger, love the fresh foods I've been incorporating. And for anyone questioning this, it's not that I've gone no carb... just low carbs. And yes, weight drops like mad crazy and zero bloating! That's awesome.
  • cherishpatterson
    cherishpatterson Posts: 11 Member
    Also, for those who said a calorie is not a calorie...from the new portion of MFP site...The food industry vigorously promotes the myth “a calorie is a calorie”, however, based on these four simple facts, we know this is not true:

    1. Fiber. You eat 160 calories in almonds, but only absorb 130—because some fiber calories pass through without metabolizing. Vegetables, greens, beans and whole grains are all high in fiber.

    2. Protein. It takes twice as much energy to metabolize protein as carbs, so protein spends more calories in processing. And, protein makes you feel full longer.

    3. Fat. All fats are 9 calories per gram. But omega-3 fats are heart-healthy and will save your life. Trans-fats will clog your arteries and kill you. Eat more fish, nuts, avocados, olive oil and eggs and avoid most processed foods when possible.

    4. Added Sugar. Calories from added sugar are different from other calories, and are jeopardizing health worldwide. And yes that includes honey, syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Excess added sugar leads to diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease, unrelated to its calories. One simple way to cut back? Avoid processed foods and sodas.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    cherishpatterson wrote: »
    Also, for those who said a calorie is not a calorie...from the new portion of MFP site...The food industry vigorously promotes the myth “a calorie is a calorie”, however, based on these four simple facts, we know this is not true:

    1. Fiber. You eat 160 calories in almonds, but only absorb 130—because some fiber calories pass through without metabolizing. Vegetables, greens, beans and whole grains are all high in fiber.

    2. Protein. It takes twice as much energy to metabolize protein as carbs, so protein spends more calories in processing. And, protein makes you feel full longer.

    3. Fat. All fats are 9 calories per gram. But omega-3 fats are heart-healthy and will save your life. Trans-fats will clog your arteries and kill you. Eat more fish, nuts, avocados, olive oil and eggs and avoid most processed foods when possible.

    4. Added Sugar. Calories from added sugar are different from other calories, and are jeopardizing health worldwide. And yes that includes honey, syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Excess added sugar leads to diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease, unrelated to its calories. One simple way to cut back? Avoid processed foods and sodas.

    It seems that the new portion of MFP is wrong.

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