Am I the only one who can’t stick with LCHF? – anyone else tried but couldn’t do it?

OP, what does "low carb" mean to you?

My macros are set to 30% carb, 50% fat and 20% protein. It's not very low carb but that ends up being about 100-120 grams daily. It's pretty moderate and I enjoy it. I couldn't cut carbs lower than 25% because, quite frankly, I enjoy them and won't go lower than that unless I need to medically.

kpk54 wrote: »

If LCHF does not work for you for weight loss there are thousands/millions of other options.
I lost my weight via 40c/30/30
I maintained for a couple of years via 40c/30/30 and
I continue to maintain now (6 months) via a ketogenic diet (5c/20p/75f) for a neurological movement disorder. It is working to minimize the involuntary movements of my Spasmodic Torticollis aka Cervical Dystonia.

I have experienced the side benefit of satiation so weight maintenance is easier for me on keto. Keto has helped me identify the bad habit I had of eating for the sake of eating versus eating to satisfy hunger.

As @nvmomketo mentioned, I too find social functions easy. Meat/cheese/vegetables are staples on most menus/appetizer spreads.

Find a way of eating that works for you for weight loss and one that you are able to maintain throughout your life. It's OK that LCHF does not work for you. We're all individuals.

Might be cultural, but when starch is the base of most social dishes it really is hard. It would be impractical trying to pick crabs out of pasta, a casserole, a soup or a sauce. It's also feels uncomfortable when most low carb things are basically things that go on top of rice, so you shy away from taking a larger portion than you would to top your rice so there would be enough for everyone. Even when there are perfectly appropriate low carb options, it's just awkward to watch others down all the delicious stuff while you gnaw on that single note so-so food. It doesn't feel any better than sitting in a corner chewing on dressing-less salad on a low fat diet.

That's why personal preferences and circumstances are very important to the choice of a successful diet. Social situations might be easy for some on any given diet, but hard for others.

I've had great success with it midterm 6 months to a year. I have never had success long term. I ended up having to ditch it because it just wasn't sustainable forever for me. The key is not following a specific diet but rather finding for yourself a way of eating that allows to eat a diet you enjoy and can live with long term but also allows you to meet your health and fitness goals.

imtriagain wrote: »

Everywhere I read, people seem to find LCHF so easy and have great success with it.

I’ve been LCHF for about 3 weeks and I’m very close to calling it quits. I’ve tried it a couple of times before, and can’t stick to it for very long.

Despite varying the food I eat, menus and recipes, I’m getting sick of the food. I miss the foods I used to eat, and I’m finding it hard socially and around family –choosing the options that are low carb, but not the ones that are really satisfying me.

Although wanting to lose some weight, the main reason I’m doing this is to get a handle on my tendency to binge on carbs/sugar. I’m not feeling full like everyone seems to experience and find myself overeating fatty foods. Or nuts.

I’m trying to keep a handle on my calories as well – I’m eating over what I should be eating, and not surprisingly have not lost weight.

I have been pretty strict low carb, and know there’s the adjustment period, but have really hit a ‘do I really want to do this’ moment today.

Would love to hear of anyone else who’s gone through a similar thing – did you push through and start enjoying it, or did you give up and feel better for it?

In the past I’ve mostly been a ‘everything in moderation’ and found calorie reduction works best for me – the problem is that I’ve started to find that hard to stick to without binging.

You weren't reading a scientific sampling of everyone who has tried LCHF - you're just getting those for whom it works and not those who have tried and discovered it wasn't for them

Re your binging, what was your daily calorie deficit or weekly weight loss goal and how many pounds did you want to lose at that time? An overly aggressive calorie deficit often leads to binging.

When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.

I've been doing lchf successfully for over three years. I love it. But it's certainly not for everyone. You tried I and found that it wasn't sustainable for you. No shame in moving on to something else that might work better for you! I wish I had recognized that calorie counting wasn't sustainable for me... I wasted two decades struggling with that before I finally tried low carb. So good on you for recognizing it and acting on it! I don't believe people "fail" at diets, I believe diets fail people. Find the right one for you, and you almost can't help but succeed.

Also I have tried the super low carb and just couldn't sustain it like other posters. You know sometimes I want to have some ice cream with my kids or a slice of pizza on a Friday night

I'm sure that essentially eliminating an entire macro-nutrient isn't for a lot of people...probably not for most people. There are a million different ways to go...