Low-Carb Myths and Truths

Wow, apparently I've lost 40 pounds of water! I wonder how much more water I can lose...

The biggest problem with a low carb diet is just that.. it is a diet.
It is not sustainable as a lifetime diet, nor was it ever recommended as such.. indeed long term extreme low carb diets are not good for you; they are for quick weight loss. If you lose weight quickly, not only has your body not learned what it needs to consume for longer term maintenance, but you have not learned anything about what you should be eating...course that is the problem with most "diets". Everyone knows that bacon cheeseburgers (even without the bun) is simply not what you should be consuming as regular food. MFP is not a diet, it is a way to learn all sorts of things about the fuels we consume and the portions that we should control.

One thing you can learn from moderate restriction of carbohydrates is that, as you substitute fat and protein calories (not unrestricted! very important to count all fuel calories), you find you may be less hungry. Both protein and fat should provide longer lasting satiety, especially if you have been eating high on the GI/GL scale.

Minor adjustments to the overall profiles with slightly less carbs and slightly more protein and fat, with calories in play, is sustainable over time, and can present a way to maintain proper weight over time.

Wow, apparently I've lost 40 pounds of water! I wonder how much more water I can lose...

ME too ..amazing that when I went on the Protein power plan 14 years ago . I went from size 22 - size 12 in less than 6 months , became lean and strong it was ALL water weight that I lost.. who knew..:huh:

Wow, apparently I've lost 40 pounds of water! I wonder how much more water I can lose...

Wow, apparently I've lost 40 pounds of water! I wonder how much more water I can lose...

ME too ..amazing that when I went on the Protein power plan 14 years ago . I went from size 22 - size 12 in less than 6 months , became lean and strong it was ALL water weight that I lost.. who knew..:huh:

I have seen photos of folks who lost weight two different ways, they lost down from 200 to 150 on a low fat/cal restricted diet and then on a high fat/carb restricted diet.
The side by side pictures told the story better then a scale or diary. The low cal photos showed lean but flabby bodies. The low,carb photos showed a smaller, leaner and tight bodies. Low carb is protein sparing (muscle mass is intact) therefore losing higher percentage of body fat and less muscle mass, while low fat loses an equal percentage of lean to fat body mass.

Do you happen to remember where you saw those photos? I'd love the encouragement! I always worry about what going to happen to my skin once all my "water" weight is gone! I haven't had any problems with sagging skin yet (except on my tummy where I had my c-section), and amazingly my triple chin has turned into a double chin (NSV!!). I wonder if my body will start using my cellulite for fuel, once it's used up all my fat stores? That would be AWESEOME!

Wow, apparently I've lost 40 pounds of water! I wonder how much more water I can lose...

ME too ..amazing that when I went on the Protein power plan 14 years ago . I went from size 22 - size 12 in less than 6 months , became lean and strong it was ALL water weight that I lost.. who knew..:huh:

I have seen photos of folks who lost weight two different ways, they lost down from 200 to 150 on a low fat/cal restricted diet and then on a high fat/carb restricted diet.
The side by side pictures told the story better then a scale or diary. The low cal photos showed lean but flabby bodies. The low,carb photos showed a smaller, leaner and tight bodies. Low carb is protein sparing (muscle mass is intact) therefore losing higher percentage of body fat and less muscle mass, while low fat loses an equal percentage of lean to fat body mass.

Do you happen to remember where you saw those photos? I'd love the encouragement! I always worry about what going to happen to my skin once all my "water" weight is gone! I haven't had any problems with sagging skin yet (except on my tummy where I had my c-section), and amazingly my triple chin has turned into a double chin (NSV!!). I wonder if my body will start using my cellulite for fuel, once it's used up all my fat stores? That would be AWESEOME!

Then why in the world did you post it?? Of course people are going to think that is your stand unless you state otherwise. Don't post stuff on here and not expect people to respond with their opinions.

There's a thin line between disagreeing and just being plain rude. And my opinion is that anyone who defends their views by belittling the opposite side loses any credibility in the argument.

Voltaire said, "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.". This is perhaps the basic rule of a well functioning society.

Do people really believe that because they think they're absolutely right allows them to behave in any aggressive way? Especially in this area where we're discussing mostly theories and methods that certainly do not work for everyone?

Low-Carb Myths and Truths
The premise of all low-carb foods and diet plans begins with nutrition-science basics.

Carbohydrates do raise blood sugar, because they provide so much of your body's preferred source of fuel: glucose. When glucose levels rise, your pancreas releases a flood of insulin that prompts cells to store sugar. Advocates say that eating a diet low in carb makes weight loss easier because low, steady blood sugar conquers food cravings. But the next step in the low-carb equation is open to debate: Proponents say these diets also change your metabolism so your body breaks down more fats, and--voilà--fewer of the calories you eat are stored as flab.

Low-carb weight-loss plans do work--for a while. Pounds drop quickly at first because burning stored carbs (called glycogen) releases water. Quite simply, you lose excess water weight. Nutritionists say, though, that low-carb weight loss isn't metabolic magic, just the working-out of nature's first rule of weight loss: Eat fewer calories, and you will shed pounds. Some low-carbers say this special way of eating eliminates cravings, but others feel headachy and nauseated. Burning far without carbohydrates produces substances called ketones, which can decrease appetite, but there's a danger because sustained high ketone levels may deplete mineral stores in bones, leaving them fragile. Here's the rest of the low-carb story.

Low-carb diets don't go the distance for weight loss.

Carb-conscious eating may speed up early weight loss, but not much more. In a year-long study of 63 dieters, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that low-carb dieters dropped 4 percent more weight than those following a conventional low-cal plan in the first six months--but both groups achieved nearly identical weight losses after one year.

When researchers at the National Weight Control Registry looked at the diets of 2,681 successful dieters who had maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for a year or more, they expected to see many low-carb diet adherents. They were shocked to find just 25, or 1 percent of the total group. Their conclusion: Low-carb plans didn't produce a lasting metabolic change that kept pounds off.

A high-fat, super-low-carb diet threatens your heart.

The Atkins Diet--the oldest and most famous of the low-carb regimens--allows a mere 20 grams of carbs per day in the earliest, strictest phase, putting most grains, beans, fruits, breads, rice, potatoes, pastas, and starchy vegetables off-limits. At the same time, it allows generous amounts of beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and butter.

Unlimited access to bacon cheeseburgers is tempting, but a low-carb diet that's essentially an all-you-can-eat saturated-fat buffet may increase your risk of heart attack and stroke, the American Heart Association cautions. All that sat fat can raise levels of heart-threatening LDL cholesterol--and at the same time shortchange you on the antioxidants from fruits, veggies, and grains that protect arteries from plaque formation. (Low-carb diets are also high in protein, which makes them risky for people with diabetes because they can speed the progression of diabetic kidney disease.)

Low-carb isn't low-calorie.

Many low-carb products undermine weight-loss efforts because they're packed with as many--or even more--calories than "regular carb" versions. Many are also higher in fat. This is especially true of reduced-carb comfort foods such as ice cream, bread, pasta, and snack bars. A 1-ounce low-carb chocolate bar with 120 calories or a 270-calorie scoop of low-carb Rocky Road ice cream won't do your hips any favors.

"It's the calories, not the carbohydrates," notes Robert O. Bonow, M.D., former president of the American Heart Association. "America is gaining weight because people are eating more calories than they can burn and getting less exercise."

Low-carb junk food is still . . . junk.

Indulging in a low-carb snack food with the belief that it's a better weight-loss choice than a piece of fruit, a serving of veggies, or a handful of whole grain crackers (trans fat-free, of course) puts you in double jeopardy: You've just robbed your body of a host of heart-healthy nutrients and fiber, and you may have eaten a ton of empty calories. Example: For 40 grams of carbs a day, you could eat 1/2 cup of lentils, a cup of carrots, an orange, and a slice of light seven-grain bread (total calories: 40; plus a hefty dose of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals). Getting those 40 grams from low-carb snack foods could supply up to 1,440 calories and very few nutrients.


http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Low-Carb-Myths-and-Truths/Detail.aspx

Everyday someone on here has to put have a go at lower carb eaters. If you do not like the idea, don't do it! SIMPLE!

If everyone who keeps arguing this point spent as much time working out, then we would all be fit as fiddles!

Lower carb eaters are not just meat eaters, they eat vegetables, nuts etc too.

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. THERE IS NO ONE SIZE DIET FITS ALL.

If you do not believe in low carb then fine but do not preach to people.

I'm not preaching. WOW

And I'm officially done posting to MFP boards because it seems like some people jump down your throat no matter what you post.

This tells it all, people don't jump down your throat for no reason, people jump down your throat beacuse you post mis information. So again you you either intentionally posted this as an attack, or you need to take this as a lesson to do some research before you post BS like this. And again I’m not buying the, “I just posted information” line. People post things for a reason, either you agree with the article or you disagree with it, and since you didn’t post your own editorial about how you think it’s hogwash, we can only assume you agree with it.

Yes because if it doesn't agree with what you think than it MUST be misinformation.