Low CArb is not easy....
winnertrini
Posts: 1 Member
Hello just joined again...find it is easy to track my food and weight and exercise.....Love the site
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Replies
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Why are trying to eat low carb?1
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title "not easy" post "everything is easy"3
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I personally found LC absurdly easy. That said, I do tend to get better lifting performance out of a 50/40/10 p/c/f split. YMMV, obviously.1
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I'm confused
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I can do low carb for a short period of time no problem, but as a way of eating I agree it's too hard.0
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If you're finding it difficult, then why are you doing it? To lose weight you just need to eat at an appropriate calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. No need to cut out foods that you enjoy eating
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This.crzycatlady1 wrote: »If you're finding it difficult, then why are you doing it? To lose weight you just need to eat at an appropriate calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. No need to cut out foods that you enjoy eating
I hated low carb even though I did it for months. It wasn't for me. I was hungry and cranky.3 -
I found it easy when I was committed to it and I was evangelical and absolutely believed in all the low carb hype
but that only ever lasted months each time (my maximum adherence was 9 months) and then I lost it and the weight rushed back on so quickly that I ended up giving up and ended up fatter than before I started
...I did low carb, or variants 3 or 4 times always the same commitment always the same issues
So for me it was easy until it wasn't and it was ultimately a waste of time
I lost 50lbs in 9 months eating 50-60% carbs and have maintained for almost 2 years eating the same type of foods and I find this easy overall
Edit for glaring typo cos pedant9 -
I once lost over 50 pounds on LC dieting. After awhile I couldn't eat another egg. I gained it ALL back and a little more. I did the yo-yo thing for two years before deciding to give LC another try. One month in and it was over, I just couldn't live that lifestyle forever and I knew it. I decided enough was enough and I kicked LC down the road. I eat completely normal now and count my calories using nothing but this app. I'm down 49 pounds. I haven't been this skinny since my freshman year of High School. I have far exceeded my goals with MFP. I couldn't be happier with my choice.
I wish you the best of luck with whatever works for you. We're all in this together and no matter how you choose to live your life, the people at MFP will be with you the whole way!10 -
It's pretty easy for me, but that's because if I have to cut calories (and I do) I would dough rather give up bread/pasta/baked goods than meat/eggs/dairy. And yes, you can just reduced those etc. But what I am doing works for me.
Dirfferent strokes.3 -
Not as easy for me as it is for some people either. Isn't it wonderful that we have several choices and strategies to choose from to achieve the same result? Just experiment until you find the easiest way for you and you'll thank yourself for it.5
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I found it very easy while I was doing it, the problem was that I eventually missed carbs and began adding "a little" here and there and before I knew it gained back everything I lost and then some.3
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I am a bread n pasta person, however I love my eggs n bacon, and a good steak and chicken too. So for me it was pretty easy. I lost 46 lbs on it but then went out to eat a few times, had that hot french bread smothered in butter and it was all over. I slowing added the carbs back into my diet the next thing the sweets and gained it all back. Now I'm doing Nutrisystem, mainly because I can't seem to control my portions..plus I'm paying extra for this food as being a bit frugal I won't cheat while I'm putting out $. I am learning more and more how much to eat and I am liking the variety of foods, so I'm not getting bored. I also get 1 day "free" and eat the correct portions, usually fish that day. I was never a veggie person but have learned to fill up on broccoli or cauliflower. They have a maintenance program so I hope that will transition me back. And because of MFP, i am logging my food everyday and being acceptable for the calories that go into my body. I'm 65...all you young people believe me do it while your young and don't allow yourself to get where I did. Oh and I might add the low carb actually had my cdl/ldl levels go ff track a bit, because I still ate too much of what tasted good. LOL I'm two and a half months into this plan and already my numbers look better. So whatever your choice of eating is I say go for it now. Good luck to everyone.2
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Low carb is not required to lose weight. If you struggle with it that may not be a sustainable way of eating for you.
Eat whatever you want as long as you stick to your calorie deficit.4 -
What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.0 -
When I was still eating meat low carbing was easy enough. I low carbed for ten years.
Then I found out I could get gluten free oatmeal on the internet (this was in the dark ages before gluten free was a trend and you could find gluten free stuff everywhere).
I could have oatmeal back in my life?
My low carbing days were over. It's funny. I wasn't done in by cookies, or a chocolate bar, or any kind of junk food -- oatmeal was my "downfall".
Now I don't even eat meat any more.
I could low carb again easily enough, but I see no reason to. Popcorn makes me happy.1 -
Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
It's pretty difficult when you don't like meat and when fat doesn't satiate you, plus not being able to eat the other things I like, like oatmeal, potatoes, yogurt and legumes. I was basically unhappy with the food choices and constantly hungry. That's why I love this app, how you could use it with any macro distribution - from keto to 80/10/10 and everything in between.7 -
Low carb does seem like it would be hard. In all my years of "trying" diets, I never gave the low carb cure-all for obesity more than wishful thinking. So glad I didn't bother with it and I can still have these seasonal snack cakes. White chocolate and peppermint twinkies, and caramel apple cupcakes ftw3
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Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
When you eat vegetarian 3-4 days per week, it's pretty difficult...I would personally want to gouge my eyes out if I had to live off of eggs, dairy, and avocados...for one, boring as hell...for two, I'd be hungry as hell all of the time...
Potatoes are good and highly nutritious...legumes are good and highly nutritious...lentils are good and highly nutritious and these among other "evil" carbs are staples of my diet. Some of the healthiest cultures on earth eat a diet that is higher in carbohydrates.
OP, you have to find a way that is at minimum easier...the process of losing weight is IMO, difficult in and of itself...making yourself miserable on top of that is pretty much a recipe for failure.6 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I'm confused
Me too.
OP - logging IS easy. But low carb would be hard for me too, that's why I don't do it. Instead I lose weight using a method that I intend to use for maintenance (this time!). I eat and log all foods in moderation.0 -
Low carb would be difficult for me. Luckily it isn't necessary to lose weight. I am so glad to have found mfp and realized that the only thing I need to restrict is calories. I eat what I like and for the most part I eat what my family eats. (I do eat more veggies than my husband, but I always have.) I did not find it difficult at all to lose weight this time. The first couple of weeks were the hardest because it is hard to go from eating large amounts to more appropriate amounts, but once I got past that I realized I was satisfied eating moderate portion sizes. I don't think that a way of eating should be complicated or difficult to adhere to. If it is, then that way if eating is not right for you.2
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Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
It's great that you've found something that works for you, but while I enjoy those kinds of foods as well, I also enjoy things like rice, oats, candy, cookies, condiments, alcohol (especially mixed with ice cream), etc etc. I love a wide range of foods, so arbitrarily cutting some of them out would only lead to frustration and failure. Instead I've learned how to continue eating all the foods I like, within the calorie parameters of my goals, and this has allowed me to not only lose the extra weight, but to now also be several years into maintenance I'm in this for the long term, and I eat in a way that's sustainable for me, for the next 40+ years.
Weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance comes down to calories. But, there's room within that truth to allow people to eat in a way that works best for them and their lifestyle. If low carb is a good fit then great, go with it! But, it sounds like it may not be a good match for the OP, based on the title of this post?
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Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
It's great that you've found something that works for you, but while I enjoy those kinds of foods as well, I also enjoy things like rice, oats, candy, cookies, condiments, alcohol (especially mixed with ice cream), etc etc. I love a wide range of foods, so arbitrarily cutting some of them out would only lead to frustration and failure. Instead I've learned how to continue eating all the foods I like, within the calorie parameters of my goals, and this has allowed me to not only lose the extra weight, but to now also be several years into maintenance I'm in this for the long term, and I eat in a way that's sustainable for me, for the next 40+ years.
Weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance comes down to calories. But, there's room within that truth to allow people to eat in a way that works best for them and their lifestyle. If low carb is a good fit then great, go with it! But, it sounds like it may not be a good match for the OP, based on the title of this post?
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Perhaps try the Low Carber Daily MFP group for low carb support? I find the extra support, recipes, humor and science in the group really helps me stay on track. Or at least mostly on track. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Low carb is under 100-150g of carbs per day... The easiest way to stay under that is to drop most sugars and grains, and limit the very sugary fruit (like bananas). If you skip bread as a side and choose another veggie or extra protein, I find it pretty easy to stay LCHF.
... And it's easy to skip the sugars and grains as long as I skip them. As soon as I have some, I want more and it gets hard again for a few days. For example, my mother made my family some gluten free cinnamon buns - my favorite food from childhood. I had one small bunlast night and the night before and now I am craving more and just want food. This is odd for me because I usually don't eat until the afternoon. It's distracting and difficult. Three days ago before indulging, a LCHF diet was very easy for me.
Anyways, good luck.3 -
Just for the record, you can "gain all of your weight back (plus some)" after going off ANY diet, not just low carb. I've done it a million times!
OP, find what looks sustainable to you, and give it a go. There's a world of possibilities out there, and each of us has a choice. And whatever you do, I have always found that adding some exercise is a plus! Good luck!!3 -
Just for the record, you can "gain all of your weight back (plus some)" after going off ANY diet, not just low carb. I've done it a million times!
OP, find what looks sustainable to you, and give it a go. There's a world of possibilities out there, and each of us has a choice. And whatever you do, I have always found that adding some exercise is a plus! Good luck!!
So true. It's stopping the diet that is the problem, and not the diet. I think that's why people started calling some diets a "lifestyle". It's harder to change a lifestyle than a diet.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
It's pretty difficult when you don't like meat and when fat doesn't satiate you, plus not being able to eat the other things I like, like oatmeal, potatoes, yogurt and legumes. I was basically unhappy with the food choices and constantly hungry. That's why I love this app, how you could use it with any macro distribution - from keto to 80/10/10 and everything in between.cwolfman13 wrote: »Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
When you eat vegetarian 3-4 days per week, it's pretty difficult...I would personally want to gouge my eyes out if I had to live off of eggs, dairy, and avocados...for one, boring as hell...for two, I'd be hungry as hell all of the time...
Potatoes are good and highly nutritious...legumes are good and highly nutritious...lentils are good and highly nutritious and these among other "evil" carbs are staples of my diet. Some of the healthiest cultures on earth eat a diet that is higher in carbohydrates.
OP, you have to find a way that is at minimum easier...the process of losing weight is IMO, difficult in and of itself...making yourself miserable on top of that is pretty much a recipe for failure.crzycatlady1 wrote: »Shadowmf023 wrote: »What's difficult about meat, vegetables and natural fat? Seems simple to me. that said, I've switched from keto to a more paleo-like way of eating. Because I missed fruit when summer arrived. (I live in South Africa and we have all kinds of gorgeous tropical fruits in summer and all year round)
Still didn't miss the carbs all that much - although I'm eating some bread now, (because I'm sick currently and all the fibre irritates my gut).
I guess what I really enjoy is finding new ways to make old favourites. I enjoy that challenge.
But yes, ultimately, calorie deficit. And find a WOE that you can stick to for life.
It's great that you've found something that works for you, but while I enjoy those kinds of foods as well, I also enjoy things like rice, oats, candy, cookies, condiments, alcohol (especially mixed with ice cream), etc etc. I love a wide range of foods, so arbitrarily cutting some of them out would only lead to frustration and failure. Instead I've learned how to continue eating all the foods I like, within the calorie parameters of my goals, and this has allowed me to not only lose the extra weight, but to now also be several years into maintenance I'm in this for the long term, and I eat in a way that's sustainable for me, for the next 40+ years.
Weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance comes down to calories. But, there's room within that truth to allow people to eat in a way that works best for them and their lifestyle. If low carb is a good fit then great, go with it! But, it sounds like it may not be a good match for the OP, based on the title of this post?
True true and true. I was speaking for myself only of course. Different people different strokes.
ETA - I wanted to add, in reply to crzycatlady1, I still eat ice cream, cookies, chocolates and so forth. I just eat Paleo versions of them. I make them myself - that's part of the appeal to me.
I've discovered that it's relaxing to me to make chocolate and/or bake cookies, muffins and so on. I just love experimenting with new recipes (with different ingredients) in this way! It's like learning to cook in a new way.0 -
For the record, I'm aware that going off any diet may lead to weight gain or I wouldn't be here. I was just relating my experience on the subject at hand. It won't happen again.0
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Your ENDGAME should be to maintain whatever weight you've lost. In order to do that you need to eat a sustainable diet whatever that may be.
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workinonit1956 wrote: »For the record, I'm aware that going off any diet may lead to weight gain or I wouldn't be here. I was just relating my experience on the subject at hand. It won't happen again.
I didn't see anyone go against what you said. There wasn't realy anything wrong with it. Relate away.0
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