Low Carb Lifestyle?? Yay? Or Nay?? Did you have success?

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ShelbyLB
ShelbyLB Posts: 431
in Food and Nutrition
Happy Thursday friends!! I hope your day is fabulous and filled with sunshine (its super cloudy here..so SOMEONE might as well be enjoying sunshine) :)

So...for the heck of it, I'm researching different eating lifestyles and wonder if anyone out there has tried or fully jumped into the LOW CARB lifestyle??

If so...what were the results? Did you stick with it? DId you lose weight? Did you physically feel good?

Thanks for the input everyone...and have a SPLENDID afternoon! :D
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Replies

  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    I typically eat this way. and lose weight easily when I do. Feel great and have alot of energy. also curbs sugars and snacky cravings.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Yes. I've tried it. I felt horrible - no energy, bloated and I gained weight doing it.

    I've taken the stance of nothing is completely off limits - everything in moderation. I think it's better than trying to eliminate something (carbs, sugar, etc) completely from your life.
  • cjasins
    cjasins Posts: 93
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    I did keto for awhile and if I wasn't addicted to Dunkin Donuts coffee I would have stayed on it. I lost weight and had tons of energy with no cravings. But I have heard it's not for everyone. My brother tried it and said he looked and felt like crap.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I just eat anything I want, in moderation. If I don't have many carbs, my energy level is low.
  • Altiv
    Altiv Posts: 174 Member
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    I define my lifestyle as low carb, I normally eat no more than 140 carbs and I haven't had any problems at all, I feel good, have a lot o energy, my health is better than ever and don't crave anything related to sugar ;)
  • NaomiLyn15
    NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
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    I do a variation of no carbs. Instead of eating processed carbs/sugars, I eat only whole grains. This means that I don't any white pasta, white rice, rolled oats, white sugar, etc. If it was processed, I don't eat it. Instead I eat whole brown rice, whole wheat pasta, steel cut oats, etc. I have been doing this for about 2 years now, with a slight break in the middle. During the time that I was very careful about my diet, I lost 30 pounds. When I don't pay attention and eat more processed foods, I don't lose weight, and sometimes gain. I do have a disorder that causes this though. I have an intolerance to processed carbohydrates.
    I feel like a million bucks when I don't each processed carbs, I lose weight. It totally works for me. But everyone's body is different. You definitely have out figure out what works for you.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    Carbs make me very bloated and I have PCOS and it's harder for me to lose when I eat alot of carbs.

    When it comes to bread, I do whole grain. Pasta, loaf bread, Chicken or Tuna Helper, muffins, even my little boy's Chef Boyardee I buy in whole grain...
  • hannahbaby417
    hannahbaby417 Posts: 36
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    Something I've picked up is called The Belly Fat Cure. He recommends only eating 15 grams of sugar (I struggle with this) and 6 servings of carbs. 1 serving is 4-20 carbs. 2 servings is 21-40 carbs and 3 servings is 41-60 carbs. He doesn't want you to go above 3 carb servings per meal. I've noticed my stomach did get flatter and I'm losing inches. However, I went on vacation and kind of lost my way so I'm trying to get back into it. He has a ton of great low carb/low sugar recipes so I'd recommend getting the book for those and his menu in the back listing all of these different healthy foods. He also does a comparison and show you the unhealthy stuff you eat and their healthy counterparts. It's a fantastic book and something worth trying, regardless of how challenging it may be.
  • bella95
    bella95 Posts: 3
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    I get really scared of carbs, but that is because i cant control my bread habit. I have done no carbs in the past and lost weight easier without them. I am continuing with a low carb diet as i feel it does suit me, but i do allow myself the occasional slice of bread once in a while! Good Luck!
  • ppiinnkkmmoonn
    ppiinnkkmmoonn Posts: 418
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    i live by it! check my ticker .going on three years!:smile:
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
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    I typically eat this way. and lose weight easily when I do. Feel great and have alot of energy. also curbs sugars and snacky cravings.

    Agreed. I do have one meal a week that I go all out on (Pizza yesterday :)) I really love eating more veggies and fruit all the time. I just feel better overall and it was how I broke through my plateau.
  • TriumphantLife
    TriumphantLife Posts: 56 Member
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    I do 75% prtein like fish, baked chicken...I stay away from the fatty proteins like BACON! I feel realy good. The other 25% I do complex cards and little fruit. I try not to consume more than 75 carbs a day.
  • Hourglass25
    Hourglass25 Posts: 340 Member
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    I tried eating less than 50 grams of carbs....bad idea..lol!! I felt weak and moody and no energy to exercise. I brought it back up to 100 grams on rest days and about 140 grams on days that i work out and this has worked for me.
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
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    I've had great success with it. No carbs after 4pm and only eat clean carbs.
  • awynnjohnson
    awynnjohnson Posts: 12
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    I've tried it before for short peorids of time. I start off ok , then I feel drained , no energy ,the longer I stayed on it my body adapted to it. I completely took out the carbs though (I mainly ate only meat and cheese, so must cheese began to give me problems with yeast infections) I was afraid it wasn't health so I stopped . I've had friends that were very sucessful. I think it depends on the individual
  • Erin_26
    Erin_26 Posts: 97 Member
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    I started the Dukan diet this Saturday and have lost 4 lbs so far. It is no-low carb. I get swings of low energy, but for the most part, I feel full, energized and healthy. I say YAY.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
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    Been "low-carb" for over a year now and following a Paleo/Primal diet. I really love it and the more I research it, the more I think that is the way to go to be healthy and lose weight.


    For those who didn't like it, I'd be interested to know how long they tried it.

    If you're heavy on carbs generally and you switch to low-carb there's generally a bit of an adaptation period where you're going through withdrawal. Can last up to two-three weeks in some, depending on how bad their eating habits were.
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
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    I'm doing low carb and it's working for me. I know it's not right for everyone though. I still eat carbs, but they almost all come from fruits and veggies. Mostly veggies.

    The first couple of weeks I felt pretty awful, but I pushed through that and now I feel great unless I eat bread or grains...then I end up with a carb hangover. I totally crash and wake up with a horrible foggy headache.

    I found what works for ME. Hope you find what works for you.

    ETA: I thought my ticker would post...since it didn't, I should add that I've lost 60 pounds since February. :)
  • deelovesvegas
    deelovesvegas Posts: 9
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    I am a vegan. I eat lots of carbs, the healthy kind..oat bran, fruits, veggies, beans, and grains. I am able to maintain a low weight because I don't eat more than my body needs and I work out on a daily basis. Before I became a vegan, I was a vegetarian for many years, only consuming eggs and occassionally fish. I tried the low carb diet and felt miserable. Lacked energy, was always bloated, dizzy, light headed, etc. After more research, it has become more aparant how unhealthy a low carb diet is. Usually body builders try to push this diet, or people who are wanting to lose weight quickly. It's highly unhealthy and difficult to maintain for a long period of time.


    NAY !
  • _gwen
    _gwen Posts: 501 Member
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    I feel much better when I stick to a high protein diet. But I don't think low carb is for everyone.

    I checked out Jillian Michael's book 'Winning by Losing' from the library. I hear lots of references to it here on MFP, so I wanted read what she has to say first hand.

    Related to your question is Michael's chapter on Metabolic Typing. Some people do well on low carb, others do well on high carb, and some need a balanced diet. It's all dependent on your unique metabolism.

    You can find a heavily plagiarized post explaining the concept of metabolic typing and the quiz here (it's pretty much verbatim from Michael's book):
    http://caloriecount.about.com/metabolic-types-eating-ft93247

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