Cutting the sugar and carbs....

freedomrik
freedomrik Posts: 4 Member
edited November 14 in Introduce Yourself
I am 50. Weigh 225 and want to be 170 range....I tried last year and failed but only cut sugar and calories then and after 3 months of no weight lose, I gave up. I'm going to try a low carb diet this time
Why do I want to lose weight, it makes me feel bad and worst is it's killing my feet and no energy.......
Would like to find friends in similar situation for motivation, help and advice....

Replies

  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    Cutting carbs is not necessary for weight loss unless there is a medical reason you cannot have them. I eat carbs everyday. I just make sure it's with in my calorie limit. Personally, I'd be a real grumpy person without them, but that's just me.

    There are people here that adhere to no or low carb diets and are super happy with the results. Just think long term and maintenance...could you eat low carbs for the rest of forever? Do what is sustainable for you.

    Best of luck to you!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Calories in vs. calories out. Weight loss is all about calories. It's not about carbs or sugar.

    Lifestyle changes......after you lose the weight what is your maintenance plan going to look like? A huge % of people gain weight back (myself included).

    If you have medical issues with regards to carbs, you have extra incentive to be low(er) carb forever. But if low carb is just for weight loss.....you are going to need an separate strategy for maintenance.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,329 Member
    As TeaBea said, it is all about calorie in vs. calories out. Different things can help you stick to your calorie goal, but if you didn't lose weight, you were eating too much.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Agreed.. low carb isn't going to help you unless it lends itself to lowering your calories below your TDEE. You likely need to just set a goal using MFP's diet calculators and log everything, weighing what you can with a food scale for accuracy, and you should lose weight. Sugar is the same thing.. it's calories. Unless you're diabetic it doesn't matter unless cutting it lowers your calorie intake far enough below your TDEE.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    There are some Low Carb groups here - click on the "Groups" thing in the top border of the page, and type in Low Carb, or LCHF, or Keto, etc.

    You'll get ideas and more support in one of those groups.

    That said, I do moderate carbs. Under 150g for my 1600 calories. It keeps me focused on protein and vegetables and keeps me mostly away from sweets...except November-December. I mean. You know...
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    The only way to lose is to eat at a calorie deficit. It doesn't matter what you eat that makes up your said amount of calories (pending you are healthy otherwise) as long as you are staying within your deficit. Invest in a food scale and weigh your food out, eat out minimally and drink water so you don't consume half of your daily calorie alottment from drinks alone.
  • paigern82
    paigern82 Posts: 30 Member
    I'm also 53 and want to lose about 50 lbs. I have to disagree a bit with some of the posters - it is the quality of calories as well as the quantity. The most recent studies are reversing some of the low fat recommendations that we have been used to for so long. It is emerging information but very interesting.

    Personally, I am focusing on reducing processed carbs and sugars - well, processed and pre-packaged foods all together. Our body does not know how to metabolize all of the chemicals in pre-packaged and processed foods. So I'm sticking to whole foods - focusing on quality of foods as well as quantity.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    paigern82 wrote: »
    I'm also 53 and want to lose about 50 lbs. I have to disagree a bit with some of the posters - it is the quality of calories as well as the quantity. The most recent studies are reversing some of the low fat recommendations that we have been used to for so long. It is emerging information but very interesting.

    Personally, I am focusing on reducing processed carbs and sugars - well, processed and pre-packaged foods all together. Our body does not know how to metabolize all of the chemicals in pre-packaged and processed foods. So I'm sticking to whole foods - focusing on quality of foods as well as quantity.

    There are numerous high quality, whole food sources of carbohydrates...I eat a primarily whole foods/minimally processed foods diet and I eat vegetarian about three days per week and eat a ton of carbs doing that...
  • paigern82
    paigern82 Posts: 30 Member
    I agree, wwolfman13 - natural carbs can be processed by the body - and i'm not saying no carbs at all - that is unhealthy and unsustainable. Natural carbs and sugars are good but still should not be the majority of the total calories taken in on a daily basis. There also is the factor of insulin resistance. Emerging research is exploring that a low carb diet works a bit better for those who may have some insulin resistance.

    Honestly - I support whatever works for an individual and can be sustained over time - something I, personally, have not been able to find as yet! lol
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Agreed.. low carb isn't going to help you unless it lends itself to lowering your calories below your TDEE. You likely need to just set a goal using MFP's diet calculators and log everything, weighing what you can with a food scale for accuracy, and you should lose weight.
    Even though I am a low-carb dieter, I'll be the first to state there is some considerable misinformation out there about low-carb diets.

    You MUST maintain a caloric deficit to lose weight, period. Although annoying, doing some metabolic calculations to determine your TDEE and measuring your food to properly count calories is the best way to do this.

    Many people say things like "Low-carb is great because you just eat when you're hungry, and lose weight!" which may be true for some ... but people who overeat for any physiological/emotional/psychological reasons are NOT going to do any better on low-carb than any other type of diet.
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Sugar is the same thing.. it's calories. Unless you're diabetic it doesn't matter unless cutting it lowers your calorie intake far enough below your TDEE.
    Not just diabetic - anyone with metabolic syndrome, PCOS, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Epilepsy, etc., can all benefit from carbohydrate restriction.

  • MaralynManson
    MaralynManson Posts: 205 Member
    I'm doing a similar thing- reduced carbs and absolutely no processed sugar. Frankly, I could live on cream cakes and pizza. Sadly, probably not for that long!

    I have found that cutting out much of the carbs - like bread, definitely helps me to lose weight. And cutting out all processed sugars is a plus for health in every sense.

    Do what your body wants you to do, not so much your stomach! And you will get there. Just try to gather information on different diets to ensure you're eating the right stuff in the right quantities.

    Cheers
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    there are lots of friendly people doing low carbs at:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    come on and join us.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    albertabeefy wrote: »
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Agreed.. low carb isn't going to help you unless it lends itself to lowering your calories below your TDEE. You likely need to just set a goal using MFP's diet calculators and log everything, weighing what you can with a food scale for accuracy, and you should lose weight.
    Even though I am a low-carb dieter, I'll be the first to state there is some considerable misinformation out there about low-carb diets.

    You MUST maintain a caloric deficit to lose weight, period. Although annoying, doing some metabolic calculations to determine your TDEE and measuring your food to properly count calories is the best way to do this.

    Many people say things like "Low-carb is great because you just eat when you're hungry, and lose weight!" which may be true for some ... but people who overeat for any physiological/emotional/psychological reasons are NOT going to do any better on low-carb than any other type of diet.
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Sugar is the same thing.. it's calories. Unless you're diabetic it doesn't matter unless cutting it lowers your calorie intake far enough below your TDEE.
    Not just diabetic - anyone with metabolic syndrome, PCOS, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Epilepsy, etc., can all benefit from carbohydrate restriction.

    not fully true for the metabolic syndrome part. I have a metabolic disorder and I cant do LCHF or keto. My liver cannot process fat and cholesterol like most people. so I cant have high fat. I have to be on a low fat diet. so it all depends on the metabolic disorder/syndrome.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    paigern82 wrote: »
    I agree, wwolfman13 - natural carbs can be processed by the body - and i'm not saying no carbs at all - that is unhealthy and unsustainable. Natural carbs and sugars are good but still should not be the majority of the total calories taken in on a daily basis. There also is the factor of insulin resistance. Emerging research is exploring that a low carb diet works a bit better for those who may have some insulin resistance.

    Honestly - I support whatever works for an individual and can be sustained over time - something I, personally, have not been able to find as yet! lol

    Why not? Look at blue zone regions of the world and traditional diets in those areas...typically carbs are the greatest % of overall diet. Most vegetarians and vegans will have diets consisting of upwards of 60% carbs...I'd say mine is probably 50-60% depending. While I don't do low fat, dietary fat is my lowest %...probably around 20% on the top end...protein is between 20-30% depending.
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