Carbs!

yep, cut down on the carbs if you want, but you still have make sure your not eating more calories than your burning

What these gentleman say is true. There is plenty of scientific research done to prove you do not need to cut carbs to lose weight. Many people lose on high carb diets. Its really just preference. But cutting or restricting an entire macronutrient is not sustainable, not recommended nor necessary. Cutting carbs can result in faster water weight loss but the loss will even out equally with those on high carb diets.

The more carbs I eat, the more I want. Protein and fat keep me full longer, my cravings are gone, I don't get bloated or retain water weight and I've lost almost 13 pounds in a month staying within my calorie range and exercising. It's not for everyone, but it's working for me.

nikoba wrote: »

I think it's important to look at the quality of the carb...and people can lose weight by lowering their carbs, rather than eliminating them all together. I feel there's a big difference between the carbs in processed/packaged food than the carbs found in fruits and veggies. So you could maybe even just try monitoring your carbs and keeping them from whole food sources and see if that offers you any loss.

Speaking as someone who is keeping their carbs relatively low, I do agree with @timetochange52 that protein and fat keep me fuller longer and I've had successful weightloss from eating this way. But at some point, calories do need to be kept in consideration as well.

Carbs in fruit are simple carbs just like in a Twinkie. Those are different that veggies, whole grains..etc though.

"Carbs in fruit are simple carbs just like in a Twinkie. Those are different that veggies, whole grains..etc though."

Very true and you are absolutely right...but I guess what I was trying to relay is that it's from a whole food with much more nutritional value. There's even substantial variances between fruits (say berries vs banana). But if he's new to the low carb concept and looking into it, it's good to know that you can lose weight just keeping your carbs whole and lower...say at 100g and it doesn't have to mean dropping down to 20g.

Carbs &*^%#@!!
Hi, I'm new. My name is Helene.
I posted a diatribe earlier, my apology. But, as I said, I'm new and not used to social interactivity. Plus, after almost a year on the 'free' MFP, I took the gamble of going Premier hoping to find something better to counteract my 2 month plateau. Not what I expected. It's equally as disorganized as the free. Should have saved the $$.
What you all say about carbs is true. It's the most confusing, frustrating part of dieting.
Per my doctor, I'm to have 1100 cal. per day. Simply because I'm OLD, and can't do all the things I used to do, thus labeled 'sedentary'. (Being a bookkeeper, doesn't help!). That said, it also limits everything else like a cascade of cards: Carbs 69, Fat 43, Protein 110 & Sugar 43. It is amazing how much of all we eat already has carbs in its makeup. From a simple little red apple with 11 carbs to broccoli with 8. Even if you try to eat a balanced diet, you get to that infamous number of 49 carbs in the day faster than you can imagine. So, in doing that it really means you do have to eliminate those items that we all know come with carbs like innocuous sour dough bread, 3/4 cup of bran flakes, a small baked potato, 1/2 cup (generally less) of rice, good ol' linguine is out of the question, the list just keeps going! So, basically one has to 'give up' carbs in order to maintain what is required. A most difficult, challenging and generally frustrating task.
Any advise? How do you all handle your parameters? Doc says ok to increase Fat & Protein, (I can't eat such big portions to get the calories!). Thus, I'll take all the suggestions I can get.

I tried the low/no carb diet, didn't work for me. I felt super tired and sleepy. I stopped working out because I was just too wiped out. For me I need carbs if I want to exercise and I enjoy going to the gym and playing competitive volleyball. I just weigh my food on a food scale and count the calories in my day. Goodluck and never give up

Weight loss is driven by calories. How you address the energy balance requirements (eating less calories than you burn) is very personal. I am actually carb/calorie cycling currently and I can say, that my low carb days are a lot harder on me than my high carb days. I largely love fruits, rice and potatoes which satiate me much more than fats (and cheese is like crack to me). Ultimately, I would suggest that you figure out which foods keep you full the longest (typically proteins and fiber have the highest rating; fats and carbs are very individual) and follow a diet primarily around those foods.

The most important factors in long term sustainable weight loss is dietary adherence and compliance. A diet that you enjoy and can sustain will make it easy. So why not try to modify your macros and see which approach helps you the most.


BTW, my high carb days are 320g+, my low carb days are 130g.

nikoba wrote: »

I think it's important to look at the quality of the carb...and people can lose weight by lowering their carbs, rather than eliminating them all together. I feel there's a big difference between the carbs in processed/packaged food than the carbs found in fruits and veggies. So you could maybe even just try monitoring your carbs and keeping them from whole food sources and see if that offers you any loss.

Speaking as someone who is keeping their carbs relatively low, I do agree with @timetochange52 that protein and fat keep me fuller longer and I've had successful weightloss from eating this way. But at some point, calories do need to be kept in consideration as well.

I am so right there with you! I started LCHF not too long ago and have had a terrible time not having all of the veggies I'm used to or even some of the fruit. So I decided to do a 'moderate' low carb plan and reincorporate my beloved fruits and veggies and just ditch the other carb foods. I'm back to eating my Super Smoothie (wonderful!) and having 1 piece of whole fruit per day. Yeah, the carbs went up a bit but I'm not really too interested in the whole "I have to stay in ketosis or I'll die" thing. I tend to steer clear of radical, obsessive trends and stay with what I know works for me. My interest in reducing carbs came from my need to lower my blood sugar, not to drastically change how my body works. I've successfully lost 44 lbs to date from October 2016 with smart eating, daily exercise and eliminating wheat products, dairy, refined white sugar, excessive fats, red meat and alcohol. That's what works for me. By incorporating eggs and an attempt at red meat while trying keto, my digestive system came to a near total halt. Only 2 days ago I started eating my beloved fruits and veggies again and things started 'moving' again. (LOL) I believe wholeheartedly that keto isn't for everyone but lowering your carbs quite a bit is always good. I also don't like feeling pressured into doing 'what's popular'. I will say that eating low'er' carb has allowed me to get off of Prilosec completely and I'm working on getting off of one of my high blood pressure pills. Between the diet/exercise and the Trulicity shot every week I've finally got my bs readings in the normal range and did notice the drop in numbers from cutting out most of the carbs. When I switched back to keeping my carbs at below 50 per day (from 4-500g per day) I noticed that the bs numbers still continued to go down without stressing over trying to stay below 20g. I will continue to eat my fruits and veggies and love every tasty bite! Albeit, I do read nutritional labels more now and calculate 'net' carbs in what I eat. I'm not a big meat eater, I don't do dairy, and I refuse to put any kind of lunch meat into my body. Doesn't really sound like I'm cut out for full-time keto does it? No biggie. I still keep the carbs low, just not as low as some.

I dont eat a ton of carbs, but I have no desire to eliminate them altogether. I stay within the guidelines that mfp has set for me and I have lost a lot of weight. There is no food that I do not eat. I do not drink alcohol, but that is a whole other story. I will try to limit carbs some days, but to go without them is unrealistic for me.

Carbs are okay but what you're shooting for is balance. The My Plate method is the protein is 1/4 of your plate, carb is 1/4, and veggies/fruit are 1/2. You still need to weigh the foods to know the calorie count, but this gives you at least a rough idea of what you would be working with.