Has anyone lost weight without going low carb?
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I do low carb. Actually, I keep an eye on my sugars and starches because I have a diagnosis of diabetes -- which I'm fighting with all my strength -- and I don't want to eat what I know will raise my blood sugar. The weight's coming off, I'm happy eating this way, I feel terrific, and I'm excited to see my new bloodwork for a change, rather than dreading it.
It works for me. But there is no good reason why anyone should do low carb other than their own choice. If you're not happy with it, if it's not something that you feel like you can or even want to sustain, then by all means find a plan that does. If you can't live with it, what's the point?
Yes! Low carb is definitely something you have to really want to do or else you'll be miserable like me lol. How low carb are you?1 -
50gm carbs can definitely be harder to maintain but anything under 150 gm carbs/day can be considered low carb. Your idea to try increasing your carbs somewhat and see how it goes makes sense but like the others said, just see what works best for you. I ate keto to lose weight and plan to eat LCHF long-term but that's because it's what works best for me; everyone's different and you just have to figure out what you're happiest with.2
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Nmarine1996 wrote: »Earlnababy, thank you for the reply. I don't think low carb is the only way to go. I just tend to go by what my fitness instructor says because hes the expert. However, I am slowly starting to realize that I am the only person that can truly determine whats right for my body.
If he thinks you need to go low carb to lose weight, he is definitely no expert. Weight loss is entirely about energy balance which means eating fewer calories than you burn. That is it. Lots of us have lost a bunch of weight without going low carb. I have personally lost 150 pounds and still eat lots of carbs.6 -
I would die on low carb. I have lost weight even with going more than 2x over my mfp sugar limit for the day. Lol.2
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65.8 gone to date. Haven't cut carbs appreciably, though I don't really pay much attention, so some days I might have more than others.3
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It all comes down to moderation personally. I watch my sugar and count my calories.1
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Yes. I just started eating properly and added weight lifting. Fat has been literally melting off. I started at 350+ (scale only went to 350). I am now at 188lbs with a 30.5" waist (in less than 2 years). I went from men's 2XL t-shirts to women's medium. I now only weigh myself once a month because I increased my weight lifting, muscle weighing more than fat for the same volume means the scale isn't very accurate. I just go by my measurements and how clothes fit. Message me and I'll give you my full breakdown of how I did this from help from and MD/nutritionist and now a personal trainer/nutritionist.7
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BabyBear76 wrote: »Yes. I just started eating properly and added weight lifting. Fat has been literally melting off. I started at 350+ (scale only went to 350). I am now at 188lbs with a 30.5" waist (in less than 2 years). I went from men's 2XL t-shirts to women's medium. I now only weigh myself once a month because I increased my weight lifting, muscle weighing more than fat for the same volume means the scale isn't very accurate. I just go by my measurements and how clothes fit. Message me and I'll give you my full breakdown of how I did this from help from and MD/nutritionist and now a personal trainer/nutritionist.
Holy crap!!!! Congrats on everything! I don't even know you and I am proud of you!2 -
Ok. Here's the deal on low carb: it was invented for professional body builders to cut the last bits of fat off their bodies in the last few weeks before competition. It was not intended to be used more than a few weeks.
For those going "keto," it works great to burn fat in the short term, but in the long run, keto has some poor effects on the body including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and weakness.
Studies show that low carb generally doesn't hold as a weight loss plan for more than 12 months, though some people get up to 24 out of it. Which means that as a long term strategy (rest of your life) it generally isn't a great plan.
Now, all that said, a few years ago I lost about 25 pounds not restricting carbs. But I was very picky about them: whole grains, beans, and veg. I had little fruit besides apples and any berries. I had one entire 24 hour period each Friday night to Saturday night when I ate whatever I wanted. That's when the fruit came in with pie and ice cream! I used no artificial sweeteners, no bars or meal replacements. I ate all real food. And I hadn't taken up running yet. My exercise was chasing my young son around.
Good for you for your great work!3 -
I never gave up carbs, or alcohol, or sugar, or eating late at night...or anything that people keep telling me is not good for weight loss. As long as I burn more than I eat it seems to work out just fine7
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I've lost 130 lbs and over 50% of my daily calories end up being from carbs. I limit calories, not my macros.5
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I'm moderate. About 130 grams. I never saw a need to go as low as 50.1
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128lb lost and never really restricted my carbs, in fact I don't really bother with counting carbs at all, it's just protein I try and keep up at a certain level. I can't eat a lot of fat so if I don't eat carbs then I'd go hungry, looking back I average around 200g carbs a day, don't know if that's high, low, moderate or whatever.1
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I eat sliced white bread everyday. Potatoes most days. The majority of my diet is made up of carbs and over 18 months I've lost 2st 6lb (34lb). My loss is probably quite a bit slower than a lot of people's on here but I point blank refuse to cut out the foods I like eating to lose weight because on reintroduction I'd more than likely put it all back on. I moan about the rate at which I'm losing sometimes and I know it'd happen faster if I stopped eating 6 slices a day but I want to be able to keep the weight off so as long as I stay active (I walk a lot & go to Zumba classes twice a week) I reckon I can carry on with my food choices. It seems to be working for me, slowly!6
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snickerscharlie wrote: »Lost 75 lbs eating whatever I wanted to within my caloric goal each day. Easy-peasy.
I lost 80 lbs exactly the same way and have kept it off for 14 months. Fistbump @snickerscharlie
Never worried about macros, which worked out at around 60% carbs, 25% fat, 15% protein.5 -
There's no earthly reason you would have to restrict carbs in order to lose weight. Unless you have a health issue like diabetes or you find it easier to eat within your calorie limit when cutting carbs, eat whatever makes you most satisfied.
Personally I find that refined sugars cause cravings, and as a diabetic I need to restrict carbs to the level my body can handle - max about 50g a meal. So I avoid carb-heavy foods. But I do eat enough carbs to fuel my workouts and replenish myself after workouts.3 -
There are reasons to decrease carbs but it's very individual m. You should start to figure out for yourself what's best for you.
Low carb is great for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Some people feel "bad" with too many carbs, maybe tired. Some people feel other foods, like high fiber, proteins, fats, are more satisfying. Some people enjoy the variety of carbs in their diets.
For every person who succeeds in losing weight there is an individual story. I use tips from everything to experiment on myself. How do I feel doing X? Does it work for me? Do I like it? Is it sustainable?3 -
Congrats on your weight loss!
But, I gotta say, I lost 125ish lbs and was soooooooo the opposite of low carb. Unless you have a medical reason for needing to be low carb, don't torture yourself.4 -
I lost 30lbs just by eating junk or whatever I liked. Staying under calorie level is all that matters.2
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I lost 74kg (or about 160 lbs, that's half my starting weight) on what i would call a relatively "hi carb" set meal plan, while doing exactly zero exercise for most part of that time. So around 50% carbs, 30% fat and 20% protein.
Now, that i'm doing quite a bit of both strength training and cardio, i'm trying to keep my macros around 40/20/40 or 30/30/40 just to get enough protein within my calorie goal. And often i can't keep my carbs that low.
It is for sure individual, but i can't even imagine doing low carb, since when my carb % drops to anything below 30 i get all kinds of issues from killer headaches to crazy cravings, which usually end with binging
Bottom line- i am living example that it is very possible to lose quite a lot of weight without cutting carbs.4 -
While I think some people do just fine eating bread and other starchy carbs every day and still lose weight, some of us just feel like crap and cannot do that. CICO just does not work for me until I restrict starchy carbs I do best when I keep them under 20 I never understood why until I was diagnosed with celiac and IBS last year. Starches and dairy do not do well with me. As long as I avoid them I can lose weight quote steadily.5
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I love my carbs and can gain or lose eating them.
Calories control weight loss.5 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »@Nmarine1996 Not only have I lost as of today 102 lb in 17+ months without going low carb, my next meal is going to be a pizza of my own creation which will have a neapolitan style thin crust, cheese, vegetables, and meat. Your fitness instructor is defrauding you of your money.
For dessert, I'm going to have ice cream. Premium ice cream. I've earned it with an exercise today.
FLASH UPDATE: I logged in this morning. Now I've lost 103 lb in 17+ months. My day was 39.3 c, 41.7 f, 19 p.9 -
27 kilos lost, no special care with carbs.
To lose weight you need to go low in carbs, fat and protein. In summary, low in calories
So, at least at the beginning, just focus in eating less, it will be easier than if you have to add the "of something" (so "eat less" is easier than "eat less of something").
Also declare an intermediate goal (like when you reached 50% of your Target weight) and start to care about the characteristics of what you eat.
It worked for me, that did not mean that it works for everybody, but at least it worked once2 -
Low carb diets where created by competition bodybuilders trying to get down to unhealthy body fat levels for a short period of time for competition. It was never meant to be sustainable.
Don't forget, Atkins also died young of a heart attack...
I lost 180lbs eating whole grain bread and fruit every day
50c/30p/20f....
How I did it... I changed what I was eating, didn't snack between meals, or eat after 6p, walked every evening after dinner, lifted weights and eventually started running in the morning....
Your success will develop your madness7 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »Low carb diets where created by competition bodybuilders trying to get down to unhealthy body fat levels for a short period of time for competition. It was never meant to be sustainable.
Don't forget, Atkins also died young of a heart attack...
I lost 180lbs eating whole grain bread and fruit every day
50c/30p/20f....
How I did it... I changed what I was eating, didn't snack between meals, or eat after 6p, walked every evening after dinner, lifted weights and eventually started running in the morning....
Your success will develop your madness
Wow that heart attack thing was just what I needed to hear! I am definitely going to go up in carbs!!!!!!!1 -
I'm no low carb fan, but let's stick with facts. Atkins died at 72 from falling on ice and hitting his head on the sidewalk.11
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Nmarine1996 wrote: »
Don't forget, Atkins also died young of a heart attack...
He died at age 72. Not exactly young, and his cardiac arrest at age 71 was caused by an infection of the heart muscle, not a heart attack. He died of a head injury.
You might be thinking of Jim Fixx who kicked off the jogging craze in the 70's. He died of a heart attack at age 52 while jogging. Family history of heart disease. He actually lived to an older age than his father who also had heart disease.
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Nmarine1996 wrote: »Earlnababy, thank you for the reply. I don't think low carb is the only way to go. I just tend to go by what my fitness instructor says because hes the expert. However, I am slowly starting to realize that I am the only person that can truly determine whats right for my body.
This may have said already, but it bears repeating that, when it comes to giving diet advice, a fitness instructor is almost certainly NOT an "expert".
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