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anyone do low carb on and off for a lifestyle change

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brenn24179
brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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I lost 20 lbs since July and the weight came off fast and then I wanted beans,oatmeal, cereal, potatoes, etc. So I watched my portion size and lost a few pounds very very slow.

I am discouraged now with weight coming off so slowly so this week got back on low carb and lost 2 lbs quickly. Thinking about low carb for 2 weeks and then off for 2 weeks or maybe even low carb for a month and then off for couple weeks.

ALso, constipation happens but thanks to ya magnesium supplements 400mg have helped. I am almost at goal so thinking about shaking it up a bit, low carb for a while and then off.

ANy of ya switch off low carb and then back on?

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  • 23rochelle23
    23rochelle23 Posts: 269 Member
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    I’m doing macro and calorie cycling in line with my workouts - I’m a little stalled atm scale-wise but am definitely losing fat and cm (which really is what I care about more than the number on the scale). I also suspect my glycogen stores are all filled up so if I cut carbs again (gonna do 3 days low carb as I’m away 4 days this weekend so not working out other than walking lots) and suspect I’ll drop a few points on the scale of water weight which I’ll be holding onto between the carbs and lifting - then back into the cycling. I’m about 8kg from goal so am expecting everything to happen fairly slowly atm as I’m determined to keep lifting heavier and not lose muscle mass so very much trying to lose fat only
    Since cycling I’ve lost nothing on the scale but am in smaller jeans and fit back into an old dress that I was miles from zipping up so am really happy with that - the scale will follow eventually I presume
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
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    I usually do a month on, then take two days off. That way I don’t feel like I have to cram everything I don’t normally eat into one meal, or even just one day, and wind up eating myself sick. I can plan two carb-y breakfasts, two sandwiches or soups or salads I’ve missed for lunch, two starchy dinners, and whatever desserts, snacks, or cocktails my hungry little heart desires. 😉

    Now that I’m where I want to be, weight-wise, I started taking more frequent breaks, and sometimes extending them to three days. I did take a full week off in August, but it got sort of out of control. It was hard to convince myself to make good choices, and I struggled with hunger and satiety signals. I regained 8 pounds that week, per the scale. :o

    So now I’m back to two or three days at the most, and that works for me.
  • nicolejo143
    nicolejo143 Posts: 214 Member
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    I noticed that the more "exceptions" I made to my diet and having too many cheats/carbs/sugars led me to having more cravings. When I started low carb I ate twice as many carbs as I do now and I had more cravings. So if you are having a lot of strong cravings that might be why. I'm on a low carb diet, which isn't as strict as keto so I can budget a few more carbs into my day if I want too, I might have more fruits or some beans in moderation which is ok. If I have a strong craving for something very carby, I let myself eat a small piece of it so I don't feel like I'm deprived. However, I am doing this a lot less now than when I started. I have less cravings and a lot of sweets taste way too sweet to the point that they actually gross me out. I have a legit cheat meal once in a great while on vacation, and I think that's ok too. Recently I started baking my own low-carb versions of foods I used to eat and I think that helped me realize, "hey, I can eat a cake without sugar or flour and not feel guilty about it." I'm going to bake fat head bagels today.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    edited October 2018
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    I currently vary my carbohydrate intake but remain in the low carb realm. A synopsis:

    Year 1 weight loss via deficit and low carb averaging 128 carbs per day.
    Year 2 weight maintenance via low carb + some binge/restrict. :(:o:#
    Year 3 Medically Therapeutic Keto as a trial for my Neurological Movement Disorder
    Year 4 Upped carbs to ~50/day after discovering satiety of LCHF (for me).
    Year 5 Remain low carb and choose to have a limited food selection at home which is about 90% of my meals-then flex on the carbs when eating outside the home or entertaining friends inside my home.

    Not including the special occasion days (holidays, vacations, etc), my carbs on any given day might be 30 or might be 100. I currently have no off limit foods and that has been my mode for the last many months. I routinely stick to my basic fish, vegetables, berries, meat, dairy and eggs. Some days I might have something with legumes or steel cut oats or an apple. They're just food to me.

    Here's a simple little concept that has influenced me-I think it may be a book but I've only read the synopsis/basics of it on line. I think it is the "No S Diet". No snacks. No sweets. No seconds. Except Sometimes on days that begin with an "S" or a Special Occasion or if Sick.

    It sort of hits all bases for me.
    No snacks-addresses the insulin theory.
    No sweets-addresses the "reward center of the brain" theory or conditioning theory
    No seconds- addresses calories
    Except Sometimes...-addresses orthorexia and/or over restriction.

    Here's a link: http://nosdiet.com/. I didn't read it all so not sure if it is one of the better ones related to No S.

    I still believe it is calories for weight management and macros for satiety/health/fitness. I do best LCHF but have some flexibility. And I certainly won't personally benefit by eating a bag of Cheetos (or pork rinds) and a piece of cheese cake (keto or otherwise)...every.single.day. Some people can do that. I'm not one of those people. I do better with abstaining than moderating. Except on special occasion.








  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I started letting carbs creep when I was in maintenance for a while. It didn't work well for me because calories went up with carbs and I regained some weight. I do better with very low carb except on rare days - those "s days" as mentioned above although I try not to do weekends.
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,577 Member
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    kpk54 wrote: »
    Here's a simple little concept that has influenced me-I think it may be a book but I've only read the synopsis/basics of it on line. I think it is the "No S Diet". No snacks. No sweets. No seconds. Except Sometimes on days that begin with an "S" or a Special Occasion or if Sick.

    A small variant of this was my diet before starting keto. No snacks, sweets or seconds except on Sundays. This worked pretty well for me, and I had lost 40 lbs. Then came the T2D diagnosis, and keto was part of my getting that under control.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
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    I am maintaining on 40 net carbs and lost on 20. I still avoid starchy foods but have a little more wine and nuts and I eat things like Quest bars. I think if I truly began eating oats and rice and pasta, I would regain.
  • melmerritt33
    melmerritt33 Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I seem to be maintaining my weight doing exactly this kind of thing, I tend to be very low carb during the week then higher carb at the weekends. I’ve even had some Sourdough bread on occasion recently. My higher carb days are still low carb compared to the standard diet though, the highest still being under 150g. I am not at goal weight yet, still need to lose another 20lbs but am OK with maintaining for a while.

    So if you’re close to your goal it may work fine for you as long as it doesn’t lead you to cravings and overeating.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    I’m a lifer so I am biased I admit, but even if I were to add back some carbs I would not eat grains of any kind and I don’t see myself ever eating cheap processed food again.
    I would be concerned with the effect on cardiovascular health. Knowing that the trigs/HDL ratio is the marker to watch and that trigs rise with inclusion of carbs, especially grains and the sugar/fat combo of so many cravable foods I don’t think I could ever enjoy that stuff again.
  • melmerritt33
    melmerritt33 Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I definitely think it’s not for everyone, I thought I would never eat any kind of grains again as they were causing me awful digestive problems but after stopping some medication I was taking and a course of probiotics I was really pleased to discover I was able to tolerate some foods I thought were off my plate forever. I’m lucky that I found I could eat the bread then go straight back to the low carb routine without cravings.

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