Are low carb diets really effective?

Not very sustainable.

I did it for a while and had pretty good results. I need to get back to it. I was less bloated to.

I find that I lose more consistently when I try to lower my carbs. There's no way I could go no-carb, and my version of low isn't low by any standard. I feel that a meal isn't complete unless there's some rice, potato or pasta. Lowering their prominence on my plate has worked though - I just bulk up my pasta with more veggies than I usually would and add more protein (usually chicken or lean beef) to get the 'full' feeling.

In the past I've eaten a lot of rice and pasta because they're cheap, but I'm willing to spend that little bit more on veggies and good meats if I'm losing well and still feeling full.

I've had success with it.... and I get a lot of great induction recipes here
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html

Depends. They typically work pretty well in the short term, but as soon as you go off of it you can blow up. I lost 70 lbs. on a limit of 180g per day. I'm currently doing a hybrid Paleo/Primal type diet which keeps me well under 180g because I'm eating lots of fruits and leafy vegetables and lean meat. My calories are staying between 1500 to 2000. The lean protein and the good carbs keep me feeling full and I'm doing a little over an hour of cardio per day. So far I'm down 17 lbs. in five weeks.

For me, my body responds better to a lower carb diet than a higher one. It kind of also depends a lot on what your definition of "low carb" is. For me it's anything under 100 g but some go extremely low (Atkins induction is 20g or less, Dukan diet is all meat for the initial phases.)

If you learn how to prepare food along the lines of reduced/low carb you won't have any problem with sustainability. I actually prefer to eat this way now that I've gotten used to it. There are many sites that have great recipes and info on how to prepare foods in a lower carb fashion. Lots of good food and not just eating meat and cheese all the time.

In an effort to lose weight and lower my blood sugar I have gone on a lower carb diet. I have lost 35 lbs in 3 months and feel great. I have basically cut out bread, pasta, deserts, etc. and increased my fiber and protein. Honestly, the way I feel now compared to when I was eating a very high carb diet, I have no desire to go back to my old way of eating.

Low carb eating is not hard to sustain or maintain long term.

In the past, I sustained a 100 pound weight loss for over 5 years until I got in a near fatal car accident in 2008. I was able to get off all medications through whole foods eating with Atkins and exercise.

Check out Sugar Free Sheila's website.................She has maintained her weight loss through the Atkins plan for over 9 years now.

http://www.sugarfreesheila.com/

agreed, not very sustainable over the long term unless you have an iron will.

I don't know how anyone can live like that, everything has to be pre-prepared or thought of, it's really difficult to do when eating out, and when going to someone elses house for a meal.

It is alot more constant effort than a calorie controlled diet.

I don't know about what qualifies as "sustainable", but a general low carb diet is below 100g of carbs/day. I have the feeling that at the phrase "low carb" everyone thinks of Atkins' induction phase number of below 20g daily, but that's only in the first 2 week induction phase and shouldn't be maintained over the long term. Nor does Atkins advocate it, telling you to start adding carbs from non starchy, non refined sources back into your diet bit by bit, until you can maintain your weight. Typically people end up between 75g - 100g and that is pretty sustainable in my book. Nor is it much of an effort, or restrict my eating out options a lot.

How active are you? Carbs are the body's preferred fuel source. If you maintain a low carb diet, and exercise, your body will metabolize fat, but also has to cannibalize protein to make glycogen (fuel your muscles can use). Ever have that amonia scent in your nose after a workout? That is an indicator of protein being burned for fuel. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. Ever look at an endurance athelete? How much muscle mass do they have? Not much. Now do you want that kind of body, if so know that you are going to have to train a lot to keep the fat off. I don't think most of us are in that boat. Short term ok I guess, but long term is a non starter.

I think the average person here is better served by eating a well balanced diet and working out at least three times a week. Give it time your body will change.

I am on a LCHF (low carb high fat) diet, and has been for six weeks now. I have had a lot of health benefits after starting the diet, and have no plans going back to my old diet! Some of the benefits are less migrene (from 2-3 times a week, to once every second week), better sleep, more energy, and faster recovery after hard workouts. I was sceptical at fist, mostly because of the huge amount of fat I was to eat, and also because of the fact that I couldn´t eat bread, pasta etc. which I love!

We have been though all our lives that fat is what is making us obese and sick, and we have developed this fear of natural fat. When I was told to eat as much as 75% fat a day, I almost fell of my chair! But after learning more about what happens in the body when sticking to this diet, I decided to give it a try. Now I am eating great range of delicious foods (bread as well), and never feel starved. But I´m not gonna lie; it takes some practice and some work planning your meals.

Short about LCHF: When eating carbs, your blood sugar increase, and insulin puts the body in a fat storing mode. But the body need energy, so when you remove carb from your diet, you need to get your energy from fat. Fat will burn fat as the blood sugar and insulin level is stable. My advice is to learn as much as you can about LCHF before you change your diet. Here are som links:

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://lchf-bloggen.blogspot.com/ (lots of great recepies, unfortunally on norwegian. Google translate ;-))
http://fotballfrue.no/?cat=13 (the same apply as for the one above)

I also made a book of my favorite LCHF- recipe. Let me know, and I´ll e-mail it to you :-)

Good luck!