Low calorie diet? Or low carb diet?
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I tried low carb a few years ago, I initially lost weight quickly but couldn't keep it up. I got so sick of eating certain things that I totally lost my appetite for the allowed food couldn't eat properly. I must have ended up on way less than 800 cals a day! I also got terrible leg cramps every night.
I have PCOS and it was recommended to me to try low carb to help with insulin resistance. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. The 2 things that have worked for me are the Slimming World diet and calorie control. Everything in moderation.0 -
Very much prefer counting caloies! If I deprive myself of something it makes me want it more. I LOVE bread and pasta and want it in my diet. I did swich to whole grain though
I love pasta and bread too- I have been slowly trading everything out for whole grains but I am not sure about whole grain pasta-does it takes the same? Do you have one that you perfer?0 -
I'm pretty sure that the OP wasn't asking for advice, she was asking for opinions, so I don't see why someone is on here putting down other peoples opinions. She asked what we "preferred" and here is what I prefer
I think that calories matter, and that you should def keep them in check, but I believe that some people do better with low carb diets. Including me. I am insulin resistance, which i believe was caused from overeating processed crap my whole life. and when I say low carb, i mean i stick to 100 or below, and when i have lost all my weight i will move up to 150. and i don't eat grains or sugar. So yes, you can call me paleo/primal, whatever you want to title it. But I know that I feel awesome eating meats, fats, fruits, and veggies. and I'm losing weight as a plus!0 -
In the past I have always had good weight loss with low carb. I tried low calorie this time and have many weeks where I don't lose an ounce even though my calories are lower. I have to assume that I am insulin resistant and my body prefers low carb to low calorie.0
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I guess you could make that argument... but it's much safer to assume, when no context is given, that the advice is based on the "norm", for lack of a better word.
It seems to me you were giving unqualified advice yourself.
So yes... when I give advice, I guess I'm assuming that people who read it will assume I don't have any special health issues/concerns governing my advice. You can't say that about your advice. And if you're giving advice based on a health issue, who's to say what issue it is?
The way you were discussing low carb diets made it sound as if you think they are bad for everyone. I just wanted to bring up the fact that some people need it, that's all. Maybe I should have spelled out my health history in the first post, but I thought I covered it by saying "some people, not everyone". either way, I don't think it merited an attack.0 -
my advice, honestly, is do that in reverse. From years of experience, I do better if I eat less carbs in the morning and more in the evening. It keeps my insulin and blood sugar even much better if I do it that way.I'm gonna try healthy carbs in the morning and tapper off by the end of the night for intense not many carbs for dinner. cause I'm not doing as much moving at night. has anyone done this any advise?
same here. I eat my carbs in the evening. AM carbs send my blood sugar way up and it doesn't take much.0 -
I do agree that to lose weight calories matter. But if you drop the carbs and increase your protein and healthy fats (not commercial PUFA oils but butter, coconut oil, olive oil, animal fat) you won't have to worry about calories because carbs keep you hungry and wanting more every couple of hours. Protein and fat will keep you full and satisfied for much longer - it's a spontaneous restriction of calories. It happens without trying.
Went from 130-ish to 120.4 in 6 months doing it the conventional way. Went from 120.4 to 110.6 in four months doing it the Primal Blueprint way. The conventional way consisted of having to weigh and log food and count calories ALL DAY. I had to eat every few hours because I was constantly hungry (i.e. had to get my carb "fix" every couple of hours). A bowl of oatmeal and an apple had me shaking like a leaf 90 minutes later and I was running to the cafeteria for more food. After 6 months I was sick of it. My entire day revolved around food. And then when I got home my evenings revolved around food and exercise.
And now I'm not only maintaining my weight without trying (the lowest it has been since before puberty) I have amazing energy, I sleep better, every digestive issue I had (from one end to the other) went away. My eczema is gone. My face doesn't get oily anymore and I don't get zits anymore - I shouldn't at my age. My belly is gone (P90X couldn't take care of this and this is something I've had my entire life). I now have a 26" waist. I can eat as much fat as I want and not gain. I can eat as much protein as I want and not gain. I no longer retain water during TOM. My low-back/sciatica pain is gone. I do very little exercise to stay fit (once again Primal Blueprint Fitness). Stopped drinking milk and all my sinus/ear issues are gone. I can have a huge dinner at 8pm and not have it affect me or my weight.
Grains contain exorphins which are morphine-like compounds (not to mention antinutrients and toxins). Sugar travels the same brain pathways as opiate drugs (heroin).
If you want to lose weight then restrict your calories. But if you want to lose weight, maintain weight, get healthy and not have to suffer a downward spiral of health that consists of accumulating prescriptions then go Primal.
(and I don't mean low carb processed food. You must eat real, whole food).
I don't eat fat in moderation at all. I enjoy red wine almost every evening. I get to drench my veggies in butter or coconut oil. I get to eat uncured bacon and eggs for breakfast. I get to eat 85% dark chocolate with my morning coffee. I can't eat red, yellow, or orange peppers with my eggs anymore because they taste like candy now.
And yes I do have insulin resistance. It's a normal, wanted physiological insulin resistance - not a diabetic insulin resistance. You see my body now prefers fat as it's main source of fuel. It has no need for glucose so I have to fight to get it to use glucose. The only things in the body that need actual glucose are red blood cells - that's it. Your body will convert excess dietary protein into glucose if it needs to. The brain and heart actually run better on ketones.
You get to eat more eating low-carb, too.
Wow, I'm hungry. I think I'll go down a can of coconut milk (600 calories and 55g of fat, 50g saturated fat). I'll be bouncing off the walls in an hour and this will fuel my strength workout this evening. Can't wait!!0 -
hpsnickers, thanks for your post. I have not tried paleo yet, but I'm very interested in learning more. I've had results similar to yours following strict low-carb (not paleo), but paleo sounds like somehting I'd enjoy eating more.0
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"studies show...."
Tell me what you believe about nutrition, weight loss and fitness and I'll find a study that backs it up.0 -
Personally I feel like counting calories is much easier for both short and long term goals. I did Atkins and South Beach and lost weight, but ballooned right back up once I stopped.0
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From my understanding, low carb works for people with insulin resistance but it's not necessary for healthy people. I could never do low carb myself. I prefer a balanced diet. I just don't eat excessive calories and I'm fine. I lost weight easily and have maintained for several months while enjoying carbs and foods of all kinds. No one can separate me from my pasta!!! :drinker:0
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I try to eat a calorie deficit reflecting a one pound weekly weight loss while balancing macros 25% Fat, 50% Carb and 25% Protein.
Just keep it simple and straight forward.
No gimmicks, fad diets or bozo philosophies.
MFP makes is easy.0 -
hpsnickers, thanks for your post. I have not tried paleo yet, but I'm very interested in learning more. I've had results similar to yours following strict low-carb (not paleo), but paleo sounds like somehting I'd enjoy eating more.
You're welcome. Check out Primal Blueprint (Marks' Daily Apple). I have turned that site inside out. It's basically the same as Paleo but a little more lenient (we do live in a modern world). And it started out as an experiment for me - I wasn't expecting what I got.
I'm not 100% and sugar has been one hell of a battle. Believe me I still crave it - fat helps blunt the cravings. It's getting easier, though.
I have heard so many times from people "I'm not giving up my bread". "Depriving myself just makes me want it more." Sounds like addiction to me.
Atkins and South Beach and the Zone still push processed foods. These are fad diets. My mom started Weight Watchers 20 or more years ago and she still has to follow it to maintain her weight (which isn't working anymore).
Primal/Paleo is not a "fad" diet. What happened? Since when did eating real, whole, non-processed foods (all grains must be processed to be edible - and our bodies do not digest them properly) become a fad? And when did eating food from a box that is nothing more than cardboard with some fat, sugar, salt and chemicals thrown in to make it taste good become healthy?0 -
I do a modified low-carb diet. Because really, "low-carb" can mean a daily intake of 10-20g of carbs a day (Atkins style) or 85-100g a day which is what I do. I aim to get my carbs from Veggies and fruit first, then whole grains (brown rice, quinoa), and very lastly processed grains and refined sugar (cheat meals) because I've decided not to have any restrictions. I will eat 100% whole grain tortilla or slice of bread once or twice a week to keep from going into the "restriction, must have now!!" mindset.
For the most part I'm not hungry, not craving sugar or breads(former sugar-fiend here) and consistently losing weight so it works for me. I am going to try going Primal once I finish up my bag of quinoa.
I whole-heartedly believe that sugar from non-fruit sources and refined carbs are the devil when it comes to weight-loss, and I stand by that belief
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I have heard so many times from people "I'm not giving up my bread". "Depriving myself just makes me want it more." Sounds like addiction to me.
I used to be one of those people, and really it is an addiction, but one that can be broken, which is hard to see when you're that addicted to it. Once you stop eating it and your body gets acclimated to going without it, addiction broken in a lot of cases.
That being said, I can't imagine life without cheese. Is the Primal diet somewhat cheese-friendly? When I look it up I get long articles about cheese and the primal diet and don't feel like reading through it all right now0 -
Lo carb - i crave protein most of the time and veggies carbs make it harder for me to lose the weight0
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I thrive on low carb diet.
35% of adults in the USA have insulin resistance and 93% of them don't even know it.0 -
I thrive on low carb diet.
35% of adults in the USA have insulin resistance and 93% of them don't even know it.
And 20% of diabetics out there are thin. My guess is there are much more because most doctors won't check blood sugar in a thin person. You see, most doctors think diabetes is caused by overeating and being lazy. But the insulin/blood sugars issues start long before the weight gain.0 -
I thrive on low carb diet.
35% of adults in the USA have insulin resistance and 93% of them don't even know it.
And 20% of diabetics out there are thin. My guess is there are much more because most doctors won't check blood sugar in a thin person. You see, most doctors think diabetes is caused by overeating and being lazy. But the insulin/blood sugars issues start long before the weight gain.
Most of the people are still in the 'prediabetes' phase. Low-carb diets would certainly benefit a lot of the obese out there.0 -
I do agree that to lose weight calories matter. But if you drop the carbs and increase your protein and healthy fats (not commercial PUFA oils but butter, coconut oil, olive oil, animal fat) you won't have to worry about calories because carbs keep you hungry and wanting more every couple of hours. Protein and fat will keep you full and satisfied for much longer - it's a spontaneous restriction of calories. It happens without trying.
So people won't overeat, as long as they restrict carbs? Or you won't overeat if you restrict carbs?If you want to lose weight then restrict your calories. But if you want to lose weight, maintain weight, get healthy and not have to suffer a downward spiral of health that consists of accumulating prescriptions then go Primal.
(and I don't mean low carb processed food. You must eat real, whole food).
Yeah, cause you can't be healthy and eat decent amounts of carbs0 -
I really appreciate all the responses! I'm still debating!!! on what I should do!0
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I have heard so many times from people "I'm not giving up my bread". "Depriving myself just makes me want it more." Sounds like addiction to me.
I used to be one of those people, and really it is an addiction, but one that can be broken, which is hard to see when you're that addicted to it. Once you stop eating it and your body gets acclimated to going without it, addiction broken in a lot of cases.
That being said, I can't imagine life without cheese. Is the Primal diet somewhat cheese-friendly? When I look it up I get long articles about cheese and the primal diet and don't feel like reading through it all right now
Yes it sure is. Look up Primal Blueprint or Mark's Daily Apple. Go to "Start Here" at the top. About mid-way down the page there is a paragraph about Primal Blueprint 101 - this has tons of articles regarding the lifestyle - he discusses dairy. If you can tolerate it go for it.
Actually on his home page at the top right corner you can type in 'cheese' or 'dairy' and get search results for articles. You can go to the forums and do the same thing.0 -
I thrive on low carb diet.
35% of adults in the USA have insulin resistance and 93% of them don't even know it.
And 20% of diabetics out there are thin. My guess is there are much more because most doctors won't check blood sugar in a thin person. You see, most doctors think diabetes is caused by overeating and being lazy. But the insulin/blood sugars issues start long before the weight gain.
Most of the people are still in the 'prediabetes' phase. Low-carb diets would certainly benefit a lot of the obese out there.
Yes, it would. Obesity is a broken metabolism from a high sugar, highly processed (loaded with PUFA industrial oils) diet (i.e the USDA guideline). I think by the time the word "obese" applies insulin resistance is in full force (insulin resistance starts in the muscles. Obesity is your body trying to fight off diabetes. Some will continue to gain and never get it (these have pancreas that can grow new beta cells). Some will end up diabetic and end up with a doctor that will push insulin on them while telling them to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet.0 -
Some will end up diabetic and end up with a doctor that will push insulin on them while telling them to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet.
What better way to get rid of that pesky insulin than to feed it some more glucose?0 -
I thrive on low carb diet.
35% of adults in the USA have insulin resistance and 93% of them don't even know it.
And 20% of diabetics out there are thin. My guess is there are much more because most doctors won't check blood sugar in a thin person. You see, most doctors think diabetes is caused by overeating and being lazy. But the insulin/blood sugars issues start long before the weight gain.
Most of the people are still in the 'prediabetes' phase. Low-carb diets would certainly benefit a lot of the obese out there.
Yes, it would. Obesity is a broken metabolism from a high sugar, highly processed (loaded with PUFA industrial oils) diet (i.e the USDA guideline). I think by the time the word "obese" applies insulin resistance is in full force (insulin resistance starts in the muscles. Obesity is your body trying to fight off diabetes. Some will continue to gain and never get it (these have pancreas that can grow new beta cells). Some will end up diabetic and end up with a doctor that will push insulin on them while telling them to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet.
"Myth: If you are overweight or obese, you will eventually develop type 2 diabetes.
Fact: Being overweight is a risk factor for developing this disease, but other risk factors such as family history, ethnicity and age also play a role. Unfortunately, too many people disregard the other risk factors for diabetes and think that weight is the only risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Most overweight people never develop type 2 diabetes, and many people with type 2 diabetes are at a normal weight or only moderately overweight. "0 -
Eating plenty of carbs has not stopped me loosing weight. I prefer low fat x0
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I like the high protein, lower carb diet. I'm seeing results and it's nice not having to worry about going over my calories. Plus, my sweet cravings are disappearing, so I'm not tempted to buy or eat desserts these days. That really helps. And I haven't been gorging myself with every meal, which is a big deal because I used to really have a problem with overeating.0
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I am trying to stick toaround 100 g grams intake a day of healthy natural carbs (tomoto's, soya etc)... I find when l eat carbs at breaky wholmeal toast etc l am soo hungry all morning... Since cutting out breads and pasta's l dont get the intense hunger.. Im also eating more protein.. definately worth a try!0
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"studies show...."
Tell me what you believe about nutrition, weight loss and fitness and I'll find a study that backs it up.
So true.....:drinker: and so unfortunate! :grumble:0 -
I think the best type of diet is one that will mimic what you intend to do long term. If that is eat like a cavman (or woman) go for the low carb diet. If you want to have a healthy balanced diet long term go for a low calorie diet.0
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