low carbs high protein

Dahavol · February 2012

. Cheating on this diet is absolutely 10x worse than any other diet, your body will take every bit of carbs that enter your body and store them as fat.

This is not really true as its written. Any carbs "cheated" will actually quickly find itself converted to glycogen and rushed to the muscles to replace the much more inefficient food of fatty acids. The fat that is already a large part of the diet will then be stored. The increase in muscle glycogen will lead to temporarily high water retention which can cause a scale jump, but not really a body fat jump. This means that while on atkins, a doughnut may lead to a 2 lb jump on the scale through a water regain, but that doughnut is not turning immeadiatly into fat. It is in fact very hard for the body to store carbs as fats, and with a ready supply of dietary fats, would never choose to do so.

ednabnana · February 2012

Mine is set at 5/50/45 carb/protein/fat. works for me I LOVE low carb.

How does it work?

I am really struggling in losing the last 5lbs. Maybe, just maybe, this is what I need(?)

bigbeardiver · February 2012

My biggest challenge is cutting carbs but getting enough calories. You can only eat so much bacon! Trust me.

I'm trying to hit 3000 calories but go as low carb as I can and it is a struggle. To get calories I need the carbs.

Also I learned a new term. Net Carbs = Carb count - Dietary Fiber. So if getting enough fiber with some actual carbs you are still lower carbs than you think.

mjbrenner · February 2012

I did the no carb (atkins diet) fad a couple years ago, I wouldn't really recommend it. You generally will lose about the same amount of weight from your muscle tissue as you do actual fat loss. The initial sugar withdrawls basically crippled me for the first two weeks, I was miserable. After that though, it was easier. I lost like 10-15 lbs quick just like everyone does but that's about where it stopped. Cheating on this diet is absolutely 10x worse than any other diet, your body will take every bit of carbs that enter your body and store them as fat.

It may be a way to drop a few pounds quickly, but the adverse effects it has on your health are equal to some of the dangerous diet supplements out there in the long term. I would visit your doctor before starting it just to get a baseline on your overall health.

I realize some people in this thread have had great success with it, but you can't argue that it is superior or faster than doing it the right way.

I really dislike calling someone out like this, but this is pretty much 100% incorrect about a low carb lifestyle, at least for the average low carber. Losing muscle as well as fat comes from not exercising, not eating low carb. Most people find the sugar withdrawal annoying, not crippling (though there likely are some exceptions).

Most importantly, I know of no "no carb" diets. Atkins encourages you to get some carbs through vegetables, even in the induction phase, and you eventually can add in carbs from other sources as well. Low carb is no more inherently dangerous than any other diet strategy for most people, and to equate it with "dangerous diet supplements" is incredible misinformation.

You WILL gain weight if you cheat and binge on carbs while on a low carb diet, bit this is water weight gain, not fat in most instances. This said, if you cheat poorly enough you will need to go through the initial "carb flu" again, which is generally no fun.

A low carb lifestyle is not the "wrong" way, as implied by stating that people should diet the "right" way. Low carb dieting is not for everyone, but there is nothing inherently bad about it. There are pitfalls to avoid, but that is true for any eating strategy.

To the OP, make sure you read up on low carb lifestyles and find a plan that works for you. There is a huge variety to choose from, and it helps to have a baseline plan to work from. As you go forward, you will probably experiment and find the precise method that works for you. Just remember that you still need to maintain a caloric deficit to lose weight while eating low carb. There are arguments that the calories in and calories out are slightly modified on a low carb diet, but you are much safer and more likely to see results if you use MFP to ensure a caloric deficit.

Good luck!

SmartWhatever · February 2012

I am going out on Saturday and now I'm thinking about what I can drink that will still keep me below my daily carb intake. I think Michelob Ultra is low carb... anyone know any other alcoholic beverages that are low?

mjbrenner · February 2012

Dry red wine is an excellent choice. Dry white wines are fine as well, but red has a few more health benefits.

zombilishious · February 2012

As others have said, an extremely low carb diet drops weight, but is hard to maintain. As soon as you add carbs back in, you gain - I know from personal experience! It's also usually high in fat unless you are switching to a vegetarian lifestyle. Moderating your carbs and the type of carbs you eat is more beneficial and easier to maintain in the long run. Your body needs some carbs for fuel. I stick to 100-130 carbs a day and aim for 150g of protein daily from lean meats, beans, nuts, egg whites, etc. My carbs come primarily from whole grain foods. I also exercise for 60 minutes at least 4 times a week. My weight loss is consistent at 1.5lbs.

If you've hit a plateau in weight loss it's often due to metabolism slowing over time due to constant dieting. The best thing you can do is stop dieting for a couple of weeks and find your maintenance calories (around 2,000)- the number of calories you need to remain consistent. If you gain 3lbs or so, go down to 1200 for a couple of days, then go back to the maintenance calories. After 2-3 weeks of this, restart your diet program.

needlework · February 2012

bump

ShilohMaier · February 2012

I did the no carb (atkins diet) fad a couple years ago, I wouldn't really recommend it. You generally will lose about the same amount of weight from your muscle tissue as you do actual fat loss. The initial sugar withdrawls basically crippled me for the first two weeks, I was miserable. After that though, it was easier. I lost like 10-15 lbs quick just like everyone does but that's about where it stopped. Cheating on this diet is absolutely 10x worse than any other diet, your body will take every bit of carbs that enter your body and store them as fat.

It may be a way to drop a few pounds quickly, but the adverse effects it has on your health are equal to some of the dangerous diet supplements out there in the long term. I would visit your doctor before starting it just to get a baseline on your overall health.

I realize some people in this thread have had great success with it, but you can't argue that it is superior or faster than doing it the right way.

Wow, this is so wrong it's almost funny. Muscle loss? Then why is it that prior to competitions, body-builders switch to low-carb diets? Yes, to shred water, but if it was jeopardizing their muscles- the things they make their money with- they seriously wouldn't do it. And as to being a danger to your health, all of my blood work improved dramatically when I switched to a low-carb lifestyle. And I wasn't eating junk prior to that- I was following a standard low-fat/cal diet. Yeah, cheating is worse when you're body gets used to low-carb, because it recognizes the junk for what it is, and doesn't like it! Because your body has gotten used to being HEALTHY!!!!!

Marll · February 2012

Question..so when you are restricting carbs...should you watch calories too or no?
With Atkins...they advise not to count the calories

This is absolutely incorrect. Atkins says don't count calories not as a way to help weight loss but as a way to sell people on the program. Most people that switch from eating 50% or more of their calories from carbs to eating far more protein and fat find themselves fuller on less food. Protein and fats tend to be more filling, protein especially. Therefore the recent atkins convert eats "as many calories as they want" while still eating less than they used to. Eventually people turn to high fat foods like bacon to blunt the craving for carbs, and volia, weight loss slows or stops. At the end of the day there really is only one rule to dieting the law of thermodynamics. When energy, calories, is consumed at a greater rate than it is expelled there is a surplus to store(as fat). There are various compentents to how that energy is expelled including hormonal effects, and different thermogenic effects of nutrients. However, at the end of the day its calories in v. calories out.

I had to laugh out loud at this. There really is no reason to count calories on Atkins if you are doing it the way that Dr. Atkins writes it out, in black and white, in his book "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution". Once you get over the initial carb flu most people don't crave carbs that much and eating a ton of bacon certainly isn't going to stop your weight loss. Hell I could probably sit around all day eating sticks of butter wrapped in bacon and still loose weight if my carbs were low enough.

Of course I know that everyone that is not a fan of low carb always comes back with the calories in/calories out argument, and while people are different I can say for me when I did Atkins by the book I lived a highly sedendary life between work, school and home and literally did NO exercise and lost 105lbs in a year, I probably also consumed 10x my body weight that year in bacon.

Marll · February 2012

I did the no carb (atkins diet) fad a couple years ago,

Atkins is not no-carb, it's low carb and very low carb during the first phase.

I wouldn't really recommend it. You generally will lose about the same amount of weight from your muscle tissue as you do actual fat loss.

LOL at this. When you are low carbing you loose water weight initially and then it's pretty much pure fat. I notice no muscle loss at all even when not exercising and much more muscle definition as the weight comes off. For a diet with high fat and moderately-high protein, pretty near impossible to loose muscle if you are doing it correctly.

I lost like 10-15 lbs quick just like everyone does but that's about where it stopped. Cheating on this diet is absolutely 10x worse than any other diet, your body will take every bit of carbs that enter your body and store them as fat.

How I read: "I didn't really follow any kind of program to the letter, just what I heard 3rd or 4th hand from some guy I know about how to do Atkins and it didn't work! I cheated enough to keep myself out of ketosis most of the time but still can't figure out why this didn't work. Atkins is total nonsense!"

It may be a way to drop a few pounds quickly, but the adverse effects it has on your health are equal to some of the dangerous diet supplements out there in the long term. I would visit your doctor before starting it just to get a baseline on your overall health.

What dangerous side effects? Lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, less inflammation, loosing weight, keeping cravings under control, eating more vegtables than your average human? Holy **** that DOES sound dangerous!

Acg67 · February 2012

LOL at this. When you are low carbing you loose water weight initially and then it's pretty much pure fat. I notice no muscle loss at all even when not exercising and much more muscle definition as the weight comes off. For a diet with high fat and moderately-high protein, pretty near impossible to loose muscle if you are doing it correctly.

And lol at this, got anything to back that up besides your anecdotal evidence

Marll · February 2012

Yeah, of course I kept all my logs from years ago.

Any time anyone gives anecdotal evidence contrary to low carb people flock to it like it's scientific gospel on this board, soon as anyone has an opposite experience then we must all be idiots.

I just like to come to the boards and post for debate and fun really, I like reading all the vitriol and hate for low carbers and their chosen way of dieting because it's pretty entertaining. People are pretty close minded about dieting/health like they are about politics and religion.

russellma · February 2012

I've done low carb in the past, and found out 3 things:

1. It works, as long as you continue doing it.
2. For the average American mom who wants to be a model for her children, it's very hard to maintain.
3. If you don't maintain it, you gain most if not all of the weight back.

I don't think I personally know anyone who was able to successfully transition from a low carb diet to a healthy "normal" diet and still keep off the weight.

So, this time, I've sort of meshed the two together and lowered my carbs to 40-45% while still exercising and counting calories. I eat the same food as my husband and kids and feel like I'm showing them healthy, sustainable eating habits that we all can sustain for the rest of our lives. It's working beautifully as the weight keeps falling off and I'm more fit than I've ever been.

Acg67 · February 2012

Yeah, of course I kept all my logs from years ago.

Any time anyone gives anecdotal evidence contrary to low carb people flock to it like it's scientific gospel on this board, soon as anyone has an opposite experience then we must all be idiots.

I just like to come to the boards and post for debate and fun really, I like reading all the vitriol and hate for low carbers and their chosen way of dieting because it's pretty entertaining. People are pretty close minded about dieting/health like they are about politics and religion.

You see it on both sides of the argument, the anti low carb side will say they are horrible and unhealthy for various nonsensical reasons and the pro low carb side assign all sort of magical benefits to the diet.

funkycamper · February 2012

I've done low carb in the past, and found out 3 things:

1. It works, as long as you continue doing it.
2. For the average American mom who wants to be a model for her children, it's very hard to maintain.
3. If you don't maintain it, you gain most if not all of the weight back.

I don't think I personally know anyone who was able to successfully transition from a low carb diet to a healthy "normal" diet and still keep off the weight.

So, this time, I've sort of meshed the two together and lowered my carbs to 40-45% while still exercising and counting calories. I eat the same food as my husband and kids and feel like I'm showing them healthy, sustainable eating habits that we all can sustain for the rest of our lives. It's working beautifully as the weight keeps falling off and I'm more fit than I've ever been.

Huh? I agree with #1 (but only to an extent), not so much #2 and #3.

First, why can't you model good eating for your children while eating lower carb? Is there something bad about eating mostly vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats, with a more limited intake of grains and starches? What nutrients would your children be missing eating this way themselves? Why would it be unhealthy for children to model this way of eating?

Note: I do think kids due to growing and their activity levels can eat a higher percentage of grains/starches than many adults without any problem. So, in a typical meat/potatoes/veggies/salad meal, the adults eat more salad, veggies, meat with a small bit of potato where the kids eat all those items but can have a bit more potato. If it's a pasta meal, the adults eat more salad, veggie and a small serving of pasta where the kids can eat more balanced servings of each. Yada yada. Lower carb for the adults, a bit higher carb for the kids, but everybody eats the same meal.

Second, I am gradually adding more carbs back into my eating plan as I'm losing weight and getting fitter. I've been eating at 80-100 grams/day and losing but I'm thinking of upping it to 100-120 grams/day. I have especially noticed that my body can process carbs better and not cause me any problems (bloat, water weight, stalled weight loss, blood sugar swings, etc.) since I started lifting heavy. Moving of the carb ladder in the OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase is a wonderful thing, imho.

And I can raise my carbs for awhile,even above those levels, temporarily without any real weight gain at all, like when on vacation, during the holidays, etc. I went off low-carb for most of December and, again, for 10 days in January while on vacation, just ate what I wanted, enjoyed rich restaurant meals, the treats so abundant during the holidays, whatever, and only gained about 4# which came off within a week of returning to my normal eating and exercise plans.

I have also periodically gone for much longer lengths of time not eating low-carb and did not gain back any real weight. For example, several years ago I had a severe back injury. At that point, I had lost about 40# eating lower carb. I could not exercise for a good year, even walking was extremely painful, and I did a lot of emotional eating which was higher-carb. Yeah, I even had a few times where I ate a whole bag of Double-Stuffed Oreos in a day or two all by myself. At the end of this year of laying in bed more often than not, and not watching my carb intake at all, or my calorie intake either, I had gained about 8#. I was actually surprised it wasn't more but eating more carbs didn't make me gain tons of weight back, that's for sure. Although, I know I also had days where I slept through most of the day due to the pain pills and probably ate way under my calorie needs so that mitigated those whole bag of Oreo days. But still....

Anytime you go back to old eating habits, you will gain weight. Low carb, high carb, whatever.

Personally, I think a lot of the problems people have with lower-carb diets is that they try to stay at induction levels during their entire weight loss instead of gradually adding back in carbs as recommended during the OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase. But that's for another rant.

funkycamper · February 2012

Yeah, of course I kept all my logs from years ago.

Any time anyone gives anecdotal evidence contrary to low carb people flock to it like it's scientific gospel on this board, soon as anyone has an opposite experience then we must all be idiots.

I just like to come to the boards and post for debate and fun really, I like reading all the vitriol and hate for low carbers and their chosen way of dieting because it's pretty entertaining. People are pretty close minded about dieting/health like they are about politics and religion.

You see it on both sides of the argument, the anti low carb side will say they are horrible and unhealthy for various nonsensical reasons and the pro low carb side assign all sort of magical benefits to the diet.

Agreed. The fanatics on both sides drive me batty.

martinah4 · February 2012

Interesting thread....always a controversial subject on these boards. My experience has been similar to many others - low carb definitely seems to be the fastest way to weight loss. I started South Beach Diet a few years ago and took off 20 pounds in 5 weeks (and it is not as low carb as Atkins). Biggest issue to me was I couldn't exercise effectively while on a low carb diet - kept crashing due to lack of energy. Also I gained 5 lbs back immediately when I started eating them again.

I think the 35 / 35 / 30 distribution seems to be a good compromise - it allows me to exercise and still lose weight (although slower than before). Good luck everyone!!!

It's fascinating how differently people's body's react to lower carb. I've been doing low-carb/Atkins and staying between 20-30 carbs a day for almost a year. I have SO much energy, I'm sleeping better, and I do high-intensity Zumba 2-3 days a week!

martinah4 · February 2012

My biggest challenge is cutting carbs but getting enough calories. You can only eat so much bacon! Trust me.

I'm trying to hit 3000 calories but go as low carb as I can and it is a struggle. To get calories I need the carbs.

Also I learned a new term. Net Carbs = Carb count - Dietary Fiber. So if getting enough fiber with some actual carbs you are still lower carbs than you think.

It's very difficult to count carbs and calories. I only count carbs, and I'm at about 20 net carbs a day. Because MFP automatically track calories, I've noticed that I rarely go over 1800, and never less than 1000. I don't know what your needs are, but if you feel you need more calories AND are doing low-carb, try eating nuts, peanut butter, deli meats, cheese, fruits that are higher in fiber, but lower in carbs (like berries).

martinah4 · February 2012

I did the no carb (atkins diet) fad a couple years ago,

Atkins is not no-carb, it's low carb and very low carb during the first phase.

I wouldn't really recommend it. You generally will lose about the same amount of weight from your muscle tissue as you do actual fat loss.

LOL at this. When you are low carbing you loose water weight initially and then it's pretty much pure fat. I notice no muscle loss at all even when not exercising and much more muscle definition as the weight comes off. For a diet with high fat and moderately-high protein, pretty near impossible to loose muscle if you are doing it correctly.

I lost like 10-15 lbs quick just like everyone does but that's about where it stopped. Cheating on this diet is absolutely 10x worse than any other diet, your body will take every bit of carbs that enter your body and store them as fat.

How I read: "I didn't really follow any kind of program to the letter, just what I heard 3rd or 4th hand from some guy I know about how to do Atkins and it didn't work! I cheated enough to keep myself out of ketosis most of the time but still can't figure out why this didn't work. Atkins is total nonsense!"

It may be a way to drop a few pounds quickly, but the adverse effects it has on your health are equal to some of the dangerous diet supplements out there in the long term. I would visit your doctor before starting it just to get a baseline on your overall health.

What dangerous side effects? Lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, less inflammation, loosing weight, keeping cravings under control, eating more vegtables than your average human? Holy **** that DOES sound dangerous!

Nice! Couldn't have said it better!

martinah4 · February 2012

Yeah, of course I kept all my logs from years ago.

Any time anyone gives anecdotal evidence contrary to low carb people flock to it like it's scientific gospel on this board, soon as anyone has an opposite experience then we must all be idiots.

I just like to come to the boards and post for debate and fun really, I like reading all the vitriol and hate for low carbers and their chosen way of dieting because it's pretty entertaining. People are pretty close minded about dieting/health like they are about politics and religion.

You see it on both sides of the argument, the anti low carb side will say they are horrible and unhealthy for various nonsensical reasons and the pro low carb side assign all sort of magical benefits to the diet.

Maybe, but you rarely see a low-carb advocate trolling a caloric balance thread looking for a fight.
Why. Are. You. Here?
OP was asking for advice from low-carbers, not you.

Acg67 · February 2012

Yeah, of course I kept all my logs from years ago.

Any time anyone gives anecdotal evidence contrary to low carb people flock to it like it's scientific gospel on this board, soon as anyone has an opposite experience then we must all be idiots.

I just like to come to the boards and post for debate and fun really, I like reading all the vitriol and hate for low carbers and their chosen way of dieting because it's pretty entertaining. People are pretty close minded about dieting/health like they are about politics and religion.

You see it on both sides of the argument, the anti low carb side will say they are horrible and unhealthy for various nonsensical reasons and the pro low carb side assign all sort of magical benefits to the diet.

Maybe, but you rarely see a low-carb advocate trolling a caloric balance thread looking for a fight.
Why. Are. You. Here?
OP was asking for advice from low-carbers, not you.

I think you're under the impression that I'm anti-low carb, which I'm not. And trolling would be to intentionally post incorrect information to start an argument, which i'd love for you to post an example of for me.

And Why. Is. Your. reading comprehension so bad?

Were my posts to the OP bad advice or any worse then the advice given in this thread?

30yearssincebikini · February 2012

Question..so when you are restricting carbs...should you watch calories too or no?
With Atkins...they advise not to count the calories

This is absolutely incorrect. Atkins says don't count calories not as a way to help weight loss but as a way to sell people on the program. Most people that switch from eating 50% or more of their calories from carbs to eating far more protein and fat find themselves fuller on less food. Protein and fats tend to be more filling, protein especially. Therefore the recent atkins convert eats "as many calories as they want" while still eating less than they used to. Eventually people turn to high fat foods like bacon to blunt the craving for carbs, and volia, weight loss slows or stops. At the end of the day there really is only one rule to dieting the law of thermodynamics. When energy, calories, is consumed at a greater rate than it is expelled there is a surplus to store(as fat). There are various compentents to how that energy is expelled including hormonal effects, and different thermogenic effects of nutrients. However, at the end of the day its calories in v. calories out.

I don't count calories at all. Atkins doesn't encourage any counting of anything except carbs. But I have found that by only counting carbs, I naturally am under my calories every day, because I simply am full and my cravings are gone. So calories really are not that important on this diet. And eating bacon has never made me gain weight as long as my carbs are around 20 g a day. Just speaking from my own experience.

bevskiwolf · February 2012

I've lost 174 eating this way. Doc has me on 100-120 g of protein a day and I try to keep my carbs under 75. I leave the carbs for veggies and low carb wraps, avoiding rice pasta, etc. Even the low carb pastas sometimes stall me

I am so used to eating this way. I love it. I feel less bloated and when I *do* have carbs on Spike or cheat days, I feel sick

There are great low carbers around and there are wonderful groups as well. Good luck! ♥

30yearssincebikini · February 2012

LOL at this. When you are low carbing you loose water weight initially and then it's pretty much pure fat. I notice no muscle loss at all even when not exercising and much more muscle definition as the weight comes off. For a diet with high fat and moderately-high protein, pretty near impossible to loose muscle if you are doing it correctly.

And lol at this, got anything to back that up besides your anecdotal evidence

Well, since I haven't read the book I can't quote it exactly, but my understanding from going low carb now for a little over a month, the muscle definition is great, but I have been exercising my butt off. My abs are finally looking tighter and my bottom and legs are too. So muscle is no problem with Atkins. Also, I believe that the way it works and the reason it works so well is that since usually a body uses carbs for energy, when a body has too little carbs to take energy from, it has no choice but to take the energy from fat. That's why fat simply melts away on this diet. It is a great diet and I feel energetic and happy as opposed to bloated and lethargic when I was eating potatoes, pasta, bread, sugar rolls and candy, etc. Just my experience.

SmartWhatever · February 2012

My biggest challenge is cutting carbs but getting enough calories. You can only eat so much bacon! Trust me.

I'm trying to hit 3000 calories but go as low carb as I can and it is a struggle. To get calories I need the carbs.

Also I learned a new term. Net Carbs = Carb count - Dietary Fiber. So if getting enough fiber with some actual carbs you are still lower carbs than you think.

I find getting enough calories a challenge also, but I don't think I have a bacon limit! I'm pretty sure I could eat quite a bit!! :bigsmile:

grinch031 · February 2012

LOL at this. When you are low carbing you loose water weight initially and then it's pretty much pure fat. I notice no muscle loss at all even when not exercising and much more muscle definition as the weight comes off. For a diet with high fat and moderately-high protein, pretty near impossible to loose muscle if you are doing it correctly.

And lol at this, got anything to back that up besides your anecdotal evidence

Well, since I haven't read the book I can't quote it exactly, but my understanding from going low carb now for a little over a month, the muscle definition is great, but I have been exercising my butt off. My abs are finally looking tighter and my bottom and legs are too. So muscle is no problem with Atkins. Also, I believe that the way it works and the reason it works so well is that since usually a body uses carbs for energy, when a body has too little carbs to take energy from, it has no choice but to take the energy from fat. That's why fat simply melts away on this diet. It is a great diet and I feel energetic and happy as opposed to bloated and lethargic when I was eating potatoes, pasta, bread, sugar rolls and candy, etc. Just my experience.

Yeah adequate protein and resistance training will minimize any potential muscle loss.

Anyways it doesn't really matter in a *healthy* person whether you are mainly burning glucose or fat, it all evens out in the end for total caloric needs. However, the theory goes that some people who have been eating refined carbs for many years develop a metabolic defect which leads to hyperinsulinemia that chronically inhibits fat oxidation. So the person is constantly craving energy (ie. excessively hungry) because they are not getting enough energy from fat, and instead need more glucose for their energy needs while their dietary fat is getting stored and the cycle continues.

SmartWhatever · February 2012

I've lost 174 eating this way. Doc has me on 100-120 g of protein a day and I try to keep my carbs under 75. I leave the carbs for veggies and low carb wraps, avoiding rice pasta, etc. Even the low carb pastas sometimes stall me

I am so used to eating this way. I love it. I feel less bloated and when I *do* have carbs on Spike or cheat days, I feel sick

There are great low carbers around and there are wonderful groups as well. Good luck! ♥

Wow! You are doing amazing! Its inspiring!!

russellma · February 2012

I've done low carb in the past, and found out 3 things:

1. It works, as long as you continue doing it.
2. For the average American mom who wants to be a model for her children, it's very hard to maintain.
3. If you don't maintain it, you gain most if not all of the weight back.

I don't think I personally know anyone who was able to successfully transition from a low carb diet to a healthy "normal" diet and still keep off the weight.

So, this time, I've sort of meshed the two together and lowered my carbs to 40-45% while still exercising and counting calories. I eat the same food as my husband and kids and feel like I'm showing them healthy, sustainable eating habits that we all can sustain for the rest of our lives. It's working beautifully as the weight keeps falling off and I'm more fit than I've ever been.

Huh? I agree with #1 (but only to an extent), not so much #2 and #3.

First, why can't you model good eating for your children while eating lower carb? Is there something bad about eating mostly vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats, with a more limited intake of grains and starches? What nutrients would your children be missing eating this way themselves? Why would it be unhealthy for children to model this way of eating?

Note: I do think kids due to growing and their activity levels can eat a higher percentage of grains/starches than many adults without any problem. So, in a typical meat/potatoes/veggies/salad meal, the adults eat more salad, veggies, meat with a small bit of potato where the kids eat all those items but can have a bit more potato. If it's a pasta meal, the adults eat more salad, veggie and a small serving of pasta where the kids can eat more balanced servings of each. Yada yada. Lower carb for the adults, a bit higher carb for the kids, but everybody eats the same meal.

Second, I am gradually adding more carbs back into my eating plan as I'm losing weight and getting fitter. I've been eating at 80-100 grams/day and losing but I'm thinking of upping it to 100-120 grams/day. I have especially noticed that my body can process carbs better and not cause me any problems (bloat, water weight, stalled weight loss, blood sugar swings, etc.) since I started lifting heavy. Moving of the carb ladder in the OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase is a wonderful thing, imho.

...

Anytime you go back to old eating habits, you will gain weight. Low carb, high carb, whatever.

Personally, I think a lot of the problems people have with lower-carb diets is that they try to stay at induction levels during their entire weight loss instead of gradually adding back in carbs as recommended during the OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase. But that's for another rant.

Good for you. You don't have to agree with any of MY findings because they are MY experience. I haven't AT ALL attacked anyone that enjoys their low carb lifestyle.

However, since the OP asked our experience regarding low carb, I gave her my experience as a mother, who has children and who has not had success with low carb. Reading through others' posts, it's obvious that I am not alone.

Although I'm pleased that you've been successful, that doesn't change the fact that everyone I know personally who has taken the low carb route ended back up at the same place when everything was said and done.... Americans are social people who enjoy bread, pasta, fruit, and desserts. I want to model to my children how to ENJOY them in moderation, letting them be a blessing in their lives, rather than something that will bring guilt or should be demonized. You don't have to agree with that, either! :flowerforyou:

funkycamper · February 2012

I've done low carb in the past, and found out 3 things:

1. It works, as long as you continue doing it.
2. For the average American mom who wants to be a model for her children, it's very hard to maintain.
3. If you don't maintain it, you gain most if not all of the weight back.

I don't think I personally know anyone who was able to successfully transition from a low carb diet to a healthy "normal" diet and still keep off the weight.

So, this time, I've sort of meshed the two together and lowered my carbs to 40-45% while still exercising and counting calories. I eat the same food as my husband and kids and feel like I'm showing them healthy, sustainable eating habits that we all can sustain for the rest of our lives. It's working beautifully as the weight keeps falling off and I'm more fit than I've ever been.

Huh? I agree with #1 (but only to an extent), not so much #2 and #3.

First, why can't you model good eating for your children while eating lower carb? Is there something bad about eating mostly vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats, with a more limited intake of grains and starches? What nutrients would your children be missing eating this way themselves? Why would it be unhealthy for children to model this way of eating?

Note: I do think kids due to growing and their activity levels can eat a higher percentage of grains/starches than many adults without any problem. So, in a typical meat/potatoes/veggies/salad meal, the adults eat more salad, veggies, meat with a small bit of potato where the kids eat all those items but can have a bit more potato. If it's a pasta meal, the adults eat more salad, veggie and a small serving of pasta where the kids can eat more balanced servings of each. Yada yada. Lower carb for the adults, a bit higher carb for the kids, but everybody eats the same meal.

Second, I am gradually adding more carbs back into my eating plan as I'm losing weight and getting fitter. I've been eating at 80-100 grams/day and losing but I'm thinking of upping it to 100-120 grams/day. I have especially noticed that my body can process carbs better and not cause me any problems (bloat, water weight, stalled weight loss, blood sugar swings, etc.) since I started lifting heavy. Moving of the carb ladder in the OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase is a wonderful thing, imho.

...

Anytime you go back to old eating habits, you will gain weight. Low carb, high carb, whatever.

Personally, I think a lot of the problems people have with lower-carb diets is that they try to stay at induction levels during their entire weight loss instead of gradually adding back in carbs as recommended during the OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase. But that's for another rant.

Good for you. You don't have to agree with any of MY findings because they are MY experience. I haven't AT ALL attacked anyone that enjoys their low carb lifestyle.

However, since the OP asked our experience regarding low carb, I gave her my experience as a mother, who has children and who has not had success with low carb. Reading through others' posts, it's obvious that I am not alone.

Although I'm pleased that you've been successful, that doesn't change the fact that everyone I know personally who has taken the low carb route ended back up at the same place when everything was said and done.... Americans are social people who enjoy bread, pasta, fruit, and desserts. I want to model to my children how to ENJOY them in moderation, letting them be a blessing in their lives, rather than something that will bring guilt or should be demonized. You don't have to agree with that, either! :flowerforyou:

In the last few weeks, I've enjoyed pizza with the breadsticks and cinnamon sticks that come with the Pizza Hut special, lasagna with noodles, chicken noodle soup made with home-made noodles, a big home-made cinnamon roll, real ice cream, a baked potato, peanut butter cookies, slices of yummy whole-grain bread, wine, home-made clam chowder with potatoes, macaroni salad, hamburger and a few tater-tots, and quite a few other things that I'm not recalling off-hand.

It's called moving up the OWL carb ladder and finding how many carbs you can eat and still lose. If an item is particularly high-carb, I will eat less carbs at other meals in the day to offset it but I don't do this if I've just eaten something like an open-faced sandwich on one slice of bread at lunch, some croutons on a salad or crackers in soup, and a small potato or serving of rice with my dinner. I can do that daily and stay within my carb limits.

It is very possible to eat lower-carb and enjoy social situations, and the types of food people bring to social events. It's really a matter of going up that carb ladder and portion control. I do it all the time.

Anyway, I cook the same foods I always have for family and will simply put less of the higher-carb item on my plate or sometimes not even eat the higher-carb item depending on my mood, what my taste buds crave, my hunger level, and my exercise that day.

Everyone I've known who has failed with maintaining their weight loss when they go off low-carb is due to the fact that they have not gradually transitioned themselves to a higher level of carb eating and have tried to stay at induction or near-induction levels for too long making them binge like crazy once they reintroduce carbs back into their diet. And those who looked at is as a diet instead of a lifestyle change. I totally agree that doing this is way too restrictive, makes socializing extremely difficult, and leads to weight loss failure. Although I believe that is also true with those who try to restrict their calories way too much in order to lose the weight more quickly. So I think long-term failure to maintain is more of a factor of making bad diet choices to lose weight, developing unhealthy relationships with food, and trying for the quick-fix than it has to do with whether or not you're eating low-carb while losing.

low carbs high protein

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