Anyone out there trying a lowcarb lifestyle?

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Shanon78
Shanon78 Posts: 18
in Food and Nutrition
I was just wondering if there is anyone out there that is trying a lowcarb lifestyle? If so what is your success? How quickly did you drop the weight and is this your first shot at it? Are you counting calories and fat as well? And how many carbs are you restricting yourself to?
Thanks & Have a great day everyone!! :)

Replies

  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
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    It is how I lost weight in the past and how I am tackling it again this time. Atkins has some great info on it. It is actually a very healthy way to eat. Are bodies don't need sugar (carbs) and when we eliminate them we use our body fat as fuel (energy). Good luck. I had over 60 to lose and have taken off 12 since starting the low carb plan 2.5 weeks ago!
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i eat ~20 grams a day from veggies/nuts/dairy. i keep an eye on cals but i do not count them.

    a few years back i lost 40 pounds in 6 months. gained it back because i got 'comfortable' and lazy, heh.

    ready to lose it again.
  • calvert6183
    calvert6183 Posts: 539 Member
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    It def works. I lost 40lbs doing it. Combine it with exercise, herbs, vitamins, fiber, and keep your carbs low, you will see rapid results. I know others who lost like 90 and up lost it from this diet.
  • ewai05
    ewai05 Posts: 31 Member
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    Yes. I follow the Jenny Craig Method in eating habits. :-) I am maintaining this lifestyle.
    No fast foods, processed foods, added sugars in drinks, eat more vegetables, eat less starchy foods, and watch portions on meats and sweets and starch intake. Watch portions when I go out to eat in restaurants. Now I order one restaurant meal, and split into two or three meals or I share with someone else.
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
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    Me! I lost 10 pounds in July when I started last summer, went on vacation in August and didn't get back on the wagon till October. In October and November, I lost 15 pounds, fell of the wagon after Thanksgiving and didn't get back on till April. Since April, I have lost 15 pounds and stayed on the wagon through multiple vacations. I do 5 or 6 fairly low days (around 30-40 net carbs) and then a day or two of higher carbs (between 100-200) where I allow myself limited treats.
    And I should say, when I fell of the wagon, it wasn't because the low carb eating was so restrictive that I couldn't stick with it, it was moreso that I just wanted to stuff my face with yummy food. My heart just wasn't into making weight loss a priority. I think if you look at my journal back in December, you will probably see cake, frosting, and cookies every other day (and massive amounts at that).
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I eat low(er) carb. I stay around 75 net. I like fruit too much to go down to the extreme low carb.

    I have had incredible success with it but I also count calories. I don't care about fat. The only thing I watch is carbs under the 75 net and protein at 80 grams or over. That makes the fat not too much with the calories I have left.

    This is my first go around with low carb. I love potatos and pasta so much I didn't think I could give them up, and I haven't. I just don't have them every day anymore. I definitely think that this is a lifestyle change I can continue as I even sneak a cupcake here and there so I don't feel deprived. If I have all my carbs by lunch then I just have a chicken breast with a little cheese for supper.

    I still have sweets, fast food, diet sodas, etc. Everything that many people on here think are bad. I sill lose and I feel better than I have for years and I don't feel deprived all the time and want to have "cheat" days because I am denying myself the foods I love.
  • jamm2000
    jamm2000 Posts: 79
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    Great question! I have done low carb in the past but am not able to adapt it as a permanent lifestyle because my normal diet is very carb intensive. Going carb-less is pure torture to me and therefore doesn't last more than a week or so. However, I do realize that a low-carb diet is effective for weight loss, so now that I am within 5lbs of my goal weight I plan to adapt a lower carb lifestyle to help maintain my weight. Starting tomorrow, my plan is to eat no more than 50 carbs on Mondays only. After a month, I'll up that to 2 x / week and the following month 3 x / week. I think I can easily survive 24 hours of minimal carbs knowing that I can have a bowl of Frosted Flakes for breakfast the next day. Good luck to you!
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    In the past I've had issues not only with weight, but also with diabetes, high cholesteral & hypertension. My goal now is to eat less bread, pasta, baked goods, processed food, salty & sugary stuff each day ....... and more proteins, veggies, beans, and some dairy. Not every day is a success, but I never give up ! And since I've lost 40+ lbs over the last few years, my way of eating works FOR ME ......

    Now I'm here to tackle the next 10+ lbs ...... I log everything ..... and honestly, this calorie-counting has been an eye-opening experience !

    It's all trial & error ....... play around & find out what works for you ..... and enjoy the journey !
  • MrsRoboto78
    MrsRoboto78 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm on a low carb diet. Tomorrow marks 5 weeks and I've lost 19.4 so far. (Hoping to lose another .6 by tomorrow for a grand total of 20 pounds!)

    I keep track of my calories (thanks to MFP) but I don't care if I go over, and I don't track fat at all. I have my calories set at 1400 and I try to keep my carbs around 40 (that's regular, not net).

    I've been dieting all my adult life and I find this to be the easiest diet I've ever been on. Just a month ago I was a MAJOR candy/fast food/soda/sugar addict. When I've done other diets I would have cheats/treats all the time. In the past 5 weeks of doing low carb I have had 2 Dairy Queen Blizzards and THAT'S IT! So I've found that when I'm not eating the sugar and carbs, then I'm not craving the sugar and carbs. And I feel better too! It is SO much easier than I was expecting!

    Feel free to add me so you can check out my food journals to see what kinds of things I'm eating.
  • melodiclyrics
    melodiclyrics Posts: 82 Member
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    I did the South Beach Diet for a period of time, a couple years back. I did lose a lot of weight initially, but at the time I found it difficult to maintain...mostly because I was undisciplined, and as soon as I could have carbs back in phase 2, I would go crazy and justify eating whole wheat pasta all the time.

    I've considered restarting it - but the main thing with SBD or any other low carb diet is the main philosophy of eating lean meats and lots of green veggies. Even though I'm not actively doing SBD, I don't eat nearly as many refined carbs as I used to.

    When I was doing it religiously I didn't count calories or fat, mostly because SBD wants you to eat only lean meats, and very few dairy products, which is where most of the fat comes in. The absolute most difficult part of a low-carb diet is getting over your initial carb cravings. We don't realize all of the things we eat daily that are carb-filled. Fortunately, many low-carb diets give you options for snacks and that kind of thing.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Only on Tuesdays, thursdays and weekends.
  • Shanon78
    Shanon78 Posts: 18
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    Wow!! Thanks everyone for all the replies!! :happy: I am currently eating about 20-30 carbs a day. I am not really watching my calories but mfp does that for me. I noticed today I did good on carbs but not so good on calories. I tried to eat stuff with more calories because I wasn't getting enough calories in and went way over... 412 to be exact!! I hope that this doesn't hurt me too bad!!
    Do you think it will? I was out a lot today and ate low carb stuff that was more snacky foods than whole foods.... was trying to do more whole foods!!:blushing:
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Wow!! Thanks everyone for all the replies!! :happy: I am currently eating about 20-30 carbs a day. I am not really watching my calories but mfp does that for me. I noticed today I did good on carbs but not so good on calories. I tried to eat stuff with more calories because I wasn't getting enough calories in and went way over... 412 to be exact!! I hope that this doesn't hurt me too bad!!
    Do you think it will? I was out a lot today and ate low carb stuff that was more snacky foods than whole foods.... was trying to do more whole foods!!:blushing:
    One day of anything isn't going to hurt you, so don't worry about it too much. Just don't allow it to be an excuse to eat badly tomorrow or the next day. :)

    I'm another who has found that I need to keep my carbs low to lose weight. I find that the more carbs I eat, the more I want. If I eat a low carb dinner, for example, I'm good until I have a small snack around 8pm (usually nuts). If I eat a high carb dinner, I'm craving something sweet almost immediately after.

    I'm mostly maintaining now, so I watch my carbs (under 90 grams) most of the week and then just watch calories on the weekends so I can enjoy a few sweet treats and a beer or two.

    Good luck to you!
  • redhousecat
    redhousecat Posts: 584 Member
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    I want to really try going low carb. I've been researching and learning. I think I will have so much more energy if I get rid of the starches.
  • SilverOnTheTree
    SilverOnTheTree Posts: 102 Member
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    I started the slow-carb diet two weeks ago to see what it's like. Some of the changes - such as substituting chickpeas or beans in place of white starches - are easily done and it seems a healthier way to eat entirely 'no-carb'. Other requirements - giving up fresh fruit and avoiding dairy products - strike me as unsustainable long-term.

    So far, increasing the amount of protein at each meal has definitely helped me to feel full. The novelty of soaking & cooking legumes is quite fun; it allows for mostly 1-pot meals, too (slow-cookers, hurrah!). I miss fresh fruit, and make up the vitamin C with improbably quantities of leafy greens.

    The diet allows a cheat-day (mostly for sanity's sake, I think) at regular intervals and I appreciate the psychological shift away from traditional junk food: apples and mandarins have become my #1 craving!
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
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    bump
  • stenotraveler
    stenotraveler Posts: 4 Member
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    I started with MFP on 6/9 and by 7/10 have lost 14 pounds. I've cut out almost all wheat-containing products (not easy - it is in everything!). I was doing moderate exercise first two weeks, but had a surgery and have been taken out of the gym since 6/25. I substituted wheat-containing breads with the GF products (and pasta too). Found some tasty crackers. Also paying attention to fruits/vegs.

    I know a lot of people who have done Atkins-like programs and do well for a short time, but then miss their fruits (especially) and say "if I have to have another piece of bacon, I'll scream!" (personally, I never met a piece of bacon I didn't like)

    As with anything, I'd think, moderation.

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