Low Carb diet

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Jazziemay
Jazziemay Posts: 12 Member
Do you think low carb is bad. I mean I did it a couple years ago and lost 33 pounds. I've only gained 10 of them back, but keep losing them again. RIght now I am staying under 20 carbs a day or at least trying to. for two weeks then I will start bringing certain foods back in slowly, but is it bad to make yourself stay under a certain amount for too long. Thanks for input
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  • Nutrition1st
    Nutrition1st Posts: 216 Member
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    Weight isn't the most important factor when it comes to fitness. It's being healthy. If your body fat percentage is good and vitals are ok, then the low carb diet is fine for you. If the numbers on the scale are low, but internally you become pre-diabetic or develop other health risks, I would use more moderation. Each gram of Carbs holds 4 grams of water. By going low carb it's possible that a person drops 30 lbs of water and 3 lbs of fat. So as long as your healthy, then stick with the nutrition plan that works best for you.
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
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    I've been at 20 or under for 9 months, and my doctor watches my levels closely, and everything (cholesterol and blood pressure included) have gotten steadily better than they've been in years. In this forum, you will get tons of naysayers, just ignore them and read the proven science behind this WOE. I highly recommend Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    Nope. I have done it for 8 months and it has been nothing but good for me. It makes me eat more veggies and I have actually found some I like from it.
  • Elle_45
    Elle_45 Posts: 43
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    I just recently starting seeing a dietician and she told me I wasn't losing weight because my carbs were to low. I was eating around 60 a day. I should be having between 150-180 carbs a day. But they needed to be healthy carbs such as fruits (she said no bananas or raisins) and whole grains. She said that carbs are what burns fat. The only other limit she gave me was 60+ grams of protein, and to choose foods with less than 7 grams of fat.

    Hope that helps some. I'm just getting started so I hope it works.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I just recently starting seeing a dietician and she told me I wasn't losing weight because my carbs were to low. I was eating around 60 a day. I should be having between 150-180 carbs a day. But they needed to be healthy carbs such as fruits (she said no bananas or raisins) and whole grains. She said that carbs are what burns fat. The only other limit she gave me was 60+ grams of protein, and to choose foods with less than 7 grams of fat.

    Hope that helps some. I'm just getting started so I hope it works.

    You might want to find a new dietician. That information is completely wrong. Carbs do NOT burn fat.
  • imaspaceguy90
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    I am a believer of doing what works. I have done atkins a few times. The hardest part of doing the atkins diet was the restriction in food choices. And the fact that if I cheated one time, it would show on the scale alot more. I could eat a whole chicken and still not feel satisfied, just sick from the overdose of protein. I believe simple carbs are bad however, because of the society we live in, I try to live with them within reasonable amounts. The good news about atkins is that you get the metabolic advantage of ketosis which burns a extra few hundred calories per day. Good luck on whichever avenue of weight loss you choose. For me, it is staying around 1200-1500 calories and eating whatever I want but with moderation and no candies and limited sugar.
  • _stephanie0
    _stephanie0 Posts: 708 Member
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    CARBS ARE NOT BAD!! sugar is bad. processed foods are bad...
    seriously, VEGETABLES have carbs. FRUITS have tons of carbs.

    you wont get fat eating broccoli apples and oatmeal.

    carbs give you energy.

    i believe fats carbs and proteins play a vital part in health.

    id say if your worried about carb intake, try to shoot for something like 40% pro 30%carb 30%fat
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    low carb is not bad at all (if you do it correctly)

    a lot of people muck it up, don't do it right, say it doesn't work it will kill you, blahblah.
    screw them. they're idiots.

    if it works for you, do it =]
  • julslea
    julslea Posts: 436 Member
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    I have been doing low carb since June 18th and I am loving it. I am not going as low as Atkins but trying to keep my total carbs at 70 a day. I feel great with this amount and feel it is something I can live with forever.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Do you think low carb is bad?

    I did very low carbs for a month just to get rid of the cravings for the starchy carbs and refined sugar. Then I started adding back in some whole grain carbs in moderation and a little sugar as a treat. I try to keep the number to no more than 100 g a day because of my diabetes...usually its a little less. And I lose weight. For me, its the best method, but now necessary because of the T2.
  • vcreinert
    vcreinert Posts: 83
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    Be careful of ketosis which can cause kidney damage or even failure. You need to burn carbs to keep your metabolism up and lose the weight. Note people who go on low carbs, end up burning protein which has no effect on the metabolism and if they aren't really careful they gain the weight back easily as their metabolism slows down.
  • HorseWithNoName27
    HorseWithNoName27 Posts: 188 Member
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    I think carbs are OK if they are coming from good sources. In other words, if by "carbs" you mean soda, white bread, white rice, cookies, chips, fried potatoes, etc., those are bad food choices. If you mean the carbs in whole-wheat sprouted-grain bread (pretty hard to find outside of health food stores), beans, brown rice, fruits and veggies, etc., then I don't think carbs are bad.

    It's all about what works for you, is sustainable long-term, and is healthy. As long as you are physically healthy and getting enough nutrients/calories/exercise, more power to you. I would just avoid low-carb by the same principle as low-fat...we need both macronutrients, at least in small doses.
  • Elle_45
    Elle_45 Posts: 43
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    Thank you _Stephanie0, you are exactly right.
  • Roger8086
    Roger8086 Posts: 16
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    I have to agree with wftiger about finding a new dietician. Even better, I would go talk to my doctor and get a basic check up complete with blood work. I myself am on a low carbohydrate diet and head in every three to six months.

    Doctors aren't just for fixing you when you're sick, they can help you improve your health too. ^_^
  • Elle_45
    Elle_45 Posts: 43
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    My Doctor is the one who sent me to this Dietician. ;)
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
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    I just recently starting seeing a dietician and she told me I wasn't losing weight because my carbs were to low. I was eating around 60 a day. I should be having between 150-180 carbs a day. But they needed to be healthy carbs such as fruits (she said no bananas or raisins) and whole grains. She said that carbs are what burns fat. The only other limit she gave me was 60+ grams of protein, and to choose foods with less than 7 grams of fat.

    Hope that helps some. I'm just getting started so I hope it works.

    You might want to find a new dietician. That information is completely wrong. Carbs do NOT burn fat.

    ^^^^^^^True story. Carbs do not burn fat. WTF?
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
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    My Doctor is the one who sent me to this Dietician. ;)

    In general, doctors get little to no nutrition, "diet" or weight loss education unless they are specializing in that area.
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
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    My doctor recommended 100-130 carbs a day, because she said your brain needs about this many to do its job, and that's why Atkin's is hard on the body. I eat a little less than that, but substantially less than I used to. I say do it, and if you don't have any weird brain things happening (losing focus, memory problems, etc) then it must not be that bad!
  • kjanoudi
    kjanoudi Posts: 18
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    I usually do low carb for short periods of time, 15-20 days at a time usually. I find that is usually enough to drop a significant amount of weight and body fat. After that i go back to my usual 40/30/30 carbs/fats/protein diet. It works for me, i have kept the weight off.

    Any longer than 15-20 days without fruit and i start to go insane though...