Low-carb diet

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AmyFett
AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm thinking of trying a low carb diet, anyone have any luck with it? like it, hate it? Just looking for opinions. I've been doing some research and stuff as well, but just curious what real people think of it =)
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  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
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    I have changed my eating to be lower in carbs, and I love it. I don't have as many cravings, I have more energy, I lose weight fairly easily, and I just feel better all around. I generally eat 30-40 net grams of carbs 5-6 days, then have a day or so as my "splurge day." I've lost 44 pounds so, while it's not for everyone, it is definitely for me!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    If you have lots of weight to lose then I say just use good ol calorie reduction. Not too low but enough for a 1-2 pound weekly loss. Low carb diets are difficult for most people to adhere to and many people gain all the weight lost back within a few weeks of returning to a "normal" diet. I dobt recommend them for MOST people but usually it takes the person actually trying it to realize that it's not the best approach to weight loss. Good luck and I hope you choose a HEALTHY and BALANCED approach instead.
  • thomakg
    thomakg Posts: 69 Member
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    Not following any specific low carb diet - just eating a lot more protein, less carbs (always about half that MFP recommends) and still enjoying some good fats - and going over my limit a little every day. My body seems to like it - losing consistently and I feel satisfied.
  • LeggyKettleBabe
    LeggyKettleBabe Posts: 300 Member
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    I am having success with mine. I limit myself to one serving of grains and the rest of the carbs are veggies. Lost 10 lbs in bout 2.5 weeks now
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I always lose weight doing a low carb/high protein diet. Same this time, too. Seems to work for me and I am satisfied. YMMV.

    Now you may say how come if it works I didn't stay thin? Because I was stupid and stopped. :D
  • KatKatatrophic
    KatKatatrophic Posts: 448 Member
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    Hi ! I was told by a friend to do 100g of carbs because I wanted to do a low carb diet. I get off the diet sometimes ( when I don't pre-plan my meals ). So, it's working so far. I've lost quite a few pounds. You'll be hungry at first, but then your appetite will adjust. I love it :)
  • lhiatt
    lhiatt Posts: 21
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    I started low carb in April and have lost about 18lbs so far. I am diabetic, so there is no going back. No breads, pasta, rice, potatoes etc. I am allowed fats. It is so much more satisfying. So many good low carb recipes out there. After the first few weeks I have lost my hard cravings for chips and fries. (not that I dont still long for them from time to time) But I don't plan on going back to a regular high carb way of eating. My blood sugars are bette,r my cholesterol is better and my blood pressure which wasn't bad before is even better! Good luck, I hope it works for you too!
  • tempest501
    tempest501 Posts: 329 Member
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    Low Carb diets def work but I think its better to just keep Carbs to a sensible level and make sure any Carbs you do take in are complex ones. The trouble when people do a low carb diet to the extreme is when they go back to normal they gain a fair few pounds strait back. This is because when you go low carb it makes you Ketogenic and you lose Water weight and your glycogen stores get depleted. Then once you start to intake carbs again you immedietely gain the water/glycogen weight back.

    I think the best advice , is to to try make a lifestyle change that you can maintain in the future rather than doing a specific diet as these diets are what is responsible for people yo-yoing in there weight.

    Just stick to a complex carbs and always try to make sure you take some protein with them, and don't avoid fats as these are vital too as these are required for hormones etc.

    I was losing weight quite effectively by eating 4-5 meals a day and excercising. I have been trying intermittent fasting for a week and the results from this so far have been mind blowing for me and my energy levels are out of this world. Basically what I am doing is fasting for 16 hours and only taking in fluids (calorie free fluids) and then I eat my calorie allowance for the day in the 8 hours left. My bodyfat has droped by 2.5% in a week doing this. I am hoping this method will help me get to 12.5 soon so I can start buffing up lol.

    Hope that helps

    Peace
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I started low carb in April and have lost about 18lbs so far. I am diabetic, so there is no going back. No breads, pasta, rice, potatoes etc. I am allowed fats. It is so much more satisfying. So many good low carb recipes out there. After the first few weeks I have lost my hard cravings for chips and fries. (not that I dont still long for them from time to time) But I don't plan on going back to a regular high carb way of eating. My blood sugars are bette,r my cholesterol is better and my blood pressure which wasn't bad before is even better! Good luck, I hope it works for you too!

    my mom is diabetic too, she's not on a 'diet' to lose weight or anything, but she's careful about how many carbs she has now. I'm just not sure what's best for me, and my metabolism is f-ed up enough, i don't want to keep going back and forth between this and that. I'm really not sure what I want to stick with.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I have been doing lower carb (under 100g net per day) for a little over 2 months. It was what I needed to do to lose weight. I followed what MFP suggested for 2 months and only lost 7 pounds...I reduced my carbs and lost 8lbs the first MONTH, 6 pounds the second month. This is the third month, and I am not sure what my loss will be.

    I still eat real food, I still eat out with my family, but I am more aware of my choices.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I always lose weight doing a low carb/high protein diet. Same this time, too. Seems to work for me and I am satisfied. YMMV.

    Now you may say how come if it works I didn't stay thin? Because I was stupid and stopped. :D

    were you stupid or just couldn't maintain compliance? I think it was the latter.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I am a type 2 diabetic as well but do not limit my carb intake whatsoever... It is more important to eat the right kind of carbs... The more complex carb that take longer to break down are what a tend to stick with... I am currently eating 300-320 grams of carbs a day and am still losing weight... I could never go low carb just wouldn't work for me... My A1c have averaged 5.3 (down from my highs of 10.0 in 2009) Best of Luck....
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I'm thinking of trying a low carb diet, anyone have any luck with it? like it, hate it? Just looking for opinions. I've been doing some research and stuff as well, but just curious what real people think of it =)

    Remove processed carbs like bread, and pasta and increase veggies. You could try 100g carbs - no need to go extremely low and afllows more variety in your diet. A lot of low carbers can have nutritional deficiencies.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I am a type 2 diabetic as well but do not limit my carb intake whatsoever... It is more important to eat the right kind of carbs... The more complex carb that take longer to break down are what a tend to stick with... I am currently eating 300-320 grams of carbs a day and am still losing weight... I could never go low carb just wouldn't work for me... My A1c have averaged 5.3 (down from my highs of 10.0 in 2009) Best of Luck....

    Your massive weight loss would have given your those improvements. Perhaps you are not type 2 anymore it resolved with weight loss?
  • moonlightturk
    moonlightturk Posts: 398
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    I tried it, and it back fired. I went crazy for carbs since I deprived myself of them....good luck
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I don't really go over 100g often anyway. I think my highest was 205g. I'm just trying to be smart about what I eat and watch calories until I figure out what I want to do long-term, but I think I'm gonna stick with this. It seems more logical, being hypothyroid and with the slow metabolism, i don't want to mess my body up any more than it already is.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Some people respond very well on it, some don't or the benefits are marginal ... it depends on your metabolism.

    Personally, I think the whole weight loss (i.e. fat loss/improving body composition) thing is a question of carbohydrate tolerance so it's a sliding scale and we all have different ideals.

    "Low carb" for some may be 50g a day, for others 100g. Some may tolerate grains/dairy/legumes, some not.

    There is a separate group here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/411-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group-

    Speaking for myself it's the second best thing I've done from a health point of view, quitting the smokes was the first :)
  • PrincessShay135
    PrincessShay135 Posts: 40
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    YES, low carb works! However, it can be difficult. Living without bread, the carb I miss the most, sucks but it is very worth it. I stick to 25 net carbs or less per day and not only has it resulted in weight loss (just low cal was not) but my blood pressure and cholesterol are normal for the first time in years, without medications, as well. And, my diabetes is finally under control. It takes a lot of discipline and adjustment and honestly can be inconvenient but it works. Just as with any eating plan though, if you go off of it the weight will come back. Do some research, try it for a month, and see for yourself how it works. There are some low carb message boards on MFP to explore that might be helpful in aiding your decision. No matter what you do good luck!
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Remove processed carbs like bread, and pasta and increase veggies. You could try 100g carbs - no need to go extremely low and afllows more variety in your diet. A lot of low carbers can have nutritional deficiencies.

    Do you have any specific nutritional deficiencies in mind that low carbing would promote?

    A lot of dieters generally can have nutritional deficiencies, if you are reducing the calories then you are also reducing the nutrients ...
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I am a type 2 diabetic as well but do not limit my carb intake whatsoever... It is more important to eat the right kind of carbs... The more complex carb that take longer to break down are what a tend to stick with... I am currently eating 300-320 grams of carbs a day and am still losing weight... I could never go low carb just wouldn't work for me... My A1c have averaged 5.3 (down from my highs of 10.0 in 2009) Best of Luck....

    Your massive weight loss would have given your those improvements. Perhaps you are not type 2 anymore it resolved with weight loss?

    Yes my weightloss has improved my heath overall but there is no getting rid of diabetes.... Once you are diagnosed a Full blown Type 1 or 2 Diabetic you have it for life.... The benefit of recognizing you having this disease and doing everything you can to stabilize the damage already done will prolong the long term side effects that diabetes will cause.. The common misconception especially for type 2 diabetics (being that it is commonly weight related) is lose the weight and your cured.. That is not true, when you become a diabetic you burn up over half the receptors that regulate your blood sugar the object at that point is to protect the ones you have left and by doing so you can prolong the need for insulin and needles. I am and will be on Metformin for the rest of my life and hopefully with proper diet and exercise I can maintain my A1c and keep my diabetes at bay. There is always the chance the somewhere down the road this may not work anymore and I may have to go to shots/insulin to regulate my blood sugars.....

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