Has anyone here tried eating a low carb diet in order to lose weight? I have several friend's on such a diet and they claim they are losing weight. The idea of it all is to eat portion controlled amounts of protein foods like meats and eggs and cheese, plus including certain vegetables and fats, such as olive oil and butter, mayonnaise and nuts, coconut oil and avocado. Plus plenty of water and protein drinks. I have always thought that low-fat was a better diet, by watching what you eat and daily exercise. However, it has not worked well for me. The above diet is a lot like a diabetic diet. I am told the problem I am having has to do with eating bread and crackers, noodle products and sweets. If I remove those items which are high in carbs, then continue with my daily exercise to stay toned up the diet should help me lose some weight. I am hoping there are others on site that either use this diet in one fashion or another and can tell me the pro's and con's. I don't want to hurt myself by using the diet if it is a bit dangerous. So please add your thoughts and opinions on this type of a diet.
My wife is currently going low carbs; too soon to tell results. Low-fat consumption is not always a good thing, especially if the important "heart-healthy" fats are omitted, the "Omega" fats 3 and 4. They are found abundantly in many fish, salmon is particularly good. As for hurting oneself limiting carbs, it is tough to really not get some carbs despite care in eating. It has been suggested by historians that in the very early days of the U.S., settlers ate very little carbs. Evidence exists those folks had almost no tooth decay, and cancer was much rarer than today. OTOH, life expectancy then was much lower than now. As settlers began planting crops, instead of hunting game for food, carbs seem to have not been a God-send. Just my opinion.
I also watch my carbs, @Sandy Wood , and I believe that there are several other people here on the forum that do the same thing. I do still eat carbs; but in limited amount, and I do my best to stay away from the refined carbs, which is what is in most processed foods, starch/flour, and sweets. Those are the ones that set off the insulin reaction, and insulin is the fat-storing hormone for our bodies. I eat all kinds of vegetables that are non-starchy , and fruit in limited quantities because of the higher sugar content. I also go to the fitness center about every other day, and I exercise and then swim for an hour. So far, weight loss is slow, but part of that is because I am gaining muscle as I exercise and get stronger. Muscle weighs four times as much as fat, so as long as I am turning fat into muscle tone, I am on the right track. We also have a section on dieting in a sub-forum under the Health section of this forum.
I have been on low carb "Atkins" for years.. I have lost about 130 pounds and needless to say, am keeping it off because of the way I eat.. Low carb isn't a diet.. Get that out of your head.. It is a way of life.. You will be on it for the rest of your life, however once you have reached your goal weight (like I did) you will be eating foods that you can't eat now, but in limitations.. Basically I have eliminated 5 foods from my eating and that's all.. ................ They are.. Flour of any kind Rice of any kind Sugar.... Replace with a sweetener of your choice Potatoes in any form Corn in any form That's all !!!!!!!!! ........ NO other restrictions... Drink lots and lots of water every day.. One more thing I do is I post my food every day.. I find it keeps me honest that way.. if you find you need help with low carb, join a low carb forum.. there are several and I can recommend one if you like.. It is very mellow just as this forum is.....
Your results are to be commended, most whole-heartedly! You obviously needed to lose a lot of weight, based on the amount lost. would you be of a mind to inform us a bit more about the experience? For example, the "mind-set". How did you manage those times when a hunk of chocolate, let's say, beckoned you ceaselessly? Did you have set-backs? You present a wonderful example of what can b e accomplished! Thank you!
Frank, thanks for asking.. At one time I weighed 358 pounds and went to see my doctor.. After weighing me, he told me to "lose weight or die".. I really had no choice but to do something and fast.. I had a disease called "Compulsive Overeater" which had to be addressed and fast.. I tried almost every diet in the book and none really worked for me.. I joined a group called "Overeaters Anonymous" where I got support and that helped but I still needed more.. I heard about the "Atkins" low carb book, bought it, read it several times and it seemed to make more sense than anything else I had heard of.. I started it and followed it like a religion and it worked while still allowing me to eat properly.. Low carbing isn't a diet but a way of life.. You will be on this way of life for the rest of your life.. Drinking lots of water every day is another thing that is very important.. I now weigh around the 200 to 210 mark and that is where I want to stay.. I can now go out and (within reason) enjoy a good meal without any regrets.. My health has improved to no end.. No high blood pressure, blood sugar or anything else.. I don't exercise but we have acreage where we live (in the country) and it keeps me busy in summer.. In winter I am like a bear.. I hibernate and watch my carb intake.. I have also joined a "low Carb" forum that gives support, advise, and am with others like me that believe in low carb.. If you want, I will post the link to the low carb forum.. I don't want to override this forum but it is entirely different to this one.. Hope this very brief story has helped you and others that have weight to lose and find it almost impossible.. When it comes to low carbing, what I can say is...................................... IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT SO WORK IT YOUR WORTH IT
I applaud you Steve ,As I have already mentioned I lost quite a bit of weight after being digonised with diabetes ,I had tried to loose weight by myself but I'd tend to loose a Kg one week and gain two the next ..so I joined a diet company who gave me a list of foods with choices to eat for each meal ..I lost 30kg in 5 months .. I'm still treated as a diabetic however when I have my yearly blood test the doctors useally say are you sure your diabetec ? My response is useally I'm not a doctor ... An very interesting finding has just been released in Adelaide .( two weeks ago) of a two year study conducted by the CSIRO into diabetes ..it's amazing they came up with a diet almost identical to what you have mentioned @Steve North and the diet I follow .The CSIRO claim some of the people involved in the two year study have beaten diabetes and even been able to go completely off medication including insulin ..now if that's the case it's wonderfull news for anyone who had to take medication ..in my case I've never had to take anything as I'd Never had high readings .I will see if I can find anything on the net about the study and post a link ,but I'm guessing they will release another cook book on the findings I'd like to look at the low carb forum Steve ,I'd appreciate you posting the link ..thanks in advance I'm always interested in looking at different meals ,snacks options ..Oh the CSIRO diet didn't include any fruit ..don't think I could eliminate fruit from my diet
Underneath the reply box Kate, on every thread topic there are 2 boxes..''watch this thread'' and ''receive email notifications of replies to the thread'' to see both of these options...click on the reply box..then 'more options'..before posting your reply and you will see the boxes underneath...(if you just click on ''quick reply'' the 2 options aren't available)...click one or both of those options to keep track of the Carb thread. . If you click the former you can just click on 'watched threads' at the top of the thread to see new replies everytime you log onto the forum ... and clearly if you click the latter you'll receive emails each time there's a new reply..
You do that by not keeping it in the house. Stay totally away from the cookie, candy and snacks aisles.
@Frank Sanoica , you're righy about the way a person eats must become part of their lifestyle. Growing up on a farm our food greatly depended on what we could provide for ourselves. That meant lots of veggies and fruit, things we could provide without money that was needed for things like flour, rice, salt, coffee, sugar and even tobacco. So for me it is easier to eat without heavy carbs, but I married a first generation Italian that grew up on pasta, rice, fried foods, and plenty of sweets, along with rich sauces and wine. Of course there had to be some compromise, and I did my best to teach my kids to find a balance between it all. I've been alone now for a little over a year, and in that time I have quit cooking many of the my old family regular meals. It took me no time to revert back to fruit and veggies, and in fact I have to make myself eat a potatoe or some rice every once in a while. I have dropped 40 pounds in the last year, and I admit that is without exercise. I use my gazelle glider about 10 to 15 minutes a day more for flexibility and for anything else. After a while your body stops craving the carbs, and even the sweets, the body stops needing or wanting those unnecessary foods. If you have a sweet tooth find things like dried dates, and other fruit. They taste like candy, and if you're not eating a lot of carbs and sweets, you can afford to eat more fruit. PS: Glad to see you made it here,
Here is the Low Carb Forum that I was talking about.. Join and see for yourself what it is all about.. They will help and guide you to no end if you want.. Join with only your first name.. I am on there using the name of Steve... http://www.lowcarbsite.com/
Thank you @Holly Saunders ,I don't have any boxes under my reply ,so I'll go look at my settings maybe there is something I haven't clicked ..Kate