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Started my low carb diet today, 21 stone, going to update weekly.
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Tiger6791Full Member
Just as a bit of an idea I’ve been low-(ish) on the carbs since Jan 2nd
Jan 5-11th 932g of Carbs
12-18th 558g of Carbs
19-25th 828g of Carbs
26-1st Feb 873g of Carbs
this week 838g of Carbs
So thats ~120g of carbs a day and none of that is from Bread / Pasta / Potatoes etc…
Since 2nd of Jan I’ve dropped 1st 7lbs so far….
molgripsFree MemberStopped the diet and put it all back on again (pretty much the story with fad diets, IME).
Nothing faddy about it. You eat the amount of carbs you need, no need to start stuffing them in your face again just because that’s what everyone else does. Even if you re-introduce carbs it’s easy to keep them reasonably low volume and low GI.
DezBFree MemberStopped the diet
+ Nothing faddy about it
“the diet” was referring to the Atkins Diet, clearly. Where is it now? It was a fad. If it’s going outside of eating a normal, balanced diet, it’s a fad diet.
And the rest of your reply is what I was asking. Well, I was asking poopscoop how he was going to continue.
trickydiscoFree Member“the diet” was referring to the Atkins Diet, clearly. Where is it now? It was a fad. If it’s going outside of eating a normal, balanced diet, it’s a fad diet.
The atkins diet was based on the Banting diet which was 1800’s so not exactly a fad. Atkins is essentially low carb (low insulin)
Huge populations thrive on low carb diets like the inuits and masai tribes
sadexpunkFull Member<span style=”color: #444444; font-size: 12px; background-color: #eeeeee;”>Why’s that Cougar?</span>
AIUI, ‘crash dieting’ or ‘losing weight too fast’ will result in essential minerals and vitamins being in short supply, which in turn can lead to health problems. as well as the bad skin and hair issues, there can be heart problems too.
i think your metabolism also slows down (‘starvation mode’) which in turn makes it harder to lose weight as your body clings to what fat it can. something to do with leptin is it? not sure…..
anyways, slow and steady wins the race 😉
theotherjonvFull MemberI’m not convinced that ‘slow n steady wins the race’ captures the full picture. Rapid weight loss is a perfectly viable proposition – but……..
In the end, what you do has to be sustained. If you return to old eating habits you’ll return to your old shape as well. For those that crash diet, whether it’s based on specific eating plans or just drastic calorie reduction, you can’t sustain that for ever and you have to have a plan B. For that reason most of these diets have a maintenance program and the question is whether that is sustainable longer term. If it is, then no reason why it can’t then be successful. I think the reason that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ in reality is because the ‘diet’ is also broadly speaking the long term program, so there is no need to switch – your calorie intake while dieting and the calorie requirement as a result of your reducing metabolism just start to converge so you end up maintaining in that way.
TurnerGuyFree MemberWe’ve got a weight loss competition going on at work.
5 weeks in and I’ve nearly lost a stone.
From experience (I previously went from 13 1/4 stone down to 11 when younger) I would recommend the Withings/Nokia Body scales – they hook up to your wifi to send off readings which you can see on their app.
Weigh yourself every day and you will be able to see the trend amongst the ‘noise’ of the daily readings – quite motivational and has been shown by trials to be so.
Stick to the same diet each day and vary one thing and then after a while, courtesy of the scales, you can see which of your weight loss measures works best.
I have found that riding 30 miles on the turbo trainer at a heart rate of about 125 to 135 as quite effective if I eat early. Not too stressful so I can do it every day and long enough to watch most movies on Netflix or Amazon.
Those high protein yoghurts seem good for recovery but surpringly ‘filling’.
DezBFree MemberThe atkins diet was based on the Banting diet which was 1800’s so not exactly a fad. Atkins is essentially low carb (low insulin)
The Atkins diet was a fad. But THAT NOT WHAT MY POST WAS ABOUT! Jeez.
It was the same as this –
theotherjonv
I’m not convinced that ‘slow n steady wins the race’ captures the full picture. Rapid weight loss is a perfectly viable proposition – but……..
In the end, what you do has to be sustained.
BigJohnFull MemberBrilliant explanation, trickydisco.
I’m a fan of the iDiet (avoiding cereal, dairy, fruit, spuds, sugar, fizzy drinks etc. 6 days a week) which is basically avoiding food which gives an insulin response,
I’ve long wanted a more scientific answer than “insulin determines how you store and use fat and an insulin spike leads to a blood sugar crash which makes you crave sweet and fatty food in a way that willpower can’t overcome”.
molgripsFree MemberAIUI, ‘crash dieting’ or ‘losing weight too fast’ will result in essential minerals and vitamins being in short supply
Only if he starves himself. But he’s not – on a low carb diet you only cut out the stuff with little nutritional value, and replace it with lots of the things that have high nutritional value i.e. vegetables. I’ve never eaten so many vegetables in my life.
i think your metabolism also slows down (‘starvation mode’) which in turn makes it harder to lose weight as your body clings to what fat it can. something to do with leptin is it?
Well, your metabolism slows down if you reduce calories lots, but not if you eat well but just have fewer carbs. Couple of good articles about leptin and grehlin:
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/refeeds-for-fat-loss-the-science-behind-leptin.html
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/leptin-ghrelin-weight-loss
Merchant-BankerFree MemberSame as above, fantastic explanation trickydisco.
I started my low carb plan 3 weeks ago I’ve lost a stone already,
my energy levels have gone through the roof, i sleep much better,concentration levels have really improved.
70% of my calories come from fat, 20% from protein 5% from carbohydrates. or
185 grams of Fat per day, 84 grams of protein a day 15 grams of carbs a day.
Im now down to one meal a day, which was strange at first, but i found as the days went by i started to need fewer meals.
Something else i didnt know about was the “Insulin index for food” this has been my biggest help.
one thing to remember is, its not a diet its a lifestyle change,
PoopscoopFull MemberDezB
Interested in how you plan to keep the weight off once the low -carb thing is done, or target weight reached. Mate of mine did the Atkins years ago, worked really well, bought new trousers etc… Stopped the diet and put it all back on again (pretty much the story with fad diets, IME).
Is the low-carb thing sustainable long term, or will you just eat sensibly once the crash is complete?
Good question!
From doing low carb in the past I found that doing 15 carbs max during the week and having a beer and pizza at the weekend, for instance, kept my weight stable.
However, I’ve found that if life gets a bit challenging I extend that weekend treat more and more to other days. Then you’re back to square one!
That is a coping habit I am determined to change and is the fundamental battle I MUST win.
theotherjonvFull Member@merchant banker, poopscoop, Molgrips…..
what does a typical day’s meal list look like?
I’m plateauing at weight loss currently, albeit at about 13st 8 whereas i was 16st 4 years ago and 15st all but in January last – but would like to get into the 12’s really
I don’t try to eat low carb, but just through a process of MFP and other stuff, learning what fills me up for relatively little calories, my diet is broadly what i would think of as relatively low carb. So lots of lean protein like chicken, fish, etc., and generally not too much fat (where it is it’s mainly oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.), reasonably good amount of mixed vegetables, some fruit although I’m not a major fan (banana, apple, I do like to get my hands on a juicy pear every now and then 😉 ) and relatively minimal intake of starchy carbs like pasta, rice, spuds, bread, although as per the 2 weetabix below I don’t avoid totally.
So breakfast was 2 weetabix with skimmed milk
Lunch, mackerel with a green salad (lambs lettuce FWIW)
Dinner – turkey breast steaks with mixed veg (brocolli / carrots / cauli)
Skimmed milk sparingly in tea and coffee, no fizz, no sweets, I try and stay off the biscuits…..
How do i need to modify that to achieve the kinds of weight losses you guys are reporting (and at 5’11” and 13.8 / 86kg, trust me while I might not be ‘massive’ there’s plenty to shift still). A stone in 3 weeks – I’d happily take half that in 6!!
docgeoffyjonesFull MemberWell done OP. sound like your body is responding well to a low carb diet
just finished listening to this which has loads of good info about selecting fats for low card diets and some cool stuff about how your brain responds to sugar and fat.
Dr. Mithu Storoni: The Ketogenic Diet, Brain-Boosting Fats, & How to Avoid Low-Carb Mistakes
molgripsFree MemberJonv – you are my height and weight. I have around 15% body fat according to the calipers. If that’s accurate I only have a realistic goal of 80-82kg. Although having been 83kg relatively recently I think there’s more going on there than those numbers suggest – I may have more visceral fat that the calipers aren’t reading.
When I was successfully dieting the first time and losing lots of weight (92-82kg) I was eating:
Eggs and sausages in the morning
30km flat fast ride to work approx 3 days out of 5
3 scoops carbs during the ride
Roasted veg/root veg and meat for lunch
More carbs on the ride home
Something bean related for dinner e.g. chilli, no rice
I went down to 84kg doing that, then plateaued for a few weeks. So I’d have a coke and a twix (yes, really) an hour before riding home and I lost another two kgs. In between the riding I did some running and plenty of KB swings.
However, I think this really works much better the first time you do it. Each time I’ve fallen off the wagon and got back on it’s been harder and harder to shift anything. Maybe due to the fact I’m trying to ride as well, so the more riding I do the harder it is to not eat carbs.
I’m stable at between 85-86 now which is an improvement, two years ago it was 91. But I’m doubling down again now with a few new ideas:
1) If I can’t face eggs in the morning I’m having mixed nuts and a banana, or in an emergency full fat yoghurt and some crunch oats – seems to not be too damaging.
2) Sod cauliflower rice – cauliflower cheese is far nicer, and immensely filling and satisfying. And good for you.
3) A piece or two of brown toast at lunchtime helps to stabilise me and prevent the carb monster from going on a rampage.
4) Tea, lots of tea.
All I’m doing though is maintaining, and looking to inch down half a kg at a time. If I can have the right carbs post-gym it’ll stop me snacking and help me recover. Went riding today for the first time in a couple of weeks, after doing 3 gym sessions a week and I was utterly wrecked. Not enough carbs.
Merchant-BankerFree Membermolgrips im riding around 8 maybe 12 miles a day i dont ride at weekend due to family. and i ride on an empty stomach. i haven’t bonked either which is nice.
Theotherjonv. tonight i will have
Large greek salad with full fat feta cheese plus 2 tbsp of olive oil.
4 slices of crispy pan fried bacon chopped up put on salad.
1 beef burger made using 80/20 mince. coriander, fresh chilli,white onion.
Slice of full fat cheddar cheese.
Pudding will be a peanut butter cookie.
I also drink a glass of mineral water before I eat,to this I have added 2tsp Apple cider vinegar, 1tsp lemon juice,1tsp cranberry juice. it has something to do with acetic acid.
molgripsFree MemberTonight I’m having a spice tailor curry with leftover roast lamb in it, a load of lentils and a couple of sweet potatoes in it. No rice.
twinw4llFree MemberDiets don’t work, almost everyone who embarks on a look at me i’m dieting diet is doomed to fail.
I have members of my family who have been going to slimming world or something similar for 20 years and they’re even fatter now than when they started.
PoopscoopFull MemberI agree 100%.
A diet by itself is pointless and I need to change some bad habits I have or I’ll be back here doing this again next year.
molgripsFree Memberso sweet potatos? Carbs but low GL, yes?
Yes. Also carbs in the lentils. I am aiming for super low GI carbs rather than low carb itself. I choose some carbs cos I am in the gym and riding.
Also sweet potatoes are very filling. I added two very small SPs to the curry and had half a cereal bowl full of it which turned out to be about 1/4 of the total. So I only had half a small SP but I was remarkably full all evening. Good result I think.
Re lifestyle change – I always cook dinners like this nowadays. Where I fall down is snacking. I don’t always eat eggs for breakfast now and sometimes lunch without bread is just too damn difficult.
DezBFree MemberGood question!
I’m glad you thought so!
My theory is – once down to a sensible weight, exercise becomes easier and more enjoyable (especially, dare I say it… mountain biking…). So you can do more of the activities you enjoy and keep the weight off that way. And go back on to a sensible balanced diet. I reckon I should write a book 😆
molgripsFree MemberAnd go back on to a sensible balanced diet.
Define balanced though? 50g carbs? 150g carbs? The traditional numbers are what, 400g a day. That’s not balanced in my view and not necessary.
DezBFree MemberReally? You don’t understand the concept of a balanced diet? One where you don’t have to measure every gram, carb and calorie like some weird obsession? I feel sorry for you. Unless that’s what you’re really interested in, then: enjoy.
molgripsFree MemberWhere the hell does that come from? A pretty vicious character assisination just because it wasn’t clear what you meant? What war are you fighting?
I just want to know what balanced means. Do you mean traditional or normal, as in what everyone else eats?
5thElefantFree MemberReally? You don’t understand the concept of a balanced diet?
I’m also intrigued. What is this ‘balanced’ diet?
docgeoffyjonesFull Member<span style=”color: #444444; font-size: 12px;”>Define balanced though? 50g carbs? 150g carbs? The traditional numbers are what, 400g a day. That’s not balanced in my view and not necessary.</span>
I think getting hung up on numbers can be unhelpful. it really depends on an individual, their activity levels/intensity and their insulin sensitivty.
It sounds a bit vague but you need to experiment on yourself with carbs and see what works. A couple of the people who’s podcasts i listen to use blood sugar testing to how whether the carbs are spiking their blood sugars and adjust their carb level up or down to see what the right amount for them is.
At them moment I have potato/sweet potato once a week and that seems to work for my current activity levels and weight loss goals
docgeoffyjonesFull Member<span style=”color: #444444; font-size: 12px; background-color: #eeeeee;”> ‘balanced’ diet?</span>
I would also add that “balance diet” is up there with “eat less move more”. in the unhelpful diet advice list.
JamieFree Member<span style=”color: #444444; font-size: 12px; background-color: #eeeeee;”>I’m also intrigued. What is this ‘balanced’ diet?</span>
If two things weigh the same you can eat them both.
Edit: Good to see quote working well still. GJ.
Inbred456Free MemberInteresting to read people’s thoughts and results. Having been through this and losing about 5ish stone my philosophy is quite simple. We survived as a species for thousands of years eating green stuff and meat. Refined carbs as in wheat so bread pasta also white rice are a relatively new food stuff for us as humans. I don’t think we have evolved the capability to process these properly yet. I have probably reduced my carb intake to a quarter of what it was and these are veg based mainly so high fibre. I found it essential to up my protein, so more lean chicken fish and a decent steak once a week. Eggs are great. This isn’t a diet it’s a way of life. One piece of advice I would offer is to do more strength work and try and maintain muscle mass. Essential as we get older.
curto80Free MemberThis is an interesting thread. I’ve had a modest weight loss down from 80kg to 75kg since Christmas, purely by cutting out processed sugar and milk. I’ve also stopped eating meat but no idea if that’s helped or not. I seem only to have two weights – 75kg if I eat fairly healthily and 80kg if I don’t.
My problem is I find sugar highly addictive and so it has to be all or nothing with me. Doesn’t seem to matter how much rubbish I eat, I don’t go above 80kg, or how “healthily” I eat, I don’t go below 73/74kg. The constant in this is the cardio exercise of in averge 5-7 hours per week of structured training.
surfingoboFree MemberI’ve been on a low carb (keto) diet since October 2016. I absolutely love it. It has changed my life. Let’s skip over the part where I lost loads of weight and kept it off, I also don’t crave food anymore, where I would be hungry from about an hour after my porridge until I finally caved and ate my lunch about 11AM before, I can now eat at any sensible time around lunch when it fits in with my day. That may not sound like much to some of you, but to others that should really hit home.
For me a lot of it is psychological. For example If somebody asked me before if I wanted a slice of cake, I would think about it, and my internal conversation would go something along the lines of, well I do want it, but I’m in training, I shouldn’t have it, but I do want it, but it’ll prevent me from losing weight and I’m training for XYZ, but I do want it. At this point, even if I turned it down this time, I can guarantee that when the next treat was offered I would take it. With this diet the question is not even considered, the answer to “do you want this” is “I can’t have it”. It’s a small change but to me, psychologically, it has made all the difference.
Finally, I don’t suffer from an afternoon slump any more, where at 2PM I would have been sitting at my desk trying to keep my eyes open I am now able to work right through with no drop in performance. Similarly on long rides I feel as though I have a steady state of continuous energy, with the only limiting factor being how good my muscular endurance is, not my energy levels.
I realise this makes me sound like one of those transformations you read about in a magazine, but I’m not. When I started I was a 23 year old, 107kg, 182cm post grad who had just completed a half Ironman, and had been disappointed that despite all the training I couldn’t lose any weight due to my diet. I wasn’t skinny, but I was still squeeze into a medium size t shirt.
Now, I weigh 95 kg in an untrained state (back injury), trained I will drop to around 90kg. I hope this has helped a few people understand what it is the OP is trying to do, and that it is safe, but it is a total turn around of everything you learnt in HE at school.
hugoFree MemberIf it’s going outside of eating a normal, balanced diet, it’s a fad diet.
That all depends on what you call “normal”. The normal diet, by definition, is currently one that is causing people to become fatter and fatter.
Low carb is hardly a “fad” diet. I’d reserve that tag for stuff like eating nothing but cauliflower for 2 weeks, that kind of weird stuff.
Diets work by creating a calorie deficit. The mechanism of this could be low carb (atkins), low fat (trad weight watchers style) or variations of these (paleo, zone, etc).
The only thing that has been shown as a consistent factor is that an increased protein intake is linked to better body composition, eg lower body fat, higher lean mass.
Keep your protein high and try to eat high quality actual food, (grass fed meat/wild fish/fruit/veg/tubers/grass fed dairy) and avoid any obvious rubbish foods (milky bars or twinkies).
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