Anyone here low carb?

jrock645 said:
Im not calling it poison, but its pretty well documented that humans eating grains as a primary calorie source is relatively recent in history, and that our bodies flat out work better without them.

Youre certainly allowed to eat them if youd like, but theyre not particularly beneficial.
Click to expand...

But then how would I hold my hamburger or hot dog ?!?!?!?!?! :dance1
 
For the past few years, I've cut back on calories from about Feb to May in order to lose some extra fat accumulated through the year. First year I did low carb. Second year I did moderate carb, low fat (~50g fat per day). For both years, I made sure to keep protein high at about 1g per pound of body weight.

BOTH strategies worked equally well with pros/cons. I suspect the reason is simply energy balance. Burn more calories than you take in. I lift weights four times a week, perform HIIT (high intensity interval training) twice a week, and did a fair amount of walking. The result was losing 1.25 pounds of fat per week, preserving my muscle mass. Was able to get down to nearly 10% body fat this way. The key is figuring out my BMR (calories you expend each day). You want to lose no more than .5 - 1% of your body weight per week to preserve muscle mass and be healthy. So for me, I take my BMR and deduct about 500 calories a day. Your mileage may vary.

So what are the pros and cons?

Low carb:
+ easy to adhere to (for me), even when going to parties or eating out, simply cut out carbs; enjoy delicious foods
+ more consistent energy through day once body adapts to lack of carbs
+ improved slow twitch performance, say running long distance

- less glycogen for lifting weights, sprinting, etc., so NOT ideal for performance in those sports
- if you have "cheat" meals with lots of carbs, can feel mentally foggy when going back on low carb
- have to give up some foods or eat them sparingly

Moderate carb, low fat:
+ more glycogen for better weight lifting, cross fit, or explosive type exercise
+ allowed me to still enjoy some carbs I enjoy from time to time, like muffins

- much harder to adhere to (for me) because you don't have much dietary fat (~50g) to work with per day. Fat is what makes food taste good.


Which one I suggest would depend on which diet you can more easily adhere to and which type of exercise you prefer.
 
Also want to add that the low carb / paleo craze, the most extreme say that carbs are poison, have no benefit, etc. Some of it is backed by real science, some of it is there to just convert people to their "lifestyle". A good moderate website that isn't so crazy is www.marksdailyapple.com. As I described above, I have tried low carb before. It works for many people, but since I do a lot of weight lifting, it just isn't the best diet for performance for me. Even people like Mark Sisson recognize that for certain athletes, carbs are needed, but instead of eating processed grains, he recommends things like sweet potatoes.

People who eat low carb tend to also eat a lot of colorful vegetables as a byproduct of going low carb, but this benefit isn't necessarily tied to low carb or high carb diets.
 
Who would have thought that I could learn about dieting on a detailing forum?!?! Can't wait to share this with my woman. :)

About a month ago (closer to two?) my doc told me to get on a low carb diet. The jerk! But yeah, I've cut back on breads, upped my salad intake, and have lost about 6 lbs since I've started. Consistent 6 lbs. Not a whole lot, but I'm in the "start" phase, and it's happening over the Turkey Day and Christmas holidays, so it's not toooo bad.

I'll keep reading this and learn! THANKS GUYS
 
jrock645 said:
You are 100% wrong. Your body's preferred source of energy is FAT. Carbohydrates provide your body with precisely nothing it cant make on its own. All carbohydrates, even the supposed good ones are empty calories. The only bad fat is trans fat.

Everything we've ever been conditioned to believe about the fat and carbohydrate relationship is completely and utterly wrong. Read the history on it. Its flat out comical reading the scientific data vs the USDA and FDA responses to it. There are natives in northern canada that not only survive but thrive on harvested fish fat and salty ice. Tell them how necessary bread, beans and potatoes are.

Its hard for most people to believe but theyve been lied to their entire life. Why? 5 reasons: m-o-n-ey. The grin farmers have huge lobbyist backing with a hand in the back pocket of the goverment. Im far from a conspiracy theorist, but its flat out true.
Click to expand...
He's actually 100% correct. You should read the Ultimate Diet 2.0 by Lyles McDonald.
 
I actually just started the low-carb diet about 2 weeks ago. I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life and it flat out embarrasses me when someone notices. From my understand it is all about getting rid of bad/empty carbs. Essentially anything that can easily equal or turn into sugar in your body. A close family friend lost 40 lbs and has never been healthier. I don't care what is right or wrong, as long as I lose weight.
 
XxBoostinxX said:
I actually just started the low-carb diet about 2 weeks ago. I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life and it flat out embarrasses me when someone notices. From my understand it is all about getting rid of bad/empty carbs. Essentially anything that can easily equal or turn into sugar in your body. A close family friend lost 40 lbs and has never been healthier. I don't care what is right or wrong, as long as I lose weight.
Click to expand...

You should care if you are not properly fueling your body. Depriving your body of key items is never a good idea. Eating reasonable portions and having a good balance is the key. As one pp said DIET is not the best way. Healthy lifestyle is.

Basically stay away from things that come in packages, bags, boxes. That will help immensely. Fresh fruit and veg, whole grains, healthy fats & oils. Its simple as that poster said but not easy to follow.

Do your self a favor and look up Tony Horton and watch some of his videos that have nothing to do with P90X and you will learn a ton about nutrition.
 
dcjredline said:
You should care if you are not properly fueling your body. Depriving your body of key items is never a good idea. Eating reasonable portions and having a good balance is the key. As one pp said DIET is not the best way. Healthy lifestyle is.

Basically stay away from things that come in packages, bags, boxes. That will help immensely. Fresh fruit and veg, whole grains, healthy fats & oils. Its simple as that poster said but not easy to follow.

Do your self a favor and look up Tony Horton and watch some of his videos that have nothing to do with P90X and you will learn a ton about nutrition.
Click to expand...

I understand nutrition. Only thing I am trying to limit myself from is empty carbs. Stuff like heavy beer, bread, rice, sugary snacks and drinks. If I consume any type of bread it is wheat or a small amount of bread. I eat a lot of fruit, dairy, veggies, meat, and salads with oil/vinegar. I am two weeks in and have lost 8 lbs.

I'm not doubting any of you and what you know. I just think you have to find something that works for you. Becoming healthy isn't just something you do, it is a lifestyle change and I have to start somewhere.
 
Accumulator said:
Some people do really well on the Ketogenic diet. If you and your MD are thrilled with your condition, then stick with it.

My (very general) view- If something's not optimal, fix it. "A healthy mind in a healthy body" as the saying goes. Be your best.

If you avoid carbs, I'd sure find some other way to get (peferably mega-doses of) stuff like polyphenols.

I'm not so much "low carb" as "moderate, but low glycemic index, carb", though I'm not fanatical about it (even like a couple of pancakes w/syrup weekly and a couple of sodas). Eh, works fine for me: single-digit bodyfat for decades, lots of energy, great bloodwork numbers.

And yeah..the food pyramid, like the BMI, is a crock. Hard to believe? Heh heh heh...nah.

And quit feeding your pets stuff that contains [crap] like corn. They don't need that [stuff] any more than people do.



Yes indeed, and I'd be less worried about the health of some of my fellow Autopians ;)
Click to expand...

Love all the posts !!! Thanks to all for all the input here !!!

Regarding the quote above, I am an absolute firm believer in feeding dogs what their ancestors ate - raw meat -

I studied this for awhile at this kennel ( https://kraftwerkk9.com/ ), eventually purchased 2 incredibly beautiful, perfectly bred, real German Shepherds, and fed them this diet as long as I had them and they were absolutely the most beautifully coated, lean, muscular, no fat, energetic, never lethargic, always "ON", never had 1 health issue, dogs I have ever seen...

And the blood from the meat reacted with their saliva to keep their teeth really clean and white... How many wolves have you ever seen at the Dentist? Yeah, I know, I have never seen any there either.. :)

I read up on what is in most dog food at PetsMart and was amazed to see all the corn, grains, vegetables, etc., in their food...
How many wolves do you see ever eating veggies, pulling down corn, etc.. ? :)

And since their bodies absorbed almost all of the meat, their dog poops were so small and didnt even smell bad. It was nothing to pick up the yard every day.. Well, actually perhaps a little harder because their poops were so small you had to look for them.. :)

So, while we are at it learning and working on our own health and the health of our families, lets not forget Man's best friend over there.. :)
Dan F
 
DanF you are right on about dogs diets. They need meat and what they have done to dogs food is just wrong and horrible for their health.

I dont know about people but I used to be low carb for years .

Now for the last year my body wants carbs and I eat whatever I want as long as its healthy with no weight gain.

I think we are all different in what our bodies do best with.

If some of you are having weight issues it may be a good idea to get your thyroid levels checked.

If I ate like Ron I would be dead in a few months:D
 
House of Wax said:
This needs some emphasis. The best "diet" is one you can stick with.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I think a big reasons low carb diets work for many people is because they eat so much junk to start with: too much alcohol, sugar, junk food, etc. Then all of a sudden they are eating more vegetables, less calorie dense foods, etc. No wonder they are losing weight. Practically impossible to eat as many CALORIES as they were before. And without having to count calories.

But as your body fat percentage drops into the teens, I find it's helpful to count calories to make sure I'm in a calorie deficit. Just because you are low carb doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want and expect to lose weight.
 
I feed my dogs merrick grain free. Had a dachshund that had constant ear infections until i got her off the grains. Still miss that girl to pieces
 
dcjredline said:
You should care if you are not properly fueling your body. Depriving your body of key items is never a good idea. Eating reasonable portions and having a good balance is the key. As one pp said DIET is not the best way. Healthy lifestyle is.

Basically stay away from things that come in packages, bags, boxes. That will help immensely. Fresh fruit and veg, whole grains, healthy fats & oils. Its simple as that poster said but not easy to follow.

Do your self a favor and look up Tony Horton and watch some of his videos that have nothing to do with P90X and you will learn a ton about nutrition.
Click to expand...

What about frozen veggies?
 
Stokdgs said:
Love all the posts !!! Thanks to all for all the input here !!!

Regarding the quote above, I am an absolute firm believer in feeding dogs what their ancestors ate - raw meat -

I studied this for awhile at this kennel ( https://kraftwerkk9.com/ ), eventually purchased 2 incredibly beautiful, perfectly bred, real German Shepherds, and fed them this diet as long as I had them and they were absolutely the most beautifully coated, lean, muscular, no fat, energetic, never lethargic, always "ON", never had 1 health issue, dogs I have ever seen...

And the blood from the meat reacted with their saliva to keep their teeth really clean and white... How many wolves have you ever seen at the Dentist? Yeah, I know, I have never seen any there either.. :)

I read up on what is in most dog food at PetsMart and was amazed to see all the corn, grains, vegetables, etc., in their food...
How many wolves do you see ever eating veggies, pulling down corn, etc.. ? :)

And since their bodies absorbed almost all of the meat, their dog poops were so small and didnt even smell bad. It was nothing to pick up the yard every day.. Well, actually perhaps a little harder because their poops were so small you had to look for them.. :)

So, while we are at it learning and working on our own health and the health of our families, lets not forget Man's best friend over there.. :)
Dan F
Click to expand...

I've had my 3 dogs on a raw diet for a couple years now. We started to see a difference within a few weeks! It's a lot more work and money but well worth it IMO.
 
RaskyR1 said:
What about frozen veggies?
Click to expand...

Typically ok.... Check ingredients though. Even stuff like frozen meats and veggies can have some mystery stuff in them. Organic produce, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, etc usually have much more nutritional value as well.
 
RaskyR1 said:
I've had my 3 dogs on a raw diet for a couple years now. We started to see a difference within a few weeks! It's a lot more work and money but well worth it IMO.
Click to expand...

Great, Chad !!!
Glad to hear this - it DOES make a difference !

I was getting this great product from a company in Green Bay, WI; it was frozen rolls of raw meat from a USDA inspected facility..
This company sells this raw meat to Zoo's, etc., everyone who has animals that need it and want to use it..

Never had 1 issue with this either..
The German-Girls were never hungry, looking for snacks (which we never did give them), and they were absolutely so much more "Alive" ...

What I did was put all the frozen rolls in a freezer and have one in a covered snap on lid rectangular plastic box that defrosted in the fridge..
Then I just took it out, got my good Salter scale, put their metal bowls on it, zero'd out the bowls, put the required ounces in the bowel, and they were good to go..
And as the frozen rolls melted and all the blood came out, I made sure to pour that into the bowels with the food...

And the Vet - he couldnt believe the difference in their health compared to other dogs like them that were not on the all meat regimen..
These dogs never had 1 health issue, in the 7 years I had them.. The most boring check ups in the world.. Nothing wrong, nothing happening, just very healthy dogs with never a health issue..
Dan F
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top