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The Easy Way To Lose Weight, Reduce Carbs!

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Low carb diets reduce appetite and are without question the easy and fast way to lose weight.    Eat what you want as long as it's low carb.   Don't follow the people posting pictures of all the fruits and sugar rich, high carb food.   Low carb=weight loss.

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My problem with doing it is I can't do it forever and *shrug* I don't want to miss so much variety.  I'm also not a huge meat eater.  I've done Atkins and my liver started to become show problems on bloodwork.  My doctor apologized for having me do it and said said never do it again.  Then 5 years later I did South beach.  It was okay but after I lost the weight I kept adding in "carbs" and ended up heavier than I started.

 

Then this year after having blood pressure problems and being super lethargic, I was reading about the top diets and thought I'd give DASH a try.  I LOVE IT!  Finally I can eat what I want - just not all of it all of the time.  I'm eating real food.  I have beans, rice, pasta, just not every day.  I am never hungry, have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and can go out to eat and stay on the course.  I hesitate to call it a diet, it really is just a new way of eating.  I find that my calories tend to be around 1600 and I am active.  I'm almost at -50lbs since January.

 

Yes, you can lose weight going low carb, but can you see yourself doing it forever?  I think gut health studies show that a big variety of foods are important.  I know I did not get fat eating apples so why not have one?  My weight was caused by overeating and not using energy.  It was also depending on light yogurt, sugar free foods, fat free foods, light bread, processed foods instead of real foods with few ingredients.  So I always felt hungry.

 

I now love never being hungry, always having energy, and the brain happiness that comes with being outside and moving.  This has been a life changer, I have my life back.

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Weight loss/gain is determined primarily by calories. You can’t eat "what you want" (even if it’s low carb) and lose weight: you still have to be in a caloric deficit. How you split your calories between macronutrients is up to you and your personal preferences. If a low-carb diet appeals to you and works for you, it’s fine. Just don’t assume it’s for everyone.

Dominique | Finland

Ionic, Aria, Flyer, TrendWeight | Windows 7, OS X 10.13.5 | Motorola Moto G6 (Android 9), iPad Air (iOS 12.4.4)

Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.

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Calorie deficits = weight loss.. 

 

For some people, reducing carbs can be helpful I'm sure. There are probably some people who get a significant amount of their calories from 'empty' carbs.  The amount of calories I get from carbs have varied from as low as 24% to as high as 53% in the 7 weeks that I've been logging, however, I'm still losing weight. 

 

I've never found "easy and fast" to go together. I've done very low carb diets before, for a time. I would rather do 'easy and slow'. 

 

I guess you really have to consider the purpose of your weight loss. If you are just losing weight for 'swimsuit season' than your choices are probably not bad for your goal. 

 

If you have other goals, like longevity, than that may not be the way to go. Consider the following: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/food-matters/blue-zones-what-the-longest-lived-people-eat-hint-...

Direct quote from link above:

"“At the end of the day,” Buettner said in a phone call, "I’m not trying to take a scientific stance on whether fat or protein or carbs are better. I will tell you though, that the longest-lived people ate a high complex-carb diet with medium levels of fat and medium-to-low levels of protein. My stance is simply: 'Here’s what the longest-lived people ate over the last century on average, and if you’re interested in health outcomes similar to theirs, you might pay attention to this.'”"

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person A eats 1600 calories/day without careing about carbs.

person B eats 1600 calories/day with zero to few carbs.   

 

Will they have different results?    Have you doubters tried a keto/low carb lifestyle?

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I love carbs. 

 

Spuds, pasta, bread... you name it, I love it!

 

I've carried on eating carbs throughout this year as I've lost over 15% of my body weight.

 

I haven't counted calories either.

 

I've simply eaten better and moved more.

 

It hasn't been "easy", but neither has it been a Herculean trial. It's just a necessary part of life. Good health requires effort. I've put the effort in and am seeing the fruits of my labour in improved health and fitness.

 

My strategy probably wouldn't work for everybody. Much as @Gregggg's strategy wouldn't work for everybody. Dealing in absolutes does not factor in the very thing that makes us human... our vast range of differences.

Ultimate Goal: Mens sana in corpore sano
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I stated that I had tried it. That's mostly what I've done the last 5 years or so. I can lose 30 lbs or so, but, then I get sick and have to stop. 

 

I agree that it works for fast weight loss. However, unless you have a specific condition like epilepsy for which such a diet is helpful, I don't think it's good for the general public. 

 

I'm not a fan of anecdotes myself, but, the ketogenic diet has been popular for a long time. I've known several people who followed such a diet religiously. They are all dead. I'm not even kidding. Everyone I know who strictly followed Atkins or some similar 'eat very little carbs' type plan are ALL dead. I'm sure that could be a fluke, but, since all human studies on longevity point to more plant-based carbs = longer lifespans it would seem likely that the reverse could also be true. 

 

I have tried it. However, I'm not looking for a quick fix, I'm interested in healthy longevity. While weight loss does help people live longer, overweight people live the longest of any demographic; outliving healthy weight people and underweight people. 

 

 

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Dave, congrats on your weight loss.   Had you gone without carbs, it would have been much easier, pounds would have come off faster.   At that point you transition too a diet with some "healthy carbs".   

 

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Jennifer, implying that a keto diet kills people is nothing less than ridiculous.   If anything, the high carbs that big business make cheap, exploiting people on low income, kills people.

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@Gregggg- the most successful method of dieting is one that you can stick.  I've tried pretty much every diet out there at one point in time.  I'd be successful for a period of time, couldn't stick it, and end up heavier.  My current way of eating includes carbs, fats, proteins, and a small amount of junk food and alcohol.  I can eat this way forever, so its more likely to be a success in the long run.

Anne | Rural Ontario, Canada

Ionic (gifted), Alta HR (gifted), Charge 2, Flex 2, Charge HR, One, Blaze (retired), Trendweight.com,

Down 150 pounds from my top weight (and still going), sharing my experiences here to try and help others.

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I did indicate that it was anecdotal. 

 

Longevity studies do not indicate that keto is the way to go. Longevity studies suggest the longest lifespans are from diets with most calories coming from plant based carbohydrates such as beans and greens.

 

Do whatever you want though. It probably won't hurt you to lose some weight with a keto diet. I just don't choose to do it that way. It certainly isn't the only way and I would guess that for a lot of people it isn't the healthiest way either. 

 

I've known several people who've lived on beef jerky and diet mountain dew and are skinny as a rail.  Wouldn't that count as a keto diet too? I think that you can make poor choices whether you're going 50% carb or 20% carb. If the 50% carb person is getting their carbs from beans and leafy greens aren't they going to be healthier than someone who is 20% carb and living on 24 ounces of lunch meat and a snack bag of cheetos? 

 

I had a personal trainer once who quite literally ate around 20 ounces of lunch meat a day. I didn't work with them for long.. lol That was their version of a keto diet. One rice cake and 20 ounces of lunch meat. Gack! 

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@Gregggg wrote:

person A eats 1600 calories/day without careing about carbs.

person B eats 1600 calories/day with zero to few carbs.   

 

Will they have different results?    Have you doubters tried a keto/low carb lifestyle?


They will have different results in the initial period, in terms of weight, primarily because of water. With each gram of carbs that goes into your glycogen stores comes about three grams of water: cut the carbs altogether and you’ll cut the water too. That gives low-carbers an edge in weight loss at first, but it’s a one-off thing. In terms of fat loss: no difference. For fat loss (which I guess is what most people are interested in), you need a caloric deficit: if high-carber A and low-carber B have the same caloric deficit, they will lose the same amount of fat.

 

As to the keto "lifestyle", I read this blog post by Peter Attia (a well-known proponent of keto diets) several years ago. The anecdote about what he needed to do to please his daughter for her birthday (go out of ketosis and back to it) was sufficient to convince me the keto thing is not for me.

 

As @A_Lurker said, the best diet is the one that works for you and you can stick to. Just because the keto diet appears to float your boat doesn’t mean it’s the one that should float everyone’s boat too.

Dominique | Finland

Ionic, Aria, Flyer, TrendWeight | Windows 7, OS X 10.13.5 | Motorola Moto G6 (Android 9), iPad Air (iOS 12.4.4)

Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.

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Thank you! I could not remember the science of it. I remembered there was a reason I didn't bother with keto, but my google searching just turned up those longevity studies. 

I know whenever I did keto, I lost weight very quickly for about 2-3 weeks and then it went right to where it would be if I just restricted calories. 

I guess that explains why, you shed the water quickly that was associated with the carb intake but, after that you have to rely on the same calorie deficit you have to rely on with any weight loss plan. 

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When in ketosis, your body uses fat for energy.   Carb diets, your body uses blood glucose.  

 

I think we can agree that being overweight is very unhealthy.  

I think we can agree that it's easier to lose weight eating low carb.   

I think we agree that when you have reached you weight goal, moderate levels of healthy carbs are fine.

 

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@Gregggg wrote:

I think we can agree that being overweight is very unhealthy.  

I think we can agree that it's easier to lose weight eating low carb.   

I think we agree that when you have reached you weight goal, moderate levels of healthy carbs are fine.

 


Yes. No. No.

Ultimate Goal: Mens sana in corpore sano
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@Gregggg wrote:

Don't follow the people posting pictures of all the fruits and sugar rich, high carb food.


My afternoon snack today:

 

apple_orange.jpg

 

An apple and an orange, I must be doomed Smiley LOL!

Dominique | Finland

Ionic, Aria, Flyer, TrendWeight | Windows 7, OS X 10.13.5 | Motorola Moto G6 (Android 9), iPad Air (iOS 12.4.4)

Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.

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Dominique wrote:

 

My afternoon snack today:

apple_orange.jpg

An apple and an orange, I must be doomed Smiley LOL!


My God, no!

 

You fool! If only you'd followed the sensible advice. 

 

It it might not be too late. Hurry along to the abattoir and feast upon the flesh of recently killed beasts!

Ultimate Goal: Mens sana in corpore sano
Best Answer

My problem with doing it is I can't do it forever and *shrug* I don't want to miss so much variety.  I'm also not a huge meat eater.  I've done Atkins and my liver started to become show problems on bloodwork.  My doctor apologized for having me do it and said said never do it again.  Then 5 years later I did South beach.  It was okay but after I lost the weight I kept adding in "carbs" and ended up heavier than I started.

 

Then this year after having blood pressure problems and being super lethargic, I was reading about the top diets and thought I'd give DASH a try.  I LOVE IT!  Finally I can eat what I want - just not all of it all of the time.  I'm eating real food.  I have beans, rice, pasta, just not every day.  I am never hungry, have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and can go out to eat and stay on the course.  I hesitate to call it a diet, it really is just a new way of eating.  I find that my calories tend to be around 1600 and I am active.  I'm almost at -50lbs since January.

 

Yes, you can lose weight going low carb, but can you see yourself doing it forever?  I think gut health studies show that a big variety of foods are important.  I know I did not get fat eating apples so why not have one?  My weight was caused by overeating and not using energy.  It was also depending on light yogurt, sugar free foods, fat free foods, light bread, processed foods instead of real foods with few ingredients.  So I always felt hungry.

 

I now love never being hungry, always having energy, and the brain happiness that comes with being outside and moving.  This has been a life changer, I have my life back.

Best Answer

@JenniferinFL wrote:

I stated that I had tried it. That's mostly what I've done the last 5 years or so. I can lose 30 lbs or so, but, then I get sick and have to stop. 

 

I agree that it works for fast weight loss. However, unless you have a specific condition like epilepsy for which such a diet is helpful, I don't think it's good for the general public. 

 

I'm not a fan of anecdotes myself, but, the ketogenic diet has been popular for a long time. I've known several people who followed such a diet religiously. They are all dead. I'm not even kidding. Everyone I know who strictly followed Atkins or some similar 'eat very little carbs' type plan are ALL dead. I'm sure that could be a fluke, but, since all human studies on longevity point to more plant-based carbs = longer lifespans it would seem likely that the reverse could also be true. 

 

I have tried it. However, I'm not looking for a quick fix, I'm interested in healthy longevity. While weight loss does help people live longer, overweight people live the longest of any demographic; outliving healthy weight people and underweight people. 

 

 


I think you just won "Post of the Year", and it's still only May.

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@Gregggg wrote:

When in ketosis, your body uses fat for energy.   Carb diets, your body uses blood glucose.  

 

I think we can agree that being overweight is very unhealthy.  

I think we can agree that it's easier to lose weight eating low carb.   

I think we agree that when you have reached you weight goal, moderate levels of healthy carbs are fine.

 


I don't think anyone agreed with you that it's easier to lose weight eating low carbs. Removing or greatly reducing a primary source of nutrition is not part of a successful weight loss/management strategy, it's not. It's a gimmick to trick the body into a reaction that fundamentally isn't healthy.

 

 

I am happy that a low-carb diet strategy helped you, we all are fortunate to find a methodology that works for us. But you are speaking in absolutes which are not easily verifiable and rely on hyperbole more than medical data.

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Like @Dominique - here's my 50g of carbs as my pre-dinner snack - and why I'd never subsist on a low-carb diet.  It may work for some, but not for all.

 

yummy carbs.jpg

Anne | Rural Ontario, Canada

Ionic (gifted), Alta HR (gifted), Charge 2, Flex 2, Charge HR, One, Blaze (retired), Trendweight.com,

Down 150 pounds from my top weight (and still going), sharing my experiences here to try and help others.

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