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[LaserBuddha]

So I started out at 263 lbs, 5'11" about a month and a half ago. I dont have a scale and haven't been weighing myself, but I'm definitely seeing noticeable weight loss.

My question is about my diet. I'm trying to do an overall low calorie/low carb diet without go too extreme into the low-carb part (I will eat a couple of slices of wheat bread and maybe a Clif Bar during the course of a day for example, as well as a decent amount of fruit). I've cut out carbonated drinks entirely, only drinking water, skim milk, tea, and black coffee.

OK so the question is, what is a good carb goal for what is mostly a low-calorie diet? I started using MyPlate on livestrong.com. I set it at "lose 2 lbs. a week - light activity", despite the fact that I try to lift or run a few times a week. With that setting, this is what my limits would be to lose 2 lbs. a week even if I weren't exercising:

2129 Calories
69g Fat
319mg Cholesterol
2555 mg Sodium
319g Carbs
43g Sugars
27g Fiber
53g Protein

I'm not following that entirely. My protein usually goes way above that amount, and my carbs way below. Everything else falls short of the limits too except for cholesterol due to the eggs. Also I take a Mega Men's Sport multivitamin packet each morning.

Today I've had a Clif Bar, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 2 scoops Gold Standard %100 Natural Whey, and a Lean Machine smoothie made w/ Splenda from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. This has put my total for today at:

803 Calories
18g Fat
540mg Cholesterol
388mg Sodium
95g Carbs
27g Sugars
10g Fiber
74g Protein


Clearly I've at least got a bunch of calories to play around with. I'd love to go grab 3 Steak Fresco soft tacos at Taco Bell when I get off work. The question is, should i feel bad about it?

 

[ProudClod]

So I started out at 263 lbs, 5'11" about a month and a half ago. I dont have a scale and haven't been weighing myself, but I'm definitely seeing noticeable weight loss.

My question is about my diet. I'm trying to do an overall low calorie/low carb diet without go too extreme into the low-carb part (I will eat a couple of slices of wheat bread and maybe a Clif Bar during the course of a day for example, as well as a decent amount of fruit). I've cut out carbonated drinks entirely, only drinking water, skim milk, tea, and black coffee.

OK so the question is, what is a good carb goal for what is mostly a low-calorie diet? I started using MyPlate on livestrong.com. I set it at "lose 2 lbs. a week - light activity", despite the fact that I try to lift or run a few times a week. With that setting, this is what my limits would be to lose 2 lbs. a week even if I weren't exercising:

2129 Calories
69g Fat
319mg Cholesterol
2555 mg Sodium
319g Carbs
43g Sugars
27g Fiber
53g Protein

I'm not following that entirely. My protein usually goes way above that amount, and my carbs way below. Everything else falls short of the limits too except for cholesterol due to the eggs. Also I take a Mega Men's Sport multivitamin packet each morning.

Today I've had a Clif Bar, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 2 scoops Gold Standard %100 Natural Whey, and a Lean Machine smoothie made w/ Splenda from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. This has put my total for today at:

803 Calories
18g Fat
540mg Cholesterol
388mg Sodium
95g Carbs
27g Sugars
10g Fiber
74g Protein


Clearly I've at least got a bunch of calories to play around with. I'd love to go grab 3 Steak Fresco soft tacos at Taco Bell when I get off work. The question is, should i feel bad about it?

That really isn't a low carb diet you're on. You're simply decreasing the calories you eat, which is enough for weight loss, but not ideal. You will never enter ketosis with that number, and that's really the bread and butter of a low-carb diet.

You're not doing a very good job of decreasing your carbs, so, yes, I would say that you should feel bad about eating at Taco Bell. Unfortunately, effective weight loss isn't just about more calories out than in. If it was that simple, we wouldn't have forty million different diets with different parameters and requirements. Just because you are meeting your caloric goal for the day, does not mean you are going to experience ideal and effective weight loss.

 

[grumble]

That really isn't a low carb diet you're on. You're simply decreasing the calories you eat, which is enough for weight loss, but not ideal. You will never enter ketosis with that number, and that's really the bread and butter of a low-carb diet.

You're not doing a very good job of decreasing your carbs, so, yes, I would say that you should feel bad about eating at Taco Bell. Unfortunately, effective weight loss isn't just about more calories out than in. If it was that simple, we wouldn't have forty million different diets with different parameters and requirements. Just because you are meeting your caloric goal for the day, does not mean you are going to experience ideal and effective weight loss.

This isn't really true, though it depends on the individual. He won't enter ketosis, but that won't stop him from losing fat just fine.


LaserBuddha, I'd feel bad about Taco Bell because it's junk food, but if you've got an itch that isn't going away then this would be a good time to scratch it. I'm a big proponent of relieving the pressure that can cause people to snap.

 

[LaserBuddha]

I was hoping I could eat well enough not to worry about keeping an extremely low carb count (still low, but not aiming for ketosis). I feel like there must be different focuses you can have that will be relatively equal in effectiveness and one of those is keto. However the opinion here seems to be that keto diets are the be-all end-all if you want fast weight loss.

Not saying that isn't true for all I know, it's just not what I wanted to believe was true. I mean, those guidelines on livestrong say that I'll lose 2 lbs. a week eating this way, and that's not factoring in my exercise at all or the fact I fall far below those limits rather than meeting them. Is the website just completely wrong?

 

[grumble]

I was hoping I could eat well enough not to worry about keeping an extremely low carb count (still low, but not aiming for ketosis). I feel like there must be different focuses you can have that will be relatively equal in effectiveness and one of those is keto. However the opinion here seems to be that keto diets are the be-all end-all if you want fast weight loss.

Not saying that isn't true for all I know, it's just not what I wanted to believe was true. I mean, those guidelines on livestrong say that I'll lose 2 lbs. a week eating this way, and that's not factoring in my exercise at all or the fact I fall far below those limits rather than meeting them. Is the website just completely wrong?

No, the 'be-all-end-all' people are wrong. It works, but is not the only way.

 

[LaserBuddha]

No, the 'be-all-end-all' people are wrong. It works, but is not the only way.

Yeah so back to my original question.

I want to lose a lot of weight, with low calorie/low fat/low carb eating. Salads, chicken, fruit, oats, etc.

I refuse to believe that i can have 319g of carbs a day and lose 2 lbs a week just going to work, despite what MyPlate says. So what's a good carb goal if I want to keep a high rate of weight loss? If I'm not going to eat few enough carbs to go into ketosis (as far as I know) then what limit should I set for myself?

Or am I just naive and need to replace my morning bowl of oats with bacon and eggs, and stop eating wheat bread?

 

[ShinNL]

Yeah so back to my original question.

I want to lose a lot of weight, with low calorie/low fat/low carb eating. Salads, chicken, fruit, oats, etc.

I refuse to believe that i can have 319g of carbs a day and lose 2 lbs a week just going to work, despite what MyPlate says. So what's a good carb goal if I want to keep a high rate of weight loss? If I'm not going to eat few enough carbs to go into ketosis (as far as I know) then what limit should I set for myself?

Or am I just naive and need to replace my morning bowl of oats with bacon and eggs, and stop eating wheat bread?

I don't actually see the point of going low carb and then not going low carb, if you know what I mean. Sure there are different kind of focuses for each diets, but they all have important restrictions. With low calorie you need to have exactly 500 calories less than what you need (less means starvation mode, too much means it's a non-productive day). I think this diet is extremely hard since you're always hungry and if you exercise then you have to count that too. Low fat... probably only works if you do it for life, I guess. Low carb works if you read the theory behind it, but if you don't enter ketosis then personally I don't see much of a point to do low carb (might as well just do calorie counting). It's like using a bike and then sometimes just walking with your feet on the ground with it.

I'm not as educated as some in this thread so if anyone has a better take on this then please do so and correct me.

(I've tried many many many diets in many many many years)

 

[teh_pwn]

Yeah so back to my original question.

I want to lose a lot of weight, with low calorie/low fat/low carb eating. Salads, chicken, fruit, oats, etc.

I refuse to believe that i can have 319g of carbs a day and lose 2 lbs a week just going to work, despite what MyPlate says. So what's a good carb goal if I want to keep a high rate of weight loss? If I'm not going to eat few enough carbs to go into ketosis (as far as I know) then what limit should I set for myself?

Or am I just naive and need to replace my morning bowl of oats with bacon and eggs, and stop eating wheat bread?

You don't have to go into ketosis or eat very low carb to lose fat. With a lot of people it helps. But it really depends on your metabolism and the types of carbohydrates that you're eating. Yams and a red bull are both carbohydrates but have very different effects on the body.

Not to repeat myself too much, but insulin isn't the only cause of obesity/fat gain. Other likely factors are:
1. Too high omega6mega3 ratio.
2. Bad gut flora; digestive issues
3. Food allergies
4. Mineral deficiencies, possibly caused by phytates from grains (in particular magnesium)
5. Stuff we don't know yet (after all leptin was discovered in the 1990s)

I think the most practical approach to fat loss is trial and error. I think starting with traditional foods is a good step. Whether it be all meat, or the Japanese diet, or something inbetween. Cutting the sugar, flour, most grains, and industrialized oils will probably work for most people.

All of the causes that I have listed are basically things that can interfere with the hypothalamus receiving leptin. Rather than simply say "caloriesIn-CaloriesOut" these causes are focused on "why do people eat more caloriesIn and or reduce caloriesOut?".

 

[ProudClod]

I don't actually see the point of going low carb and then not going low carb, if you know what I mean. Sure there are different kind of focuses for each diets, but they all have important restrictions. With low calorie you need to have exactly 500 calories less than what you need (less means starvation mode, too much means it's a non-productive day). I think this diet is extremely hard since you're always hungry and if you exercise then you have to count that too. Low fat... probably only works if you do it for life, I guess. Low carb works if you read the theory behind it, but if you don't enter ketosis then personally I don't see much of a point to do low carb (might as well just do calorie counting). It's like using a bike and then sometimes just walking with your feet on the ground with it.

I'm not as educated as some in this thread so if anyone has a better take on this then please do so and correct me.

(I've tried many many many diets in many many many years)

I'm under the same impression. I'm sure low-carb without ketosis is still beneficial -- but in my opinion, the cons overtake the pros. For one, low carbing without ketosis means an insane lack of energy throughout the day. Your body is still convinced that it'll be getting the bulk of its energy from carbs, but they never come. This makes you incredibly tired and worn out (anyone who's done the low carb induction can tell you all about this). Ketosis basically tells your body to use fat for fuel. As soon as this conversion happens, the lack of carbs won't make you feel like total fucking shit. Honestly, if you're okay with having decreased energy levels and insane lethargy for the duration of your diet (I'm on the wagon of diet=life commitment ), then all the power to you.

 

[teh_pwn]

I'm under the same impression. I'm sure low-carb without ketosis is still beneficial -- but in my opinion, the cons overtake the pros. For one, low carbing without ketosis means an insane lack of energy throughout the day. Your body is still convinced that it'll be getting the bulk of its energy from carbs, but they never come. This makes you incredibly tired and worn out (anyone who's done the low carb induction can tell you all about this). Ketosis basically tells your body to use fat for fuel. As soon as this conversion happens, the lack of carbs won't make you feel like total fucking shit. Honestly, if you're okay with having decreased energy levels and insane lethargy for the duration of your diet (I'm on the wagon of diet=life commitment ), then all the power to you.

If you're insulin resistant, absolutely ketosis is beneficial for what you're talking about. But if you're tired because leptin isn't getting to the hypothalamus, and leptin resistance is caused by too many omega6 fats, low carb diet may do nothing to address this. But I do think that cutting sugar/wheat is a huge step in the right direction.

 

[ProudClod]

If you're insulin resistant, absolutely ketosis is beneficial for what you're talking about. But if you're tired because leptin isn't getting to the hypothalamus, and leptin resistance is caused by too many omega6 fats, low carb diet may do nothing to address this. But I do think that cutting sugar/wheat is a huge step in the right direction.

I'm not trying to claim that low carb is the answer to everything. I understand that there are other variables involved. However, from personal experience, from what I've read, from what people have posted here, and from what my friends have told me about their own experiences, low carb diets without ketosis make you feel drained and tired. I've been going to muay thai for more than a year now. I consider myself a fit and healthy person. However, as soon as I started the low carb diet, I began to really struggle with my workouts. Maybe I'm an anomaly, but the boatload of anecdotal evidence I've encountered suggests otherwise.

 

[DR2K]

I just cut back on sugar, fast food, and started cooking more with daily exercise and lost a 100lbs since November 2009. This whole enter a weird ass carb diet fad and calorie counting is so trivial in the long run. Are you seriously going to be counting calories and cutting off carbs for the rest of your life?

 

[ShinNL]

I just cut back on sugar, fast food, and started cooking more with daily exercise and lost a 100lbs since November 2009. This whole enter a weird ass carb diet fad and calorie counting is so trivial in the long run. Are you seriously going to be counting calories and cutting off carbs for the rest of your life?

Congratulations on the amazing weight loss. But since you lost so much, I assume you too soon will hit a point where your problem isn't weight loss, but fat loss and you want to get rid of that extra skin, not really lose pounds. And then you find out that extra skin is basically still just fat. Normal dieting can only get you so far, after that one has to make the right choices to retain muscle and lose fat. If not, losing weight will just result in a smaller version of a fat self. So don't degrade low carb dieting as a fad, you might need it one day.

 

[fin]

OK so in the past year and a half I've lost around 80lbs. It's defiantly been hard. But I got a wake-up call, and that really made the weight come off fast.

Before:

And now the worse photo:

Good news though...

After:

Me finishing a half-marathon, time was 1:50:05

At my peek weight I was around 270, I'm now at 188-190, I wanna get down to 180. The last 20lbs have been super tough. It's been slow but I'll get there...

Anyone trying to loose weight I'd really recommend reading Men's Health. It's got good diet plans and workouts that you can switch up every month. This helped me cause I kept getting bored with the same routine over and over.

Also check-out http://allrecipes.com/ for good food, they have nutritional info for most recipes.

Another handy site I found when planning my meals:
http://www.fatsecret.com/ Here you can enter in all the food for a day and find out what you're eating and how much exercise you need to lose weight.

Also here's a place to find your metabolic rate:
http://health.discovery.com/centers/heart/basal/basal.html

But yeah I'll just repeat what everyone here has already said. Change your diet, do regular exercise. It's simple, but really tough. I still have trouble getting the energy or ambition to go and workout. But I just think about how I feel after, I'm always glad I went after. And that's enough to get my ass to the gym.

 

[ch0mp]

I just cut back on sugar, fast food, and started cooking more with daily exercise and lost a 100lbs since November 2009. This whole enter a weird ass carb diet fad and calorie counting is so trivial in the long run. Are you seriously going to be counting calories and cutting off carbs for the rest of your life?

It can be a lifestyle change. And it isn't very hard. All you do is stop eating grain based foods, and sugars. Don't really need to count calories if you cut carbs btw.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

So, I just started on Weight Watchers last week, doing it with a co-worker. First time I have really gone on a diet and I got a lot of weight and fat to loose.

First week loss was 6 pounds, but expected to go back to 2-3 poinds for subsequent weeks.

Anybody done it before, any suggestions?

Edit: I should mention this is also a big change in lifestyle for me. I have pretty much eaten restaurant food for 2 years consecutevly, save a few months when my parents would be visiting and Mom would cook. I am talking about eating out for Lunch and Dinner and late night snacks.

Now its more cooking and less eating out. Once a week with my co-worker for lunch, and Subway is still good on WW.

 

[elrechazado]

So my weekly update:

January 2010 - 260
August 19 2010 - 176

 

[Chinner]

nice bro. if i was there in person i'd give you a congratulating pat on the buttocks.

 

[Einbroch]

Give us some pics. We need inspiration.

 

[elrechazado]

Give us some pics. We need inspiration.

I'm not really up for posting pics of me on the internet, sorry. Maybe a legacy of my uncomfortableness with my fatassnes.

For reference = 6 feet tall, started at 44-46 waist. Currently at 32.

 

[neojubei]

So my weekly update:

January 2010 - 260
August 19 2010 - 176

G]

wow thats awesome. i need to get on my weight loss

I'm not really up for posting pics of me on the internet, sorry. Maybe a legacy of my uncomfortableness with my fatassnes.

For reference = 6 feet tall, started at 44-46 waist. Currently at 32.

You are my inspiration. ok starting this weekend i will try my best to do this weight loss thing.

 

[goldenticket]

I'm not really up for posting pics of me on the internet, sorry.

I dont blame you. So what worked for you? Obv you worked out and ate better but briefly how did you do it.

 

[Dabookerman]

Question. How long does it take for ketosis to kick in on a sub-20g a day carb diet?

 

[betweenthewheels]

Question. How long does it take for ketosis to kick in on a sub-20g a day carb diet?

Around 3 days

 

[Dabookerman]

Around 3 days

Wow really? And how much roughly would I lose in say.. 2 weeks ? I'm 200 lb atm

 

[Einbroch]

I'm not really up for posting pics of me on the internet, sorry. Maybe a legacy of my uncomfortableness with my fatassnes.

For reference = 6 feet tall, started at 44-46 waist. Currently at 32.

Block your face? I don't mean to pry but it's really great seeing someone who lost a ton of weight. It gives the rest of us a sense that we can do it too.

 

[ch0mp]

Wow really? And how much roughly would I lose in say.. 2 weeks ? I'm 200 lb atm

After water weight, maybe 1-2kgs. Depends on how much you eat/exercise.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

So my weekly update:

January 2010 - 260
August 19 2010 - 176

Can you tell me what you have been doing? What you followed, etc?

 

[LFG]

Can you tell me what you have been doing? What you followed, etc?

never done the weight watchers thing. read your post from a few days ago and have no input on that at all. maybe someone here can chime in.

i don't want to speak for elrechazao, so i'll let him reply to your question personally. alot of us are doing low carb dieting and losing weight at a good pace. i started at 215 in june and now in the low 190s. i'll weigh myself in the morning and get my actual weight. i've been limiting myself to 40-50g of carbs a day, but others are doing much lower than that. i'm happy so far with my results. sure beats counting calories!

 

[teh_pwn]

never done the weight watchers thing. read your post from a few days ago and have no input on that at all. maybe someone here can chime in.

i don't want to speak for elrechazao, so i'll let him reply to your question personally. alot of us are doing low carb dieting and losing weight at a good pace. i started at 215 in june and now in the low 190s. i'll weigh myself in the morning and get my actual weight. i've been limiting myself to 40-50g of carbs a day, but others are doing much lower than that. i'm happy so far with my results. sure beats counting calories!

Yeah, if I remember correctly he was doing conventional wisdom (caloric restriction, lots of cardio), hit a wall, then did low carb and started losing again.

 

[cbox]

holy shit

good fucking job dude! Lookin good

 

[elrechazado]

For all the people who asked:

Started in january and cut out soda cold turkey, as well as most refined white bread and whatnot, flour, etc. I was still eating cereal, whole grains, pasta, etc. I also cut calories to around 1000 a day, and did elliptical every day for 20-40 minutes.

I lost about 35 pounds that way, then plateaued a bit.

At that point I really started getting into the high fat/protein and under 30-40 carbs per day type diet. I stopped restricting calories, and regularly eat over 2000 calories a day, and am still losing.

In addition to the removal of sugar, I got rid of pasta, grains, milk, etc, and started eating more eggs, butter, fish, leafy greens, almonds, broccoli, spinach, cheese, etc. I also began to run a lot more, although once I started hitting 30 miles a week or so my joints couldn't really handle it anymore. I switched to 20 min a day of high intensity intervals 4-5 times a week, some body weight exercises thrown in.

Joys of not being fat anymore:
Chronic headaches - gone
Chronic heartburn - gone
Chronic back spasms - gone
Chronic snoring/apnea - gone

Life is good. Took me about 8 months so far to undo 10 years of neglect and slowly increasing fat and terrible health, and nothing has been more satisfying in life.

Also got a full blood panel done today, should have results to share soon next week. My biggest regret is that I didn't have one done at the start. Then again, I didn't really expect to get this in shape honestly.

edit - in my early 30s

 

[Loki]

For all the people who asked:

Started in january and cut out soda cold turkey, as well as most refined white bread and whatnot, flour, etc. I was still eating cereal, whole grains, pasta, etc. I also cut calories to around 1000 a day, and did elliptical every day for 20-40 minutes.

I lost about 35 pounds that way, then plateaued a bit.

At that point I really started getting into the high fat/protein and under 30-40 carbs per day type diet. I stopped restricting calories, and regularly eat over 2000 calories a day, and am still losing.

In addition to the removal of sugar, I got rid of pasta, grains, milk, etc, and started eating more eggs, butter, fish, leafy greens, almonds, broccoli, spinach, cheese, etc. I also began to run a lot more, although once I started hitting 30 miles a week or so my joints couldn't really handle it anymore. I switched to 20 min a day of high intensity intervals 4-5 times a week, some body weight exercises thrown in.

Joys of not being fat anymore:
Chronic headaches - gone
Chronic heartburn - gone
Chronic back spasms - gone
Chronic snoring/apnea - gone

Life is good. Took me about 8 months so far to undo 10 years of neglect and slowly increasing fat and terrible health, and nothing has been more satisfying in life.

Also got a full blood panel done today, should have results to share soon next week. My biggest regret is that I didn't have one done at the start. Then again, I didn't really expect to get this in shape honestly.

edit - in my early 30s

That's awesome. Tremendous work, and congrats!

 

[Masta_Killah]

Where do you guys get your fiber when on a low carb diet? I'm thinking of doing a proper low carb diet, but I want to make sure I can get my fiber in. Last time I tried the diet, I ended up getting hard stool and couldn't go to the bathroom for days.

 

[Price Dalton]

Where do you guys get your fiber when on a low carb diet? I'm thinking of doing a proper low carb diet, but I want to make sure I can get my fiber in. Last time I tried the diet, I ended up getting hard stool and couldn't go to the bathroom for days.

Leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc), berries, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, etc), jicama, avocado... plenty of low-carb vegetables are also rich in fiber.

 

[LFG]

and for my weekly update:

june 8 = 215

aug 20 = 190

really happy this morning! 25lbs down and 25lbs to go! i'd like to be at 165 by dec 1. i should be able to do it.

edit: and i picked up a bag of almonds yesterday to start snacking on. so good! :lol

 

[CaptainABAB]

I am also doing the low-carb + exercise (cardio/weights)

July 1 = 320
Today = 290

I noticed that a lot of people on the low-card diet are fans of Almonds. I noticed a few different packages of natural Almonds (no salt, no flavors) list

Carbs: 6g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 1g

with a net of 3g carbs on one package. Where is the other 2g of carbs coming from?

Also, I noticed Macadamia nuts and dry roasted sunflower seeds display...

Carbs: 5g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 1g

These should be good too, right?

 

[funkmastergeneral]

I had a bag of almonds claim that 6g carbs - 3g fiber = 3g carbs. I never really understood how that works.

 

[elrechazado]

I had a bag of almonds claim that 6g carbs - 3g fiber = 3g carbs. I never really understood how that works.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/a/netcarbs.htm
Fiber is the most straightforward. The idea of subtracting fiber from the total carbohydrate when figuring out the carb count of a food came from the authors of the Protein Power books over 10 years ago, and it makes good sense. By definition, fiber isn't digested in the small intestine and so isn't broken down into glucose and absorbed into the blood.

Also, from:
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3299911

How do I count carbs?

Digestible carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars like glucose, maltose, galactose, fructose*, etc. Non-digestible carbohydrates, like fiber, are not absorbed and have no impact on your blood-sugar levels.

People sometimes talk about the healthiness of “complex carbohydrates” vs.“simple carbohydrates” like refined sugars. (These are sometimes billed as the “good” vs.“bad” carbohydrates.) Complex carbohydrates are chains of three or more single sugar molecules linked together. Long chains of sugar molecules are called starches. Starches are easily broken down by the digestive system, starting with saliva. No matter how long the chain, all starches break down into glucose. That whole-wheat bread and potato you ate that’s full of starch? They all end up as the same thing: sugar.

To calculate the net, or effective, carbohydrate content of a food, subtract the number of grams of fiber from the number of grams of carbohydrate. For example, 1 cup of blackberries has 14 grams of carbs, but almost 8 grams of it comes from fiber. Total Carbs – Fiber = Net Carbohydrate or in our example, 14 grams – 8 grams = 6 grams of net carbs.

Sometimes you’ll run into something called “sugar alcohol” listed under the carbohydrate section. It seems that only a subset of the population metabolizes sugar alcohols as sugar. It is quite possible that some people lack some enzyme(s) needed to digest them and turn them into blood sugar. Since those people’s bodies can’t turn these sugar alcohols into glucose, they do not experience a blood sugar rise when they eat them. Beware of foods containing sweeteners like maltitol since it is effectively has the same impact as glucose. The only sugar alcohol that has absolutely no insulin response is mannitol and erythritol. There are many other sugar alcohols, but I can’t tell you how to count their carbs with great certainty since the insulin response varies from person to person. A list of sugar alcohols and their Glycemic Index can be found here: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/wh...garalcohols.htm and http://www.mendosa.com/netcarbs.htm. (I’ll explain more about the Glycemic Index later.)

The US labeling laws allow products that contain >0 and <0.5 carbs to be labeled as 0 carbs and products with >0.5 to <1 carbs to be labeled as less than 1 carb. However, carbohydrate labeling is not strictly regulated. Manufacturers can round up or round down the carb grams listed in the nutritional info. I’m not suggesting you sperg out about the rounding issues, but you should be aware it’s happening.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

thanks elrechazao.

My current plan is similar to yours, I should be starting workouts next week. Although I don't think I have limited myself to a set number of calories, what was your general day like in terms of food for the 1st stage?

I have been eating mainly Whole Wheat Bread, Eggs, Chicken, Salad stuff, Cherries, Apples, Cucumbers, Carrots, etc.

Also, I noticed a lot of people completely stop drinking Soda. I have been a Soda addict for a long time, my question is, even with Coke Zero, etc, whats the main reason for going complete cold turkey on Soda?

 

[Einbroch]

Last night I fit into a shirt that I haven't been able to fit into since middle school. Size 40 pants are officially way, way too big (the fold over on themselves.

Sweeeeet.

 

[Schlep]

Also, I noticed a lot of people completely stop drinking Soda. I have been a Soda addict for a long time, my question is, even with Coke Zero, etc, whats the main reason for going complete cold turkey on Soda?

Possible health dangers with aspartame and still up in the air research about whether or not artificial sweeteners cause the body to crave carbs.

It's more erring on the side of being safe than it is a hard and fast rule.

 

[Escape Goat]

Diet Mt Dew tastes the same as regular. Same with Dr Pepper. At least, to me it does...

 

[Zoe]

Also, I noticed a lot of people completely stop drinking Soda. I have been a Soda addict for a long time, my question is, even with Coke Zero, etc, whats the main reason for going complete cold turkey on Soda?

Cause the alternatives taste like shit.

 

[elrechazado]

thanks elrechazao.

My current plan is similar to yours, I should be starting workouts next week. Although I don't think I have limited myself to a set number of calories, what was your general day like in terms of food for the 1st stage?

I have been eating mainly Whole Wheat Bread, Eggs, Chicken, Salad stuff, Cherries, Apples, Cucumbers, Carrots, etc.

Also, I noticed a lot of people completely stop drinking Soda. I have been a Soda addict for a long time, my question is, even with Coke Zero, etc, whats the main reason for going complete cold turkey on Soda?

I wouldn't recommend the first stage. I did that out of a bit of ignorance honestly, thinking cutting calories overall to super low levels was the most effective way to lose weight, and it really wasn't, as my switch to no/low carb showed me. Whether that works for you or not, it's indisputable that a diet that allows you to eat to satiation is better than one that makes you starve yourself, all else being equal.

When I was doing this though, I was eating a yogurt or a banana or one egg for breakfast, half a granola bar between breakfast and lunch, a packet of tuna with some diced onions and pickles or something, and for dinner, whatever my wife made....pasta, rice, whatever, just didn't eat more than a fist sized portion. Like I said above though, it's not a great long term solution.

I went cold turkey on soda before discovering I like coke zero, and occasionally having those. I have found for me personally that having sugar substitutes though at this point makes me crave more sweetness, and I've read some good stuff about how artificial sugar may be triggering an insulin response just for your body's reaction to the sweet receptors. I still drink a vanilla coke zero every once in a while though. I was a HUGE mountain dew junkie before, and have had a few diet dews, but those have brominated vegetable oil in them, and that shit is scary.

 

[Struct09]

I went cold turkey on soda before discovering I like coke zero, and occasionally having those. I have found for me personally that having sugar substitutes though at this point makes me crave more sweetness, and I've read some good stuff about how artificial sugar may be triggering an insulin response just for your body's reaction to the sweet receptors. I still drink a vanilla coke zero every once in a while though. I was a HUGE mountain dew junkie before, and have had a few diet dews, but those have brominated vegetable oil in them, and that shit is scary.

This has been proven to be untrue (example: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/11/3/230.short )

When I was losing weight, I drank way more Diet Coke than any human being should. I still drink enough diet soda to probably kill a lab rat, and I stay under 10% bodyfat.

I would never label artificial sweeteners "healthy", and I completely understand if someone wants to avoid them to be safe (although how often do you hear of someone getting sick or dying from them?), but they can be enjoyed without fear of interfering with weight loss.

 

[newsguy]

Here's my story (cause I don't have any good before pics). 3 years ago I was heavy into weight lifting and I was 207 lbs and about 16-17% body fat. I stopped lifting for several reasons and lost a ton of muscle. I stayed at 185 but I had a belly and big love handles because of the fat I carried when I lifted. About a year and a half ago I decided to try boxing and I fell in love with it. It's the only thing that keeps me motivated. So with strictly boxing, clean diet and sports here and there I went from 185 and I'm currently 163. I hit 158 but my body fat was getting so low that I didn't feel right. Currently 30 years old.

After pic:

 

[Diatribe1974]

I'll be posting something in the next couple of months. I want to drop a bit more weight first to help give more impact of things. When I started losing my fatness, I started at 305lbs and am currently (almost) 255lbs, so I'm getting there. Would like to hit about 235lbs-ish or so. But we'll see.

 

[elrechazado]

This has been proven to be untrue (example: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/11/3/230.short )

When I was losing weight, I drank way more Diet Coke than any human being should. I still drink enough diet soda to probably kill a lab rat, and I stay under 10% bodyfat.

I would never label artificial sweeteners "healthy", and I completely understand if someone wants to avoid them to be safe (although how often do you hear of someone getting sick or dying from them?), but they can be enjoyed without fear of interfering with weight loss.

It hasn't been proven true or untrue. Links to 5-6 studies with varying inconclusive conclusions were posted a number of pages back, and regardless, I didn't say it was definitively true. The results I have seen with my body personally make me avoid them.

Also, my reasons really have nothing to do with an aversion to artificial sweeteners per se (ie: omg they give you cancer!), because I think there's nothing wrong with them, I just avoid lots of them mostly because fake sugar gives me personally real sugar cravings.

 

[EzLink]

GAF I just got to college with an unlimited meal plan, how the fuck am I supposed to stay on my low carb diet? There is glorious, delicious food of all types everywhere I turn in the food court. Am I really supposed to every day get a burger and take off the bun?

I don't want to give up on my diet (As I still have ~20 lbs to go) but I'm not sure 30 carbs a day is realistic. This campus is huge though, so I'm wondering if moderate low carb (80-100 carbs per day?) plus all of the walking I'll be doing will be enough to keep me losing. I seriously probably walked about 4 miles yesterday, just doing normal everyday things. I should be getting plenty of exercise from that, plus I'm planning on doing cardio 3-4 times a week. But I don't want to undo all of the hardwork I've done and not reach my goal when I'm finally getting close. I'm not sure if this is a legitimate way to keep going given my new setting, or if I'm just trying to justify the ability to partake in whatever foods I want. Bah!