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Low Carb Dieting and cutting carbs out. Help?

neverwas

Bluelighter
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Feb 23, 2002
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The yellow brick road!
Ive been searching on the net for the last few hours and cant come up with what i want. Also used the search engine in here ;)

Basically, i want to lose some weight so i look more toned etc. and dont eat as much crap...

I dont want to be pencil thin. I currently weight 95kilos which for those that know me will be stunned at. I am a tall girl about 5ft something. so my weight is spread around. Im not fat. But im not as small as id like to be. But lately ive noticed a change in my eating habits where i will eat all day and even when im not hungry i will eat. and its always junk that i eat or foods that are high in carbs like pasta.

Last night on the way home i had to tell myself over and over again i wasnt hungry just so i wouldnt go and find something to eat. instead of going to the gym... i eat. i eat pasta for breaky!! 8o 8(

I want to start myself on a no carb diet. mainly because theres something that im eating that doesnt agree with me. Ive cut all dairy out of my diet and it still hasnt fixed it. I know the body needs a bit of everything to function, but i also have noticed when i dont eat any carbs my body and i feel a lot better, im more energtic and not sluggish and i am generally feeling healthier.

I am an active person. i work and dance and walk everywhere.

What i need is some Low Carb Diet plans or No Carb Diet plans. I cant seem to find any online and dont have a credit card to buy any manuals or nothing.

Any help would be appreicated.

ALSO could you tell me what foods that are high in carbs and to steer clear from or foods that have carbs in them? I know most foods do but its particularly the foods with large %carbs in them i dont want to eat and foods with carbs in em at all.

Thanx In Advance :)
 
Look up atkins on google I'm sure you'll find lots of explinations. Also look up "ketosis" which is how you lose weight on diets like atkins.

I'd suggest South Beach as a much more sustainable and healthy alternative to atkins. This diet includes a much lower percentage of carbs compared to the average American one, but makes a distinction between "bad carbs" and "good carbs." South Beach (not counting the induction phases) is basically an explination of eating healthy which nutritionists and dieticians have known about for many years.

edit: I will add some carbohydrate sources which are paticularly bad for you, and a couple good ones. This info is mostly derived from the glycemic index.

Bad carbs:

Refined flour (any flour that is "enriched" is a refined flour, because the refining process strips the grain of it's nutrients and protein, so the manufacturer has to re-add fabricated nutrients)
sugar
high fructose corn syrup
corn syrup
potatoes
white rice

good carbs:
Whole oats like quaker makes in the round container
sweet potatoes
most fruits (except pineapple and other tropicals)
whole wheat
rye
barely
legumes
 
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yeah just look up atkins online, you should find what you want, oh and watch what you tell people, everyone likes to bash atkins on how unhealthy it is for you..but guess what?? it works!!! ive struggled on many diets, but with atkins you really dont experience much hunger, you can eat more and still lose, the only tough part is at 1st you'll get cravings like a bitch for sweet stuff, if you can overcome that, then your set.

ive been low-carbing and working out for an hour 3x weekly and have managed to lose the 20 pounds i gained over the winter, i got my waiste down to a 26, my goal is for a 25.

good luck!
 
low carb dieting is retarded. no carb dieting is terrible for you and a stupid idea. stick with common sense eating. the more refined and processed the food, the more you should stay away. so white bread, bagels, and white pasta should be eaten VERY rarely. whole wheat products more often. lean unprocessed meats, fruits, and veggies (which are not fried in oil or processed) should be eaten often. eggs, cheese, yogurt (most dairy) eaten in moderation, but enjoyed a few times throughout the week.

this should be common sense. dont add shitty stuff to you food and your hunger and cravings will balance out and your weight stabilize. and of course have cake, cookies, or chips as a treat, in a reasonable portion size like once a month.

atkins doesnt work kkarma, not in the long run and it isnt good for your health. they also went bankrupt this year. see a registered dietician or nutritionist with a college or univeristy degree in nutrition if you need help.

dont listen to most of the junk on the internet and dont believe any research studies you read. most people dont have the knowledge to understand why some studies are not valid, or do not really prove the point they are demonstrating. (no offense, but research for dieting, food, and nutrition is ridiculously complex).

keep in mind, no matter what plan you do, the total energy balance is what is going to make you gain or lose weight. focus on keeping the calories in less than the calories you burn while on a weight loss program. and always consume about 25g of fibre a day, and drink 8 glasses of water at least.

ps- while there is a list of "good carbs" and "bad carbs" above, and the GI makes sense and is useful, the term good and bad carbs should not be used. a carb is a carb, same molecule, it just affects insulin levels differently.
 
I strictly stayed on the atkins for about 2 months and was pretty damn impressed, You will notice a decrease in waist size and weight loss. I stayed in the gym 4 days a week 1 hour of cardio and light weight lifting and worked very well. Also took some generic brand complete vitamins daily, to have energy lost from the low carbs I was taking in.
All I ate every day was pretty much
1.fish
2. eggs EVERY MORNING
3.No more cokes AT ALL I still don't drink cola. Nasty shit
4.plenty of water (flavored)Water after a good omlet kinda kills it so I went with flavored
5.you can bake chicken a million ways
6.ate cream cheese when I was really wanting a snack
7.pickles for a snack
ECT.................. It's easy just have discipline \
Note: Im off the diet and gained back almost everything
 
Don't do the fad diets. They all fail.

Eat healthy foods. Plenty of fruits and vegetables and pulses (beans, lentils, legumes), etc. No soda. No fast food.
Learn to cook for yourself. Learn to eat healthy meals. Put some effort in and you'll end up having fun with it!

This, combined with frequent cardiovascular exercise, will result in the healthiest weight loss without wasting away important muscle tissue.
 
*starfalls69* said:
I currently weight 95kilos which for those that know me will be stunned at.

Holy shit you're kidding me! I would have guessed 30 kilos LESS than that judging from how you look. You certainly carry it well!

Low carb dieting is hard. And when you go off it, as others have said, you'll gain back everything and possibly more. If you can stay on it for life in some form or other - sure, you'll stay slim - but most people can't.

I know I'll never try it again.

I would recommend Weight Watchers, or if you can't afford it I can lend you my books with all the recipies/meal plans.
 
Jabbawaya said:
Don't do the fad diets. They all fail.

Eat healthy foods. Plenty of fruits and vegetables and pulses (beans, lentils, legumes), etc. No soda. No fast food.
Learn to cook for yourself. Learn to eat healthy meals. Put some effort in and you'll end up having fun with it!

This, combined with frequent cardiovascular exercise, will result in the healthiest weight loss without wasting away important muscle tissue.


They work my friend. Do the "FAD DIET" and after 2 months stop and try to maintain by eating healthy food and keep excersise in your daily routin even if you only have time for 60 crunches a night and a walk around the block stay with it!
 
Well to lose weight you have to follow the very simple rule of less calories eaten than calories burnt. That is you need to have a calorie deficit.

This can be measured by counting calories - sounds like a pain in the arse but isn't quite as bad as you might think. Have a look at the site www.fitday.com it helps you to count and manage calories. Ideally you would want around 500 - 1000 calorie deficit per day.

Of course you don't have to go down that somewhat anal (yet very effective) path.

When you say you want to go on a no carb diet unfortunately that isn't going to work very well. Your body needs carbs! It would be unhealthy not to consume carbs. Further more you have to eat to lose weight - otherwise your body goes into 'starvation' mode and will store fat not burn it.

It’s the type and amount of carbs which is important. As others have said you need to get rid of all highly refined/processed carbs. This includes white bread/pasta, biscuits, bagels, cakes, cookies etc. These are somewhat 'wasted' calories as your body will metabolise them very quickly; leaving you hungry sooner and spike you insulin level and when it drops soon after will leave you feeling crappy and sluggish/tired.

Instead eat wholegrain pasta's, bread, cereals and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables with a source of lean protein (protein helps you to feel full).

The other important thing is portion size of your meals. Try eating 5 to 6 meals of smaller size each day rather than the traditional 3 square meals. This helps keep your metabolism firing all day and stop you from feeling sluggish.

Also drink lots of water. Have a couple glasses after each meal, it will make you feel fuller and your body needs the water to help flush all the crap out. It’s very important for the burning of fat to be well hydrated.

For meal ideas have look at http://www.bodyforlife.com/nutrition/index.asp

The main problem with FAD diets is that they are not sustainable. You should be aiming for a diet which is healthy and works for you - forever not just a couple of weeks or months.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more q's.
 
I agree with Doodle. A couple things to add though: Even though we both don't like ketosis diets, that doesn't mean that the typical american diet doesn't includes too high a percentage of carbohydrates. Different weight loss experts advocate getting between 30-50% of your calories from protein. This will help you lose weight in a few ways: Your body has to work a little harder to process protein, making fewer calories go to fat (not much but some), a high protein diet staves off muscle loss in a caloric deficit, protein is more filling than carbs. Drinking water becomes even more important when eating a lot of protein, to help your kidneys process it.

Also it's important to remember that your body needs some fat to lose weight. Around 20% of calories should come from fat. The key is to choose more healthy fat sources like nuts, olive/canola/walnut/soy bean oils, flax, salmon. Some saturated fat is necessarry for bodily function, but it's so common that nobody should have to seek it out to reach appropriate amounts for a healthy diet. I've read that a good ratio of omega 3/6/9:normal unsaturated fat:saturated fat is about 50:30:20. This is obviously a very hard ratio to hit, but it is an ideal to strive for.

Starfalls if you try atkins and have success with it that's great. Maybe after you've lost a ton of weight on that, you could slowly reintegrate carbs into your diet and switch over to something more sustainable like what me and doodle described.
 
*starfalls69* said:


I want to start myself on a no carb diet. mainly because theres something that im eating that doesnt agree with me. Ive cut all dairy out of my diet and it still hasnt fixed it. I know the body needs a bit of everything to function, but i also have noticed when i dont eat any carbs my body and i feel a lot better, im more energtic and not sluggish and i am generally feeling healthier.

First of all, know this - there is no such thing as a NO CARB diet. Atkins does not suggest no carbs, however, you should be getting your carbs from veggies (and eventually whole grains).

Do your homework - Atkins works well for some people (I lost over 10lbs before I got bored on it ;)), and some people really like South Beach (no counting, just "acceptable foods" at each stage).

Also, there are 4 phases to Atkins (which a lot of people do not realize) - you should be gradually adding more carbs (good carbs, too, not junk;)) at each phase. You start with 20 per day, and go up from there, and when you hit your goal weight, you calculate how many carbs you can eat without putting on any more weight - that is your magic carb count.
 
I dont advocate atkins, i think it is very unhealthy. However if you are still keen to do it here's how, straight from the book.

Induction phase- Rules
(should last a minimum of 14 days)

1. Eat either 3regular sized meals p/day or 5-6 smaller meals p/day. Dont go more than 6 waking hrs without food.
2. Eat liberally of combinations of fat and protein in the form of ppoultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, red meat, as well as pure, natural fat in the form of butter, mayonnaise, olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil.
3. Eat no more then 20 grams of carbohydrates
p/day, most of which from salad greens and other vegies (3 cups salad or 2 cups salad & 1 cup vegies)
4. Eat absolutely no fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegies or dairy products other than cheese, cream or butter. Do not eat nuts&seeds in the first two weeks.
5. Eat nothing that is not on the acceptable food list.
6. Adjust the quantity to suit your appetite.
7. Use a carb gram counter
8. Avoid drinks sweetened with aspartame. Instead, use sucralose or saccharin
9. Avoid caffiene as it lowers blood sugar=cravings
10. Drink at least 8glasses of water p/day
11. If you are constipated use 1tbsp psyllium husks in water.

Acceptable foods:
All fish, all fowl, all shellfish, all meat, all eggs

3-4 ounces daily of cheese

3-4 cups of salad vegies including:
alfalfa, bok choy, celery, chives, cucumber, fennel, lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, peppers, radishes.

Other vegies (can have 1cup p/day if salad does not exceed 2 cups)
artichoke, asparagus, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery root, chard, collard greens, eggplant, kale, leeks, onion, pumpkin, rhubarb, sauerkraut, snowpeas, squash, spinach, string beans, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini

There are other phases after this one which allow you to keep increasing the carb content, The induction phase is designed to get you into a state of ketosis.
Make sure you take a multi vitamin.

I'll write up the other phases later if you want them. Good luck! :)
 
I wouldnt recommend cutting out ALL carbs completely. Have you thought about maybe limiting yourself to only good carbs? Like brown rice instead of white, whole wheat bread and pasta, etc.
Also have you ever heard of the zone diet? It recommends a specific percentage of carbs, protien, and fats to help you stay in balance. SOunds like something like that might be good for you.
 
The zone diet is a decent ratio, 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat. I'm not sure what the other criteria of the diet are besides always taking in calories on that ratio at each meal. It would help to still be taking in good carbs/good fats while doing the 40/30/30 ratio.

Although it won't really hurt you to eat every meal as 40/30/30, the idea that you have to have your macronutrients in perfect balance at each meal is untrue. In fact, many weight loss experts suggest that each of your meals contain EITHER a protein/fat combo or a protein/carb combo. Supposedly this is so the insulin from the carbs doesn't cause the fat to be put into storage. You'd have to be insane to do this for every meal, but it's just some "food for thought."

Personally I would modify the zone ratio to 40/40/20 since that's the most commonly suggested weight loss ratio I've seen.
 
MynameisnotDeja said:
I wouldnt recommend cutting out ALL carbs completely. Have you thought about maybe limiting yourself to only good carbs? Like brown rice instead of white, whole wheat bread and pasta, etc.
Also have you ever heard of the zone diet? It recommends a specific percentage of carbs, protien, and fats to help you stay in balance. SOunds like something like that might be good for you.

ive already swapped my white rice for brown and white bread for brown etc etc. I would really like to cut down on the bad carbs. I havent eaten a lot of crap over the past week and ive already noticed a bit of size diffference. I also walk an hour a day do like 100 sit ups and walk at least 5ks at work pacing back and forth up the bar.

slm and hhc king: i know im not fat. im just not toned and as healthy as i would like to be and i DO eat a LOT of crap. Ive also noticed that since i havent drunk beer in over a week my bloatedness has disappeared as i believe beer is a big source of bad crabs?

my diet needs changing and this is the way i want to do it. I feel a lot better since cutting out some crap foods but i am noticing i am getting tierd more easyly. i havent started on multi vitamins yet as im not sure which ones to get.
 
*starfalls69* said:
i believe beer is a big source of bad crabs?


darling if you've got bad crabs I wouldn't be worried about the beer =D

j/k

Seriously - good on you. Everyone has got to do what feels right for them. Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you... <3
 
Dear Starfalls,
Stay the hell away from beer - it's like liquid bread. I cut it out (sad) but do look back nostalgically.
The tiredness will pass if you stay on a regimented plan for about two weeks. Blood sugar needs time to adjust.
I disagree with a few posters about "fad" diets. Whether they are implicating Atkins, South Beach, etc. they dismiss the real appeal of these plans which is immediate and concrete results. By following these regimens to a "T" results are almost certainly assured (providing no major medical impediment), versus a vague recommendation to avoid this or that kind of food over time, which is totally unregimented because, yes, we're human and weak. Without a framework, at least I tend to get lost.
Best of luck to everyone trying to shed a few kilos!
 
low carb absolutely works and did not raise my cholesterol it is hard to stick with it in the long run and as with any diet if you quit you will gain but it works and is safe,conversly if you follow the fda food pyrimid you will gain weight for sure.if you want something long term and healthy eat only whole foods (NOTHING PROCESSED)
 
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