Low Carb Diets Support Thread

I know people have the best intentions but working out calories, macro's etc just turns a low carb 'way of eating' (which is a lifetime thing-once target weight reached there is nothing at all to stop the occiaisional pizza, extra carbs like rice with a curry etc....as long as it is a trat not the rule-I've lost to date nigh on 4 stone watching my carbs...over a longish period. Had curry for lunch in Bradford-had 2 roti's=so what-not every day but only once target achieved) into another tedious 'diet' that is a pain to follow.

The only counting to be done on low carb is the initial 2 weeks to get the body to fat burning mode (an more imprtantly to get people used to what carbs are in what foods & ammounts by looking with they eyes-not weighing every bit of food).

As an example there is no mention of calorie counting in, for example the Atkins original book.

Just eat high fat/medium protein/low carb. Recipes online count carbs for you if you are a home chef (djfoodie is very good).

Why on earth is someone who is consuming 200 carbs a day posting on a low carb diet thread????!! I've contacted several nutritionists who specialise in low carb & they say there is no need to do that at all (I'm living proof).

Calorie/macro counting just makes an easy, enjoyable way of eating & losing weight a pain like other 'diets'-this is a way to eat not a diet as such!

Please please stop mentioning macro's/calories-it puts newbies off trying low carb. Simply get a good book on it-digest (no pun intended) it PROPERLY as to how it works/&/or join a free forum.:beer:

Ah...ok...my apologies. Can't have read your post properly & not aimed directly at you at all. I just get a bit jarred off with all this macro/calorie stuff in general as if you apply low carb to your way of eating-after the more restrictive 1st 2nd weeks (which is a GREAT help so you can get to know portions, etc & what is or is not low carb, approx carb counts etc) you will lose weight & find it's a great way to eat for life. If something is fiddly like working out exact calories etc its a recipe NOT to stick to it!

Pop_Up_Pirate wrote: »

Completely agree,
Calorie counting is NOT needed on a low carb diet. It just becomes unnecessary.
I eat 800 calorie steaks a lot, olive oil, butter, lard, coconut oil...all high in calories, but yet lose weight no problem.
The body works differently on a low carb (ketogenic) diet which is why someone can still eat large numbers of calories but still lose weight.

Came across this ARTICLE which you might find interesting

kah22 wrote: »

Came across this ARTICLE which you might find interesting

Very interesting, thanks. I've seen similar empirical reports saying the same sort of thing.

What some people seem to forget is that it takes a lot more calories to burn fat than it does to burn carbs.
Eat a diet with 1000 calories of carbs and the body will retain a lot of that as fat because its too much for the body to handle.
Eat a diet with 1000 calories of quality fats. and the body burns it up because that's its main source of fuel.

Added to which, people on a LCHF diet tend to eat a better diet overall without any of the processed nasties in it, giving the body the needed vits and mins to make it work as it should.

Humans are not designed to eat the type of carbs that supermarkets offer us these days.

Pop_Up_Pirate wrote: »

Very interesting, thanks. I've seen similar empirical reports saying the same sort of thing.

What some people seem to forget is that it takes a lot more calories to burn fat than it does to burn carbs.
Eat a diet with 1000 calories of carbs and the body will retain a lot of that as fat because its too much for the body to handle.
Eat a diet with 1000 calories of quality fats. and the body burns it up because that's its main source of fuel.

Added to which, people on a LCHF diet tend to eat a better diet overall without any of the processed nasties in it, giving the body the needed vits and mins to make it work as it should.

Humans are not designed to eat the type of carbs that supermarkets offer us these days.

I have yet to find any research that backs up what that article says. You can't violate the first law of thermodynamics, so it seems there are some factors we haven't taken into account. This subject may just not gain weight easily we simply don't know without a large group.

The thermic effect from carbs and fats is quite similar but I won't disagree on the processed food. This is defo a major problem and you are right that most of the food we try and buy is simply awful for us. But the reality is there is really nothing wrong with eating rice, potato, sweet potato etc. Natural carbohydrates are not 'fattening' because they are carbohydrates. I will never debate that low carb works just that I find it unnecessarily restrictive for people.