Anyone here have a low carb success story

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: gscone

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I started a low carb diet this past Saturday and a month before that I started lifting weights again (cardio too). So I'm hoping the combination of weght training, almost daily cardio and low carb eating will really help me cut the fat and build up muscle. I read that it takes about 48 hours to get into ketosis, but when I checked this morning I was disappointed to find out I had'nt reached that state yet.


So for you people who are on or who have tried a low carb diet what were the results?

Were you working out during the course of the diet? (weightlifting, cardio, both, etc..)

What did you eat? I'm currently doing lots of green veggies (spinach, brocoli, celery, greens, etc..) and different types of meat (ground beef, chicken breast, wings, turkey burgers, etc..). I'm also drinking tons of water so I really hope a few weeks of this will result in weight loss very shortly.

First off, good luck with your diet. I started a low carb diet a few years ago and was extremely successful. In about 7-9 weeks, I dropped 24 lbs, but gained 10 lbs of solid muscle, while my BMI was around 13%. My meals would consist of a variety of items ranging from poultry to alot of fresh fish and a variety of salad. Make use of a bbq grill if you have one. While on the low carb diet, workout religiously and you'll be set. What are your goals?

I'll contribute more to this thread later as I just got into work..

My goals are to drop weight (about 40-50) and build a little more muscle.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
I'm an avid low-carber

I've lost a lot of weight, but more importantly, gained muscle mass.

some helpful places
http://forum.lowcarber.org/
http://www.mercola.com/

If you bake or anything like that, I highly reccomend replacing sugar with Xylitol.
http://starbuilders.org/health/xylitol.html
http://www.emeraldforestxylitol.com

If you like pasta check out Dreamfields. Lasagna is actually a low-carb staple for me.

Those are great links, thanks. I'm bookmarking a few for future reference.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: aircooled
alot of people will probably flame you for doing it, but I have found it very successful. dropped 20 pounds and I no longer eat sugar. I don't follow and particular 'diet' I just stopped eating white carbs and sugar.

How long did it take you to lose the 20?

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: edro13
Low carb is good, as long as you go low fat as well... Since there is low carb and low fat, the only thing left is Protein! The ultimate diet breakdown is usually referred to as 40-40-20, meaning that 40% of your calories come from Carbs, 40% from Protein and 20% from Fat. There are 4 calories per Gram of Carbohydrate, 4 calories per Protein Gram and a whopping 9-10 calories per Gram of Fat.

Also, make sure you eat 5-6 meals a day, averaging ~400 calories a piece.

I need to work in doing the 5-6 small meals, its kinda hard for me though. I usually get tied up in a project and forget to eat one of those meals. I think I may bring celery sticks in to work and munch on those in between breakfast and lunch.

 

[gscone]

I'd check out http://www.bodybuilding.com to learn more about cardio programs suited for your specific goals.

 

[StageLeft]

probably equated to around a 2300 calorie a day deficit after his metabolism slowed

I bet it was closer to a thousand. People can live years on little sustenance, but AFAIK he had some vitamin/nutrient crap in his water, so it was a sham anyway (like most of this "feats").

I need to work in doing the 5-6 small meals, its kinda hard for me though. I usually get tied up in a project and forget to eat one of those meals. I think I may bring celery sticks in to work and munch on those in between breakfast and lunch.

Those have no energy...take along a small lunch bag with an ice pack and you can put any number of things into them!

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Not really wanting to beat this horse any more into the ground I'll say not to bother. Low carb is a big fad that the majority of people have no business dealing with. It is a valid method of weight loss, at least short term, and one that's been used by bodybuilders for years. Done properly it requires significant inner strength--more than the average, diet-unconscious person has. IMO If you lack the conviction and will to do it with a more conventional low calorie approach, low carb won't be any better for you. The stats bear this out, too.

Weights + cardio + eating smaller & frequent meals = weight loss. I know this because I've done it, and so have a million other people. It's so freaking straight forward.

Exactly what Skoorb said.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Not really wanting to beat this horse any more into the ground I'll say not to bother. Low carb is a big fad that the majority of people have no business dealing with. It is a valid method of weight loss, at least short term, and one that's been used by bodybuilders for years. Done properly it requires significant inner strength--more than the average, diet-unconscious person has. IMO If you lack the conviction and will to do it with a more conventional low calorie approach, low carb won't be any better for you. The stats bear this out, too.

Weights + cardio + eating smaller & frequent meals = weight loss. I know this because I've done it, and so have a million other people. It's so freaking straight forward.

I don't think its a bad thing if done correctly, it seems that many people undertake it without reading up on its pros and cons. And some people seem to think that low carb means an open season on burgers and bacon. Being a diabetic I'm much better off with a diet low in carbs and sugars so to be honest I really should have went down this path a long time ago.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: gscone

It worked for me, so I could care less about your lame comments. If you are unable to contribute wisely to the OP on this thread, get out of here. I can understand now why your thread count is outrageously high.

I've been lifting for years and your claims are unbelievable. If you were juicing heavily, then maybe it's possible. All natural? No way.

Losing 20+ lbs of fat and gaining 10 lbs of muscle simultaneously in 7-9 weeks is damn near impossible, even while heavily juicing.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: gscone

It worked for me, so I could care less about your lame comments. If you are unable to contribute wisely to the OP on this thread, get out of here. I can understand now why your thread count is outrageously high.

I've been lifting for years and your claims are unbelievable. If you were juicing heavily, then maybe it's possible. All natural? No way.

Losing 20+ lbs of fat and gaining 10 lbs of muscle simultaneously in 7-9 weeks is damn near impossible, even while heavily juicing.

Would'nt it depend more on the persons starting point? For example (I don't no where Gscone started at) but if GScone was a very large/obese man he would likely lose lots of weight (fat) without much problem. However I can't comment on the muscle part, I would imagine a person who's never worked out much before in the past would see huge improvements/gains in the beginning.

 

[43st]

Originally posted by: aircooled
alot of people will probably flame you for doing it, but I have found it very successful. dropped 20 pounds and I no longer eat sugar. I don't follow and particular 'diet' I just stopped eating white carbs and sugar.

Same here, no refined sugar or grains. I don't care about how many carbs I get... as long as the top two aren't in them. I'm following the No S Diet currently.

I also eat a 100% vegetarian diet, if that even matters. I've managed to be 40 lbs. over my target weight with that vegetarian diet so that's why I think it doesn't matter.

 

[StageLeft]

I don't think its a bad thing if done correctly, it seems that many people undertake it without reading up on its pros and cons. And some people seem to think that low carb means an open season on burgers and bacon. Being a diabetic I'm much better off with a diet low in carbs and sugars so to be honest I really should have went down this path a long time ago.

Goodluck with it. Give it a try, and when you find the approach unreasonable, as most people do, maybe you'll give a more serious look to the conventional methods.

I've spent plenty of time on bodybuilding boards and let me tell you I can't honestly recount reading a single diet by somebody who's got a great body and who actually follows the low-carb lifestyle. I'm sure they're out there, but they're a scant minority--and these are people with who've put a lot of time, energy and know-how into their diets.

 

[trmiv]

My wife and I started a low carb diet awhile back. Although it worked very well (I lost 8 pounds in a week), I quickly discovered the diet was a bad long-term solution for me. I knew from reading the books that the diet was not something I was going to be on for a few months, it was a complete diet change for life. After two weeks I was tired of the food. There is only so much you can do with chicken and steak. After two weeks I would have killed a man for a piece of freaking bread.

My wife and I have decided to just go back to eating what we did before, but cut out most sweats, reduce portions, and work out more.

 

[Spamela]

Originally posted by: Arkitech
I started a low carb diet this past Saturday and a month before that I started lifting weights again (cardio too). So I'm hoping the combination of weght training, almost daily cardio and low carb eating will really help me cut the fat and build up muscle. I read that it takes about 48 hours to get into ketosis, but when I checked this morning I was disappointed to find out I had'nt reached that state yet.


So for you people who are on or who have tried a low carb diet what were the results?

Were you working out during the course of the diet? (weightlifting, cardio, both, etc..)

What did you eat? I'm currently doing lots of green veggies (spinach, brocoli, celery, greens, etc..) and different types of meat (ground beef, chicken breast, wings, turkey burgers, etc..). I'm also drinking tons of water so I really hope a few weeks of this will result in weight loss very shortly.

low carb + running worked for my son-in-law, who lost about 25 lbs. &
has kept it off for 18 months. he still runs, but isn't strict about carbs.

a friend of mine used weightlifting + low carb to lose about 45 lbs.,
but he couldn't stick with either & gained it all back within a few months.

 

[Geekbabe]

I find that totally restricting carbs makes me feel ill. What's worked for me is to just make sure that I eat high quality complex carbs and to consume the bulk of them earlier in the day when I'm going to require they energy they produce.

Bulky,multi grain bread good, potato, good...just stay away from anything white or refined.