Started Low-Carb Diet Today!

[Jadow]

Well, my battle with weight gain has been losing lately, so I thought I'd change it up and try low carb. I've dabbled with it before years ago, but never too seriously. I'm currently 217lbs and would like to get to 180-190 or so. Want to get my BMI under 25 so I'm not "overweight" heh.

Anyways, had a family brunch today (over 120 members of my extended family!) and had prime rib, an omelete, and several pieces of bacon for brunch. I skipped the cake, french toast, and all the carb stuff. That combined with about 8 cups of coffee, unsolicited bloody mary that my dad bought me, 2 red bulls, and a diet AMP energy drink (I drink a lot of energy drinks), and I'm feeling a little queezy right now, not too bad, just a little bit, and for some reason, very tired and relaxed.

Anyone here on low carb, how hard is it the first couple days, I'm only on day 1, but it doesn't seem hard at all right now.

If you are on low carb, what are your experiences being on that and drinking alcohol? I have about 12 drinks a week, enjoy that and want to keep doing it, but could cut back if it messes up the diet.

 

[KillerCharlie]

The "low carb diet" is a pile of crap. Do you really think eating such heavy amounts of meats and saturated fats will be good for you?

I can't believe how people are always searching for some magical diet.

Believe it or not, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is the best thing you can do for yourself. I went from 210 to 175 in 4 months by switching to a NORMAL diet. I ate everything, in moderation, but probably actually increased my carbs. Exercising helps too...

 

[Special K]

Is there any particular reason you chose low-carb instead of any other diet? At the end of the day, fat loss/gain is determined by calories in vs. calories out. If you are eating more calories than you burn, then you will gain fat, regardless of whether the calories come from carbs, protein, fat, or alcohol. Likewise, losing fat comes down to burning slightly more calories than you consume over an extended period of time. It's not going to do you any good to eat low carbs but to then just turn around and replace the carbs you would have eaten with other stuff.

Do you know how many calories you are consuming each day? That could go a long way toward helping you reach your goal. One easy way to track this is to use fitday

 

[Jadow]

THe reason is, I jsut can't control my urges and desire to snack and binge. Carbs amplify those cravings, so by cutting out the carbs, I can control myself better.

 

[KillerCharlie]

You need self-control, not a diet. I can't help you there... I'm horrible at keeping myself under control when it comes to food. Luckily after I lost all that weight 3 years ago my metabolism is insane. It helps that I work out a ton too.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Jadow
THe reason is, I jsut can't control my urges and desire to snack and binge. Carbs amplify those cravings, so by cutting out the carbs, I can control myself better.

That still doesn't change the fact that fat gain/loss ultimately comes down to calories in vs. calories out. You could eat 0 carbs per day and still gain fat. Tracking what you eat each day is the only way to know for sure.

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: Jadow
Well, my battle with weight gain has been losing lately, so I thought I'd change it up and try low carb. I've dabbled with it before years ago, but never too seriously. I'm currently 217lbs and would like to get to 180-190 or so. Want to get my BMI under 25 so I'm not "overweight" heh.

Anyways, had a family brunch today (over 120 members of my extended family!) and had prime rib, an omelete, and several pieces of bacon for brunch. I skipped the cake, french toast, and all the carb stuff. That combined with about 8 cups of coffee, unsolicited bloody mary that my dad bought me, 2 red bulls, and a diet AMP energy drink (I drink a lot of energy drinks), and I'm feeling a little queezy right now, not too bad, just a little bit, and for some reason, very tired and relaxed.

Anyone here on low carb, how hard is it the first couple days, I'm only on day 1, but it doesn't seem hard at all right now.

If you are on low carb, what are your experiences being on that and drinking alcohol? I have about 12 drinks a week, enjoy that and want to keep doing it, but could cut back if it messes up the diet.

Prime rib, omelete, and bacon!? This diet = fail.

 

[Jadow]

you're right, it is all about net calories in the end, but you know what. While I didn't exactly eat a balanced meal, I'm not hungry, have no cravings, and probably am done eating for the day. (might drink a bourbon on the rocks later).

At my weight, it takes 3200 calories to maintain, and I will definitely be under that today.

 

[rhelaine]

try first personnal diet...my wife is on it and she is doing well.
You need a lot of self discipline but it is worth it

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Don't listen to the haters - ignore them

The first week is imperative that you keep your body to below 20 grams of carbs a day. Thats tough to do as meat & veggies contain some carbs.

I would reckon that bloody mary you had bounced you over the 20.

Step 1 is buying or researching an Atkins book and understanding what the diet does to your body.

Atkins dieters have been shown and proven to be a diet more people can live with than any other. People who stick to it tend to lose more weight and keep it off longer. Also, long term studies show cholesterol levels to be low and in the healthy range for Atkins dieters.

My two biggest tips:
Buy low-carb nutrition bars and have a good supply on hand at all times
Try and stick to leaner meats, you will lose weight faster

Biggest gripe:
Atkins is damn expensive - sugar, rice, flour, and potatoes are incredibly cheap and filling. Meat, cheese, and veggies is expensive!

 

[rocadelpunk]

cut out all those energy drinks and coffee


start drinking water water water.

 

[rezinn]

Just from reading your post I realize what your problem is. Just as the poster above me said.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: rocadelpunk
cut out all those energy drinks and coffee


start drinking water water water.

yea, there is about 40g of sugar in each can of Red Bull so I'm thinking that's why he isn't craving

Most energy drinks are loaded with sugar. Read the nutritional info on anything before you buy it.

OP:

Give up the booze for a while, moderate your diet to exclude heavily refined products (sugar/flour etc) opting for whole grains instead, eat a lot more veggies, cut some of that caffeine, and and get your butt onto a treadmill.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Jadow
you're right, it is all about net calories in the end, but you know what. While I didn't exactly eat a balanced meal, I'm not hungry, have no cravings, and probably am done eating for the day. (might drink a bourbon on the rocks later).

At my weight, it takes 3200 calories to maintain, and I will definitely be under that today.

Have you actually measured this by eating that number of calories for a long period of time and tracking your weight?

Those calculators and tables can provide a starting point, but can be way off for some people.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: Jadow
THe reason is, I jsut can't control my urges and desire to snack and binge. Carbs amplify those cravings, so by cutting out the carbs, I can control myself better.

That still doesn't change the fact that fat gain/loss ultimately comes down to calories in vs. calories out. You could eat 0 carbs per day and still gain fat. Tracking what you eat each day is the only way to know for sure.

The confusing part is that not all the calories that you eat are absorbed by your body. Some foods pass through more than others.

 

[TheCanuck]

Probably better to go the route of Calories IN - Calories OUT:

1) Figure out how many calories your body normally burns in a day:

Calorie Calculator
Probably around 2000 for your basal metabolic rate.

2) Eat about 500 calories less than that for a safe weight reduction. Probably best to do this for only 5 days a week to prevent your body going into starvation mode. The other two days just eat a little more than your BMR (say 200 more calories).

3) Use something like fitday to keep track of your calories:

Fitday

 

[theeedude]

It's a bad idea. I mean you should cut down on the carbs somewhat, but you should cut down on the bad fats too.
I tried Atkins, and it sucks. The stuff it does to your digestive system is just nasty. Long term it's unsustainable.
If I were you I'd stay away from refined carbs like sugars and flours and stick with whole grains and lean meats.
Lots of vegetables, cut down on sweet fruits and juices.
And exercise more, it's definitely the way to go, just watch what you eat and exercise. There is no magic bullet, and if there was, I wouldn't want it. It's all about the sense of accomplishment of doing it with will power alone.

 

[Jschmuck2]

Originally posted by: Jadow
you're right, it is all about net calories in the end, but you know what. While I didn't exactly eat a balanced meal, I'm not hungry, have no cravings, and probably am done eating for the day. (might drink a bourbon on the rocks later).

At my weight, it takes 3200 calories to maintain, and I will definitely be under that today.

Maintain what? Fatness? Those fad diets do NOT work. Ever. Sure you may lose a couple of pounds in the beginning. But when your impulses kick back in, you'll gain it all back in a week. Get out there, get some exercise and eat better. That's the best diet you can subscribe to.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: Jadow
THe reason is, I jsut can't control my urges and desire to snack and binge. Carbs amplify those cravings, so by cutting out the carbs, I can control myself better.

That still doesn't change the fact that fat gain/loss ultimately comes down to calories in vs. calories out. You could eat 0 carbs per day and still gain fat. Tracking what you eat each day is the only way to know for sure.

The confusing part is that not all the calories that you eat are absorbed by your body. Some foods pass through more than others.

Maybe, but if you consistently eat below your BMR for a long enough period of time, you will lose fat, barring any medical issues.

 

[theeedude]

I went from 290 lbs to 200 lbs, size 40+ jeans to size 30 now. I tried a variety of diets, but the sustainable ones have been when I exercised and watched what I ate, while on Atkins I lost weight but couldn't stick with it due to side effects and got it all back. I lost 45lbs the first time buy just biking to work and going to the gym a few years back. Then I sort of went up and down for a while on different diets, and recently I went to basics and did the whole biking to work and exercising and lost almost another 45 lbs. Plus now I feel like a million bucks, and I can run 10 miles like it's nothing. It's all about the achievement, it's very rewarding to know you are that strong of will and it encourages you to do more of it.

 

[Kelemvor]

The main thing I've been told about the Atkins type diet is that you READ the material and FOLLOW it properly. There's a lot more to it than just not eating carbs. That's why a lot of people fail is they have no idea how it is really supposed to work.

 

[Jadow]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: rocadelpunk
cut out all those energy drinks and coffee


start drinking water water water.

yea, there is about 40g of sugar in each can of Red Bull so I'm thinking that's why he isn't craving

Most energy drinks are loaded with sugar. Read the nutritional info on anything before you buy it.

OP:

Give up the booze for a while, moderate your diet to exclude heavily refined products (sugar/flour etc) opting for whole grains instead, eat a lot more veggies, cut some of that caffeine, and and get your butt onto a treadmill.

They're all sugar free energy drinks. I am not having another drop of alcohol this week after I finish my bourbon tonight. I am going to eat more veggies and start hitting the excercise bike 20 min per day starting tonight.

 

[0roo0roo]

do you work out?
you should really try sticking to that first.

 

[gnumantsc]

For those who say low carb is full of crap must've stepped into the pile of crap when they answered. Low-carb is healthier although Jadow, those energy drinks are high on carbs and drinking those 8 cups of coffee is not good for you.

Atkins diet is the best one out there, cut out the crappy starches and feel better and healthier. I lost 100 pounds when I cut the carbs, but sadly I went back to my old habits. Why do you think fat people are fat when they eat all that low-fat garbage that people believe in and they just put on weight.

I have an insulin issue and I only started losing weight when I cut the carbs. Carbs in != carbs out because if that were true then no one would be inactive for a split second. It is how your body runs and if carbs make it run like crap you cut the carbs.

Keep it up and remember it's a lifestyle change that is the issue people forget. You tried this diet and it doesn't work, have you stopped doing this diet? Yep... No wonder why you failed.

Just remember bread, rice and potatoes are the enemy!

 

[Squisher]

Sounds, like you have it figured out.

Keep the greenery though, complex carbs are good for you.

The problem with alcohol is twofold. First, it's a simple carb and will spike blood sugar levels which then will cause the famished feeling on the downside. Next, it'll lower your will power to maintain your diet.

You can do it, but alcohol will make it harder.