Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-16-2012, 07:11 PM   #1  
Lifestyle Changes
Thread Starter
 
thewalrus0's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 584

S/C/G: 295/sig/175

Height: 5'9

Default Where to start?

Hi everyone! I'm a long time calorie counter and it's been the thing that's worked best for me, but I notice each time I start watching my intake that I eat a lot of carbs.

I love carbs. I have carbs at almost every meal. And I mean like grains or bread. I often have two eggs and some whole grain cereal for breakfast, probably 20gs of carbs from that.

I will often eat a sandwich for lunch. 20-40ish grams from that.

And at dinner I usually go all out. I'll have quinoa, brown rice noodles, something with tortillas or bread.

I just find my meals aren't satisfying without these carbs. I try to have a salad or vegetable with my meals, and snack on fruits and nuts. I drink almond milk.

I think my diet is generally healthy, but it seems I love carbs too much!

I obviously eat other things, cheese sometimes, eggs, chicken, veggies, nuts, fruits, beans...etc.

So, I might like to try low-carb for a while and see what happens. It could be good or bad, but I'll see.


Where is a good place to start? Or places, I know there's a lot of info out there. To be honest I don't think I'd like to try Atkins, but maybe that's just me being prejudiced since I've read so many things about the Atkins diet that I disagree with.
thewalrus0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2012, 10:49 AM   #2  
Senior Member
 
wendyland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 512

Default

I was first introduced to lower carb by marksdailyapple.com. He has a couple books that step you into the diet. The emphasis is on high quality foods and staying under 100 carbs a day for losing weight. I feel that my hunger is at bay when I stick to about 75 carbs a day. I track it on myfitnesspal.

Another great site is whole9life. They have a program called the whole30, where you stick to certain foods for 30 days. It gives your body a chance to heal and reduce inflammation. I've done it a couple times and feel amazing afterwards.

What derails me is not planning ahead. Inevitably, I end up being in a hurry or too hungry to make good choices.
wendyland is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2012, 04:06 PM   #3  
Senior Member
 
Steve Troutman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Philadelphia suburbs
Posts: 103

Default

Help me understand why you think your carb intake is a bad thing? If you're successfully controlling/losing weight with your current diet structure, which you seem to imply at the beginning of your post, what's the issue?

Not that weight loss is the barometer of all things health.

I'm just a bit confused and I'm hoping you're not jumping on the low carb bandwagon just because it's what 'all the cool kids are doing nowadays.' Make no mistake, some people are better suited for a low carb diet. On the flip side though, and this is what very few people talk about nowadays, some folks are better suited for a higher carb diet.

It's tough to be objective in this world of flashy marketing and zealotry... so I just want to be sure you're making decisions that are based on logic rather than emotion.

That said, I'm all about experimentation, and if that's solely what this is about... I'm all for it.
Steve Troutman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2012, 09:51 PM   #4  
Junior Member
 
lizzle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Bay area, Ca
Posts: 3

S/C/G: 167/157/145

Default

Have to agree with Wendyland. Check out Marks Daily Apple (and there are some excellent forums on that site as well). You can have carbs on the plan, though you will still have to skip the bread, pasta and potatoes. But you can have sweet potatoes! I think 20 net carbs a day (Atkins induction) is tough to follow, but mark recommends 50-80 for weight loss. And if that's too much of a carb cut for you, you could consider cutting carbs out for 2 out of three meals?

It's a place to start.

Mark's site has a lot of research to back up the low carb/primal lifestyle. But check out Gary Taubes Why We Get Fat (he also has some free articles on the nytimes website).
lizzle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 11:11 AM   #5  
Senior Member
 
Steve Troutman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Philadelphia suburbs
Posts: 103

Default

I've heard good things about marksdailyplate. So if you find that low carb is something that might fit your lifestyle/body... then it's likely a good resource. As for Taubes and my own 2 cents... I'd try to avoid alarmist journalists and cherrypicked research as best possible.
Steve Troutman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2012, 04:26 AM   #6  
Lifestyle Changes
Thread Starter
 
thewalrus0's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 584

S/C/G: 295/sig/175

Height: 5'9

Default

Sorry this is late but my reasoning was that I have trouble with compulsive overeating and binging. I had heard low carb can help cravings.

Trust me, I am not a bandwagon-jumper. I heard about low carb quite a few years ago, so I think there has been enough time passed to tell if it's been a simple fad. Many people seem to have done well. When I wrote this post originally I had been doing well with counting calories. It works, when I can overcome the horribly strong cravings and urges to eat when not hungry.

I am looking for something safe and do-able that might help me. So, I hope that reasoning suits you.
thewalrus0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2012, 02:41 PM   #7  
Losing the baby weight
 
StephanieM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Prince George, British Columbia
Posts: 1,696

S/C/G: 224/183/140

Height: 5"4

Default

Low carb has helped me with cravings, and I do feel a lot more energetic when doing low carb. I'm a former binger as well, but I don't seem to have the problem when I'm on a low carb diet. I'm also crazy when I get hungry, I get tempermental and go nuts about needing to eat, but on a low carb diet I can handle the hunger and wait until I can get something to eat.

I do Atkins personally, I find it easy to follow and I like the plans structure with allowing back in certain foods as you lose. Marks Daily Apple is a great site as well.
StephanieM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2012, 11:18 AM   #8  
Senior Member
 
wendyland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 512

Default

Eating lower carb is the only thing that controls my cravings and hunger. I feel ravenous on a low fat calorie counting diet. I prefer the paleo way of eating because of the simplicity and its natural. no diet cokes and splenda. I make vegetables the bulk of my diet. Protein for breakfast, big salad plus protein for lunch, protein plus a cooked vegetable or two for dinner. I usually have applesauce or a piece of fruit in the evening. I stick to 50 to 75 total carbs. The closer I get to 100 carbs a day, the more cravings I get. I try to keep it really simple during the week and try harder recipes during the week. The books I recommend are "it starts with food" or anything by mark Sisson or Robb wolf. There are also some great cookbooks out there.
wendyland is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Related Topics
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Don't know where to start... 2ndChance09 Overeaters Anonymous 75 02-05-2009 12:16 PM
Where to start shyheart01 Introductions 32 03-14-2006 07:58 AM
80lbs to lose and don't know where to start. sociallyanxious Weight and Resistance Training 11 09-24-2005 11:41 PM
HELP! Not sure where to start! Happy Housewife General Diet Plans and Questions 11 05-26-2005 10:22 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:40 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.