Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Does low carbing work?

92 replies

Honeyporridge · 17/10/2014 13:26

I have about a stone of baby weight to lose to get to my pre pregnancy weight and also would like to lose half a stone on top of that. Lost weight successfully on Cambridge before but obviously not suitable now.

Does reducing your carbs really work? Can't face counting calories or points or syns ... Hmm

OP posts:
iwishiwasacat · 17/10/2014 13:29

I think it depends on the person. For me it did. I did keto and dropped weight so fast and managed to keep it off.

Original poster
Honeyporridge · 17/10/2014 13:33

Keto?

OP posts:
iwishiwasacat · 17/10/2014 13:38

Ketogenic diet.

specialsubject · 17/10/2014 13:39

clearly the Cambridge diet wasn't successful as you put on non-baby weight. (assuming you are realistic in your ambition).

wrecking good health with stupid faddy diets is an insult to the privilege of good health.

eat a bit less of good healthy food, move a bit more. It took nine months to put on the pregnancy weight, expect it to take that long to lose it.

avocadotoast · 17/10/2014 13:42

I've never done it myself but I have friends who have. It seems like you can lose weight quickly but not necessarily keep it off.

I don't want to sound harsh but why don't you just eat wholesome healthy foods, reduce portion sizes etc? It might involve calorie counting to an extent but it'll lead to a more long-term, sustainable loss. I've lost weight on WW before but I'd never do it again, I really didn't learn anything from it.

AnathemaIsANiceNameForAGirl · 17/10/2014 13:42

It definitely works for me. I just am not that good at sticking to it!

But yes, when I do it (I cut out bread and pasta entirely but still have small amounts of chocolate and sugar in my coffee, I can't bear to give those up) the extra pounds drop off me.

I seem to have a max weight (about 10st) that my body wants to get back to Hmm. When I eat carbs it goes there and stays there. Not eating them / reducing them gets me to about 9st 4lb very easily.

angelos02 · 17/10/2014 13:44

Yes. I cut out bread, rice and pasta and lost about a stone in 6 weeks. I don't miss them at all now.

Tinkerball · 17/10/2014 13:45

Why would you cut down on an essential that the body needs for energy though? Losing weight isn't rocket science, I know what I need to do to lose weight eg eat less calories than my body uses up and increase my exercise. That's it! Hard mind you or I would be think!

stubbornstains · 17/10/2014 13:46

It does. But...the problem is that you get in the habit of eating lots of high-fat things- cheese, olive oil, cream, etc.etc. Which is fine, and you feel amazing to be able to be eating this stuff and still losing weight - as long as you don't touch anything with carbs in. However, what happened to me (and I suspect lots of other people) is that you lose the weight, start eating more "normally" and reintroduce carbs.....without cutting back on all the high fat stuff. Which is as good a formula for putting the weight back on as any I know!

angelos02 · 17/10/2014 13:47

I think no-carbing is unhealthy but not eating stodge like bread can only be a good thing.

Original poster
Honeyporridge · 17/10/2014 13:47

Special, I lost the first round of weight in 2004 on Cambridge. I kept it off for 10 years before having a baby! There's no need for that level of rudeness, many women gain a bit of weight after having a baby!

Plus I was a real porker at university and weighed 15 stone, of which I lost 5 and a half. I now weigh 11 so more than I'd like but nowhere near as big as I was!

Thank you for useful Wink input!

OP posts:
iwishiwasacat · 17/10/2014 13:49

You can get an adequate amount of carbs from sources other than bread/pasta. For example, even when I am in ketosis I can still consume up to 50g of carbs a day through things such as fruits and veg and even yoghurt.

stubbornstains · 17/10/2014 13:50

That's the whole thing about low carbing though tinkerball - carbs aren't essential and the body doesn't need them for energy. If you don't eat any carbs at all, your body will use the fat from food for energy. When that's used up, it will start using your own fat reserves. Hence the dramatic weight loss.

redexpat · 17/10/2014 13:51

DH started mid august. He eore his suit yeasterday for the first time since early august and said there was more space in it. Smile Also allow for the fact that je put on 6 kgs in the first week becaise he was pigging out on cheese.

Original poster
Honeyporridge · 17/10/2014 13:52

I'm not a massive fan of cheese. I like cream cheese as a dip and babybel melted over mushrooms though.

OP posts:
bananaleaf · 17/10/2014 13:54

Yes it worked for me to lose last stone of baby weight. Have fallen off wagon now and a bit disappointed in myself as I wanted to lose another half a stone, i.e. the half a stone I wanted to lose before having the baby! Been on a bit of a bread binge lately.

silverstreak · 17/10/2014 13:55

Yes it does, but as a pp ^^ said it's better (IMO, obvs) if you tweak it a bit from the traditional "Atkins" no carb at all approach - which is kind of unhealthy, tbf - to just cutting out complex starchy carbs, ie no bread, potato, other high sugar starchy veg (eg sweet pots, parsnip, peas, etc), pasta, and so on (I.e the 'filler' foods), whilst just being minimalist with simpler carbs like fruit, milk, etc. Works for me really well, bit this is probably cos I just east like this anyway! Failing that, the old mantra Everything in Moderation can be your fall back... :)

ResponsibleAdult · 17/10/2014 13:56

Special wasn't being rude, perhaps a little direct.

I am doing no carbs to shift that stubborn half stone muffin top. I eat very healthily already, upped my water intake, cut out all carbs replaced for shiritake noodles and cauliflower rice. Allow carbs one day only, (roast potatoes or lasagne) and easily lost half a stone.

I didn't increase my exercise as do 4x a week anyway, and didn't cut out Wine.

But bloody hell. Breakfast is a struggle, how many eggs or yoghurt can one person eat?? I sometimes cheat with porridge and skimmed milk.

Good luck, you can do it and will feel better for it.

avocadotoast · 17/10/2014 13:57

stubbornstains, I think it's dangerous to say that the body doesn't need carbs at all. If you're losing weight at more than 1-2lbs a week (which is what I'd take "dramatic" to mean) it's not healthy, it's too quick.

Obviously people can follow whatever eating pattern they like, but I think it's incredibly important to do your research before cutting out a whole macronutrient.

trulybadlydeeply · 17/10/2014 13:58

Two years ago, I lost 2.5 stone on the Dukan diet. It is fairly brutal, but it worked. I went back to eating normally after I lost the weight, and it has stayed off.

I do think different ways of eating suit different people though. Low carbing suits me, but I know others for whom it hasn't worked.

Original poster
Honeyporridge · 17/10/2014 14:00

It was extremely rude as well as COMPLETELY inaccurate! Hmm

(By the way I have long since thought 'eat less and move more' is wrong. Eating less won't do much good if you're still eating rubbish. And it isn't always possible for someone to exercise.)

However, I digress.

Personally I LOVE eggs and yoghurt. I don't know if I'll bother with breakfast though as I don't now. I think I'd prefer to have an omelette or similar for lunch?

OP posts:
MinnesotaNice · 17/10/2014 14:06

It worked for me too! Unlike after DS1, the weight after the birth of DS2 didn't seem to just go with breastfeeding. A few months after the birth, I did low carb and managed to lose 30 lbs in 2 months getting me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. It's been 4 years and I didn't gain any back until I became pregnant again a few months ago.

Just exercising doesn't seem to work for me as I am already at the gym 5 days a week most weeks. Low carbing just seems to melt the extra weight away.

HumphreyCobbler · 17/10/2014 14:10

LOW carb, not no carb!

If you are low carbing properly you eat a lot of veg. You are not cutting out a necessary food group at all.

extremepie · 17/10/2014 14:10

Stubbornstains, it is exactly the opposite! The body absolutely does need carbs they are one of the most important food groups,

Yes, you can lose weight by cutting down on carbs because when the body has run out of stored glucose it will start burning fat for energy. However, it is more difficult to do so and your brain cannot use stored fat for energy, only sugar.

Since your brain is quite important, I would say cut down if you want but don't eliminate it totally. Sugar is not evil, we need it to function, we just eat too much of it these days :)

PetulaGordino · 17/10/2014 14:15

sufficient glucose for the brain can be created by the body using protein in the diet

but anyone who is eating low carb healthily will be eating plenty of veg and there is a decent amount of carbs in it

i tend to eat low carb all the time as it suits my body best, i don't imagine for a moment it's the same for everyone

if it works for you OP, that's great, but just make sure you read up on it properly so you are getting all the nutrients and variety you need

Swipe left for the next trending thread