To be fed up with ppl trying to convince me Atkins/keto only way

[rainawf]

I tried it and when younger did work but now tried it again recently and I can’t stand it. I’m going back to old fashioned calorie counting next week and everyone keeps saying how bad it is and only keto/low carb is sure way to lose weight. What are your thoughts?

If I do low carb I end up feeling completely depressed.

I’ve lost 31lbssince June. Calorie counting. Carbs are part of my first as are all food groups. Have a look on Facebook instagram at Sean Casey, James Smith and Ben Carpenter - Non bullshit advice.

Just in case anyone is considering low carbing - the next low carb Bootcamp will be starting on 11 September (and will run for 8 weeks).

If you're interested, the sign-up thread is here

Is it to do with how much weight you have to lose? Not being rude, but the extreme diets - keto etc - always seem recommended by people who have so much excess weight that their health is really suffering. Maybe when your health is so out of whack more moderate diets don't work anymore?

Calories in calories out is the only thing that works for me. Any diet that's been successful has just been a novel way of achieving a calorie deficit. When ive cut carbs it just takes out a lot of the foods I'd over eat on so works from that angle.
I lost two stone in 2020 and have kept all but 7lb off (deliberately gained as I was a little too thin) by changing my diet to vegan whole foods. There's nothing magical about what these foods are doing in my body for weight loss. The restrictive nature simply makes it harder to consume excess calories. No opportunist treats. If I want a cake or ice cream I have to go to some effort to find one for example.
I eat all the carbs, no meat and minimal fat and I'm maintaining my weight at post menopause at 8' 10" at 5' 4". If I go above 1700 calories or reduce my walks I gain.

If it's an unsustainable way of eating for you, it's unsustainable.

I think most if not all of the studies say it's excellent for initial rapid weight loss but not so much long-term so you do whatever you think is most sustainable for you in the long term.

I definitely can lose weight on a combo of 1400 calories and lowish carb (under 85 a day) but I don't do keto as I get bad headaches on it

My consultant recommended a very low carb diet for me & it’s changed my life. I’m no longer pre-diabetic & have lost a lot of weight. I’ve maintained as well, as I’ve adapted to a whole new way of eating. I don’t really care what other people do though & never preach about low carb to anyone.

I don't do keto as I get bad headaches on it

How long did you stick with it for? Lots of the low carb, keto style diets suggest you give up caffeine, which I never have. I it makes no difference to my weight loss and if I have to do a caffeine withdrawal I will have a headache. Also the first three or four days or low carbing are tough. You will feel low in energy, lethargic and headachey just coming off a constant supply of carbs. But it doesn't last. If you are doing it properly you'll be rewarded with a burst of energy and a clearer head feel than usual because your insulin levels won't be peaking and dipping all over the shop.

I know so many people who have given up on low carbing at the first hurdle because they've assumed that feeling tired in the first 48 hours means it can't possibly be good for you. They are completely failing to understand what a diet consisting of constantly replenished processed carbs does to you, and what is involved initially in withdrawing from that.

@RadishAndTwiglet 4 weeks! It's not something I could do long term either as I don't actually much like the diet . I do find I am fine at around 60-90 grams and that's made a big difference.

The thing about low carbing is everyone says you have to go really low/keto to get into ketosis and lose weight. But I do a 'lower carb' version, so about 50-70g per day, not that I spend too long agonising over it, and I take a kind of 2 steps forward, one step forward approach - e.g. at a family outing the other day, I had an ice cream 😮I also eat pulses and too many peanuts when I want to. And any veg I like. Basically, what I've cut out is bread, pasta, spuds and rice. And for the most part sugar.

AND I still lose weight. I've been doing it about 3 months now and though it's not always been going down, overall I've come down about 2kgs. I had gestational diabetes (which is basically a diagnosis of pre-existing insulin resistance), so I see this as a way of life now, rather than a diet. Hence the moderate approach; I need to know I can stick on it, that there's leeway here and there, that it's realistic. I'm in for the long haul. ... I've tried before and this is the only way it's ever seemed doable.

So though i know this is borderline religious for some people, I know for a fact that my body steadily loses weight on a 'lower carb' diet though it's unlikely because I'm going into ketosis.

The Caldesi cookbooks have helped me, because the recipes actually taste nice. Some low carb diets you read online sounds awful to me.

I know everyone's different, just sharing my long winded tuppence worth in case the extreme low carbing stuff might be putting some people off who might benefit ... I feel way better and more energetic these days

I agree that calorie counting is the best way if done in combination with a focus on healthy eating, because it is the closest to long term maintenance. You can have birthday cake or wine when celebrating. You can eat fries if you really crave them, and still lose weight, but overall, focus on lean proteins and lots of veg with a few complex carbs.That's just sensible long term eating for anyone.

I have a friend who swears by keto, absolutely religiously. She can shrink to a size 10 on keto, and look great but then can't maintain and ends up piling on more than she lost. Every time. I've tried to suggest she just focuses on healthy eating as a long term plan, with a deficit until she is at her goal weight. but because keto gives a quick loss she thinks it's great even though she can't see that she is yoyo dieting and gaining more than she loses, year on year.

There are advantages to keto/low carb, I tried it last week as a fast short term thing and lost 3-4lbs. I almost never felt hungry and didn't have to focus on calorie counting or portion size. But this week I've decided I'd rather lose 1lb a week and occasionally have wholemeal toast or pasta with veggie sauce.

@staryellow that's how I do it- have lost 2stone 3lb in 9 months - only 3 stone to go to be at a level I am ok with. I eat cauliflower rice, small amounts of wholewheat pasta, very very few cakes or biscuits and not much bread (I'm gluten free anyway, so that bits easier) - I did try keto but couldn't get rid of headaches and found it quite hard to make it massively varied

@staryellow - that's the way I want to go too. Small amounts of wholewheat carbs, naturally occurring sugar in veg and fruits. Occasional treats.
I recommend the BBC Good Eats low carb recipes. I made one the other day - chicken with mushrooms, peas and parsley. It tasted so good. I'd made enough for my lunch too but DS demolished it.

@Crikeyalmighty @TotalOverhaul I really think its the only way to make it doable long-term and when you do it that way you get loads of veg into you and as someone said it's naturally anti-inflammatory. ...win win. I'll check out the bbc goodfood recipes, thanks.

I have adapted a cake recipe I found in a recipe book:
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 grated apples
1.5 tsp baking powder
150g ground almonds

Blitz and bake in an oven lined small cake tin at 150c until a knife comes out dry. lovely with coffee for breakfast.

or with cream and raspberries and melted 70% chocolate as a dessert ...

@staryellow I had a cake (rare for me) which was gluten free and made with ground almond and it was fab

Why are there posters here saying that keto involves UPF and no veg? That’s just not true.
Been on keto for 4 years with one or two breaks of a month each year at Christmas or on holiday so I can eat regular food with friend and family and top my body up with anything it has been missing like sausage rolls.
It’s so easy, just stick to under 20g carbs a day. No weighing etc….
Lost the stone and a half, back to size 8-10, rid myself of pre-diabetes (had gestational diabetes) and feel healthier and sharper than ever.
I’m not ‘evangelical’, but as a lifestyle change I recommend it, especially if nothing else has worked. People are recommending it to you because in most cases, it works.

Yes this is me. And I think unless you're talking to someone who's fairly balanced, you always get one of two things, either someone getting very upset that 'low carbing' means you're cutting out food groups and as you say low carb does not mean no carb

Or you get the other end saying that 'low carbing' is not doing it right because you should be in ketosis. I dont want to be in ketosis, ketosis as far as I understand it is a medical condition!

So like you, Im around that figure of carbs, it means I incorporate pulses, some grains, fruit and veg without worrying that it needs to be the 'right' veg but I dont get the cravings caused by having too many starchy carbs (still eat mash from time to time, in fact I have mash for lunch today)

On the low carb bootcamp @BIWI says to drink a lot of water, to flush out ketones and if you are following the instructions (so still eating vegetables, just not the high starch ones) you won't detect high levels of ketones in urine because you will be flushing them out. But your body will be making them in order to burn fat as fuel (since you won't be consuming lots of sugar).
I think. Biwi explains it better.
I just know it seems to work and I'm eating more 'proper' food than not. I do cheat a bit with some dark chocolate and some low sugar ginger beer.

I just think different diets work for different people. I personally lost a lot of weight on Keto after trying a few different diets a few years ago and kept it off. Intermittent Fasting and calorie counting did not work for me at all but that doesn't mean they don't work for other people. I think people who have success on keto like it so much because they can eat whenever they want as long as it isn't particular food groups.

I've tried low carb a few times over the decades, I have never made it past lunchtime. I'd rather carry some extra pounds than not eat a sandwich.

I've tried low carb a few times over the decades, I have never made it past lunchtime. I'd rather carry some extra pounds than not eat a sandwich.

If a few extra pounds were all most of us were dealing with then I'm sure we'd all rather have the sandwich. When it's several stones you need to shift, I'll happily lose the bread and the cakes to be thinner, healthier, have more energy and fewer aches, pains and ailments.

I'm currently on a calorie controlled diet and I've lost a stone since early July. It's coming off easier than I thought, the calories are easy to keep track of on the app I use. Im not looking for a quick fix but one that I can maintain my weight on once I hit target weight (another stone to go) plus I've started going to the gym to tone up as I lose. I've tried Atkins in the past unsuccessfully so was loath to try that again.

So so many studies consistently show that any diet works as long as you stick to it.
Keto/ Atkins works to help you restrict calories because you feel fuller for longer. It usually encourages you to eat more energy dense foods which is a good thing.

All calories are not created equal, however the general rule applies that if you consume less energy than you use day to day; you will lose weight.

I get that we’re all different but unless you have intolerances, any diet that is super restrictive with food groups is a big no-no for me.