Advantages of LCHF

[Fabianthefabulous]

Are there any advantages of LCHF / bootcamp other than weight loss?
I am considering joing the next bootcamp but I need more motivation than just weight loss as I have a lot to lose so it feels a bit abstract and a very long term goal.
Are there any benefits in the short term?

Thanks

Clearer thinking. Not feeling hungry. Better for your heart and health in general. Clearer skin. Better sleep. Flat stomach. More even moods.

That's what I get anyway.

Well it has cured my of weird low blood sugar shakes and hangryness.

Enjoying the food
Loss of food cravings/feeling in control of eating
Knowing that you are eating a nutritious diet
Reduction of inflammation type aches and pains
Improved digestion
No counting and weighing
Keep the list of allowed foods to hand and it’s easy
Loads of support, advice and ideas on the thread

Cured my acne
Got rid of my cellulite
Reduces wind
Flattened belly

Less hungry - used to feel really hungry every 3 or so hours now it's 6+
Clearer skin
Genuinely feel I have more energy

Longer term it's not good for you if you have raised insulin (I'm sure I do/did) so I find the idea that I'm sorting that out the most appealing.

How long does it take for the reduced hunger to kick in?
I feel as if I am permanently hungry at the moment and I hate it.

I find it takes 3 to 4 days. I spend a week going lower carb first, it makes the transition easier. Then I have a day or two of eating tuna and mayo or bacon with mayo on lettuce wraps. Its very fatty and filling. Then bingo my appetite disappears.

I find my knees ache less, my skin improves, less pmt, I sleep better, generally happier, no bloaty tummy and I stop farting

I no longer get bloated or trapped wind my skin looks better too 😁

This short article has some science cited.

Fabian if you have a lot to lose and feel it's too long term, why not set yourself a short term goal for weight loss and non-scale victories (for example, getting into a particular item of clothing).

Bootcamp lasts only 10 weeks and if you follow it you will easily see all the additional benefits beyond weight loss.

Within a few days for me. It was honestly amazing - I eat breakfast about 9am now and often don't feel hungry until 3pm or 4pm. Sometimes I feel hungry sooner and the beauty of lchf is that's fine too. If I feel hungry, I eat. I've only been doing this for 6 weeks but am just under 13lbs down.

My understanding, which might be overly simplistic, I'm not sure, is this:
Insulin sends signals to your body not to burn stored energy (fat) as energy is coming (when you eat). If you eat a lot of carbs or are hyperinsulinemic (or likely both) your insulin is constantly raised and therefore constantly signalling to your body not to burn stored energy. As a result your body is always looking for the next meal and you feel hungry quicker. Once your insulin levels are more reasonable, your body is able to burn stored fuel (fat) for energy and you therefore don't get hungry so easily.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's the v basic gist of it.

That's why I love eating this way, I understand why it works it's not some magical points system or syns or whatever. It makes sense.

I'll be honest, I didn't find it easy or pleasant for the first month, and I have had some unpleasant side effects. If I hadn't committed that I'd stay for 8 weeks no matter what, I'd have decided It wasn't going to work for me. But I stuck with it, and in 5 months I'm three stone and 4 dress sizes down, with about another 1.5 stone to get into a normal BMI. Other benefits have been - rarely feel hungry and I used to crave food ALL the time. My GERD has disappeared and I haven't taken medication for it for well over three months. IBS gone, and it used to keep me pretty much confined to the house some days. Insomnia vastly improved, which has had massive knock on effects for my general wellbeing. Can shop in 'normal' shops. Flew without worrying about an extender seatbelt. Plantar fasciitis gone. Sat on the inside seat on a train without worrying about how I'd get out. Never feel hangry - I was constantly sweaty/weak/jittery. Feel calmer. Can exercise without feeling I'm going to faint. Blood pressure normal at last. Food is lovely, easy, filling and normal - it's all real food. Other bootcampers. It's transformed my life.

Cherries, I'm interested you say your GERD has gone. I've recently given up LCHF as my GERD was getting worse and a low fat diet is recommended. I'm confused.

The easy thing to say would be that GERD improves with weight loss, and reduced upwards pressure - but mine started to improve by the second week, so long before there was any significant weight loss. And I was the fat queen before I started bootcamp. I'd been eating low fat for years, I knew the number of fat grams of everything I put in my mouth. Didn't stop me getting fatter, sadly. 'Eat low fat' is the advice for a lot of digestive problems, but can't say it did me anything but harm.

And the one that no one has mentioned less stinky poo and no breaking wind 🙊

I fart literally once a day, no joke. And never burp. I love it! I feel like a gaseous monster after a carb splurge. Hardly feel hungry. Never have a bloated face or itchy skin.

It has broken my love of sugar which was, looking back, more of a problem than I admitted to. It doesn't feel punitive - there is so much nice stuff that you can eat that you don't focus on the stuff that you can't (which to me has always been one of the worst problems with a diet). It is much easier to do than a calorie-counting diet as it is easy enough to work out what you can't eat, and adapts reasonably well to eating out.

The only negative side effect for me has been occasional bouts of constipation (tmi, sorry) but there are ways of managing that.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet as I haven't RTFT, but I find that HFLC means absolutely no period cramps/pains. Normally I suffer quite badly but when I am eating well I really don't feel anything at all.

Also, no horrid mood swings, no fatigue, no fuzzy brain.

Clear skin, non- puffy face.

Jam - I've not had any relief from heartburn so still having to go back to the meds, lansoprazole. I'm wondering if it makes it worse. I do crave stodgy carbs to dampen down the acid. My bmi is normal but the modest weightloss hasn't helped. If I consistently take the meds I'm fine on this diet.

On the other hand I agree the gas and farting is non existent compared to high carb diet - if I fall off plan it is very noticeable. I presume the bacteria feed on the sugar creating the gases. I have better control of hunger and cravings. My skin is doing well as I'm prone to spots especially off the pill. I can easily do a hard work out a few days a week. Clearly it's not helping sleep nor my chronic back pain. I don't think it's helps me feel better or more focussed, although reduced hunger helps.

A high carb diet is associated not only with weight gain and obesity, but also hypertension, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease - which is now being called Type 3 diabetes by some medics.

There are lots of short term benefits, that many people have reported on the Bootcamp threads over the years - many of which have already been mentioned.

PCOS sufferers find that they do much better on a low carb diet
It's good for IBS sufferers
Some people say that their skin clears up from acne and eczema
Better sleep
More energy

Can't think of any more right now!

I'm finding this list very helpful and motivating. I don't need to lose weight but am looking into LCHF eating as a health choice. I eat A LOT of sugar every day and am worried about the long-term effects of this on my health. I also have IBS and suffer with bloating on a daily basis.

I'm concerned that it'll be hellish to start with though, as I'm very disorganised with my eating and rely on convenience food and snacks often. My IBS means I don't handle big meals well, and end up feeling bloated and unwell after meals so usually end up just having crackers or a couple of slices of toast instead of a proper meal, so this will obviously need to change. I'll need non-weight-loss related motivation to keep me going through the first few days, so will keep these benefits in mind.

Flighty I’ve been doing this for 10 days, mainly for my IBS, and the effect within about 5 days was obvious. I haven’t had the bloating and the wind at all while following the way of eating, and when I lapsed on Thursday night (prearranged Christmas dinner) my stomach immediately blew up and I got the pains. Back on the straight and narrow now in the hope that I’ll actually lose weight

I started LCHF due to my blood sugar condition and also the persistent acne I had suffered for over 20 years .

My hypo attacks have lessened and my skin has been clear now for a few months, that's enough for me to carry on with this way of life for the rest of my life!!

Also no more:
Headaches
Belly aches
Mouth ulcers
Extreme fatigue
No longer bloated after eating to the point I looked pregnant.
I have more energy in general, and my mood is a lot better

I also avoid grains and processed foods so don't know how much can be related to that but I do know that I was doing that for a bit before and it wasn't until I went keto/LCHF that I really noticed a change,

Skin looks luminous
Hair is thicker
Not hungry as much
Red bumps on backs of my arms go away
Face looks more defined
I look at least 5 years younger
Hard to describe but I can feel my core more, I 'feel' more body more

I am/was pre-diabetic so this WOE is perfect for me. It's surprisingly easy too once you get used to it.

I eat small amounts of lentils and sweet potato/squashes too, I just avoid pasta, bread, rice, porridge.

All of the above has given me masses more confidence than when I was 3 stone overweight!