Attempting to live carb free....

[michaeljannis]

So i was talking to a trainer at my gym the other day and i was discussing my extremely aggravating weight loss halt! I have managed to drop almost 30lbs since november, but now it has pretty much just halted.

He suggested that I stop my carb intake after 2-3pm. Although I'm afraid this is going to be harder than I think it is. I was going through my cabinet and icebox the other day, and I had no idea how many carbs I was big grubbin on a day!!!! lol

So i'm up for suggestions from other people on foods that would be good, or just plain ole suggestions from anyone else that is living carb free!

p.s., i'm about 236lbs, 5'9. 26y/o. I do a.m. cardio bout 3-4 times a week, at 3.5mph 10% incline, and weight train on those days before the cardio. I guess my body has just gotten adjusted to what I was doing before, and I need to switch it up.

thoughts? suggestions" I'm open!

 

[Nightwanderer]

no one can live carb free, there's all sorts of horrible health issues you'd end up with, so please don't attempt to remove all carbs from your diet.

 

[edwardyi]

that would be retarded to live carb-free. your main source of energy COMES from carbs, now why would you get rid of it?

i would suggest doing more intense cardio, or just add more cardio days. eat clean.

when i was stuck at a plateau, i didn't alter my diet, i changed how i trained.

 

[Genetic79]

Ok ya'll need to break out a physiology book and read. Carbs are not needed to live, they may be wanted by your body because they are easier to use as a energy source. If you don't take in another carb for life your body will adapted. I'm not a carb free advocate, I just thing they have their time and place. I've been carb free for the better part of 2 years and get regular check ups. My blood work is awesome, cardiovascular is awesome. So before you make a bold statement like that back it up with science.

 

[maradona10]

yes, i agree!! You can live carb free if you want to..

but IMO, you should maybe look at doing a keto diet 5 days a week and then a 2 day carb up. Then repeat the cycle.

 

[Force of Green]

You should start looking for another trainer. There's no quick, easy answer to any individual unless there's something MAJORLY screwed up with his/her lifestyle (ex. Quit smokin' cigs, cut out junk food, etc).

I really find it retarded when someone says, "I've been on a weightloss program for 2 years and I've been losing 15 lbs every month and now it's slowing down "...

What the hell is expected? Do you want to be -15 lbs or something? lol... nah mean? People who constantly 'cut' are in for a rude awakening. Your body will slap you silly in the long run.

 

[michaeljannis]

I guess I didn't explain my self very well... I"m sorry. I dont' believe he was saing cut them out completely.... but rather, don't eat them after a certain point in the day.

Some carb intake is inevitable.

 

[Wolfenstein]

I went carb free for a month (ketosis diet) lost body fat, and felt like absolute dog sh it. So now I just take anabolic pump, eat 400 grams of carbs a day, feel awesome and lose fat!....but seriously some people just cant go carb free.

 

[beebab]

Ketogenic diets work VERY nicely just from personal anecdotal experience following a strict keto diet. In fact, I'm in ketosis as I type this now. Ketogenic diets are very efficient because you train your body to rely on directly burning muscle triglycerides (i.e. FATS) for energy in preference to muscle glycogen (carbs). The result is a highly lipolytic state if you do it right because your body isn't regularly releasing insulin. In fact, unless you eat carbs you are not really releasing insulin at all which means there's never the risk of storing dietary carbs as body fat. So you're burning fats not storing them and you have more energy because the fats give you a constant source of clean energy. None of that post carb binge insulinogenic fatigue.

You can utilize a keto diet to either cut or bulk but it's mainly used for cutting purposes. For a cut, follow a strict keto plan 7 days a week but make one meal a week a carb refeed where you eat whatever carbs you want to refill your glycogen levels. This keeps you mentally happy and also helps to control cravings mid-week if necessary.

For bulking purposes, you keep the protein and fats high as you would on a cut except you add in carbs. So, say on a normal keto diet you eat 200 g protein a day and 120 g fat. You would simply add about 200-300 grams of carbs a day and bulk that way. I haven't tried bulking with this type of diet per se; however, I find it to be extraordianary for cutting. In my avatar I am 185 pounds at about 9% bf. I started keto just a few weeks ago and it's helped significantly. I've lost 15 pounds water and fat since the beginning of May.

Another type of diet you might want to look into for leaning up and/ or bulking is an ISOCALORIC diet, which is basically 33/33/33 so you're taking in the same amount of each macronutrient. If you simply CANNOT bring yourself to ditch the carbs then you might want to go this route because you're still eating a constant number of carbs each day. I haven't tried this type of diet either, but I imagine it works well for cutting.

Personally though, I'd give keto a try. Pick a day and drop the carbs cold turkey, but eat all fats and protein. The fats will satiate you and the protein will keep you full. Depending on who you are and your body type the first few days may be a little rough while you transition into ketosis and burn off remaining glycogen levels but after the transition happens your body is efficiently burning fats for energy and you don't feel fatigued or tired. Your body won't have any need to utilize glycogen for energy. Sometimes it's necessary to make sacrifices to reach our goals, but if you're dedicated with this diet you'll definitely make progress.

 

[BUCKNUTS]

I guess I didn't explain my self very well... I"m sorry. I dont' believe he was saing cut them out completely.... but rather, don't eat them after a certain point in the day.

Some carb intake is inevitable.

You can definitely go very low carb safely and lose weight. I have done low carb, high protein, high fat diets in the past with great results, I have had blood work done before and after several months of low carb dieting and my lipid panel was improved across the board in addition to dropping body fat. The biggest draw back for me is loss of strength and energy I definitely have a harder time in the gym. recently I have been doing a ckd and I am really liking it, the loss of energy/strength are greatly diminshed.

 

[searcyc2]

anabolic diet ftw

 

[raginfcktard]

there is a big difference between carb free and no carbs after 2-3. training and sleeping on an empty stomach, which does suck, whould better encourage your body to turn to fat stores for energy and still be able enjoy carb foods...but backing off carbs later in the day is also good pratice for someone trying to lose some extra fat.

 

[StanChampion]

going without carbs never sounds like a good idea to me. Just eat "clean" carbs and zero carbs after 6 or 8:00 pm. Sounds to me that you need to up your cardio. Maybe try cardio first things in the AM on empty stomach or after not eating for 2+ hours. I would also increase the duration and intensity of the cardio. Maybe try doing cardio 5-6 days/ week.

 

[MattRoeske]

For one, Goodjob at loosing the 30lbs i Was at one time in highschool, 220Lbs Now im a lean 161 and starting to rebulk because summer is pratically over,

Ha and I have to agree with Force of Green- Get a NEW TRAINER, I Am PT , and I would never tell you that, I would advise you to stick to Low Glycemic carbs (No insulin Spiking) through out the day thus, to help you satisfy hunger for longer periods of time, and High Glycemic carbs *Post workout to satisfy the loss of energy from your workout routine.

And as for your goals, it seems you are looking to lose bodyfat ( Not weight "people are to fixated with what the scale says" ) and gain muscle. Invest in a Heart Rate Monitor, and Stay find out your zone for burning the most FAT & maintaining muscle. Because if your doing cardio the way you are doing it, you are most likely burning away muscle, As you burn away your muscle that you worked so hard for, your metabolism is actually going down.

Interesting huh?

 

[Genetic79]

Heart Rate zones????? Dude how out dated is that, name one natural champion who stayed with in 50 - 60% max heart rate and was shredded. High Intensity works for a reason, I'll give you 2 str8 off tha back....

1. The sheer intensity of doing cardio above 75% max heart rate will increase total calorie burning above staying at a comfortable zone or 50 - 60%. Yeah I know you burn more fat DURING 60% cardio at the same time frame. But overall counting the hours after High intensity your burning more fat because your metabolism is elevated above baseline for a hell of alot longer.

2. Nobody ever accounts for the hormonal increase high intensity imposes. With high intensity you gonna have a boatload of latic acid, well Lactic acid is know for inducing high GH levels. Also your gonna get wayyy higher levels of Epinephrine with high intensity. Above normal levels of Epinephrine an GH equates to serious fat burning. Any body who has used Clen and GH will tell you this.

I dun said enuff, I'm done.

 

[EasyEJL]

no one can live carb free, there's all sorts of horrible health issues you'd end up with, so please don't attempt to remove all carbs from your diet.

name one

 

[BUCKNUTS]

name one

gotta bump that name one. alot of people regurgitate the same old criticisms without any proof to back up the rhetorric.

 

[illfoo]

Yeah, most people just assume that VLCDs are detrimental to your health and it drives me crazy. Not only is low-carb NOT dangerous, it is more than likely healthier than most other diets. Srsly, VLCDs get bad raps from people who just assume stuff without looking into it further. This is like the 5th time I have posted this link on here after people bash low-carb.

http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/lowcarb/low-carb-research.html

Obviously, low-carb isn't for everyone, but it IS safe, and probably very healthy at the same time.

 

[Royd The Noyd]

Lots of great posts in here in regards to low carb. I'll just reiterate that you should try a keto type diet. I use a TKD + Lower carb type approach and love it! Sure you will have those days when you are drained a lil in the gym but thats when you know you need to get in a few more carbs and problem solved.

Living low carb is the way to go. NO Carb like others have said is pretty difficult as you get some fiberous carbs from veggies and other things.

Btw there are studies showing negative health effects from low carb diets....but imho the benefits far outweigh the negatives. And we all know there is a study to refute anything. Doesnt mean they are always valid.

For the OP what time of day do you workout? I dont think anyone has asked...

 

[Manimalia]

Ok ya'll need to break out a physiology book and read. Carbs are not needed to live, they may be wanted by your body because they are easier to use as a energy source. If you don't take in another carb for life your body will adapted. I'm not a carb free advocate, I just thing they have their time and place. I've been carb free for the better part of 2 years and get regular check ups. My blood work is awesome, cardiovascular is awesome. So before you make a bold statement like that back it up with science.

yeppers. he's right. i've come to find out that i need only a certain amount of carbs, and beyond that amount, i am bloated and actually feel lethargic. i tried the AD, but with no success. i just couldn't get the ratio right regarding the carb-ups. I would follow the weekly rules to the T, and then with my carb-ups, i would pretty much stop when i 'rounded out.' but the thing is, i would lose energy real quick even after a carb-up. i guess i'll have to get the book to know just what i need when trying that diet again.

get your carbs in in the morning upon waking, pre/post-workout. that's all you really need there. if you're an average size male (170-200 lbs), you'll only need up to 150g in the day to help keep everything running and firing. i am this low on my carbs, but once in a while i like to raise them, like today, i plan on taking in an extra 150g, making it a 300g day. i'll do this once a week. today, i'll do it by throwing in a couple big ol' banana/oat blended drinks. just had one.....de-licious! i can feel the needed energy zipping through my blood now!

 

[michaeljannis]

For the OP what time of day do you workout? I dont think anyone has asked...

Usually I leave the house about 6 a.m., and put in about an hour and half. That includes cardio and weights too.

 

[Royd The Noyd]

Usually I leave the house about 6 a.m., and put in about an hour and half. That includes cardio and weights too.

IC, so stopping carbs earlier in the day will not have a huge impact on your workouts for the most part.

What race are you? I ask as lower carb diets tend to work better for white/caucasion males if I remember correctly.

 

[edwards]

I think that low carb gets a bad rap because the brain and nervous systems require glucose for energy. This glucose, during keto, comes from certain amino acids that are capable of being broken down into glucose and the small glycerine molecule in the triglycerides. Fatty acids cannot be broken down into glucose. Therefore, during starvation, the body eventually cannot break down enough muscle of triglycerides to obtain enough glucose to power the nervous system, leading to death, even when the body has adequate stores of fat.

That being said, no one here is starving themselves. As long as we eat enough protein to break the certain aminos into glucose, there should be no problem.

My question is what happens before the body enters ketosis but has depleted glycogen stores? This is when it turns to amino acids for glucose. If sufficient protein isn't ingested (perhaps before a strenuous workout), the body would have to breakdown muscle to power through an anaerobic workout (i.e. weightlifting or High Intensity Cardio.)

I have noticed that sometimes I smell like ammonia if I don't eat enough carbs before a workout. I presume this is due to the fact that the amino acids are being broken down to ammonia by the liver, during the process of gluconeogenesis and subsequently into urea by the kidneys.

This subject is facinating.

I'm curious what the physiological effects of Carb Cycling are on the body. (i.e. one day of High carbs then the next day of Lower Carbs / Low Carbs / High Carbs, etc.) How does having depleted levels of glycogen help the body burn fat when the body is NOT in ketosis?

 

[Plates1971]

So i was talking to a trainer at my gym the other day and i was discussing my extremely aggravating weight loss halt! I have managed to drop almost 30lbs since november, but now it has pretty much just halted.

He suggested that I stop my carb intake after 2-3pm. Although I'm afraid this is going to be harder than I think it is. I was going through my cabinet and icebox the other day, and I had no idea how many carbs I was big grubbin on a day!!!! lol

So i'm up for suggestions from other people on foods that would be good, or just plain ole suggestions from anyone else that is living carb free!

p.s., i'm about 236lbs, 5'9. 26y/o. I do a.m. cardio bout 3-4 times a week, at 3.5mph 10% incline, and weight train on those days before the cardio. I guess my body has just gotten adjusted to what I was doing before, and I need to switch it up.

thoughts? suggestions" I'm open!

Never go Carb free.....carbs have been demonized lately in the media and they are your friend. Any healthy diet is well balanced..... it depends more on the type of carbs you eat...fresh fruits and fiberous vegis are your best bet. If you are stuck in your diet then throw a cheat day or two in there to help kick start your weight loss again...... Many people become too astringent in their diets and the body stops progress....by throwing in a cheat day 1x per week then you desensitize yourself to the diet you are on.........Peace!

 

[Nitrox]

So i was talking to a trainer at my gym the other day and i was discussing my extremely aggravating weight loss halt! I have managed to drop almost 30lbs since november, but now it has pretty much just halted.

He suggested that I stop my carb intake after 2-3pm. Although I'm afraid this is going to be harder than I think it is. I was going through my cabinet and icebox the other day, and I had no idea how many carbs I was big grubbin on a day!!!! lol

So i'm up for suggestions from other people on foods that would be good, or just plain ole suggestions from anyone else that is living carb free!

p.s., i'm about 236lbs, 5'9. 26y/o. I do a.m. cardio bout 3-4 times a week, at 3.5mph 10% incline, and weight train on those days before the cardio. I guess my body has just gotten adjusted to what I was doing before, and I need to switch it up.

thoughts? suggestions" I'm open!

Put the carb/no-carb argument aside for a bit.

You have to first determine why you have stopped losing bodyfat. There are two possibilities:

1) Because of a prolonged energy deficit, your metabolism is trashed and your body is burning off muscle instead of fat. If this is the case you should feel really lethargic, getting weaker at the gym, etc.

2) Because of your significant weight loss, your maintenance energy level is much less but you have not cut back your food intake to adjust. If this is the case you should be feeling pretty normal.

If your situation is (1) then you need to increase calories for a little while to get your body out of starvation mode.

If the situation is (2) then you need to lower your calories. If you are not measuring and logging what and how much you eat then you really should start. If you cut out carbs only to replace them with other foods when you get hungry you will be right back in the same situation.

It is not so much what you eat but how much of it you eat.

 

[Royd The Noyd]

TONS of low carb info/studies here:

http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/lowcarb/low-carb-research.html

 

[KingMeso]

I was going to type out a response, but instead I'll put to just re-read Nitrox's post above.