I feel that low carb dieting is the way to go to loose weight. Many nutritionalists do not like this diet because it goes completely against the formal education that they have received. I know that the school system taught me the same things.... you know, the 5 basic food groups.... what you should have each day....

In my opinion, that old time thinking is what has made our society so overweight. Perhaps Low Carb dieting is not the "perfect" diet, but it works.

You should not just shoot something down just because it is new, or goes against your traditional formal education.


mike

No, McDonalds and the "On the Go" lifestyle which encourages over processed, fat laden food has made the population fat. As well as lack of regular exercise. People don't like to eat healthy because the it takes more time then they want to invest. Granted there are healthy choices out there, but the unhealthy ones out number the healthy ones by a huge margin.

So does starvation, anorexia and bulimia, but they are also very unhealthy ways to lose weight.

Yes, I agree. It's far better to listen to the opinion of someone on the internet that I don't know than it is to listen to someone whose career and training have been devoted to something.

That's a no brainer!

Az

i guess you'll know how it's working by how you feel over the long run. i know weight can be lost quickly, but how do you feel throughout the day and on the bike? do you have enough energy? it's hard for me to imagine being healthy doing a low carb diet while doing an endurance activity at the same time. but good luck either way.

I'm sure that almost all diets "work". If it works for you, then great.

But have you taken a look at the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans"? I think it has the most sound and generally applicable advice that I have seen. It requires a less radical but more comprehensive approach than stuff like "atkins".

Here is a link....
http://www.mypyramid.gov/guidelines/index.html

Nothing terribly exciting in there. The basic idea is to exercise regularly, eat a wide variety of foods and keep your calorie consumption under control for your age and activity level-- simple and effective.

Most nutrition experts would first ask your level of activity before saying low carb is the wrong way to go. if you don't work out, and are a couch potato, you probably should have a low carb diet, but if you ride a bike for an hour a day or more, and work, and walk, and have kids, and meet your friends out for this and that, and shop, and etc. etc., you should probably have a good amount of carbs or you'll be bonking while doing simple tasks like reading the funnies.

diets are activity specific; you should craft one the same you would look at a car and its mpg vis a vis your commute length, store radius, etc.

Food is fuel, if you don't drive much, then don't take in much.

I completely agree that a low carb diet is NOT the way to go, ESPECIALLY for cyclists. But what about carb depletion for 48-72 hour periods, short periods. Bodybuilders and many professional cyclists have done this during the off season to get rid of all the junk carbs they've taken in and to kick start their metabolism again. This also give you the chance to get "healthy" carbs back into your system. I've been following up on this and it seems to work pretty well as long as it is not a long term situation, but only TEMPORARY.

First, many nutritionists have no clue. Their thinking is, a steak has a ton of nutrients, so you should eat steak.
Second, your body needs carbs, just like it needs fats and protiens. Depriving yourself of any one of those is not natural and is a form of starvation.
A low carb diet is not needed to loose weight, a LOW CALERIE diet is needed. Just eat modest portions of healthy foods and you will do fine.

Contrary to many popular opinions, and even to some people that call themselves nutritionalists, low-carbohydrate dieting is not the terrible thing that many people try to make it out to be. The only problem is that people always automatically connect lo-carbohydrate dieting with the Atkins variety that wants to promote the idea that you can eat as much fat, any type of fat, that you want and that you should continue this lifestyle for the rest of your life.

This is what goes against common sense. We all know now that you should not consume large amounts of saturated fat and that foods and oils that contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat have been shown to actually reduce overall cholesterol levels. Focus on the sources of protein that you select - skinless chicken, turkey, fish (not burgers and fries) and the types of fats that you consume (most foods now show not only the total fat contained but break it down into the three individual types). Also, a lo-carbo diet does not have to be ridiculously low as many plans try to let on. Try about 100 grams per day rather than the 20-25 that some plans suggest. The key is to curb your appetite. Low carbohydrate dieting sets the body into ketosis, which, unless you are a diabetic, will not kill you either. (It can lead to ketoacidosis if you are diabetic).

Low carbohydrate diets do help to control your appetite so that you can lose weight. What you do have to do, however, is make a resolution (and stick with it) that once you do lose the weight you will get into some sort of physical activity to keep it off. Take a multivitamin and include sources of fiber, which should come from hi-fiber, low-carbo veggies and/or a fiber supplement.

Remember that the fiber contained in foods is often considered to be "carbohydrates" and these grams of fiber can be subtracted from the carbo total to get the actual grams of "available carbohydrate".

Living on a low-carbohydrate diet long enough to lose the weight certainly is not as hard on your body as if you carry around the extra weight (especially if it is a lot of it) for the rest of your life.

A low-carbohydrate diet is what allowed me to lose 65 pounds when I was in high school and go from being the "fat kid" to being able to join the cross-country running and track teams, run the Marine Corps Marathon twice, then do a transcontinental bicycle ride. You just have to promise yourself that once you get it off you're going to keep it off. :)

I disagree. (Is'nt the internet great!) A low carb diet for an active cyclist is not the way to go. Maybe for a bodybuilder or powerlifter, but not an endurance athlete.

Bottom line (and this is why i personally hate BS diet plans) Calories in must be less than Calories out. You can loose weight just eating ice cream and pototo chips if you wanted too.

From personal expiereince - I lost 50lbs in 4 months give or take a week. from June 1 2005-Oct 1 2005. My diet was roughly 60(c)-25(p)-15(f). And i rode 140-170 miles a week. I went from a 6' 255lbs sloth wheezing going up and down the steps in my house to successfully completeing a circuit race with the pack in an end of season Cat 4 race. My first one since stopping 4 years ago. I ate little to no junk food at all. Whole foods, meats, cheese, pasta, red beans & rice, black beans & rice, just rice, bagel every day, lots of fruit, not a lot of veggies (im not a fan) and diet caffeine free Coke and Water. Occasionally i would have icecream. My concession to snack food is pretzels. They're fat free. At the same time, my wife was doing the ridiculously low carb diet that Curves pushes. She lost weight, but her energy levels constantly low. I tried Atkins once an nearly lost my mind. I couldnt take it much less stay on it.

You need the carbs for fuel if your gonna ride.

Low-carbo dieting is not the best idea for the "active cyclist" but generally people with a lot of weight to lose are not in a class where they are riding 100-150 miles per week yet anyway. Exercising at a moderate pace (walking is great for the overweight) three or four times per week burns a greater percentage of fat than vigorous exercise and allows the body time to "recharge the batteries" through the breakdown of fat for the next time. When you have only a small amount of weight to lose, and you are already into a vigorous exercise program, you need to have a much greater percentage of carbohydrate and the "calories in be less than the calories out" program is the better option.

Not a pro, nor do I play one on tv. However, I have restricted carbs and paid the price with wonderful bonks. One while hiking that had my legs shaking so badly that I could barely walk, and numerous other times on the bike. Problem is, sometimes you don't really know what's happening at the time. You're just slower than anyone else and just can't ride as fast as you think you should. As others have suggested, low-carb is fine for sedentary folks. Moderately active, or cyclists, who tend to workout for periods longer than most one-hour aerobic classes, need to be on a smart-carb diet. No refined sugars, but brown rice (no, fried rice with soy sauce is NOT the same thing!) whole grains, high-fiber, fruit and veggie carbs are the way to fuel your active lifestyle.

I don't believe in gravity or dinosaurs. I have a very strong hunch they don't exist, and no amount of scientists nor researchers will sway my opinion.

Gravity is pretty easy to prove. Just go jump off of a ten-story building. (As the ads say: Don't try this at home).

Gravity is not just a good idea...

It's the law.

Az

i gotta call you out on this one. have you actually tried following the USDA recommended food guildlines? the "old time thinking" recommends you eat 3-5 servings of vegtables, 2-4 servings of fruit, more whole grains, less sugars and fat ALONG with daily exercise.

there is no way you can tell me that these recommendations have made our society overweight. the problem is most people don't follow it. they eat way too much sugar and fat and too little of the good stuff like quality grain, fruits, and veggies. that's the problem, not that it's old or outdated thinking.

+1

Dead on post. The food pyramid and usda recommendations actually work, just very few have the willpower to follow it.

'new' is usually 'fad' and not the answer

Low-carb is not "new", it is just that it fell by the wayside for a long time and people have recently caught onto it again. It was around more than 30 years ago. It was just then people didn't have a clue as to the fact that some fats are better than others. (They were still cooking their baked goods using lard ).

Your brain is the only part of your body that truly needs glucose in order to function. The rest of the body can use ketones (the product of fat breakdown) as its source of energy and very quickly starts using them as soon as you go on this type of diet. There are plenty of low-carbo veggies out there that you can use as a fiber source.

If these concepts were not true, then everyone that has tried lo-carb dieting would be dead by now, having had no energy source in order to survive.

Here is a good couple of links to check out regarding the SUCCESS of low carbing.
low carb success stories
low carb before and after pics
How to lose 150 pounds... with pics

There is an excersize forum here as well with photos... pretty cool.
Doug

+1

I don't get it...in your other thread you stated quite clearly that you did NOT want any dieting advice...now you start this thread? I believe you owe Koffee and a few others an apology.

I do not want dieting advice!!! Everyone seemed to feel the need to put it in anyway, so I started this thread to keep it out of the other one!!!!


mike

On my planet, we don't have many people who are obese because they eat a well balanced diet in moderation and exercize regularly, like they teach us to do in school.

Welcome to Earth!!!

Lol