Low carb diets you may have heard of:
- The
Atkins Diet - High Protein Diet
- Stillman Diet
- Scarsdale Diet
- Hollywood Diet
Ketogenic Diet- Zone Diet
Most people who go on
Also, if you’re trying to lose weight permanently, losing precious muscle tissue is like sabotaging your own body. Muscle tissue is necessary if you want to have a healthy metabolism, plus, muscle tissue actively burns calories even when you are at rest. A drop in the amount of muscle tissue in your body will lead to a drop in the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight, making it much harder to keep your weight under control the moment you stop following the low carb diet. Whether you’re a guy or a girl, listen to me - YOU NEED MUSCLE TISSUE.
So for all of you who say - “I will watch my diet once I get all these pounds off”.. you should know that it will be MUCH MORE difficult than you think. Your same eating patterns that kept you in shape before your low carb adventure WILL cause you to pack on additional pounds after the diet.. so do be careful.
So, it may work to an extent - but in the end, if you ask me? I say you would have just done more damage to your own body and made it even more difficult to maintain a healthy
I’ve never been on any sort of fad diet, be it low-carb, or high protein, cambridge, cabbage-soup diet, etc. Have any of these diets worked for any of you? Meaning, have you kept the pounds off, and for how long?
My brother and my mom have both been on the Atkins diet before, and yes, they both lost a lot of weight initially, but they’re back to the same they were previously now.
Your friend and coach,
DM
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Hi! I found your article interesting as my boyfriend was telling me the same thing abt losing muscle… I have been on a low carb diet for about 4 months eating only vegetables and fruits and cutting down on meat, sugar and carbs. I also drink a lot (I mean a lot) of water. For the first two months, i couldn’t see any difference but after that my weight and size just dropped like mad. But now I’m still on the same diet (becoz I feel healthier). But my boyfriend keeps taunting me abt losing my muscles… all this stuff abt losing muscles is confusing me coz’ if you eat vegetables and fruits and cut down on some stuff, I guess I’m on the right track… but for my boyfriend ” I am eating in a very very unhealthy way”. What do u think? by the way, I don’t have time to exercise at all coz’ I work long hours. And the only exercise I get at work is walking up and down the stairs.
You feel healthier.. but are you really? As a rule of thumb (commonly used by bodybuilders), any weightloss more than 1kg per week is wasting precious muscle.
Whether male or female, we need our muscle mass. That is what gives us some shape! Otherwise theres only fat and bone. Women naturally have less bone & muscle than men, so you need to take care of you’ve already got!
In my opinon, you need a balanced meal consisting of the main food groups - protein, carbs, and even fat. Even vegetarians can do so by getting their protein from non-animal sources (tofu/beans, etc). Sticking to carbs alone may deprive you of minerals,etc that naturally occur in meat sources.
Exercising will definitely give you better results (plus you’ll feel and sleep better too!). And thats only the beginning. Are you really sure you can’t find time to exercise? Even a 20-minute walk three times a week is an excellent start… think about it. ;)
Thank you for this valuable information. I will use some of your information on my site as well. Will link back to you here as well. This has certainly answered why I had been failing in my diets. Your blog, this post alone, might even save me countless heartbreaks and many other people’s lives.
I used to think that I don’t have the time as well.
I am always BZ BZ BZ… you get the idea.
I work till 2 a.m. ocassionally but hey! that’s not life!!!
So I dragged myself to FF Puchong… and it was fun. I managed to squeeze in a little exercise into my hectic lifestyle. I usually go for the 8.30p.m classes. Never been happier (until I got injured and had to stop :( ).
Anyway, why don’t you try to reschedule ur time. It’s worth it. Trust me.
I’m quite agree wit DM. Low carb diet is not the way to lost weight/fat.
By the way, if you stick to those diet for too long, you just cant stop. And I get craving to sweet food all the time, like me :(
Have y guys heard of the ANABOLIC DIET developed by dr. Mauro Di Pasquale? high fat/high protein/low carbs diet…its very effective for body buliders. basically start up for 12 days only 30g of carbs the rest fat n protein then 2 days high carbs/low fat/moderate protein then 5 days again with low carbs…look it up guys it works for me cheers….CARBS is bad only weekdays weekend is good!
johan: I haven’t heard of it… I just checked it out at this summary of the Anabolic Diet you mentioned here: http://www.musclenet.com/getbulky/Info/WeightLoss/AnabolicDiet.htm
It does sound interesting.. but I just cannot imagine obtaining such a large percentage of my daily calories (55% to 60%) from fat! When you say it works for you… what are your results like? Do explain.. We’d all love to hear your progress.
DM: i think the anabolic diet is similar (or maybe the same?) to CKD (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet)..it’s a low carb, moderate protein, and high fat.
I was made known that our body burns energy from what we eat the most. So, that’s why high protein (>45%?) is not recommended. Body will start burning off muscle as a source of energy.
Personally, I’ve a friend who’s on CKD and it works wonder for her (btw, she is insulin resistance). Her fat started melting off despite the high fat intake. But it’s a bit tricky and difficult to follow CKD. To lose weight it’s all about Cals Output > Cals intake. One has to be extra careful. It’s easy to exceed daily caloric requirement and most food does contain some amount of carbs (i.e milk). Might have adverse effect if not done correctly.
basically i ve cut down my carbs intake to 30g perday for the first start up period of 12 days then 2 days carb load followed by 5 days low carbs etc. but also did not increase my calories i take perday as i want to maintain my weight but at the same time build muscle n loose fat. im currently 75kgs.if i were to explain it will take a whole day so its better to look it out online go to
http://www.impulseadventure.com/weights/hifat.html for a summary of the anabolic diet. i will let u guys know my progress from time to time thanx
Alright people… Enough discussing about all kinds of diet fads…
I’ll just put this in the most logical and understandable manner as possible to solve all your dilemmas about which choice of diet you should stick to…
Answer —> NONE.
This is my personal and professional opinion about cutting down on carbs:
Undeniably, we need carbs in our diet as a source of energy.
By cutting down on carbs, our body tends to seek other sources, for example: fat.
That’s a good thing right?
Answer —> Yes and no.
YES, it’s effective for a short term to obtain visible results and NO, it’s unpractical in the long run. Why so?
1. Q: How long can you maintain such a diet without feeling lethargic in your daily life?
Answer —> Even walking up the stairs would prove to be a challenge to these people, so what can you expect from their workout performance?
2. Q: How sure are you that after achieving “results” from these dieting fads, you would be able to maintain it?
Answer —> Next to none.
3. Q: Are these “results” making you look better and healthier?
Answer —> Well, unless constantly looking tired, pale and lifeless is the next trend to looking good, I would say no for the time being. I understand that many of people on these diets would not agree, but just take a good look at yourself in the mirror instead of judging from the aspect of how much you weigh…
WEIGHT IS JUST TOO SUBJECTIVE!
So try judging from the aspect of how you look in the mirror.
How do you look? Now, take a hard look from the aspect of flabbiness under the arms, thighs and etc.
Yes, you have loss fat/weight. Congrats!
How about looking good for a change now?
Hence, toning and firming is equally important to burning fat or even more so.
Remember, muscle mass weighs more than fat so don’t be surprise if you weigh the same as before especially when you are training with weights…
Main thing: YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD!
If you still insist that losing weight is SO SO SO important, well, I can only say Good Luck! =)
You can either stick to a strict strict strict diet and appear ‘lighter’ or eat moderate amount of carbs and workout HARD HARD HARD to burn off those extra calories and obtain a hot bod!
Of course, my opinions are strictly my opinions.
Looking good and healthy should always be the main goal, not losing fat or weight…
As I said, you can do it the drastic, unhealthy way and achieve ‘results’ in a short period of time or do it the healthy, consistent way for the rest of your life!
YOUR CHOICE.
Sincerely,
Chris the Evil PT.
I take it no one here has followed a low carbohydrate approach in nutrition for a long period of time, but sure have lots of other people’s stories on why it doesn’t work.
I have been following a low carbohydrate Precision Nutrition approach. No, not the diet. The lifestyle.
So from the activity angle, there might have been an energy crunch in the early part of this change, but I failed to notice it. As with all weight loss, there was a reduction in my limit strength. But I understood that would happen, and I didn’t mind. Such losses can be gained back.
Strength endurance is up, just about as high as it’s ever been. Ripped up the 300 workout, for fun and fire station competition, in 12 minutes and 1 second. But then again , doing CrossFit and GymJones workouts since 2001 along with my regular strength work should not be possible following a low carb nutrition right? Wrong.
My job as a municipal fire fighter was never in danger once on this nutritional approach. I can still haul ass up flights of stairs, in full bunker gear, with air pack, tools in hand, and a bundle. Putting my total working weight at about 300lbs. Let’s not even talk about the wildland fires and the mountain sides I have to run up to beat the head of a running fireline.
Then there’s my off-time activities of doing judo, hiking, surfing, free diving, and spending time with my kids. Unless you think judo is about standing in awkward positions for long periods of time, then how low carb function doing judo? If you got young children who aren’t the typical fat american kid, then you know who is supposed to be gassing but I tire them out.
About going low carb being unhealthy…last time time I checked my blood work- everything was excellent. It’s amazing how eating lots of vegetables still keeps my in low carb numbers.
So lemme check this again…
energy? got lots of it
healthy? no markers for heart disease or cancer
body comp? it’s funny to hear someone ask me how much work I do on my calves, forearms, legs, and chest. Simple, I don’t do body part workouts. It’s a waste of time.
The main goal is to be healthy and perform. Once you care about looking good, you do stupid things like body part splits and blaming other people’s results on drugs.
johan: Thanks… keep us updated. Actually, if you’re able to come up with a detailed log/review etc on this diet, I’d be more than glad to post your own personal review up on this site for everyone’s benefit.
Chrisdaanimal, Kia_Mau: Thanks guys for your comments!
Kai_Mau: Haha… I knew that such a comment would come out definitely! =)
Do remember, I’m applying what I’m saying to an average Joe and you are definitely no average Joe, Kai_mau…
You are a hero and that’s what you are… Being able to endure and withstand strenuous activities on a low-carb diet/lifestyle and sticking to it for as long as you live…
Think about it this way, will an average person be able to cope to such a diet/lifestyle for the rest of their lives?
If that is the case, I don’t think you would find many people having troubles with being overweight.
Anyway Kai_mau, I do understand that you are tryi8ng to say that low-carb diet WORKS.
I know it does, but sticking to it through thick and thin requires a strong-minded and disciplined person to achieve it.
MOST PEOPLE GIVE UP ON THE LOW-CARB DIET ONCE THEY LOST SOME WEIGHT, INSTEAD OF MAINTAINING IT!
Kai_Mau: Haha… I knew that such a comment would come out definitely! =)
Do remember, I’m applying what I’m saying to average Joes around the world and you are definitely not an average Joe, Kai_mau…
You are a hero and that’s what you are… Being able to endure and withstand strenuous activities on a low-carb diet/lifestyle and sticking to it for as long as you live…
I truly respect your will-power and determination and for the fact that you are a fire-fighter too =)
But think about it this way, will an average person be able to cope with such a diet/lifestyle for the rest of their lives or even a couple of years?
If that is the case, I don’t think you would find many people having troubles with being overweight.
Anyway Kai_mau, I do understand that you are trying to say that low-carb diet WORKS.
I know it does, but sticking to it through thick and thin requires a strong-minded and disciplined person to achieve it.
MOST PEOPLE GIVE UP ON THE LOW-CARB DIET ONCE THEY LOST SOME WEIGHT, INSTEAD OF MAINTAINING IT!
Don’t get me wrong, you have a career as a fire-fighter which requires lots of body strength and endurance and by applying what you practice to a sedentary person with a desk job would be as devastating as asking an old lady to deadlift 300lbs…
Anyway, by saying that doing body part splits is stupid is a mistake my friend…
It’s a technique/variation to focus and train parts in a more effective way.
Anyway, I won’t go into detail about this, but saying that focusing on one/2 body part per day is stupid is just plain plain plain disrespect to many out there who does this routine.
I thinks even DM does this routine if I’m not mistaken…
I’m not saying that this is a perfect way to train, but it’s a VARIATION. (especially for bodybuilders)
You can be healthy and perform well, but with a crooked spine and bad posture, can you consider yourself fit?
Hence, looking good and healthy comes together. Period.
P/S: You can’t look good if you aren’t healthy, right? =S I think so… (This is way too subjective, but I don’t think it works the other way round)
i personally think a good back workout is essential. a weak back spells trouble for many a person.. imagine.. a screwed back wud b disastrous for those who want to even -gulp- run! a weak back also may be problematic when it comes to old age. though i recognize tt many other problems also manifest when a person hits a certain age, but e back shud be one of e lesser worried abt.
im concentrating on my back more now. due to an arch-back problem since young. i have too much weight on a certain few vertebra tt is causing alot of pain at times. even sleeping smtimes can be a pain in the.. err.. back. it was so bad at one pt of time, i cudnt even do proper situps.
i realize i hav digressd fr e main topic but this is a response to Chrisdaanimal and Kai_mau.
anyway, i am on a low carb diet at e mmt. carbs only for b/fast n lunch n next to nil for dinner. higher proteins aft wrk out. chick breasts or tuna. fruits in between meals or a granola bar. :)
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