Low carb working wonders without counting calories....why?

I had been doing weight watchers for about 3 months and lost 10 lbs, eating a little bit of everything just in moderation.  I also cut out bad carbs so that I was only eating complex ones.  My weight stalled and I couldnt get past the 10 lb mark.   My endocrinologist told me that I need to stay away from starches and stuff because it messes with my hormones (I may have PCOS).  For the past 3 days I have been eating low carb.  I probably dont eat more than 50 g of carbs a day and they come from fruit and whole wheat bread.  After a couple months of being stalled at a certian weight AND counting calories, eating low carb carb for 3 days WITHOUT counting calories has already made me lose 3 lbs.  Whats up with that?  Do some people's bodies just respond better to protein and less carbs?  I was already eating complex carbs when I was doing weight watchers, but now I'm just eating a lot less of them at meals.  I have more energy to now that I've stopped eating them.  Has anyone else had these results?

By the way I'm about 230 lbs and Im a 5 foot 4, 20 year old girl, so I'm not a skinny person who should be losing weight ultra slow.

Jessica,

Yes, some people's bodies (like yours, sounds like, and mine) react well to lowering carbs. I started out a few years very close to where you are now (225lbs, 5'6") and weigh 182 as of this morning. Like you, any processed carbs or foods with higher sugar contents just made me...sludgy.

I went to a nutrtionist, who showed me what foods to eat a lot of, which foods to eat in moderation, and which foods to avoid. I don't and haven't counted calories at all. However...here's something interesting: I use the food log on CC as my "food journal" and it automatically counts my calories for me. And, without counting myself, sticking to a high-protein, lower-carb eating plan, my calories are almost always less than what I need to maintain...so I lose weight.

The thing about carbs is, most of the carbs that we like to eat are the ones that aren't so good for you, or have minimal nutritional value; basically, think of any traditional, packaged, baked goods: white bread, cookies, cakes, white rolls, croissants, you get the picture. Then, there's all of the fried and breaded stuff that adds carbs to our diets: french fries, fried chicken, breaded, well, everything! White rice and pasta aren't "bad" for you per se - but they offer VERY little nutritional value and fill you up less than their whole-grain counterparts.

I think that cutting carbs for you, like it was for me, just automatically and naturally lowered your calorie intake. Great example: what has fewer calories: 5 crackers with hummus or 10 sticks of celery with hummus?

So, I say, go for it! Embrace healthy carbs like legumes, low-glycemic fruits like berries and cherries, and "traditional" carbs that have high fiber contents, like whole grain breads, steel-cut oats, and products made with flax.

Good luck to you, and feel free to PM if you want to talk about low carbs further.

Colleen

low carb is good first the first phase of ur diet but in the ong run ur gunna neeed all the carbs in a balanced diet.....so that will work for now but in like a month from now incorporate sum carbs

yup, everyone is diferent.  this has also worked for me.  try lots of veggies too (way less cals than fruit and more fiber).  i only have carbs (whole wheat) at bfast, and soemtimes at lunch (like half the time) and never at dinner.  i found this has been teh best for me!

your body stores water to help digest carbs.  when you reduce your carb intake, you also reduce how much water your body is hanging onto.  thus, people typically lose weight early on low carb diets but the weight is almost completely associated with decreased water retention, rather than "actual" weight.  real weight loss will still be a mater of calories in, calories out.  if the early weight loss motivates you into sticking with your diet, however, this will likely translate into "real" weight loss. 

Hi,I am looking for some low carb meal ideas so if anyone has any please let me know.Thank you

I have not gone low carb yet but my husband has convinced me to do so he says he thinks carbs are my problem with not being able to lose weight very easily.so I'm glad you posted this I am going to lower my carbs I'm not sure by how much yet.

I think the source of carbs does matter for many people.  Overall calories do matter, but beyond that the sources of those calories (macro and micro nutrients) have a great deal of input into your health.  Carbs from vegetables, fruit, and whole grains are great.  As a general rule, the less processed the carb the better it is for you.

Generally a few pounds that shift abruptly can be attributed to water retention just like a sudden gain of a few pounds is usually from the same.  Keep doing what you're doing for another week or so and see if you continue to have the same success and are still feeling healthy.  If you have any health issues arise, consult your doctor.

There are a lot of low carb menu ideas & recipes here: http://forum.lowcarber.org/index.php?

and also take a look at Linda's Low Carb Website...  this is pretty cool   http://genaw.com/lowcarb/ 

thank you for the meal ideas I've never done this before but I'm going to now!

thanks.  does anyone else have any experiences like this?

Thousands of people had experiences like that, hence the "low carb craze" of the 90's. Unfortunately many of those people resumed their diet of high carbohydrates & gained it all back.

Have you done research on low carb (aka controlled carbohydrate) diets? There is a lot of information out there.

I follow a controlled carbohydrate diet to treat a medical disorder. There are many benefits to limiting ones carb intake, specifically limiting carbs from everything but vegetables.

i also just started a very low carb diet- i only have anything with grain in it at breakfast and have mostly veggies and fruits and some protein the rest of the day... i was curious when i read ur post cuz u said ur doc said starches were messing with ur hormones:  its probably impossible and im just getting my hopes up, buut ive never had a period (im almost 17) and 2 days after i drastically cut my carbs i had slight bloating and later felt a tingling which made me dizzy in my lower abdomen, and had a veryyy light red stain... had it the next day too.  tonight i had a lot of carbs and everything stopped.  is it at all possible that its related? and duz anyone know if these are even valid signs of a period?

I started cutting back on carbs last week.  I basically eat oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast and some fruit for snacking but try to eat protein and veggies the rest of the day.  I have found that I feel so much less disgusting and sluggish!  I used to go to bed feeling bloating and uncomfortable but now that is all gone and the bloating in my belly is also gone.  I am not super strick about it and I plan on trying to stick to a 50% carb, 25% fat and protein diet as well as not eating after 7pm. 

It's helping me sleep better and the amount of water weight I have lost is incredible.  It looks like I lost 3 lbs from by stomach because I was so bloated from eating only carbs.

I would recommend eating carbs in moderation.  You def need quite a bit in your diet and if you slip up every once and a while it's okay but I have found that since most junk is really high in carbs, it makes you stay away from those things and thus inproving healthy eating.  Just make sure you get some whole grains in and good luck!

I'm not doing low carb exactly, but definately higher protein than Carb. If I start my day off with carbs, I find I am hungry all day long. But if I start with a really high protein breakfast with veggies, I feel satisified all day long.

I too have lost 3 lbs quickly after a stall. I don't know if it's the protein, or if my body was just ready to begin losing weight again. I started a pretty heavy gym routine 2 months ago and I think my body was in shock, lol

I am trying to eat higher protein and fiber diet with alot of fruit and veggies. I don't freak out if I eat too many carbs, or if I want a roll at night with dinner, I have it.