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  1. #1
    Methuselah's Avatar
    Methuselah is offline Member
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    Low Carbohydrate F.A.Q.

    Low Carbohydrate F.A.Q.
    A Brief Introduction to Low Carbohydrate Diets
    And Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
    (last modified 12/8/2000)

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Lowcarb Basics
    Low carbohydrate diets are based on the theory that many people can not consume large amounts of carbohydrate foods without having their bodies create, and store large amounts of body fat. It is a virtual opposite of the "food pyramid" prescribed by most nutrition authorities. Prohibited (or severely limited) foods are all starches and sugars, including all grains, cereals, potatoes, and foods made with them. Allowed foods are all meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, fats/oils, some dairy products (heavy cream, butter, and some cheeses), most green vegetables, and a few other relatively low carbohydrate fruits and vegetables (note: unlike other meats and fish, liver and mollusks contain carbohydrates, and therefore must be limited, see "Carbohydrate counts" in the main section of the FAQ). Unlike other diets, most low carbohydrate diets do not stress calorie restriction. You eat allowed foods until you're satisfied, and should never be hungry. The only other important requirement is to drink a large amount of water, but this is now the recommended by all health professionals for everyone, whether on any kind of “diet” or not (see the entry on water, below).
    How low is “low?” Low Carbohydrate is roughly defined as any diet which involves under 100g of carbohydrate for the average person. While this will be way too high for many (perhaps most) of us who have already suffered severe metabolic disruption and have considerable weight to lose, it is still low enough for some to experience the metabolic changes and benefits that are characteristic of a lowcarb diet.

    There are very significant differences between "low fat" and "low carb" diets. When you starve your body of calories, protein, and fat (as on the standard "low-fat/low calorie weight loss diet), it burns large amounts of both fat AND muscle to provide fuel. You lose weight, but the loss of muscle tissue not only shows physically, but it also reduces your basic metabolic rate, so you need to cut calories EVEN MORE! On a proper lowcarb diet, your body burns mostly FAT (maybe ONLY fat), and preserves your lean muscle tissue. If you do any exercise, you will even ADD lean muscle while still losing fat, thereby INCREASING your basic metabolic rate, and ENHANCING the loss of fat. Since muscle is more dense than fat, you may very well find yourself fitting much smaller size clothing than you think you should at your new weight. This is also the reason that you must check your measurements as well as your weight, since you may at times be getting leaner, while not getting any lighter (but that's a GOOD thing!).

    Another difference is the lack of hunger and the absence of "cravings." According to several theories, for some people carbohydrates act very much like an addictive drug. The more they eat, the more they crave those foods. On a low carbohydrate diet, once past the initial few days, those cravings significantly diminish, or disappear completely. Also, most of these plans allow you to eat as much of the allowed foods as you need to be satisfied.

    Please remember that these diets are all different to some degree. Foods that may be allowed on one, may not be allowed on another. When in doubt, always follow the plan you have chosen, at least until you have gained enough experience to understand the possible consequences of any changes you may want to make.
    Last edited by Methuselah; 02-12-2002 at 06:36 PM.

  2. #2
    Tobey is offline Retired IRON CHEF Mod
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    I don't know Methuselah

    I have treied these really low carb diets before and to be honest I have had good results as far as fat losees were concerned. But I really was hunger ALL the time and found that I could never get enough food in me to keep the hunger pains away. I'll probably hit these same diets again from time to time and although they might be ok for a short term situtation ( before comps ect) I really could not see myself on a diet such as this for any lengh of time. JMO.
    IC

  3. #3
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    Sicilian30 is offline Respected Member
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    Let me just say that is a great post, and I have believe in low carb diets to a degree, because I Have had such great sucess with them. When you say low everyone get's freaked out, low does not mean cut them out, your body needs carbs, but in moderation. Everything we eat now a days has some type of carbs. Ever wish the foods were different, that almost every food would have more protein than carbs?
    WEll anyways, TObey I feel your pain man, but really and truthfully, ECA stacks helped me out. They made my cravings go way down, and believe it or not, my carb cravings and hunger subsided with some ECA. Train your body, drink plenty of water, eat good solid foods full of protein and carbs. Low carb bars where my favorite. They would satisfy my carb hunger, and they had like 3 carbs per bar. I lived on those things.
    Hell Fat Tuesday is almost here, and I start my diet Wednesday. wish me luck. Been sick for 3 weeks now gained about 8 pounds, cause I had to do absolutely nothing while I was sick but sleep and eat. No working out.
    Okay I am going way off the deep end, good post!

  4. #4
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    beenie is offline Senior Member
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    Well I think that I was the low carb king I think, restricting them to under 10g/day for 2.5 years. For weight loss they are extremely effective, it is not deniable. I suffered a couple medical conditions that were diet related. Leg cramps was one, which was resolved by increases in electrolites, specifically calcuim supplementation. the other effect that no one talks about is that bowel movements are very infrequent because there is no fiber in the diet. After a while you just get used to it. I was regular, just very infrequent. No one ever talks about this, but since you brought up the subject of low carb diets, and there may be people reading this who are considering it, I thought it was worth noting.

    When I started my program 2.5 years ago, I was really fat and out of shape. I had high blood pressure and a colesteral level that was through the roof. In about six months I was able to drop 60 lbs in conjunction with the addition of a good cardio program. In a year I had lost 100 lbs. My colesteral is down blood preasure is great. Now when I add weight its muscle!

    I started eating a limited amount of carbs a couple weeks ago. My observation is that I retain more water (not a great thing from a looks point of view because you lose some of the "cut" look). If you are trying to lose, it would be pretty hard now, but that's exactly why I started to consume them - because I want to maintain my weight. The other way to do this without carbs is to increase the fat intake - it will help you maintain, but you still wount gain fat. I know all of this sounds counterintuitive, but this has been my experience with low carbs.

  5. #5
    jersey juice is offline Member
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    I find what works best for me is to reverse the way you eat...check it out. Carbs fuel your brain & body so it's a necessity. If I want pasta & gravy I'll eat it for breakfast...load up on carbs and taper them as the day goes on. I never eat carbs after 3 unless it's an apple or something very low on the GI index. This way your strength stays up, you don't get bitchy, your alert AND your body has all day to burn the carbs....works for me.

  6. #6
    edraven29 is offline Associate Member
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    i agree with this but the real thruth is that you still get craving and sometimes you kinda stay hungry depending on the days.

    Even if i have the cravings i fight them, and on weekend i let myself go. This seems to be working quit fine for me.

  7. #7
    Methuselah's Avatar
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    I find that eating fiber helps me to feel full. Yeah, those carvings are tough but they do go away. It's kind of funny how sweet a green bean starts to taste after awhile.

  8. #8
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    Iwan2bsolid2 is offline Senior Member
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    Methuselah, on a low carb diet-do you need to worry about staying away from saturated fats? Can you eat bacon, sausage, ribs( ah shit the BBQ sauce would have carbs in it- sugars.) Or do you want to stick with good sources of fat like Flax oil, omegas, poly and monosaturated fats? I think it would be easier to go on a low carb diet if you could eat fattier food like sausage and steaks, high fat foods tend to give me that full and satisfied feeling. What are some good foods to eat while on a low carb diet? Do you really believe you can put on lean muscle mass while eliminating carbs?

    SOLID

  9. #9
    Methuselah's Avatar
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    I try to get my fats from high quality oils and from fish. The saturated fats are not good. So I eat lean beef, chicken breast, fish, and lean pork. I do eat some carbs, just enough to burn but not enough to store. The carbs are always complex carbs, never simple carbs.

    I put on twenty pounds of lean mass doing this. I did one 10 week cycle of Test cyp and one 10 week cycle of test cyp/deca .

    The trick to this is to eat plenty of calories, get them all from the protein. Eat enough complex carbs to burn as fuel so your body doesn't have to burn the protein.

    The is Low Carb, not Atkins or Ketosis.

  10. #10
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    Please give an ideal % breakdown of Carbs, Fats and Protein.]

    This way I can get a better idea.

  11. #11
    RON's Avatar
    RON
    RON is offline Anabolic Member
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    I like to use this break down 60% protein, 25% carb and 15% fat.

  12. #12
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    Damn...

    Shit,... that is low. And damn that Protein is HIGH! You constantly chewing beef, and chicken?

    I am alway curious about low carb diets. I myself am a "hard gainer" without plenty of I carbs I just don't grow. So for me it is like 55% carbs.

    The reason for my seeking information on Low-Carb-Diets, at the end of this year I will be a registered Personal Training, and I am trying to besome more whole-some in my knowledge, examples - the most functional diets for the applicable body type. Also for a awsome diet for my father (he needs to lean up), also for myself when my matabolism slows.

    So

  13. #13
    Methuselah's Avatar
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    Actually, it's not a lot of chewing. Put 1/2 meat, 1/2 green vegies on your plate.

    Check out http://www.zoneperfect.com/site/content/resources.asp

  14. #14
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    I'm addicted to fish and spinach.....

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