Why I’ll Never Eat Low Carb Again
My results following a low carb diet
I’ve talked so much shit about keto and low carb diets that I wouldn’t even be mad if the National Keto Board banned me from trying these types of diets all together (if that organization even exists). But after hearing so many stories and testimonials (propaganda?) of people who claim that the slimmest they’ve ever felt has been when they were eating little to no carbohydrates, my curiosity got the best of me. I decided for myself that I had to see what all the hype was really about. I mean, how can I credibly shit talk a diet without ever trying it.
The other motivation behind my experiment was that I knew I was going on vacation at the end of August. I wanted to see how much I could lean out in the coming weeks prior to leaving because I knew once I went on vacation all nutritional hell break loose. And truthfully, I wanted to look good and feel confident in a bathing suit (don’t judge me, we’ve all been there).
First, I need to say that I am not a nutritionist. Everything that I know about food comes from books, the internet, and experience. I did a good amount of research before starting this low carb experiment to find out what kind of foods I could eat and what my target calories/macro nutrients should look like in order to hit my goals. I decided on a goal of 1500 calories a day, 10% of which would come from carbs, 25% protein, and 65% fat. I was able to use these measures as a tool to keep me on track, but didn’t hit them exactly every single day. As long as I was under 50 grams of carbs (around 30 grams of net carbs) and 100 grams of protein a day, I considered that a success. The rest of my diet would be made up of fat. While I won’t go so far as to say I went full “keto” because I have no idea if my body was actually producing and running on ketones, I was for sure eating the lowest amount of carbs I’ve ever consistently consumed.
Satisfaction / satiety
I was pleasantly surprised with how full I was, and especially with how full I stayed throughout the day eating a higher fat diet. Fatty foods are inherently smaller in volume so I was expecting to be left feeling hungry and unsatisfied at the end of the day. However, this wasn’t the case. What scientists say is true, fats really do fill you up.
The downside is that I found myself eating the same thing day after day. I ate A LOT of salad, eggs, and meat which got a little old after a while. However, this was a product of my own laziness and entirely my own fault. I for sure could have solved this problem with a little bit of research and some crafty grocery shopping. But if your someone who plans on starting a low carb diet, you might face these same struggles initially.
Workouts
This is the main reason that I will never go low carb again. My usual workout routine involves running 3 miles before work Monday-Thursday. I felt no different on my runs for these two weeks than I was used to. The real struggle came during my the weekends when I like to do a circuit style workout using dumbbells and a jump rope. Although I’m not always feeling 100% during these sessions, I can usually push myself to pound out a pretty solid workout.
HOWEVER, these workouts felt completely different during these two weeks. Granted, it was an extremely small sample size (only three workouts total), but I felt depleted in a whole new way. I could barely finish the workouts I had programmed out for myself and had to quit some early because I felt so terrible — like on the verge of throwing up or passing out terrible. It was a weird feeling for me because I can push through discomfort when it comes to working out. Maybe the issue was that I wasn’t “fat adapted” quite yet (meaning my body is efficient at using fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates), but if I have to go through a transition period like that in order to be fat adapted, l happily stay away.
Results
According to the scale I lost around 6.5 pounds in two weeks. This was definitely not all fat, the majority of it was probably water weight. But my goal was more to lean out (in an aesthetic sense) rather than loose actual weight. What I accomplished was probably some combination of the two, all of which I gained back throughout my vacation. There isn’t a huge difference, but you be the judge. Personally, I think it was pretty successful. By the end of the two weeks I both looked and felt leaner.
Would I do this again?
Short answer — no. Mostly because it made working out extremely difficult. Since carbohydrates are MY body’s preferred method of fuel when working out, I don’t think that this would be sustainable for me long term. Also, it was more restrictive than any other “diet” that I’ve followed in the past. I had to stay away from healthy foods such as beans and lentils, fruit and even some vegetables. I also like pasta, bread, and chocolate way too much to never be able to eat them again. It was nearly impossible to eat food that other people had prepared and eating out was a major struggle. That being said, I’m glad I did it as it was an interesting and informative experience. However, if I’m ever in a situation where I want to drop weight quickly and lean out, I’ll definitely (maybe) consider giving this another try.
No matter how much bitching I do about the ketogenic diet, I’m always going to be a big believer in people doing whatever works for them. If you enjoy and feel best following a ketogenic or low carb diet, more power to you. I just know that this lifestyle — it ain’t for me. If you’ve ever tried a low carb approach let me know what you thought. Are you still following this diet? What did you like/dislike about it? Let me know down below in the comments!
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Until next time,
CC
