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Anyone here on low carb doing for long time?

V

Veryanxious

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
I have few doubts on low carb diet. I am trying to understand if there are any complications for doing low carb diet for long term?
Do you prefer going keto or just low carb?
If low then, then much low on carbs?
What are challenges you have faced socially with this type of diet.?
Do you find it sustainable for long term.?
How long you have been on low carb?
Please share your valuable experiences, there are lot of conflicting and confusing studies on internet.

Thanks.
 
Hi, I've been low carb for 2 years. Less than 20g carbs per day. Really enjoying real food eg meat, fish, chicken and eggs with veg or salad. I use butter, lard, coconut oil and olive oil. Also salt up with Redmond Real Salt. The food is so tasty. I've lost 4.5 stone, reduced my HbA1c to 33, HDL up to 1.8 and triglycerides down to 0.6. I won't be going back to cereals, grains and sugar. I feel so much better.
 
Under 100g per day for 6.5 years now. I'd probably average 50-60g most of the time. For the past couple of years, I've also introduced time restricted eating, so I still get into ketosis overnight. My fasting window varies from a minimum of 13 up to 19hrs. Not aware of any complications of Type 2 and taking no medication for it.
 
I am interested in the studies that you have seen that bring into question the points you raise i.e sustainability, possible downsides.
 
Over 4 and a half years, gradually reducing from 100g carbs . About 30g for the last 4 years. No side effects at all, easy to sustain, all blood markers good and stable, lost 33% of my weight very easily and maintained my new weight for over 4 years. No idea if I am in ketosis or not as I don't measure it.
 
I'm on low carb diet (no bread pasta rice potatoes), maybe around up to 40g a day from veggies, doing it for 2 and half years. Suites me well and I think it's sustainable for a long time. No major problems so far.
 
Dabbled with carb counting and lower carb on and off for years. <50g carb/day LCHF for the last year with impressive results.
I have not noticed many problems, although eating low carb can be a little socially awkward, but no more awkward than being vegetarian
I plan to stay low carb.
 
When discussing carbohydrate counting its less confusing if posters would clearly define whether they are talking about net carbs or total carbs ie with or without fiber included.
 
Pasha said:
When discussing carbohydrate counting its less confusing if posters would clearly define whether they are talking about net carbs or total carbs ie with or without fiber included.
Click to expand...
For those of us in the UK, Australia, NZ, total carbs and net carbs are the same thing on our food labels. Not sure how it works in other countries. USA for sure you have to do your own deduction for fibre.
 
At least one of these studies have been discussed at length on the forum already:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/stop-keto-now-the-mice-have-spoken.155108/

In my personal opinion, there are vested interests trying to stop the resurgence of low carb because it undermines the whole medical, pharmaceutical and food system. This lecture by Dr Jay Wortman pretty well outlines how they did it last time with Atkins and pretty sure the same kind of dodgy stuff is happening now:


If you want to cover all the science defended by Prof Tim Noakes during his trial in South Africa, all of his testimony and the testimony of his supporters can be found on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPda1Yn6bpO6DG_b5_wAVXf100niaaJDX

The study in my signature is well worth reading:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900714003323

And then there's Dr Bernstein - he is 83+ years old and has been living with Type 1 since age 12. He reversed almost all the complications of Type 1 by following a low carb diet for many, many years. He's a walking advertisement for the low carb method.
 
Deep ketosis (4-5mmol/L) for one year. Don’t count carbohydrate but probably 10g or sometimes zero. Only carbs I ingest are from green overground vegetables. Gained 2kg in weight (lean muscle). HbA1c on last measure was 31mmol/mol (5%) and next test is projected to be c.29 (4.8%) based on my own glucose data. My diet is best described as primal-keto. Meat, organs, fish, eggs, butter, cream, vegetables. All meals made from real whole ingredients available only in nature.

Totally happy and no sense of deprivation. Better connection with nature. Got off all Metformin and reversed all peripheral neuropathy pain. Assuming no issues down the line then for me it’s totally sustainable. I prefer the dietary lifestyle and have no desire to return to eating carbohydrate.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Veryanxious said:
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP275173

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/amp/321864

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180828085922.htm
Click to expand...

The info in the first link is refuted by Prof. Ben Bikman.
The info in the second link comes from a three months rodent study and would be refuted by Fung.
The info in the third link is refuted by Aseem Malhotra and Sharif Sultan (Cardiologists).

As I have seen theses studies before I did not click on links within but I seem to remember that two of the three studies you have linked to have been discussed on the forum. Your first link, I think, refers to a study carried out by those with vested interests in the promotion of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.
 
Probably vested interest, but they do make me confuse. I don't want to trust them as I have been benefited by low carb diet alot.
Apart from weight loss and bringing my A1c down.
I have been benefited with anxiety too. I am able to think more clearly now. When I was in keto, I really liked the concentration I had and don't feel sleepy anymore now even if take carbs, when everyone in office after lunch start complaining how sleepy they feel.
I know short term effects but because of these studies I sometimes can't help but doubt, therefore I asked in group about low carb diet long term effects. For me experience that people have, following low carb for long time is more important then some study. I know doctors are only know few things about the body. Half of the time they have no clue. Like they used remove appendix and tell that appendix is useless part of body. Now they are saying other things. I don't trust doctors on nutrition.
They don't care to go to the root of the cause just fix everything with one solution, they feel is right.
 
That is awesome, ketosis for one year. Do you try to buy organic animal products?
 

You are right to question everything. The thing that is important to remember is that we are all individuals and what proves to be long term for me might be quite short term for you and vice versa. All we can do is to trust in ourselves but keep a wary eye on things.
 
I am so not able to resist carbs. When I go to party and I see roti and dal I break. I am so not able to continue for more then two days. I was able resist it for one month when I really wanted to loose weight. But after that I fail every time. I do low carb for two days then I would eat carbs.
 
6.5 years of low carb is really huge. I mean it's really hard to resist carbs when every thing around is made of carbs.
 
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