Long term issues?

[xiuxiu]

Has anyone here or does anyone know of someone who has limited their carbohydrate intake to less than 20 grams a day for over a year without there being side effects?

I'm a 28 year old female and have been overweight since childhood. I ate pretty badly as a teenager and probably as a child, but not really as an adult. I have a condition called PCOS which messes with my hormones and makes it incredibly easy for me to gain weight and extremely difficult to lose it.

I was a vegetarian for 12 years (since 15) and ate very healthy, i.e. no fast food, not much (if any) junk food, I've never liked soda or beer. I get excited food-wise over tofu & brown basmati rice. When I was diagnosed with PCOS in March, it was recommended by my doctor that I try to go low carb. I've never dieted really, so I figured I would give it a try so I added a bit of meat (turkey/fish) to my diet and cut out all pasta, rice, bread, sugar, etc. Since then, I've been taking in no more than 20 grams of carbs a day (though I intentionally cheat once a month or so in order to not feel like I'm depriving myself and to end plateaus) and losing 5-6 pounds a month, which is in the healthy range (though I wish I could lose more). At that rate, however, I'll be doing this for at least another year before I've lost the amount of weight I want to lose. I'm wondering if my kidneys are going to fail, or if I'm going to sprout wings, etc, by limiting my carb intake for so long.

[DrH]

I'm not a medical doctor; however, I have been on induction-level carbs for six months and I have never felt better. Best of luck to you. Jill



Has anyone here or does anyone know of someone who has limited their carbohydrate intake to less than 20 grams a day for over a year without there being side effects?

I'm a 28 year old female and have been overweight since childhood. I ate pretty badly as a teenager and probably as a child, but not really as an adult. I have a condition called PCOS which messes with my hormones and makes it incredibly easy for me to gain weight and extremely difficult to lose it.

I was a vegetarian for 12 years (since 15) and ate very healthy, i.e. no fast food, not much (if any) junk food, I've never liked soda or beer. I get excited food-wise over tofu & brown basmati rice. When I was diagnosed with PCOS in March, it was recommended by my doctor that I try to go low carb. I've never dieted really, so I figured I would give it a try so I added a bit of meat (turkey/fish) to my diet and cut out all pasta, rice, bread, sugar, etc. Since then, I've been taking in no more than 20 grams of carbs a day (though I intentionally cheat once a month or so in order to not feel like I'm depriving myself and to end plateaus) and losing 5-6 pounds a month, which is in the healthy range (though I wish I could lose more). At that rate, however, I'll be doing this for at least another year before I've lost the amount of weight I want to lose. I'm wondering if my kidneys are going to fail, or if I'm going to sprout wings, etc, by limiting my carb intake for so long.

[Nancy LC]

Lots of people here have been doing this for years and years on end. We all feel better than we did before.

[cs_carver]

If you really sprouted wings?

Pity. We'd all be doing it if we could--sprouting wings, that is.

[kebaldwin]

I've been doing induction (trying for zero carbs) for four years now. And there is nothing wrong with me ;-)

It got me off a handful of prescription drugs and returned serveral problems back to the normal range.

I was clearly addicted to carbs - and feel that going "cold turkey" is easier than eating just a small amount. It seems that a small amount just leads to larger and larger amounts (it is called "carb creep").

Over four years I feel that I have lost about 90 pounds of fat and have about 50 more pounds of fat still on me. I also estimate that I have put on 40 to 50 pounds of muscle.

I also eat all that I want every day. Typically nine eggs for breakfast, a pound of hamburger, bar-b-que (etc) for lunch, and then usually 1 to 1.25 pound steak for dinner. In the beginning I was eating like 4,000 calories per day - and lost 60 pounds in 6 months. My appetite has slowly been coming down - but I still often over eat because it tastes so good (omeletes, steaks, etc) and it is zero carbs.

As a lady - you might want to eat less and do more cardio and stretching - less strength training - to get a leaner build.

Plus plenty of supplements and moderate exercise. The supplements are a replacement of the veggies and fruit - without all the sugar and water they contain. High levels help to flush all the wastes out of my body - especially all the wastes that were stored years ago in my fat and are "unlocked" as my body burns fat. High levels also give my body the tools and materials it needs to rebuild and repair itself.

As a lady - you might want to take more plant based supplements.

At 28 years old - I would stay away from hormonal type supplements unless instructed by your doctor.

I think that most overweight people have hormonal and metabolism problems. Your body will fight to hang on to the fat it worked so hard to store. But a low carb diet, supplements, and exercise are a great way to reduce your insulin levels (and stabilize your bad hormones - so your good hormones can start rebuilding), burn fat, and make yourself very healthy.

Don't worry about the monthly cheat - as long you get back on the diet and don't go back to the dark side.

There is a lot of concern over wether eating soy based products are healthy -- so you should do a lot of research there.

[j13]

I've been doing essentially induction for almost a year now - I just had a blood test and passed with flying colors. I asked if I should keep doing what I was doing, he said yes and was surprised that low-carb, not a "more heart healthy" low-fat diet was what had given me those results. Regardless, I supplement heavily and have never felt so healthy, and my bloodwork bore that out.

-j.

[ReginaW]

Has anyone here or does anyone know of someone who has limited their carbohydrate intake to less than 20 grams a day for over a year without there being side effects?

I'm a 28 year old female and have been overweight since childhood. I ate pretty badly as a teenager and probably as a child, but not really as an adult. I have a condition called PCOS which messes with my hormones and makes it incredibly easy for me to gain weight and extremely difficult to lose it.

I was a vegetarian for 12 years (since 15) and ate very healthy, i.e. no fast food, not much (if any) junk food, I've never liked soda or beer. I get excited food-wise over tofu & brown basmati rice. When I was diagnosed with PCOS in March, it was recommended by my doctor that I try to go low carb. I've never dieted really, so I figured I would give it a try so I added a bit of meat (turkey/fish) to my diet and cut out all pasta, rice, bread, sugar, etc. Since then, I've been taking in no more than 20 grams of carbs a day (though I intentionally cheat once a month or so in order to not feel like I'm depriving myself and to end plateaus) and losing 5-6 pounds a month, which is in the healthy range (though I wish I could lose more). At that rate, however, I'll be doing this for at least another year before I've lost the amount of weight I want to lose. I'm wondering if my kidneys are going to fail, or if I'm going to sprout wings, etc, by limiting my carb intake for so long.

My husband is an RE (reproductive endo) and he routinely recommends carbohydrate restriction for his patients with PCO, sometimes he doesn't - it really is individualized - but it's almost all of them. That said, a funny thing happens - many wind up getting pregnant while they're just starting the diet and their insulin and BG is normalized (finally) with the diet, so he winds up not having to do anything else, since they were seeing him for fertility issues!

He has a specific list of foods to eat as much as you want; those to moderate and those to completely avoid. One of his nurses is following the diet and lost 55-pounds since July - she was going to have gastric bypass, but he convinced her to try this first, before the surgery. So far, her weight loss is about 20% of her starting weight - she still has a lot more to go and is still eating about 20-30g each day of carbs, and nothing but improvements have happened with her blood tests.

Losing weight takes time - there is only so much you can lose safely each week or month - at first on LC it's quick, but then it does slow down and many people think it's no longer working and give up. At that point, take your measurements and you'll find you're probably losing inches even if the scale isn't moving. I know it's more satisfying to see the scale move, but inches off count too!

Don't worry if the scale isn't moving fast - ask How do I feel? As long as you're feeling better, have energy and are satisfied, keep on keeping on! The longest term data out there followed subjects for 22-months - and it found reduced risks and improvements....as long as you're feeling good, I wouldn't sweat it....just make really good choices with your non-starchy vegetables (get at least 1/2 of your carbs from them) and make sure you're eaitng enough protein for your weight...it's important!

[kebaldwin]

My husband is an RE (reproductive endo) and he routinely recommends carbohydrate restriction for his patients with PCO, sometimes he doesn't - it really is individualized - but it's almost all of them. That said, a funny thing happens - many wind up getting pregnant while they're just starting the diet and their insulin and BG is normalized (finally) with the diet, so he winds up not having to do anything else, since they were seeing him for fertility issues!

Thank god for your husband. At least there is one honest doctor out there.

I agree that most health problems, including fertility problems, would be corrected if people simply ate properly, took their vitamins, and got a little exercise.

[322432]

Five years, 90 pounds, two new wardrobes, and more energy with stamina than I've had since I was a teenager; no pills, supplements, or any other unnecessary chemicals in my body.