Hello Everyone,
I had been following ketogenic diet
Few months ago & had a moderate success as it
Didn't last for more than a month. Recently,a week
Ago I again started to loose 15 kgs.since I m from India
and comparatively we have very limited options
For keto diet as the target is to keep carbs as low as
15 grams. I was wondering..if the carb intake is
moderate like 50-60 grams along with work outs
Is it possible to loose weight & at good speed.
Looking forward to some advice on the same.

It might help. Some people just get hungrier when they exercise more, some people end up moving around less when they're not exercising. But it does work for some people.

It's not all about burning calories, or even just burning off those extra carbs. Interval training--going all out, sprinting or equivalent exercise in 30 second bursts or so seems to improve insulin sensitivity--even though the amount of work actually done isn't really enough to work through all that much glucose or calories.

There are other things you can do to help make up for the slightly higher carb intake. Using slowly digested carbs like beans and other legumes rather than the more quickly digested carbs like fruit or rice or bread might help. The thing to remember here, I think, is that these approaches are really only strong enough to bother with if you take them whole-heartedly. Sixty grams of the very best carbohydrate sources might work better for you than thirty grams of the very worst carbs.

Sour/acidic condiments like vinegar can reduce the effect of carbohydrate somewhat. Also approaches like intermittent fasting--eating all food within an eight hour period of time or less daily, for instance, might help.

Dr. Jason Fung has a blog that's low-carb friendly, but he also goes into a lot of the other things besides pure low carb that people can do to try to lower their insulin levels and lose weight.

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/?s=weight+loss

We have a couple of threads on Dr Fung's approach in the Diabetes section of the forum, (we don't restrict the conversation there to just diabetes, though), this is the more recent one.
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=472377

I think 50 grams of carbs is still considered low-carb and if you eat the healthy low-carb foods as Teaser suggests, that, along with exercise should help you lose weight. I just started working out. I do 30 minutes elliptical trainer and 20 minutes on 9 machines for strength training. I'm at 15 - 25 grams of carbs per day and will see if I need to up them as I continue with the exercise. Good luck!

Big thanks to both of you for reading my query & sharing your views on the same.this question was asked keeping in mind the long term plan...as if now I also intend to stick to 20 g carbs & follow some light regimen like cross trainer for 10 minutes & lat pulley exercises to tone up my arms combined with skipping rope..

There are a lot of great videos on You Tube for 20 minute HIIT routines and mat work you can do from home with no equipment. I love fitnessblender as a You Tube source for workouts.
Yes, exercise may make us more hungry but it's got so many wonderful health benefits that I think it's quite worth it. I find it very compatible with low carb eating.

Best to you!

Thanks a lot lily..I wud certainly follow your advice

Hi Teena,

I am Indian too but live in America. I cook a lot of my own food, Indian and otherwise, but also enjoy eating out. I visit India once a year.

In my experience, it is possible to lose weight while staying at 60 grams of carbs or so. I lost about 60 lbs (27 kg) this way and have maintained it for a year. However, please keep a few things in mind:

1. You will have to follow the ketogenic/ low carb diet forever. This is not a diet you can do for a while and then go back to eating "normally". If you do, you will gain back the weight you lost and more.

2. I have included legumes in small quantities in my diet throughout. This means I eat controlled portions of dal, chana, besan and mung. It did not stop me from losing weight but others may have different experiences. I find that including these foods in small quantities was helpful when you primarily eat Indian food.

3. The worst thing about following a low carb diet in India is OTHER PEOPLE. Everyone, from aunties to uncles to waiters at restaurants have had something to say about why I wouldn't eat roti/rice etc. Get ready to ignore everyone else and stick to your plan.

4. Exercise is a non-negotiable. You should be working out no matter how many carbs you eat. I would highly recommend a mixture of strength training (weights), abs and cardio instead of only cardio. Forget about all those fears of getting "bulky", just do it. I work out 25-40 minutes a day, 4 times a week. I bought my first bikini last week, so it is worth it.

Good luck to you.

Teena,
When I started low carb 12 months ago I also exercised frequently (3 to 4 times per week) but not with the expectation that the exercise would of itself cause much if any weight loss. But exercise is healthy whether it causes weight loss or not.
However, I began with a carb intake of 120 g/d for the first few months and then reduced into the range 70 to 90 g/d. My weight loss averaged 2 lbs per week over the first 3 to 4 months. This chart explains it better:


I'm not sure what you regard as a 'good speed weight loss' but I was quite content with 2 lbs per week and this occurred at quite a bit higher carb intake than you are talking about.

But everyone is different so you just need to try it for yourself.

Thank you MPrufrock & Bintang,
I understood the concept of low carbs very well.and I don't have any intention to back to normal eating, however, I came across a diet called slow carb by Tim ferriss..that diet allows to eat legumes & lentils & also one cheat day every week. I even came across an Indian guy who is doing this diet & have lost a lot weight. This diet sounds more sustainable to me as I dont my daughter to copy me & skip eating fruits & wheat.I guess teaser is also talking about the same diet.

Sustainability is so important and I think that to achieve it the total amount of carbs that you can 'tolerate' is much more important than avoiding and depriving yourself of certain foods, which you find very enjoyable.

For example, some 'diet plans' avoid bread completely but this is not for me because I enjoy making and eating bread and if I stop completely I know the 'deprivation' will make me feel miserable. That being said I never eat commercial bread. The only bread I do eat is home-made and the amounts I eat are very modest. It is also possible because I have been able to lose weight successfully on a total carb intake of 70 to 100g per day.
However, if it was essential for me to reduce carbs to below 30g per day it's unlikely I would be able to continue eating any bread.