13:11 here - also, like 00:40, whenever possible I eat whole grain bread and pasta, and I do watch portion sizes. if my meal includes pasta, I generally won't also eat bread. I only eat lean cuts of meat. I do as many veggies as I can at each meal. I eat out a fair amount or do takeout, and nearly any meal ends up portioned into two meals. (I'll do a salad with the first half and reheat the second half for dinner with vegetables added, like tomatoes and steamed broccoli.)

As a fairly serious runner, I would never dream of going low-carb. I've run on low carbs before (unintentionally) and it didn't go well or make me feel good. But we're talking 5-7 miles in a typical run at a fairly strenuous pace. Most people out there aren't doing that, so most people can probably go low-carb fairly comfortably.

I try for a balance of protein, carbs and fat and I adjust the day-to-day ratios depending on what's planned that day or the next. If I'm lifting, I increase the protein afterward for muscle repair. If I'm running hard the next morning, I make sure dinner includes carbs.

I think depriving oneself of an entire category of food can be hard to do long-term, and eating healthy is hard enough without having so many "eat this, not that" rules.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was eating lower carb, I felt more comfortable with strength training than with aerobic exercises like running. Those, for me, require more carbs.

Eventually, though, I resolved the situation by ditching the low carb approach. I prefer moderate exercise with moderate carbs (and moderate everything else).

When you ditched that approach, did you gain? How did you restructure?

Not PP, but I find eating super low carb makes me feel really foggy brain-wise (and no, I don't have the patience to get over the "keto flu" or whatever) and makes aerobic exercise like running feel really sluggish as well. I eat carbs, but I try to avoid eating tons of sugar, sweeteners (like honey), and refined grains (like white flour and white rice). I try to eat mainly whole grain bread and crackers, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes and potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, whole grains like bulgar wheat and quinoa, legumes, and fruit for carbs. I'm not fanatical about never having desert, white bread or pasta but try to moderate that, and I find this lets me continue to run well and makes my workouts feel better than eating a ton of white flour anyway.

I have lost weight eating this way, and I feel a million times better than super low carb.

Now that I'm fat adapted, I work out fasted and eat afterward. It's amazing how much better I feel in ketones rather than carbs!!

Anonymous wrote:Protein. Also, I'm not eating zero carbs. I'm just not eating a pb&j sandwich with pretzels on the side.

Same. Although I don’t feel I have the energy for high intensity cardio. Just heavy weights and steady state cardio with some intervals here and there.

Protein. Also, I'm not eating zero carbs. I'm just not eating a pb&j sandwich with pretzels on the side.

Anonymous wrote:When I was eating lower carb, I felt more comfortable with strength training than with aerobic exercises like running. Those, for me, require more carbs.

Eventually, though, I resolved the situation by ditching the low carb approach. I prefer moderate exercise with moderate carbs (and moderate everything else).

When you ditched that approach, did you gain? How did you restructure?

When I was eating lower carb, I felt more comfortable with strength training than with aerobic exercises like running. Those, for me, require more carbs.

Eventually, though, I resolved the situation by ditching the low carb approach. I prefer moderate exercise with moderate carbs (and moderate everything else).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you eat in a lower carb way, how do you fuel workouts?

Most people will not work out hard enough to for it to matter.

This. If you’re not doing something serious, like a marathon, you don’t need the extra carbs.

Anonymous wrote:If you eat in a lower carb way, how do you fuel workouts?

Most people will not work out hard enough to for it to matter.

If you eat low carb and become fat-adapted, working out is not a problem. You can then access stored fat much more easily.

This book explains the science behind low carb athletics, and why it's a myth that athletes need high carb diets:

http://a.co/9LO6PAJ

I think a good first step is to really believe (because its true) that your body can and will use fat for fuel. We are designed to do this. Your body can store extra fuel as fat and then burn it as needed. But if you have fuel in your bloodstream, your body will use it first. That isn't to say that you might not be more comfortable while exercising after eating an egg or a cheese stick, and so you should. But your body knows what to do, and you will do fine without food before a workout. But if you need something, have some fat and protein.

Um, protein?

Before I work out in the morning I have two scrambled eggs.

You need to start small and let your body get used to the calorie and carb reduction.

Slow walking is good, then you can work up to something more. Also I'd suggest eating something right before exercise, even if it's a low carb shake.

If you eat in a lower carb way, how do you fuel workouts?