So I’m a big guy. I’ve been trying to cut carbs. I’ve done a lot of reading and it is the best course of action based on my body type. I’m not looking to go into a Keto diet necessarily. I understand that it is risky. And of course? I do need the carbs as well. But I’m wondering if anyone has success with this particular area. Especially if you are a larger framed individual who is involved in more pbysically intense sports (combat sports, weights, and so on).
Honestly, I don't buy into the whole low-carb thing. Energy is energy, and if you're taking in too much of it, then your body is going to convert it to stored fat. Different people are going to use up different types of energy at different efficiencies, but even if you're better off cutting out the carbs, it's not going to matter if you're compensating for the calorie-loss with fat.
I've never been a huge guy, but I've always had a gut, and have tried dieting off-and-on ever since I was a teen. I'm thirty-three right now, about forty lbs lighter than I was this time last year, and the only thing I'm doing differently is that I'm counting calories. I try not to take in anymore than 1400 a day, but I'll go lower than what's reccomended.
Most of the weight that I had lost was lost in the first few weeks. It's been a very annoying slow trickle from then on. I'll feel like I'm not losing anything, or not losing fast enough, stop counting calories for about a week, and then end up gaining about ten pounds. There's also the occasion where I'll treat myself to a twelve-pack (okay, maybe I do have a bit of a carb issue) and that will always put me over budget.
Thing is, my twelve-pack of Steel Reserve is about 2660 calories. The beer alone will cause me to gain weight even before I put any actual food in my belly, and I get 'the muchies' whenver I drink (which often results in me creating some sort of abomination in the kitchen.) My sister and mother are big advocates of cutting out carbs, but when they list items like bread and pasta, what I'm hearing is that they're cutting out calorie-dense foods without realizing it.
Vegetables? Not so much. It's carbs, but a 12-oz bag of broccoli or similar item is going to be a little over a hundred calories. There's this cheese . . . product they sell at the grocery store that I frequent that's only 33 calories a slice. It's not the greatest, but it makes a modest bowl of brussels sprouts a bit more paltable.