Can I really lose doing low carbs?? HELP! PLEASE!

superwmn

Everyone is different but I operate at my best when I eat primarily fat, protein and veg with moderate fruit. Many people can also incorporate 'good', 'slow burning' or 'unrefined' carbs into their diets, but I find these foods do not keep me full. Some items frequently on my shopping list:

eggs (love to poach them in salsa)
pork tenderloin
salmon
cod
tilapia
deli turkey (for turkey, humus and clover sprout roll ups)
Seasonal veggies for roasting (I roast TONS of veggies on Sunday, portion and eat all week long)
Spaghetti Squash (also divide and eat all week long)
Plain Greek yogurt
Almond Butter
Roasted, unsalted almonds
Apples
Blueberries and Strawberries

Was online today looking to update my recipe index and found some great recipes for egg casserole, and beef/pork crock pot recipes. I will cook these, portion, and freeze so I have meals for the week and then some!

Charmagne

LaJauna

Before I ate "controlled carb" Atkins diet, my blood sugars were off the charts, my blood pressure was getting dangerously high, my cholesterol was out of whack and I had inflamed joints and stomach issues. I do not as many, misinformed people think eat 0 carbs. I am eating between 30-60 carbs per day and only at that level to promote weight loss. Once I am within 15-20 lbs of my goal I will start adding back healthy carbs until I start to stop losing weight and then I will know what my "critical carb limit" is to maintain my weight loss and health. Since I have been eating a "controlled carb" diet my blood sugars have stabilized in the 80-100 range fasting, my blood pressure is 117/ 75, my cholesterol panel is great for the first time in years, my inflammation ha virtually disappeared and my GERD had disappeared completely. This is only since January 1st. Call my a fanatic. Call me crazy. But I am living proof that eating healthy, controlled carb lifestyle is not unhealthy or dangerous. If anyone has pre-existing conditions...get your doctors permission. But make sure you are prepared with good literature that is based on present day science and not outdated dogma. JMHO. Please do not flame me.

shanna5

I've lost all my weight following a program that allows me to eat between 85-100 carbs a day and around 110-120 grams of protein a day. Its all about the proper balance of the two. I eat 6 meals a day, each having a proper balance of protein and carbs.

What are you eating that you are maintaining low carbs, yet getting quite a bit of protein? Congrats on your success!

Marll

Yes, low carb or controlled carb diets can be successful. Anyone that looks at current dietary research critically, without further prejudice, will see that more and more carbohydrates are linked to people with unhealthy conditions and obesity. Even popular diets like Weight Watchers have reformulated their points system recently to take into account carbs, and having a friend doing that now he says that carb rich foods have significantly higher points than other food. Coincidence? I think not.

I did Atkins for a year and lost over 100lbs. I kept it off for over 2 years after eating more "normally". Only after I went off the deep end and started eating a ton of processed, sugared crap did I gain the weight back and somewhere in my mind the desire for that stuff drowned out the call to stop eating it. I rarely had cravings while eating low carb (every couple of months maybe?) and was NEVER hungry. I had energy to spare and felt great all the time. And my cholesterol was great afterwards, blood pressure great and heart doing fine! You also take in enough protien that you will not loose muscle that you already have on a low carb diet. Low fat and calorie restricted diets tend to do that.

Another misconception that makes me angry is that people think Atkins and other diets that are similar (and really all going off the of the basis of Dr. Atkins approach) that it's all meat and cheese. In the Atkins book he SPECIFICALLY tells you to eat more vegtables, and there is nothing wrong with carbs, just what kind. You also add carbs back into your diet and he states in his book that if you exercise, your tolerance for carbs may be even higher than others and might be able to consume closer to 100g a day. That doesn't seem too bad. I'm a firm believer that Atkins was ahead of his time and not apprciated, but time will show him to be right.

Most people who hate the diet have never read the book and fully understand the approach. It makes sense. The media coverage of it has been sensational and fearful because it flies in the face of everything our medical/nutritional community has recommended forever. Who's to say THEY are right and have the answer (since when does the government ever have the answer LOL).

Also in case some don't know, Atkins was a cardiologist...just goes to show that an opinion of one doctor even if they are "top rated" (read, makes a ton of money for their hospital, not actual patient care...) doesn't mean that their opinion is always right or one shared by all in that field.


/rant off