low carb diets?

Hi there, i have never tried them personally, though i do know that there can be health issues with HPLC diets, (High Protien, Low Carb). one of the unpleasnat side effects is that, believe it or not, it can make your breath smell horrendous.

I know some of my ffriends have had good results with HPLC but it seems to be unsustainable as they have all ballooned back to their original weights again. In my opinion it is a good way of dropping weight very quickly but not a lifestyle change, and that is waht i believe makes for a successful weight loss campaign (Lifestyle change and eating habits along with regular exercise).

Hope there is something here for you to take away. Good luck......

I too have cut down on carbs rather than cut them out completely. I've only just started this week so yet to see the impact.

Remember there are carbs in various fruit and veg too so you can continue to get some carb intake by eating sweet potato which is a carb but low GI so not a refined carb.

And although I've cut down on cards I'm not replacing it with high protein so not willfully snacking on full fat cheese and chicken strips etc.

I agree that HPLC is not long term sustainable. Good luck.

Any low carb plan can be successful if it is done as a Lifestyle Change. If you like protein, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, berries and small amounts of whole grains and sweet potatoes from time to time then you will be successful with the low carb lifestyle.

Don't let anyone tell you that these plans don't work. They work if you work the plan. The whole point of Atkins and South Beach being in the phases and adding back in foods in certain orders is so you can see if you have any intolerances to foods, such as a gluten intolerance to grains.

If you are intending on doing this for a short time, I will strongly advise against it.

I started out on Atkins and lost 100 pounds. I maintained that loss from 2003 - 2008. I started gaining the weight back slowly when I had a car accident, going to rehab and also developed Thyroid issues, plus I got slack with my eating.

For instance, the Atkins plan has 4 phases.

Phase 1 - Induction - allows you to eat plentiful protein, fats and green leafy veggies. The purpose of this phase is to get rid of sugar and starch cravings.

Phase 2 - On Going Weightloss - You start adding back in more veggies (higher carb), nuts, seeds, berries and move up the "carb ladder" by adding in foods from the Glycemic Index. below is the carb ladder and the order in which it is advised that you slowly add back in foods. The higher the glycemic Index number the less often you should have those foods - this is where grains and starchy foods come in at.

This was taken from the Atkins website:

Carb Ladder:

Rung 1: Foundation vegetables: leafy greens and other low-carb vegetables
Rung 2: Dairy foods high in fat and low in carbs: cream, sour cream, and most hard cheeses
Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss:
Rung 3: Nuts and seeds (but not chestnuts)
Rung 4: Berries, cherries, and melon (but not watermelon)
Rung 5: Whole milk yogurt and fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese and ricotta
Rung 6: Legumes, including chickpeas, lentils, and the like.
Rung 7: Tomato and vegetable juice “cocktail” (plus more lemon and lime juice)
Phases 3 and 4, Pre-Maintenance and Lifetime Maintenance:
Rung 8: Other fruits (but not fruit juices or dried fruits)
Rung 9: Higher-carb vegetables, such as winter squash, carrots, and peas
Rung 10: Whole grains

How to Reintroduce Certain Foods
There are five important points to understand as you begin to reintroduce foods in OWL.

1. Count your carbs. If you’ve been estimating grams of Net Carbs [link] in Induction, now is the time to start counting them.

2. One at a time. Add only one new food within a rung each day or several days. That way, if a food reawakens cravings or uncontrollable hunger, causes gastric distress or stalls or reverses weight loss, you can easily identify it—and back off for the time being. So, for example, at rung 4 you might start with a small portion of blueberries. Assuming no problems, move on to strawberries a couple of days later. In OWL, most people can also consume additional low-carb specialty foods beyond those suitable for Induction. Again, try them one at a time to assess any reactions.

3. More variety, not more food. You’re increasing your range of foods but not the amount of food that you’re eating day to day by very much. As you continue to add small amounts of carbohydrate foods, you don’t have to do anything other than make sure you’re not overdoing your protein intake (typically 4–6 ounces at each meal). Let your appetite be your guide. Stay hydrated, and the moment you feel you’ve had enough, stop eating.

4. Stay with foundation vegetables. As you add new foods, you’ll substitute some of them for other carb foods you’re already eating, but not your 12 to 15 grams of Net Carbs from foundation vegetables. For example, you can now have cottage cheese in lieu of some of the hard cheese you’ve been eating in Induction. Instead of an afternoon snack of green olives, you might switch off with macadamias. You’ll still be eating those Induction-friendly foods, but you can branch out a bit. As long as you’re tracking your carb intake, eating the recommended amount of vegetables, and feeling full but not stuffed, you should do fine.

5. Write it down. The process of adding back foods doesn’t always happen smoothly, and you’ll want to know which food is causing which response, so, if necessary, you know which to back off from. Keep on noting what you’re adding, how much, and your reactions, if any, in your diet journal.

Any low carb plan can be successful if it is done as a Lifestyle Change. If you like protein, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, berries and small amounts of whole grains and sweet potatoes from time to time then you will be successful with the low carb lifestyle.

Don't let anyone tell you that these plans don't work. They work if you work the plan. The whole point of Atkins and South Beach being in the phases and adding back in foods in certain orders is so you can see if you have any intolerances to foods, such as a gluten intolerance to grains.

If you are intending on doing this for a short time, I will strongly advise against it.

I started out on Atkins and lost 100 pounds. I maintained that loss from 2003 - 2008. I started gaining the weight back slowly when I had a car accident, going to rehab and also developed Thyroid issues, plus I got slack with my eating.

For instance, the Atkins plan has 4 phases.

Phase 1 - Induction - allows you to eat plentiful protein, fats and green leafy veggies. The purpose of this phase is to get rid of sugar and starch cravings.

Phase 2 - On Going Weightloss - You start adding back in more veggies (higher carb), nuts, seeds, berries and move up the "carb ladder" by adding in foods from the Glycemic Index. below is the carb ladder and the order in which it is advised that you slowly add back in foods. The higher the glycemic Index number the less often you should have those foods - this is where grains and starchy foods come in at.

This was taken from the Atkins website:

Carb Ladder:

Rung 1: Foundation vegetables: leafy greens and other low-carb vegetables
Rung 2: Dairy foods high in fat and low in carbs: cream, sour cream, and most hard cheeses
Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss:
Rung 3: Nuts and seeds (but not chestnuts)
Rung 4: Berries, cherries, and melon (but not watermelon)
Rung 5: Whole milk yogurt and fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese and ricotta
Rung 6: Legumes, including chickpeas, lentils, and the like.
Rung 7: Tomato and vegetable juice “cocktail” (plus more lemon and lime juice)
Phases 3 and 4, Pre-Maintenance and Lifetime Maintenance:
Rung 8: Other fruits (but not fruit juices or dried fruits)
Rung 9: Higher-carb vegetables, such as winter squash, carrots, and peas
Rung 10: Whole grains

How to Reintroduce Certain Foods
There are five important points to understand as you begin to reintroduce foods in OWL.

1. Count your carbs. If you’ve been estimating grams of Net Carbs [link] in Induction, now is the time to start counting them.

2. One at a time. Add only one new food within a rung each day or several days. That way, if a food reawakens cravings or uncontrollable hunger, causes gastric distress or stalls or reverses weight loss, you can easily identify it—and back off for the time being. So, for example, at rung 4 you might start with a small portion of blueberries. Assuming no problems, move on to strawberries a couple of days later. In OWL, most people can also consume additional low-carb specialty foods beyond those suitable for Induction. Again, try them one at a time to assess any reactions.

3. More variety, not more food. You’re increasing your range of foods but not the amount of food that you’re eating day to day by very much. As you continue to add small amounts of carbohydrate foods, you don’t have to do anything other than make sure you’re not overdoing your protein intake (typically 4–6 ounces at each meal). Let your appetite be your guide. Stay hydrated, and the moment you feel you’ve had enough, stop eating.

4. Stay with foundation vegetables. As you add new foods, you’ll substitute some of them for other carb foods you’re already eating, but not your 12 to 15 grams of Net Carbs from foundation vegetables. For example, you can now have cottage cheese in lieu of some of the hard cheese you’ve been eating in Induction. Instead of an afternoon snack of green olives, you might switch off with macadamias. You’ll still be eating those Induction-friendly foods, but you can branch out a bit. As long as you’re tracking your carb intake, eating the recommended amount of vegetables, and feeling full but not stuffed, you should do fine.

5. Write it down. The process of adding back foods doesn’t always happen smoothly, and you’ll want to know which food is causing which response, so, if necessary, you know which to back off from. Keep on noting what you’re adding, how much, and your reactions, if any, in your diet journal.

Totally agreed. The only exception I take is that it can work as a shorter term weight loss goal - as long as it's replaced by a good plan, and not reverting back to your old habits that got you overweight to begin with. Obviously, they don't work!

Using a CKD (cyclical ketogenic diet) can be great for a 12 week weight loss burst, but after, of course, you have to be careful when you add a more moderate carb approach.

Atkins/Keto/South Beach/Protein Power diets are NOT a fad. In fact, they've been researched as much or more than the AHA's low fat diet, which many many studies have contradicted. Do the research, read the books, think for yourself everyone - don't just buy the standard line. Remember when eating a lot of transfat in margarine was a good idea? Yeah - that worked out well.

I still have carbs but I only have them (unless we are havinga treat) for breakfast and lunch never for evening meal as you dont have time to burn it off and it just kind of sits in your tummy. Ive been doing this for about 8 weeks now and I am no longer bloated in the mornings like I used to be!

If you cut something out of your diet, your body gets used to that. If you lose fast by cutting carbs, you're going to gain fast when you start eating them again. A 40 pound weight gain in 6 months seems excessive to me. Even at my worst, I never gained more than 25 pounds in a year. Her experience tells me that cutting carbs is definitely not the way to go.

With all due respect and nothing personal at all, but this just isn't accurate information. You don't gain fast when you start eating carbs again, unless you over eat. The problem is, once the insulin hits from eating sugar and carbs again, it's easy to lose control and over eat them. 40 pounds in 6 months IS excessive! But it wasn't caused by simply adding a percentage of carbs back in a diet, it was caused by overeating and binging.

If you cut something out of your diet, your body gets used to that. If you lose fast by cutting carbs, you're going to gain fast when you start eating them again. A 40 pound weight gain in 6 months seems excessive to me. Even at my worst, I never gained more than 25 pounds in a year. Her experience tells me that cutting carbs is definitely not the way to go.

I can tell you from experience that your friend most likely has insulin resistance (Pre-Diabetes), PCOS, or a grain (gluten) intolerance.

I experienced something similiar and I can tell you that the weight gain was not fat weight, but water weight due to gluten intolerance.

Yes, gluten containing grains will cause you to have very rapid weight gain when you reintroduce them if you have an intolerance to them already.

I am speaking from my own experience, what my doctor told me and research I have done.

That is why Atkins is done in such a structured manner. It is an elimination program and then you can see as you add foods back in how your body reacts to them. If your body does not have a favorable reaction, most times than not there is an allergy or intolerance that has been there the whole time.

I started the 17Day Diet myself, on Jan 3,2011, and have lost 20lbs so far.. I'm on cycle 3 , (there are 3 /17day cycles) eating carbs, and still losing. It's a lifestyle change, and so far, for myself, has been very easy to adjust to, never feel hungry, or deprived.

I was on Atkins years ago, but was hard to stick to, for me.

I totally get this and appreciate that you found what works for you I have my clients find a diet that works for them, then stick to it. Many dietary plans CAN work, but the only one that WILL work is the one that you will stick to.

I DEF agree