Side of effects of eating low carb- 3 months

I as well follow low carb dieting practices through carb cycling. and I’ve managed to drop 26 pounds in just under 3 months. Recently I decided to lower my base line from a 300 zone down to 200 to accelerate the effect a little bit.

Couple people ask “what is the total amount of carbs needed in the day to either maintain, or reduce fat?” This may vary person to person. I’ve picked up on a lot of tips and tricks from talking to many, and exploring the internet.

Currently your body is adapted to whatever your typical range is. So in affect any amount of carbs reduced from what your body is programmed to can and may result in weight loss, and the amount of loss will depend on your activeness, and the amount of carbs removed. Very important as well is the types of carbs consumed (KEEP THEM COMPLEX) zero junk! no, or low sugar!, and BEWARE OF PASTA!

By continuing to stay on your new low carb diet, your body will either continue to lose weight, or your body may reprogram itself to the new amount of carbs consumed and plateau your fat loss. this may be one good reason of why many people attack carbs in increments instead of just hacking them all away instantly. Better to slowly adjust the body in increments, or you may risk a crash, and cause you to gain it all back.

Now how many carbs? Good question. On the occasion I've spoken to a Certified Personal Trainer on how many carbs the body really needs without feeling depleted or los of energy. In other words the prime total amount that does not cause weight gain, and in their OPINION it was suggested to use the same basic concept as Protein. Protein is recommended at 1 to 1.5 grams per pound that you weigh. Carbohydrates are recommended at 1 gram per pound that you weigh.

So by following this method it would be assumed that if you weigh 130 lbs, than you would consume a total of 130 grams of carbs for that day. They should all be divided up between meals with the heaviest loads preferred at Breakfast (most important meal) and Post workout/exercise.

Once a person actually follows a type of plan like this for a period of time to adjust the body to the new amount of energy, than you can push some serious fat loss by reducing those carbs by about removing a ¼ of that amount, than another ¼ each day that follows. This will now actually begin to fall into a carb cycle. By the 3rd to 4th day out your carbs are so low, that you become irritable, and feeling a little bit weak. Once that feeling hits, it’s a good sign to return to your prime 130g amount and repeat the cycle. What’s happening here is that the 3rd to 4th day out your body is in search of alternate sources for fuel since there aren’t enough carbs, so you’re your brain tells the body to start using fat for energy. It’s not wise to push this phase for to long, since your body will readapt into survival mode and slow down the metabolism. But it is the fat burning stage.

These are all my OPINIONS expressed, and maybe just an overview. But please if you are seriously interested than one should Google the following:

List complex carbs
Low car dieting,
How many carbs do I need?
Carb cycling

That is awesome! i am trying to up my protein and i'm seeing good side effects already. way more energy the last few days, it feels great. the only thing that scares me is articles like this one:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50900

"So think twice when you consider sacrificing the carbohydrates for a protein-dominant diet, Butterfield says. Drastically cutting carbohydrates from your diet may force your body to fight back.

She says that's because a diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily."

How do you all feel about this? I have heard mixed reviews, I am not sure what to think. is there any truth to this? I have seen this from other sources too about the kidneys. I am just not sure and I"m not a nutritionist so please let me know what you think.

This is actually not quite true. People often get ketosis and ketoacidosis confused. Ketosis is just another way of saying Lyposis, which is your body burning fat stores for energy. Yes, you should drink water. You should drink at least 8 glasses/day. Which isn't any more than everyone else recommends

"Ketosis is a shortening of the term lipolysis/ketosis, and it's the process you'll be jump-starting during Induction. Lipolysis simply means that you're burning your fat stores and using them as the source of fuel they were meant to be. When you restrict the amount of carbohydrates you eat, your body turns to fat as its alternative source of energy. In effect, lipolysis/ketosis replaces the alternative of burning glucose for energy. Both are perfectly normal processes. Some people confuse ketosis, which is a perfectly normal metabolic process, with ketoacidosis--a life-threatening condition that only affects extremely insulin-deficient people with out-of-control blood sugar levels."

From this article: http://community.atkins.com/search/content_preview.jsp?courseId=1009&lessonId=1020&lessonPageId=1095&keywords=ketosis

Hope that helps

3 months of eating no grains and low carb, low sugar: (eating all natural veggies, protein and lots of good fat)

23 pounds lost- 6.5 inches from waist gone-( size 12/14 to size 8)
depression lifted (this is the most amazing side effect) sense of well being.
energy all day
stomach pain completely gone
bloating and swelling gone
PMS gone!
feeling fit- energy to work out
never hungry. no blood sugar crashes. no 3pm fatigue.