Low-Carb?

I did the Adkins diet once for 21 days and lost 21 pounds. But I have always preferred carbs over meat, and thus I couldn't keep it up. I missed pasta and once those carbs went back in my mouth they tasted like heaven on earth. If you can keep it up it seems to work great, but can you really sign off on carbs for life? Good luck and I hope you can keep it up!

hello and good job! I have been doing lo carb for the last year and it is exactly the right thing for my body. I seem to react to the sugars and now when I eat something super carby I feel totally gross and nauseas. Be sure to read up on it so that you are informed. I also use the glycemic index when selecting my fruits and vegies.

I did Atkins in 2003 - lost 80 lb and felt great! No stomach issues (I have always tended to have some reflux), no cravings once you get past the induction, and a food plan I could follow because there were no "portions of this" and "so much of that." It was plain and simple...I just COULD NOT eat certain things. Now, I realize that in the long run, you are supposed to be able to add some (but probably never all) of these items back into your way of eating, but I never got that far. I got greedy - I never felt like I could get enough off. I was still around 175 when I gave up...it was like I just woke up one morning and could not eat another piece of meat to save my soul. And the pounds came on...not one by one but two by two or more...and before I knew it I was back up above my start weight. It didn't happen overnight, but I assure you that it went back on just as quickly as it came off. And believe me, it came off fast!

So, here's my take on it...and this is just my own personal opinion: I know that there is this "secret" of low carb...this way that I could lose it all if I had to. I would just have to do it, and commit to a lifestyle that I'm not ready to commit to, yet. I would have to know that this life would mean feeling good, looking great, but always struggling to tow the line, find food I can eat, pay exorbitant prices for an airport or fast food sandwich only to request it without the bun or the other "fixings" and of course nothing to accompany it, always look for that salad with a piece of meat on it and pray they have REGULAR dressing and not low fat (which often has added sugars or carbs), always feel like a pain when my husband wants to go out to dinner because I "can't eat certain things." I travel for work, so this may not be as difficult for some folks as it is for others. I look back and I can't believe that I did it for as long as I did (well over a year).

I know a lot of people will agree that this is the way to go and many will say that a balanced diet is healthier. In the end, I say that what works for me is the healthiest for ME, because for me it has to be better than being obese. And the way my mind and body work is that if you tell me I just can't have something...at all...then I do better than if you tell me I can have a half cup of it.

I did but I fell back into old habits and gained back all I lost but do have several friends it worked for and they have been successful at maintaining the life style. Like anything else it has to be a life style change it will work if u stay focused and don't fall into old habits.

I think many people going on a low-carb plan make a few key mistakes which greatly over-complicate things.

#1. You only stay very low carb (20 grams/day) for two weeks. That's it. Then you add in 5 grams/day for a week, then another 5 grams, etc., until you find the sweet spot where you still lose weight without feeling deprived. Everybody will find a different level that works for them. For many of us, we can get up to a fairly decent carb level without a problem which makes it much easier to eat out and eat foods that were previously off-limits. Especially if they do #2.

#2. Exercise. So many people have the impression that they can do Atkins without exercising. Not so. It's specifically required in the Atkins books I have read (although I haven't read any of the versions since his passing so they may have changed that). But, look, if your body has problems with carbs, exercise if the most important thing you can do to help your body process carbs better. Not to mention all the other things that exercise does for you.

#3. Once you reach your goal weight, you move even further up the carb ladder by, again, adding in 5 grams/carb for a week, see how that goes and, if you don't gain, add in another 5 grams/day that week, and so on.

I currently like to keep my carbs in the 80-100/day range because I feel best that way and can continue to lose. But if I plan it right and eat the carbs right before or after a very intense workout session, I can easily eat that much in a single meal without any long-term negative impact. I don't do this every day but I do it at least once a week. Yes, I eat pizza or lasagna or cinnamon rolls or whatever at least once a week and then I just hop right on the lower-carb train and ride it for another week or so. I sometimes do this more than once a week if I'm in a situation where lower-carb foods are difficult to find but I do think it's better to keep it to once a week.

This is the way you make lower-carb eating a sustainable lifestyle choice without feeling deprived. And without feeling a need to gorge yourself on carbs once you have a taste of them.

Sure, my weight loss is slower than some folks who keep more strictly to low-carb but this isn't a race, it's a lifestyle change and I'm confident that I'll keep my weight off because I really can't imagine eating any differently than I am now when I'm at goal.

I should add that, in the past, I did try to stay at induction levels and I felt very deprived and would gorge on higher-carb foods once in awhile and make myself feel like crap. Once I got it into my head that this was not following the Atkin's plan as he designed it, and that perfection is not required, I began to really enjoy this way of eating and my occasionally splurges without any guilt or bad effects.

Hope this helps a bit.

I really like the Primal Blueprint way of life which is lower carb and is similar to what people call the " caveman" diet. I have problems feeling sluggish so when limit my carbs i feel a lot better and do not need to nap during the day . I have also finally started to lose weight again. I modify it to basically eat lean protein, veggies, nuts, fruits, and seeds. I also allow myself dairy and oatmeal.

I have had success with low carb. I am a protein person-if I eat protein, I have more energy. Carbs make a slug out of me. But I still LOVE the carbs and I can't do without them totally. I have found that if I plan my day out, I can have my carbs and lose weight too. I
try to keep my carb count to < 100 a day. So if I want a certain food with high carb count, I plan for it and make low carb choices for the other meals on that day. I found that since I am not denying myself totally, I can have a few bites of the carb/comfort food and be totally satisfied.

Im under medical advice to follow a low-carbohydrate intake, but due to food allergies/sensitivities, I had no choice but to rid myself of the common high-carb ridden foods: pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, corn, majority of flours - my body just does not digest them well, in fact my insulin production does not shut off very well. Damn near had me hospitalized many years ago...

I could EASILY live this lifestyle permanently...

I've been on low carb since the 1st of the year and love it. I'll probably modify it greatly once I get down to where I want to go, but slowly.

I have been the Dukan diet and its the first diet I've been on that I haven't felt hungry on. For me it really works as its lean protein (not high fat) and after the intial Attack stage you can have veg and salad. Quite tough but really works if you stick to it.