What I don't particularly get is that there are actually a lot of countries whose diet is naturally low carb - and the carbs they eat are found in natural sources. Do these countries have weight issues? Not particularly. Britain and America etc where carbs, processed foods and high sugar is so interwoven into the eating mindset that people are no longer able to _understand_ what a balanced meal is - these are the countries who consistently top the world obesity polls.

Portion control and calorie control is important but I have found that most people do not binge on meat or eggs. They binge on carbs or sweet things because these foods create cravings and the bloaty feeling they give can be a comfort. It's also no small coincidence that rates of IBS have been rising over the last few decades as our diets have become more and more laden with carbs and sweets.

If people lose weights through calorie control or high carb, good for them. The point isn't to find the ultimate diet for everyone - it is to find the solution that works for the individual, so that they can live life for longer and remain healthier.

I think that people are too addicted to processed/refined sugars and wheat products and they get visceral that we should disagree that it's a good idea to not eat things made in a "plant"...:huh:

Even the "low carb friends" web site has a it of strange behavior for low carbers. I was told that a recipe I posted was full of fat. :laugh: Really? Wow.

People are crabby cause they're not eating and their weight loss is stalling.


Good thread, I enjoyed reading everyone's responses. :flowerforyou:

I think that people are too addicted to processed/refined sugars and wheat products and they get visceral that we should disagree that it's a good idea to not eat things made in a "plant"...:huh:

Even the "low carb friends" web site has a it of strange behavior for low carbers. I was told that a recipe I posted was full of fat. :laugh: Really? Wow.

People are crabby cause they're not eating and their weight loss is stalling.


Good thread, I enjoyed reading everyone's responses. :flowerforyou:

You would have loved my garlic-herb compound butter that I used to sautee chicken breasts tonight... there was some fat alright! LOL!!!!!

Stick with it Ashielovsdas. I lost 30lbs with Atkins 11-12 yrs ago and my daughter, conceived by our first IVF cycle turns 11 this month!focus on your goal and ignore the critics. It really can work wonders.

Thank you for this thread and this group. I tried many different things before. But the LC lifestyle/Atkins intrigued me. So I bought the book and read it. I have been doing low carb since October and have lost 16.5lbs so far. It's coming off slowly due to some of the meds I take have the side effect of weight gain. Which is one of the main reasons I got this heavy. But the weight is coming off and my NSV is the 15 inches that I have lost total. I love how I feel now that I am living LC. I drink more water now. My skin looks better and I feel great. I finally got clearance from my doctor to start back exercising after a recent injury. So I started back 2 weeks ago and have the energy to do it. I wouldn't have been able to do that before. I also ran all of this by my doctor before I started and he was 100% behind me. He even called me about a month after I started to see how I was doing. So going LC can't be that bad if my doctor supports it!

Hi all....Great forum...i should have joined it sooner..

Haha, yes, you should have.

What I really love is when you tell someone you're only eating fish/chicken/turkey and fruits/veggies/nuts, and getting an average of 1800 cals/day, and they say "oh congrats, that's so healthy!". And then you mention that it's about 30 carbs a day and they get all shocked and say how UN-healthy it is! WTF?

A friend of mine has joined weight watchers and was logging his details on facebook when i suggested he try Atkins.
A 17 year old "fitness expert" openly posted that Atkins is the most dangerous diet ever known and should be avoided along with all low carb diets.....
Needless to say, i had a rather long rant at her !!!

I am a former LC hater. I decided to give it a try for medical reasons as well.
So far, so good. Although I can't imagine never eating pizza or bread again. One day at a time.

Honestly speaking, I really dont 'miss' it. Yeah, the first few days was sheer hell... Pasta was the number one offender for me. Didnt realize I had such a carb-addiction, it was really bad.

Pizza? Hmmmmm, cant say I miss it but I have found ways of enjoying different styles and ways of giving me that need for the ooey-gooey-cheesey-goodness! Just deconstructed and no bread of any kind.

I get so mad when I come across LC haters on these message boards! They always say the same crap and they couldn't be more wrong! I chalk it up to ignorance! I'm going to trust what my doctor says over some meathead showing off his abs in his profile pic! I'm like so many other here, I suffer with PCOS and insulin resistance. There is no other way for people like me! 1500 calories of carbs per day and I'll gain a pound a day. 1500 calories a day with little to no crabs and I lose a pound every other day. People are so incorrect when they say all calories are the same!

Yeh, there are the usual arguments, not just on MFP but other websites I frequent and sometimes people I know.

I say arguments but I don't waste my time with long-winded explanations I just point them to the resources in my blog here (listing books, videos, etc).

The main reason for maintaining the MFP blog is to keep all the information in one place and just link to it when the usual "You are killing yourself" hysteria erupts.

If I were intolerant of grains then it would not be a big deal to say I avoid them, as I do so despite any allergies it seems this turns me into a weirdo fad dieter in the eyes of some. People are odd, especially when it's MY nutrition and MY health.

If someone is open-minded and interested then they will have a look at a supporting science and studies (of which there are numerous examples dating way back to the 1920s, even if you don't count the Paleo logic).

If they aren't interested and still think Special K and fruit juice is the way to start the day then hey ho, enjoy your diabetes ...