Low Carbers - NEED HELP!!!

P

Pollytc

Cathlete
Hello low carbers!!! I am in desperate need of help here. I have been trying to follow a lowfat diet (watching calories too) and exercising, changing my drinks to nothing but water, cutting out 99% of sweets (I am a sweetaholic) and I keep gaining rather than losing weight. And I am considerably overweight (at least 60lbs.) Anyhow, a good friend of mine mentioned that I might want to try low carbing. My sister and niece both follow Atkins, but I KNOW that diet is NOT for me........I'm not downing it at all since it has worked for them, but for me, I know it would not work. I would have a hard time committing to it. I was hoping to find some low carb diet that does not consume alot of time, and that is lower in fat, and allows a variety of vegetables and possibly fruits. Do you have any suggestions? Are there any good websites for these type of recipes? Any particular suggested reads? I did some research on the web last night, and most of what I ran across was more higher fat recipes. Any help is soooo much appreciated!!

Thanks,

Kim
 
http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com/

Hi, I know some people who are doing CALP which is Carbohydrates Addict and Lifestyle Plan. Basically you eat all your carbs at one meal called a Reward Meal and all within an hour period. The rest of the day you eat nonstarchy veggies, meat and very limited fruit. For lunch and supper I think you are to have a salad. It might just be at the Reward Meal. I linked a site which is the CALP official website for you. There is a break down of how the meals are to be divided as far as percentage protein, veggies, and starch but I am not sure of the ratio. This diet helps with your blood sugar too and keeps it stabilized.

Hope this helps some
 
I started the Zone diet about 5 years ago and was able to drop 22 pounds in about 4 months. I've kept it off and my weight never fluctuates more than 3-4 pounds if I'm true to it. No foods are considered off limits, rather foods are ranked as being the best, moderate, or poor sources of either protein, carbohydrate, or fat. It has become a way of life for me and it feels like second nature now.

You can get the books by Dr. Barry Sears (which have recipe ideas and tell you how to read food labels the Zone way, etc.) at any bookstore or at either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com, do some research on the web, and visit the Zoneperfect website (he has a line of food as well as tips on recipes, healthy eating, etc.) at www.zoneperfect.com.
Sabine

P.S. My sister recently wanted to loss weight, did the Zone diet (and not even the pure form) and lost 17 pounds in about 3 months.
 
Carb addicts might work, but for me it just prompted me to binge eat in that hour and then it became 75 minutes and then 90 minutes. I didn't have much self-control after awhile and I ended up eating just to eat and then feeling horrible.

Fast forward a few years and I'm doing BFL. Even if you just do the eating part, it allows fruits, veggies, clean carbs, etc. and 1 free day a week.

As far as time consuming, I actually think Atkins is the easiest. You don't really have to think, weigh, measure, etc. BFL is somewhat easy in that you just do a palm size portion of protein and fist size portion of carbs, add 2 servings of veggies a day. Eat six times a day, which can be tough for some people to get scheduled into their day.

I also think you can eat vegetables at least on Atkins and possibly some fruits. I did it years ago and did eat veggies and about 30-50 grams of carbs a day.

Colleen
 
Hello there. Actually, I was thinking of the BFL plan. I bought the book about four years ago, and I followed the eating plan for awhile,a nd found it pretty good. I ended up loaning the book to a friend, and have asked her for it now for over two months, and she has not returned it. I told her if she even just copied the diet plan for me, I would be happy. lol. Oh well......you learn your lessons sometimes!!
 
I do my own LC plan. I cut out flour, sugar, and other high carb foods, and eat high protein, unlimited veggies, and a little fruit each day. I also avoid soy, dairy, and eggs. I try to eat natural, unprocessed food and I feel very good eating this way. I've stayed at my goal weight, and have no cravings.

If you are interested in low-carb, you may want to try your own plan, something that's not just a diet but a WOL. When I started, I used fitday.com to help me track my carbs, etc. Good luck to you!
 
Check out the Southbeach Diet. It's low carb, but also conservative on the fat. There's a forum link at the Prevention website also. Rodale Books published the book.
 
Hi,
I know this is not what you asked, but have you given weight watchers a try? I felt like I was being really scrupulous with my eating-- cutting out junk, etc-- and of course I exercise regularly, but weight stayed on. I finally started to follow WW. So far I have lost about ten pounds. I was shocked! Ever since I quit smoking and my thyroid went really bad (I am on medication now)I put on weight and was not able to take it off. (the medication made me stop gaining weight, but it didn't help me take it off, probably because my appetitie came back.) This was about four-five years ago. it feels great to see the scale moving after that long time.
Anyway, just wanted to say this is a program you can stick with for life, it's healthy, and there aren't any gimmicks.
 
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I would have a hard time committing to it. I was hoping to find some low carb diet that does not consume alot of time, and that is lower in fat, and allows a variety of vegetables and possibly fruits.
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Click to expand...

I think you misunderstand Atkins, or perhaps your sister and niece are not following Atkins--they just THINK they're following it.

Atkins is easy, doesn't consume a lot of time or money (unless you buy all the expensive fake low-carb food coming out now) and allows a HUGE variety of vegetables and fruits.

People generally hear the word "Atkins" and think of "Induction" or the first phase of the Atkins diet. On this first phase, you limit your carb intake to 20 grams per day, all of which MUST be veggies, preferably deep-green veggies.

After two weeks or more on Induction, you move onto the next phase... you can read all about the different phases on the Atkins website, here:
http://atkins.com/howto/beforeyoubegin.html

One more thing: fat is not the enemy. utter, olive oil, and other natural fats found in whole, REAL food are not bad and are necessary for good health. When I started low-carbing, I had to increase the amount of fat I ate... which was very hard because I spent years trying to be as non-fat as possible.

I cut out all the sugar and white flour... a HUGE part of Atkins and real low-carb plans. It was difficult at first because I am a real sugar addict. Other people can have "just a small bit" and be okay, but not me--I binge.

But once I quit the sugar and white flour for good, increased my good fats and followed a strict low-carb diet, the cravings stopped. I felt so much better! And the weight came off very easily! I've lost 30 lbs so far--after a lifetime of starving myself.

Please investigate Atkins for yourself and see. It is not what you think it is. I eat more veggies than I ever did. Dessert for me might be a bowl of berries with REAL whipped cream (no sweetener). For a snack I might have an apple with almond butter. I am in the Maintenance phase of Atkins and I haven't had sugar in 13 months... and I don't miss it.

And if you still consider it too drastic, then consider one of the many, many low-carb plans out there that basically repackage Atkins in socially acceptable ways. Protein Power, The Schwarzbein Principle, The Carbohydrate Addicts Plan... heck, even Weight Watchers has a low-carb plan out now.
 
I also have been doing Atkins after being a BFL fan for the last 3-4 years. I am happy with the food. It is really hard for me to not worry about fat, it scares the daylights out of me. But, I stick to healthy fats, flax, olive oil, a dab of butter. I am the happiest I have ever been on a food plan. The last time I had weighed I lost 6 lbs. Last weekend I let PMS get the best of me, and I binged majorly on peanuts. I eat cheese, and salad dressing, but the rest of my diet consists of veggies, lean meats, and healthy fats. I feel great.
Lori
 
No, WW is definitely not low carb. It is a well balanced diet. I just suggested it because it has worked for me and many people I know.
 
I had my best results by following Connelly's program in his book Body RX. It's "low carb" but "allows" fruits, grains, etc. It's extremely simple to follow and provides great lists of foods. I've photocopied the lists and take them with me to the grocery store! The exercise program can also be done as is or modified with Cathe's tapes.

:)Stacy
 
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