Okay, well obviously we aren't going to sway you. But you asked why we go on this particular kind of diet, and we answered, with some well thought-out replies. Just because you disagree doesn't mean that we can't get along as you're suggesting.

Beagle, I didn't mean anything by saying I would not be making a lot of friends. Life would be very boring if everyone agred all the time. Even though I would think everyone would always agree with me.

Chip

Hey Beagle, we shouldn't waste our breath with this one anymore. It's obvious he knows everything and just posts stuff without doing any research or having any sources. I guess he's got a medical degree and knows everything. lol You just gotta love it. Let's keep doing our thing. Knowledge is power!!

I surrender!

Chip

I think the reason low carb diets work is because you eat less calories (for me anyways). When i was on a low carb diet (less extreme than atkins), I didn't count calories at all but I know I was eating less because all of the things I usually munch out on had too many carbs to eat! If you think about, if your trying to keep your carbs under a certain level you can't just sit there eating all this food because everything has carbs (Especially junk food, fast food and soda pop).

Low carb can be a successful way to lose a substantial amount of weight in a relatively quick time frame. I do not believe however that is realistic for the long term. Most cases people gained their weight back when they changed their eating habits back to the large intake of carbs. And who do you know that stayed on the diet for life or atleast for long amount of time? I don't know anybody. . .

. . .I think this post is a little late, but meh. . .

I am on a very low carb diet and have always got good results eating less carbs in the past. (put on all my weight due to pregnancy)

My body will not let go of weight unless i cut down the carbs, even with 7 days of hard core exercise.

I belive the theory is that if you keep feeding your body carbs you will never get to use the fat storage unless you do endless amounts of exercise. While you exersice you first burn the carbs you have eaten, so why not skip the carbs and let your body melt the fat.

i definitly agree with the different diets and numbers for different people as someone said earlier, and im interested in that short low carb effect, it sounds agreeable. Im wary of any kind of specified nutrient cutting, as usually theyre celebrity inspired or money grabbing and well..enough said sort of. But there are many posts about low carbing on here, i dont believe its for everyone, but carbs do to need to be monitored. Everything in moderation right? But that said, i know that carbs are definitly my downfall, and strangely enough i feel like im succeeding more so with a diet if my daily carbs are low.
I wonder, has this forum ever had a diet test, like say a group goes on one plan and another with a different and so on..and give them say a month and see who not only has the best results, but stuck with it and felt the best in the same conditions after so long? Then another month off the diet to check maintainability. Id like to see that.
I dont know..thats probably heaps common
Good luck all
I think MissJellyBelly summed it all up on this one..Knowledge is power, no matter what your doing

Have to agree with pro low carb people. I am on a low carb diet, however its not high protein. Protein is included, portions are weighed and what can I say? No cravings, loads of energy, sleeping better. I stuck to this originally for 5 months, and stopped when prenant. Contrary to popular belief there is a way of reintroducing carbs without regaining of weight, and going back to overdosing on them. I lost 40 kgs in that 5 months, and everyone only had positive things to say about my skin, my health and my energy and zest for life. Yes, the calories arent high, but I've been on very low cal diets, and exercises - cardio, and aerobically for 2 hours a day,(for months on end, and eating carbs) when I was 14 years younger than I am now, and got to a certain weight, and no more would come off. At that stage I was still over weight and my clothes were not getting looser. By the way, when I switched to this program, I didnt introduce the carbs the right way, due to unexpected pregnancy, however three years later I have only gained 20 of th 40kgs I lost, and am currently losing that and feeling fantastic. I do drink 3 litres of water a day. The organizers of this program have stressed the importance of this for the kidneys, even though I'm not eating HUGE amounts of protein.
I say do what works for you and your health.

I've done Atkins before. And had mixed results.
First off let me clarify that when your body is deficient in Carbohydrates it switches to Fat deposits, not protein. Muscle loss during Atkins is often found in those who overdo the diet, when the diet suggests 20c a day, they eat 5c a day. See the problem? When you eat that little food your body switches to "Fight or Flight" mode, metabolism is haulted, energy dimineshed..

I did Atkins when I was 16, I was deeply impressed with how fast I could lose weight. I could lose 10lbs a week! But it had some drawbacks, the biggest one being some very hard cravings, next being the loss of energy-I could barely walk through a grocerie store without getting lightheaded and dizzy, and last was the price, it seemed everything that was low in Carbohydrates was expensive.

But after some hard-to-beat cravings I accomplished my goal of losing 23 lbs. I've kept it off for 2 years.

Hello everyone,

Interesting disscussion.
By eating less carbs we automatically decrease the amount of calories we eat. Part of the reason is because we end up eating less, due to the stabilization of the blood sugar and hence the decrease in the cravings. One of the first things that we notice is the lack of appetite and the feeling of fullness.
However, carbs are necessary and the should be included in the diet but, having said that, these should be the "good" carbs or the ones with the least glycemic index ( fiber is a big one).

Good Luck

I tried low-carb. And I lost weight and I gained it back plus some. I had routine blood work done before I was on atkins, and I had some done before I started my new plan - I never had problems with my cholesteral before. Before starting my new plan - I cried at how bad it was and also my blood sugar are now very high. My doctor blames the extreme low carb, high fat, high protein, high cholesteral and high calorie diet on this.

While my current plan is low in calories, it is also balanced in carbs, fat, fiber and is balanced in protein vs. the amount of calories I am consuming. I feel better on this plan than I did when I did atkins. And, I'm losing weight easier. My weight loss is doctor-monitored but I'm losing, when I follow strictly about 4-7lbs a week. I a bit more weight off of my joints and I will begin some exercise.

Hi all! New member here.

I just started the low carb diet. I've been on it before and it worked. Lost about 25lbs in 3 months. However after I left my job and decided to take time 'off' from school for about 6 months the loafing took it's toll and I got it back.

My friend went on it at the time with me and he lost about 60lbs. Looks like a different person today and has kept the weight off for 2 years.

It's not a no carb diet but a low carb one. I do alot of lifting at work and I take vitamins in addition to eating very low carbs.

It works. I've seen it.

Tuna, Chicken, salads diet coke, water, vitamins and the occaisional wee little carb. It works. I stay way from bread, potatoes, pasta, snack foods etc.

And exercise which I get at work.

Must admit that I have tried the low carb diet (3 years ago) but I just could not go without vegetables....leading to constipation and bad breath , so I just cut out eating anything white that was high in carbs and I didn't really eat any bread....I dropped the lbs and felt good.....I'm trying something like that now. It's hard too, and smelly not to eat enough of the right carbs. The guy I was dating was on it at the time and for the first time in years he stunk, and couldn't go to the toilet because of the lack of fibre....then he started using laxitives...say no more. . He ended up puting it back on again too....but then we have all been there.

For me I don't follow any particular formula like the Atkins way etc.

I just stay away from most 'nasty carbs' as I call them. We all know what foods will make us fat. We don't need a dietician to tell us that eating pizza and spagheti and bread will help keep the weight on.

On the other hand a salad is not a bad thing.

I lost alot of weight on low-carb diet and once you realize that it works, giving up bread and fruit becomes very easy. The worst thing about it is when you start the diet for a few days you are exhausted. Once that burns off, it is pretty amazing to see how carb dependent we all are. The calorie counting is a logical thing. If you gorge on anything you won't lose weight. However, if you give up carbs and eat chicken breasts, lean meats, and exercise, it is the fastest way to lose weight, and in my opinion, feel better. I've tried other diets but to me the low-carbs is best IF you have willpower to give up junk.