I tried Atkins years ago... wow what a nightmare. That whole "you will feel great after 2 weeks" thing was a load of crap. I was more and more drained by the day! At the end of 2 weeks I was going friggen nuts.. my brain wasn't functioning right, I had very little energy to even move, it was truely horrible.
I'm a calorie counter now, and will stick with this because it works for me. I don't restrict anything as long as it fits in my calories.. if I want cake I eat cake, if I want bread I eat bread. I do try to eat smart.. no whites (potatoes, flour, rice), limit junkfood, but I have to be able to live with my plan forever so I have to do what works for me.
I just read about a diet that gives you the best of both world's in Woman's World. It allows you a carb at every meal as long as it is "safe". Anyway, the name of it is The Miracle Metabolism. U can check it out, I think I will!!
I was surprised at the nutrient breakdown of a good food day for me - it was well over 60% carbohydrates! I do my best with energy and calories on a higher carb diet, but there's a catch - only the granola I eat for breakfast is a processed or refined carb, everything else was fruits and vegetables, by and large. For me to be successful I try to bulk about 3/4 of my lunch and dinner with fruits and veggies and then eat my main course/protein until I am satisfied. This has helped me not fill up on heavy, unhealthy, or nutritionally devoid food and now I am satisfied after pretty much every meal and still losing weight. Wheat products, among other things, are major food sensitivities for me, so cutting them out as much as possible really improves my health
We are all different. What works for you may not work for me. What works for me way not work for you. We are not all carbon copies of one another.
That said, the ONLY way I can lose weight is by virtually eliminating carbs. For me, there are no 'good' carbs and 'bad' carbs. ALL carbs are bad--for me. I am not a binge eater. However, give me a carb, any carb, and it will cause me to binge uncontrollably.
I went on Weight Watchers back in the 1990s. I stayed on it FAITHFULLY for almost a year. During that year, I had a net GAIN of about 20 lbs. I didn't know why, and I was frustrated, and angry, so I gave up on dieting altogether.
In 1999 I found Atkins. I didn't think it would work, nothing had. But I gave it a shot.
It worked. I went from 305 lbs size 28 to 225 size 18 in less than a year. Then I maintained for a couple years. Then, I went back on strict induction and lost about 50 lbs in early 2003. (Then life happened and I gained it all back plus more late 2003!) I had a giant carb-fest for the next five years. I never ate tons of food, but I did eat carbs with abandon. That landed me at 369.5 lbs when I began this journey in 2008.
Carbs are not evil. They are not the devil incarnate. MOST people can eat carbs, some many, some some, some few, and lose weight. I am not one of them. The only carbs in my diet come from leafy green vegetables and nuts. That's it. No sugar, no starch. No high- or even moderate-carb vegetables. No fruit. No additives. Nothing artificial. And no artificial sweeteners. It takes discipline, but I can do it, because it works.
There are not a lot of us out there, but there are a few others, like me, who simply cannot lose weight if carbs are a part of our diet. Eventually, when I reach goal weight, I will allow a minute portion of very strictly controlled carbs back in, while remaining very watchful of my weight and size. I'm talking, one or two servings of fruit or higher-carb veggies every few days. I will NEVER EVER EVER be able to eat bread, pasta or desserts EVER again. Most people don't have to live like that...I do. And that's OK. Because not being obese is far more important to me than any carb on earth.
I really have to watch the KIND of carbs that I eat. I can eat any fruits and veg and whole grain versions of bread/rice/crackers/cereal etc. But let any "white" carbs creep in and I'm TOASTED! The same with artificial sweeteners... they will virtually stall my weight loss. As in I used to chew a TON of sugar free gum... I can't any more. No diet pops etc for me!
I do try to keep my carbs BELOW 50% of my daily intake... I prefer them more "zone" at around 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein and it seems to work for me.
I have to go out of my way to get protein since I"m vegetarian and I Find this naturally keeps my carbs towards the low end of my daily nutrient goals on spark. I don't do it purposely, but I definately try to only eat brown grains, etc, except rice. I eat white rice because bf's parents bought us a GIANT bag from sams club cuz they didn't have brown rice. sometimes poverty is the rule of the day.
:P
but I find that the more white/refined carbs I eat the more I WANT to eat, so it works out best this way.
onderchic--you're welcome--though I'm glad you asked! It helped clarify the discussion.
And DCHound--That's amazing. I was thinking as I read your post that you would really do well as a traditional Inuit! I've always thought that traditional diets were tied to the ecology of a particular place--but it could very well be that the physiology of individuals has adapted to the ecological opportunities expressed by the traditional "diet" as well.
Yes - I'm not counting carbs but i am limiting them. Most days I'm avoiding bread, pasta, potato, etc. at lunch time and having small portions of these things in the evening if I want them. I find when I eat more than a limited amount of those things I don't lose weight so easily and I want to binge and they dont' fill me up. Strangely if I eat small amounts they fill me up, I don't want to binge and I lose weight.
We are all different. What works for you may not work for me. What works for me way not work for you. We are not all carbon copies of one another.
That said, the ONLY way I can lose weight is by virtually eliminating carbs. For me, there are no 'good' carbs and 'bad' carbs. ALL carbs are bad--for me. I am not a binge eater. However, give me a carb, any carb, and it will cause me to binge uncontrollably.
I went on Weight Watchers back in the 1990s. I stayed on it FAITHFULLY for almost a year. During that year, I had a net GAIN of about 20 lbs. I didn't know why, and I was frustrated, and angry, so I gave up on dieting altogether.
In 1999 I found Atkins. I didn't think it would work, nothing had. But I gave it a shot.
It worked. I went from 305 lbs size 28 to 225 size 18 in less than a year. Then I maintained for a couple years. Then, I went back on strict induction and lost about 50 lbs in early 2003. (Then life happened and I gained it all back plus more late 2003!) I had a giant carb-fest for the next five years. I never ate tons of food, but I did eat carbs with abandon. That landed me at 369.5 lbs when I began this journey in 2008.
Carbs are not evil. They are not the devil incarnate. MOST people can eat carbs, some many, some some, some few, and lose weight. I am not one of them. The only carbs in my diet come from leafy green vegetables and nuts. That's it. No sugar, no starch. No high- or even moderate-carb vegetables. No fruit. No additives. Nothing artificial. And no artificial sweeteners. It takes discipline, but I can do it, because it works.
There are not a lot of us out there, but there are a few others, like me, who simply cannot lose weight if carbs are a part of our diet. Eventually, when I reach goal weight, I will allow a minute portion of very strictly controlled carbs back in, while remaining very watchful of my weight and size. I'm talking, one or two servings of fruit or higher-carb veggies every few days. I will NEVER EVER EVER be able to eat bread, pasta or desserts EVER again. Most people don't have to live like that...I do. And that's OK. Because not being obese is far more important to me than any carb on earth.
But that's just me.
DCHound, you're doing very well, and you look great!
I'm afraid that what you've found for you might be the same for me. I'm not a protein lover at all, but I'm sure not losing anything with carbs in my life--whether the carbs are "good" or the supposedly "bad" ones.
I was eating such a high "bad carb" diet before--baked goods, bread, chips, candy, etc-- that when I started counting calories I thought I was eating "low carb." But to my surprise, I wasn't. Every day, my fitday counter breaks my foods into a neat little pie chart, and most days I'm spot on-- one third cabs, one third protein, one third fat.
Like others have mentioned, concentrated carbs, bread, pasta, rice and sweets, just seem to create an insatiable craving in me. The more I eat, the more I want. I cut them out entirely at first because I couldn't bear the thought of eating one portion, like half a cup of pasta. Half a cup????? My normal serving was two entire platefuls.
After going cold turkey for about 6 weeks, I started adding some of that stuff back in. Now, if I add a serving of rice or pasta, not every day, to one of my meals, it seems really good. I eat a ton of veggies and one to two servings of fruit daily. A lot of times, I get the feeling that the fruit is "too sweet" so I don't want much.
I'm losing weight great, and although I sometimes get hungry, I can tell it's real hunger-- it is entirely different sensation from the one that made me go back for thirds on pasta, or eat a bag of candy in a sitting.
At this point I don't even fantasize about them anymore...last time I was on Atkins I used to go to bed many nights and dream about cake...LOL. Strictly denying them for so long has sort of killed my degenerate love for them. I actually had a bite of birthday cake (one of my former uncontrollable binge items) at my neighbor's bday party in August and, y'all, it was disgusting. I had to wash it down. But I know, if I'd let myself have a second bite, that would have been it. So, glad to say, it was nasty and I don't miss it. I wouldn't mind an apple or a nectarine every now and then though...and I am looking forward to hitting goal then maintenance so I can have one every now and then.
For me to lose weight, I can only have no more than 2 servings of fruits and two servings of whole grain per day. I can eat tons of veggies with no problems. And, of course, I must watch my calorie intake. In the past, I've calorie counted while eating whatever I wanted....with walking/wogging for an hour a day...and lost nothing! I believe that this is due to my hormonal imbalances. I'm in menopause due to a complete hysterectomy at the age of 42. And, turns out that I was estrogen dominant for years. Some of us are just more sensitive to refined carbs.
I recommend that you give the Southbeach diet a try. I love that program! One recommendation.....make the recipes. Don't try to live off of the marketed Southbeach diet approved products. You will probably find yourself disatisfied and hungry as I did initially.
Last edited by GirlyGirlSebas; 09-16-2009 at 05:41 PM.
...I thought I was eating "low carb." But to my surprise, I wasn't. Every day, my fitday counter breaks my foods into a neat little pie chart, and most days I'm spot on-- one third cabs, one third protein, one third fat.
Actually anything less than 50% of calories or 200g of carbohydrates per day is considered low-carb by many of the nutrition experts. The Zone Diet, for example, is 40% carb 30% fat, 30% protein (and is one of the "low-carb" diets described in The Low-Carb Bible, by Elizabeth Ward - good book, by the way).
