[wisher]

This is the first week I've been eating semi-low carb, basically just trying to fill my meals with meat and veggies and my appetite has decreased a lot! Not to the point where I'm worried that I'm eating enough food, I'm still hungry for my meals, but it is noticeable. I'm not hungry as often and my meals seem to be a little smaller. Anybody else experience this on low carb?

[SoulBliss]

Yes. I am not sure what exactly you are doing as far as actual carb count goes but at 20-40 net carbs a day, I had to remember to eat a lot of the time because I just wasn't hungry!

[wisher]

I think I'm somewhere around 30-60 depending on the day.

Nice to know I'm not the only one!

[lynnar]

For me that's the very best thing about low carb - less appetite. I've gotten to the point that I know when I get hungry, I've been doing something wrong. I need to stay pretty close to 20 carbs a day for that effect, but everyone is different.

[Sunrose]

Yes! Yesterday was my first day on Atkins, and at 20 net carbs I noticed the same thing. I am just as hungry as usual. I still eat my meals and snacks, but I am definitely not craving food like usual. I hope it stays that way!

[snapless]

As long as you stay below -your- max carbs you'll continue to feel that way. Everyone is different and once you progress into the plan and start experimenting, you'll find where your limit lies, what foods are your trigger foods, etc.

[Pieinthesky]

I have found going low carb quite hard but now have a new tactic - where i dont have any carbs at home but if i am out or offered carbs, if i feel like it will take it - which is not that often. Only been doing this a week or so but its okay.
Is it okay to eat fruit on a low carb plan?

[snapless]

If you are wanting to do low carb you should choose which low carb plan you want to do first. All of them (the ones I've read anyway) have similar induction food lists to the Atkins acceptable foods (for induction) list.
http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkin...ceptable-foods

Also, most 'low carb' plans that I've read about have 4 phases like Atkins.
1. Induction - which is truly low carb, you'll get most of your carbs from leafy green vegetables
2. OWL or on-going weight loss - which is where you start to slowly add (good) carbs back into your diet
3. Pre-maintenance - which is not done until you are very close to goal
4. Maintenance - maintaining healthy eating habits for life

Afterward induction it gets a little different. I know my plan's OWL is a bit different from Atkins on what foods are allowed and what aren't.

I'd suggest you take a look at the Atkins website and familiarize yourself with the phases. You should be eating 15-20 grams of carbs per day, but not fruit during induction.
http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkins-phases

PS: Don't buy any of their products, they are NOT allowed during induction.

[sandyfanny]

Do you have a copy of Atkins New Diet Revolution lying around? Check it out...losing your appetite is part of the goal in low-carb dieting. Enjoy...also, I have NEVER tried to justify an extra salad, another piece of celery, or another scoop of tuna salad.

[belezura]

You guys are so lucky! I follow a low carb diet, which I started with South Beach Diet and was very strict to the first phase and never lost my appetite... I stick on on it because I don’t have to control my portions, which is great when you always hungry!!!
I wonder if it is unusual still being hungry with low carb diet. ????

[Jessie]

I think it is pretty unusual to be hungry on low carb, at least in my experience. This is my third go-round on Atkins, but I have identified why I lost motivation in the past - I get obsessed with the scale and let it affect my mood - then comes the emotional eating and just not paying attention.

I have definitely noticed a decrease in appetite and trust me I'm still eating plenty. For me it's a stabliziation of blood sugar that is helping me stay more even keeled and not getting ravenously hungry like I was when eating those WW Smart Ones (no offense WW lol)...

[pengbear]

Once I get past induction (which I don't have hunger pangs so much as Gosh-I really-want-a-yeast-roll pangs) I don't usually struggle with being hungry. I successfully lost weight on Atkins before, and once I slipped and began eating carbs like crazy, my appetite came back. I was always starving.

So while I'm not 100% sure of the science behind it, I do know that I am a girl that looooves food who doesn't have a huge appetite. I love to eat and cook and taste food. But on Atkins, I just don't have the big appetite like when I'm not watching carbs.