My DH has slowly gained weight over the years, going from a trim 160 to an healthy 190 at 5'7”. His older brother lost weight on a low carb diet so DH has been inspired to do the same. He doesn't want to go to extremes ( a la Atkins Induction) and he wants a plan he can live with. His brother was/is very strict on both carbs and calories. DH's regular diet isn't all that unhealthy: we limit red meat, have desserts only on holidays or when we eat out ( and we eat out about twice a year) and eat a lot of veggies and whole grains (yes, I know, verboten on low carb plans). His biggest downfall is Doritos which he craves every other month or so and then eats by the bagfull .He occasionally eats a square (1 12th a serving) of a big bar of quality dark chocolate What I'm getting at, is that DH's diet probably doesn't need a heck of a lot of tweaking in order to make it low carb. As I see it, he just needs to make a few substitutions here and there and maybe get out of the habit of skipping breakfast, having a tiny lunch and then a huge dinner so that his blood sugar levels remain constant. He has health concerns which limit his ability to exercise and he has an extremely slow metabolism for a male. (I've lost eighteen pounds eating more than he does and I'm a lot shorter than he is.)
Some questions: Just what is considered a low carb diet? If the average carb intake in this country is 300 grams a day is 100 grams low carb? Is 75? Seriously, how much does a person have to cut carbs before they are considered to be on a low carb diet?
If DH has medical concerns which limit his ability to exercise, then why ask us about how to tweak a low carb diet? He should consult his physician. That should lead to consultation with a nutritionist.
I am not being mean, here...but what do you want/expect anyone to say? I am not being facetious, nor in any other way a big smart a--, but.......
Of course we all know the serious blow we do to our own metabolism when we don't break our fast in the morning...ie ...eat breakfast.....and some do well on low carb....men, it seems to me, in particular, but I just have to ask again, what do you want anyone to say?
"DH, eat breakfast".......OK, consider it said..... :-)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Magrat
Some questions: Just what is considered a low carb diet? If the average carb intake in this country is 300 grams a day is 100 grams low carb? Is 75? Seriously, how much does a person have to cut carbs before they are considered to be on a low carb diet?
An individual's critical carbohydrate level for losing (CCLL) varies...it can be as low as 25 or as high as 50, even more if the person is a regular exerciser. Age, gender, activity level, hormone issues, level of physical activity and prescription medications all are great factors determining your CCLL.
In a nutshell, low carb eating should omit "white" foods...potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, white flour & sugar. Eating lots of veggies & whole grains are not forbidden on low carb plans...they are encouraged. Contrary to popular opinion, low carb is not about eating lbs of red meat, bacon & butter. Your carbs should be coming from low carb veggies & salads rather than starches & sweets.
The best advice I can give you is to get yourself a copy of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution & read it from cover to cover to better understand how this lifestyle works. And, it definitely does work!
When I started Lowcarbing, I stoped cooking rice and potatoes and pasta, corn, and any junk food and swiched dh to whole grains and avioded anything with corn syrup and starch and trans fats, and even though DH wasn't following the diet strictly like I was, he lost 10lbs.
I think anything under 100, is low carb compared to most diets, but like Kim posted, every one has thier own level at which they lose, Just try cutting back on the carbs and see how much he has to cut untill he starts losing. And be carefull of all the hidden carbs, readind labels carefully is important.
Thank you all for replying. For now DH is aiming for about 100 grams of carbs a day (he'd been eating about twice that). If he loses and feels good on that level then he'll stay there. If not he plans to drop the carbs 5 grams at a time until he reaches a level that works for him.
Help For DH
C'mon, now!
