Quote:
Originally Posted by Linsy
I'm probably going to try stick to only whole grains and no sugar. Has anyone successfully transitioned from very low carb to not really counting them at all? How much weight gain did you experience if any at all? Are the cravings bad?
Cravings are highly dependant on the individual but for the most part they seem to be based more on fiberless carbs - wether they contain sugar or not.
For example - fruit for many people is filling. Fruit is almost all sugar but it also has fiber. White rice has no sugar but it also has alsmost no fiber. Potatoes with no peels are the same way.
Thus - getting to my point - try to make sure your carbs are
A) Whole foods or close to it
B) Have fiber
Plenty of people here could eat a box of cookies. Not many could eat the same number of calories by consuming only banannas.
Regarding weight gain - it's going to happen. Understanding why will keep you from going a little crazy. Carbs are stored in the body as muscle glyogen. So when you come off of a low carb diet and start cosuming carbs your glycogen levels will increase and your weight will increase. The more muscle you have the more weight you will gain on the scale. Expect 3-4 lbs at your size. (I gain 6-7) Furthermore, your belly size will increase a little because most people experience a little bit of bloat when they reintroduce carbs.
Just remember this when you step on the scale. Contrary to popular belief carbs are almost never converted to fat in humans. Keep your calories under control and recognize that the weight you gain is essentially just water.