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Old 02-18-2007, 10:20 AM   #1  
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Default Need answers, low Carbing Starts Tomorrow!

I found this great site yesterday while searching for diet/lifestyle support. After much consideration I am starting low carb tomorrow! I am some what familar with the Atkins plan, but I do have some questions for those who have been successful with the plan. I would like to do a tweaked version, if that is possible.

I love fruit! I know that this plan advices to stay away from fruit. Will it hurt to have a fruit a day?

Does the induction phase have to last 2 weeks, can it be done in a shorter time?

What are other low carb diets that are similar, but different to Atkins, besides South Beach?

I guess my main question is, if I do a tweaked version will I be hurting myself by seeing gains and no looses?

Thanks to all for your help!
I look forward to charting my success!
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Old 02-18-2007, 10:57 AM   #2  
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My understanding of the Atkins diet is that you must follow it. Particularly during induction. I have the book, and tried it once several years ago. It did not fit my lifestyle. You may want to read The South Beach Diet, or The Zone Diet, I believe there are several others less well known. May I ask your reason for wanting to go "low carb"?
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Old 02-18-2007, 11:01 AM   #3  
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Yep, need to stay on induction for 2 full weeks. This gets the carbs out of your system. Atkins has worked well for me. I have been on it for almost 7 months and really have no cravings. I find it easy to stay on and feel really good on it.The first fews days on induction you may feel crappy, but that will pass. Good luck. rease
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Old 02-18-2007, 12:27 PM   #4  
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Hi Lucy!

There are loads of different low and lower carb plans out there. You are not just limited to Atkins. If fruit is what you want, you may try looking into Somersizing. There's also a great book called The Glycemic Load Diet by Rob Thompson that allows you to have fruit. There are so many diets out there that will allow you some flexibility.

I love the Atkins diet, don't get me wrong... In the past, I've lost best on it than any other plan. But it's definitely not for everyone. No diet is. You should research a little more .. maybe read up on a few plans to see which one will be the right fit for you. Best of luck to you!
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Old 02-18-2007, 12:48 PM   #5  
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Tweak any food plan or design your own as you see fit, and modify as you go along to suit your needs. Statistics show that dieters who design or customize their program, are more likely to maintain losses. There isn't any magic to "induction" phases. A couple low-carb authors (I don't remember the program, but it was really popular for a while) have admitted that their main purpose with the induction phase was to psych dieters up with a big loss at the beginning, and then move on to a more balanced, sustainable program once they've hooked the reader. If it will help you stick to a program, bypass induction.

I saw on a segment on FIT TV with the Atkins diet people just yesterday, that the new Atkins program is not as high fat/low carb as people assume, and it's important not to go the all you can eat bacon and sausage route. They're also focusing more on the glycemic index directly or inderectly. The president of the company was on and stressing low fat protein (mostly chicken and fish, rather than red meats), and unrestricted carbs from complex sources (non-starchy veggies). Starchy veggies, fruits, and whole grains are added in moderation after the "induction" phases.
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Old 02-18-2007, 01:34 PM   #6  
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Nice to see all these other low carbers join the forum!!

Hopefully Lily will come by and give her 2 cents on the fruit issue. I know she eats/ate fruit while loosing her weight. But Im not sure at what point she re-introduced it.

Anyway for me....Atkins worked great, and I stuck to the induction for a few months to get the bulk of my weight off.

As far as staying on it for the full 2 weeks, thats what Dr. A suggests. But if you are going to modify it, I would suggest staying on induction for at least a week to clear out all the "carb" toxins that you may have. 2 weeks is about how long it takes your body to switch from "sugar burning" to "fat burning". That is why it is suggested.

I do not do strict atkins anymore....I use the weight watcher point system, and Low Carb together. Its working wonderfully for me....and helping immensely with my binging tendancies. ........and yes Im still loosing weight on this.

But like its been said many times by some very wise women on these boards, you will do what works for you. Because there is no cookie cutter diet out there.

Good Luck to you. Join us on the weekly chat board so we can get to know you better.
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Old 02-18-2007, 03:10 PM   #7  
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Oh, I forgot to mention, since you asked about non-Atkins low(er) carb diet plans - there are TONS of them. I looked up a few low and low(er) carb cookbooks just last night for our public library (it has an online catalog). I'm planning on browsing the shelves Tomorrow or Tuesday looking for a few.

One thing you have to be prepared for, in order not to be confused, is that they all have their own theories about how carbs work in the body. Many are contradictory and quite a few are based on some pretty iffy science.

My point is, be open-minded, but suspicious. If the diet seems too extreme to be practical for you, it probably is - and may not be nutritiously balanced either. The more you read, the better head you will have for the best advice for you. Anything that tells you to forever cut out an entire food group, probably is over-reacting.

If a hospital, YMCA, college.... in your area has a health fair or other free
access to a dietitian (rather than a nutritionist, who doesn't have to have a degree), take advantage of the opportunity. I'm lucky to have a sister who is a dietician. whenever I read stuff that's contradictory or confuses me, I ask her about it. Although even dieticians, like other health care professionals, may have their own pet theories that have little to do with what is accepted by the mainstream (sounds hopeless doesn't it).

No weight loss plan is so "magical" tha one piece of fruit, is going to make the difference between gain and loss, especially when you have a goal weight 78 lbs below your current weight.
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Old 02-18-2007, 04:10 PM   #8  
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THANKS!!!! Everyone has given me great advice!

I want to do a low carb diet because I know it works. I know I eat way to many carbs! I also know it will help me with the PCOS. I want to lose weight before getting pregnant again.

I have read each reply and I truely appreciate all the information given!
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Old 02-19-2007, 12:24 AM   #9  
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Lucy, I have PCOS as well, and low carb has been proven to help us
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Old 02-19-2007, 08:11 AM   #10  
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I remember doing weight watchers & low carb. Kept my carb count to under 100 per day and I did really well on it. I also did well with atkins. Its really an individual thing and what works with your life style. There are lower carb fruits like strawberries and I think cantelope is one as well (can't remember).

IMHO no matter how low/no carb you go, you'll need to keep your eye on your calories as well.

Good luck !!!!
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Old 02-19-2007, 10:25 AM   #11  
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Lucy: As everyone pointed out, people are different so they have to tweak things so it works for them. I've known a woman just didn't eat low carb just lowER. The weight came off slow, but she was happy with her choices. If you want this for the long-haul, you're going to have to tweak everything that works for you. Good luck!
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Old 02-21-2007, 02:40 AM   #12  
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I'm glad I finally stumbled on this thread. I lost all my weight doing Atkins and the first 6 months of maintenance on Atkins. From the beginning, I included fruits. Mainly cantalope, watermelon, strawberries and pineapple. Towards my goal, I added apples, oranges and bananas. It did not hinder my wt. loss efforts or maintenance efforts. For me, I know that flour, sugar and such would cause a gain and fruit wouldn't. Everyone is different. I just knew from the start that fruit is healthy and refused to give it up.

I switched to calorie counting about a month ago. Having 1600-1700 calories a day and about 100 of them are from carbs. I am maintaining my weight the same as I was on Atkins. I also have PCOS and that is why I tried low-carbing in the beginning.
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Old 02-21-2007, 11:21 AM   #13  
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Lillybelle - Thank you so much for you response! I know my carb intake was a lot! I knew I had to do this to feel better. Yesterday was day 2. I had the most terrible headache, got the chills, and a horrible belly ache. I ate a banana and a peanut butter sandwich, then I was all better. I know headaches are part of the process, but I can't take that! I also know if I don't do a little something about it I will give in all the way. So I will take the process slowly. I love fruit and just don't see how they can make you gain weight or not lose weight. Its good to hear that you still ate it and had great results!
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Old 02-21-2007, 11:43 AM   #14  
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Lucy, sorry to hear you were having a bad day yesterday. I used Peanut Butter quite a bit on Atkins, with LC wheat bread. For me, I just felt like I wouldn't be able to stick on-program as well if I didn't eat some fruit. BTW, I know that this isn't that accurate, but what I did was count each fruit as 10 carbs and then allowed myself 15 carbs a day from other foods. I lost 8 lbs. both the first and second weeks then continued to lose at a rate of about 2 lbs. a week. (If I had counted the fruit everday as the 20 or so carbs that it really is, I'd have felt like I was failing at the program by going over my carb limit every day). It was just a mind thing for me.

Last edited by lilybelle; 02-21-2007 at 01:59 PM.
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