[Renee81]

...The weight?? Or is it better to follow a plan?? thanks

[MamaJ]

Hi! So nice to meet you !!

Okay~ To your question - in my opinion - yes and no.

Of course restricting your carbs will be beneficial but so is restricting your calories. I think you must have a direction.

Each LC plan offers different opinions and planning. There are so many different LC types of woe out there - SS (it is food combining and controlled carbs), CAD, Atkins, The Zone, CALP, LC with the WW combo, etc.. You really need to read some of the LC books and decide what you feel will work for you to start you off in one direction. After educating yourself on LC eating it will be easier to stick to a woe that you feel will work for you long term. Some of us have started off with one LC plan and ended up discovering a "free style" that works for us for a long term woe. (I just hate that diet word)

Why not pick up a LC book or two from the library while you're deciding what plan might be workable for you? You'll find much support here. It doesn't matter what LC plan you chose - our battles are the same!

Best of luck and hope to get to know you!

Janice

[nasus40]

Jancie you for got Protein Power (which is soo much like atkins)

but following a plan gives you a good base line to go from. it gives you guidlines. you did not get fat from guidlines you got fat from no restraint (like me) you need structure and guidlines. once you get the whole baseling and understand the where fores and whys then you can tweak your plan to fit your life style. (but be ware when you start to tweak your plnan does not work as well as you are changing what works so well for their program)

but it is best to read the plan and actually several. many have supplements that your body will need during this time of flushing the toxins from your system and the change over of fuel for your body. if answers many questions that you do have regarding different reactions to your intake. personally the PPLP book has so very much into it may be too much for a first time reader, but it is very interesting. grab a book nd read. this way you are not going blind into something that you will not stick with. you will find that the people that have and read their books as a reference are the ones that do the best.

i hope this answers your question. yes you can do it but do nto really expect to get very much weight lost with out structure.

[Tilly]

Hi Renee,
It depends what works best for you. Personally, I need structure but nothing too restrictive. Also, I don't necessarily follow Atkins by the book (for instance, if I am out I might have breaded chicken or shrimp occasionally.) And, right now I am eating more vegetables than he recommends.

There are several threads where people talk about what they are eating. Check them out, they might be very useful to you. Also, while doing this, I have not restricted my calories at all. I haven't been counting them, but I haven't denied myself anything (except anything with carbs!!). This is the first time I have been able to stick to any kind of diet. I have only cheated a couple of times and those occasions were when I had wine or beer, once I had sushi with rice, and another time a "big grab" sized bag of Doritos (ahem.) But I've been doing this for almost a month and I have lost 12 pounds which is amazing to me.

I would recommend you read the Atkins book or visit the website at www.atkinscenter.com just to familiarize yourself with exactly what is considered a carb. There are many vegetables that you can't have and virtually no fruit in the beginning. I haven't had a piece of fruit for almost a month but have been loading up on the veg. You will find that you crave them when it's the only non protein option available!! I've been eating the equivalent of at least 5 servings per day.

An added benefit to really restricting the carbs is the incredible energy. I used to need 8.5-9 hours of sleep per night. Now I'm happy with 7. It takes a couple of days to get the carbs out of your system, but then you don't even crave them anymore.

OK, I'm getting off my soapbox now! Welcome!

[Pooky]

OK, here's my two cents, and I'm telling you I'm bucking the trend here! My very best friend has been overweight most of her adult life. She decided on her own to just omit "white" foods and slowly her weight did come off and she looks beautiful now! She says that now she would like to have a bit more structure, but for her, eyeballing her food and paying attention to it really helped her. So I would say yes, you can do this, but if you're at all unceratin, it is best to get a plan together.

[Ruthxxx]

Omit carbs? You do need a certain level of carbs in your body to maintain the glycogen stores in your body. Even Atkins wants you to have 20 carbs a day on induction.

Vegetables are essential on a low carb diet. Hie thee to the Library and get some books on low carb diets to get a handle on what veggies have carbs. You will probably also need to take some supplements.

Yes, you can lose weight on low carb without following a specific plan but you need to research to be sure you are eating safely.

Please let us know how it goes!

[Ms Spotdog]

I hardily agree with what has been said here but I must add that the education BEHIND why low carb works for carb addicts and WHAT carbs do to our systems is extemely necessary to understand. Armed with this info, it will be easier to make good food choices. Part of getting control of our eating habits is eating more healthy BUT low carb is a bit off the beaten path, so to speak, so you need to relearn what is healthy for the low carb eater.

Kel