[jake1970]

hi
i would really like some advice i started at 295 pound and through low fat eating i got to 245 but even with loads of exercise i just couldnt get any lower a friend suggested i try low carb and after reading all the books etc i decided to give it a go and that was nearly 2 years ago im now 197 pounds with help from low carb eating and a lot of exercise i do 4 mornings gym mix of cardio and weights 4 hours of karate a week and atleast 1 x5 to 10 k run but ive been having my doubts about the low carb lifestyle but am now really worried bout changing back to just eating a balanced low fat healthy meal plan as i dont want the weight to come back on ,i put weight on really quick ive had 2 weeks out of training due to injury and im already up 8 pound in weight ((( but back to it now so hopefully it will start to come down again , has anyone else had similar experiences with low carb eating ,all advice greatfully recieved
many thanks

[nelie]

Are you tracking calories? If not, I'd start. You could do something like south beach diet which is lowered carb, good fats.

One thing is that when you are low carb, your glycogen supplies are depleted. When you go back to eating more carbs, you body will replenish them. This generally means a 5 - 10 lb gain. It is not fat though, just water but it can be scary to see the scale jump.

[yoyoma]

First of all, you should be so proud of what you have accomplished to date!!! You have not only lost a *lot* of weight, you have become an awesome fitness machine! Not only that, but you have kept on working it when your weight has plateaued -- something that would cause most folks to throw in the towel and reach for a bag of chips. Seriously, give yourself a huge pat on the back!!!

On the low carb/ low fat issue, studies have shown that folks can lose weight on either. I found that for myself, I need a low carb approach but while pure Atkins worked for a while, in the end I need a calorie limit (which Atkins doesn't do). Once I added a calorie limit, I started choosing some low calorie foods that I knew worked for me even if they were higher carb than Atkins choices (for example, using non-fat powdered milk in my coffee and tea instead of heavy cream).

So, in case you're wondering, here's what a very typical day (of about 1500 calories) for me consists of:
B:
egg scramble (2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites/egg beaters) with peppers and onions, dressed with spicy salsa.
L:
Honking big salad of mesclun mix & vidalia onions dressed w/EVOO & full fat parmesan and sometimes a sprinkling of (chopped ham/chicken/olives/nuts)
1 Tbl natural PB for dessert if I exercised (puts me above my baseline calories).
D:
A stir "fry" made with very little or no oil, usually chicken, any of a number of veggies, exotic spices.
2 squares chili-infused dark chocolate for dessert (Not low carb, but I'm not giving this up!)

Tea/coffee w/truvia and NFPM throughout the day and I allow myself a diet soda at work.

[April Snow]

I'm doing a plan that is low carb and low fat, and am very happy with it - both in terms of weight loss but equally importantly, being happy with the food I eat and being able to stay on the plan.

It's called the Dukan Diet. You eat lean protein, fat free dairy and vegetables, plus a couple of tbs of oat bran every day. There is no calorie counting - there is a list of 100 foods you can eat, and you can eat whatever you want of those, although in reality, it ends up being low calorie because you just don't get that hungry.

It may be worth checking out as a way for you to combine low carb and low fat.

[doopdoop]

I don't personally see a benefit to doing low fat over low carb if you just do a reduced calorie diet. Keep plenty of fat to keep you satisfied and full, and cut carbs moderately (mine are usually never more than 100g a day) to help keep your weight loss swift and stalls at bay

[jake1970]

Thanks everyone the only reason I really thought about changing back to low fat was I'm quite prone to leg cramps , I got a lot in the beginning of low carbing and they mainly stay away now , but when they come they come hard I did an adventure race the other weekend 9 mile run then 13 mile mountain bike followed by a 3 mile kayak and boy did the cramps hit me the run was ok but in middle of bike ride my thighs started to cramp badly and all through the night too , but I keep wondering if I would have still got the cramps eating low fat , good point bout dropping some calories too as I never really count anymore , typical day is bout 4 to 5 eggs chicken breast salad at lunch with Mayo and olive oil , evening meal meat of some description with veg , snacks in-between couple slice of cheese or bacon and if I've had a particular hard session at karate I treat myself to a homemade jelly with and maybe some fruit