Low carb success? or not?
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75 lbs since November is AMAZING! Congratulations!
I believe studies have shown that the low-carb approach works best to lose weight. I am diabetic, so I -have- to eat low-carb, and also to get some moderate exercise, but I have lost weight since I started. I was on a mailing list for a while with other low-carb dieters and I heard a lot of success stories, not just of people losing weight but feeling better, even things like their skin clearing up.
The thing is, we think of a 'diet' as a temporary regimen until we get to a target weight, then we go back to our old ways an the weight usually comes right back. It's healthier to carry around a few extra pounds than to go up and down. A 'diet' has to be a permanent change in lifestyle. You have to be committed to it for the rest of your life, otherwise you might as well not bother. And diet and exercise are two sides of the same coin, they work together.
I have a blood glucose meter so I can actually see how different foods affect me, and also how exercise works. Your blood sugar rises after a meal, everyone's does about the same, but in diabetics it goes back down more slowly. But low-carb eating really makes a big difference in how high it rises!
If you find the diet easy and in tune with how you normally eat.Don't listen to other people. I know that South Beach has a transition diet based on the carbs you may want to check that out. Personally, I like variety of foods so I count calories and have for years- that works for me it is all about what you put into your mouth and what you burn off.
Congratulations on your loss sounds to me like your doing well and you probably feel and look better too.
It should be called the low carb / high exercise diet.
NEWS FLASH - eating more meat will NOT make you lose weight, Einstein. You'll never lose weight by stopping to eat your vegetables, fruit, and whole grain. You won't. Ever.
If you are so fad-diet crazy, look into South Beach. It's a lot better, but still you need to avoid extremes.
Want a diet that works? No drugs or addictive substances. Meat sparingly. Lots of fruit and vegetables in season. Be smart about what you eat and always be grateful for it. Oh yeah, and keep yourself hydrated.
Any time you cut anything out of your diet, you will lose pounds. Cut out dairy, sweets, red meat,... whatever. and the weight will come off. But only Weight Watchers is a good diet plan endorsed by nutritionists because it includes foods from all the groups and teaches healthy, controlled habits. To cut out complex carbs means cutting out necessary fiber and also sources of vitamins/minerals. This doesn't help the colon in any way. So eliminating carbs will certainly peel off pounds quickly, but those same pounds will return when carbs are included again.
I've lost weight on low-carb- about 60 pounds- but then I develop SERIOUS leg cramps, and pains around my kidneys. I did Atkins for about five months a few years ago. Now, I can't even go low-carb for a week without the leg cramps coming back, and I do take potassium. So, be careful and be monitored by a Dr or other health care provider.
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